Top 10 Most Unexpected Simpsons Gags
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most cleverly surprising and surprisingly clever gags in “The Simpsons.” Spoiler alert: There will be shocking twists! Which surprising gag had you sprawled out on the sundial with your fingers pointing to W and S? Let us know in the comments down below!
#10: Marge’s Road Rage
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“Marge Simpson in: ‘Screaming Yellow Honkers’”
As Homer’s long-suffering wife, Marge has been the voice of reason in the show. When she does go bonkers, however, it is in truly spectacular fashion. In this episode, Homer buys a Canyonero, but quickly gives it to Marge when he finds out it’s supposedly a model for women. What follows is a mild housewife turning into a road rage monster as Marge beeps her way through traffic. Marge’s Canyonero rage was so refreshingly unexpected it even returned in the video game, “The Simpsons: Hit & Run.” Rage against the machine, Marge, not in it.
#9: When Homer Gets a Movie Made About Him
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“Steal This Episode”
Homer’s crimes and misdemeanors rarely get the attention of the authorities. But in this episode, at least one gets the Hollywood treatment. When Homer starts pirating movies, he gets caught by the FBI—only to have his charges dismissed by Hollywood executives with an eye of opportunity. Homer’s story is made into a film with Homer as the protagonist. Homer a hero? It’s less likely than you think. There have been plot twists less shocking than this development. A clever homage to a 1971 anti-capitalist book, this gag definitely needs more love.
#8: Flanders Punches Homer
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“Black Eyed, Please”
Honestly, we’re surprised it even took him this long. Flanders, one of the mildest and Christian of the Simpsons’ neighbors, is mostly cheerfully oblivious to Homer’s obvious dislike for him. But when Homer and Ned’s parents get stoned, well, that is one crossed line too many. Flanders finally decking it to Homer is as satisfying as it is shocking. Homer’s response? “I didn’t know you were left-handed.” The show’s penchant for disarmingly clever and well-set up gags is definitely its forte. And of course, even the most mild-tempered of characters have their limits.
#7: Martin Prince’s Unexpected Home Life
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“Lisa the Boy Scout”
You gotta do what you gotta do. It’s hard to be a student in elementary school at, well, any era. It’s even harder when you’re an undercover agent and the only one in the division who can pass as ten. It turns out our princely Martin Prince is actually Reggie, a beer-guzzling middle-aged man with a wife and kids. Reggie’s time-consuming job makes him leave poor Doreen with the kids for hours at a time. What more does she want from him?! Fortunately or unfortunately, this sequence was a product of anti-capitalist hackers. It’s a twist within a twist, and typically “Simpsons.”
#6: Homer Strangles His Father
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“Love is a Many Strangled Thing”
The cycle of abuse is real…most of the time. In this episode, we learn that Homer’s violent tendency in strangling Bart has an origin story. Unsurprisingly, it begins in a flashback to Homer’s childhood, with Abe Simpson reprimanding his son for his poor grades. But just when we expect a “Why you little—” from the geezer, it is Homer who strangles his father. Perhaps this twist is not the most psychologically true to life, but it is something way better—hilarious. Subverting expectations is the golden rule of comedy, and “The Simpsons” has it down to a fine science.
#5: “Rick and Morty” Couch Gag
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“Mathlete’s Feat”
The couch gag never wears us out with its infinite variety, does it? For a lot of fans, some couch gags are better than whole episodes and even whole seasons of the show. But sometimes the show begins with a couch gag so intricate it must be studied. In this science-focused episode, the couch gag cleverly showcases Rick and Morty’s comic hijinks as they try to save and clone the splattered Simpsons family. This two-minute gag, with both an A and a B plot, ends with a meta quip by Bart: “No more guest animators, man!” It’s an unexpected but refreshing change.
#4: Maggie Shoots Mr. Burns
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“Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)”
It was a case that captured the imaginations of an entire nation, at least at the water cooler: Who shot Mr. Burns? Its clever homage to a similar “Dallas” who-dunnit, red herrings, and genuinely shocking twist makes this two-parter one of the best and most memorable episodes. In true “Simpsons” fashion, the shooter was the least expected and most outrageously hilarious choice possible. While Mr. Burns tries to steal candy from this baby, his gun falls into Maggie’s tiny hands and discharges. Lesson learned: Babies can be dangerous. “The Simpsons” refuses to do the expected, to gloriously comic results.
#3: Bart Prank Calls Jack Bauer
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“24 Minutes”
Bart’s punny prank calls to Moe and others are among the show’s cheekiest gags—just ask Hugh Jass. But Bart’s pranks backfiring on him has a comic excellence all of its own. When he accidentally calls Jack Bauer and says he is Ahmed Ahdoudi, it isn’t long before Bauer seeks payback for the annoyance. He has Bart arrested for his prank at the end of the episode, deploying a whole SWAT team. A spoof of the popular show “24,” this acclaimed episode shows that even Bart’s most harmless pranks can have consequences.
#2: Homer Becomes Smart
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“HOMR”
Homer’s too-dumb-to-function antics have been a staple of his character for decades. So of course “The Simpsons” would develop an appropriately hilarious origin story for it. It turns out that Homer stuck a crayon up his nose in his younger years, accidentally lodging it in his cranium. When the crayon is removed, Homer’s IQ and personality changes overnight. Seeing a smart Homer veers on the uncanny valley. Of course, this smarter version doesn’t last long. Soon Moe operates on Homer again, this time pushing the crayon back into his brain. But it is certainly a refreshing change from the “D’oh”ing dolt we know and love.
#1: The Death of Frank Grimes
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“Homer’s Enemy”
Honestly, we’re surprised Homer only incurred one notable enemy through all his time on the show. Homer’s lack of intelligence, violent tendencies, and increasingly outrageous adventures that never face consequences is par-de-course for a cartoon character. But living in a world where Homer Simpson exists is enough to make anyone mad. Frank Grimes is the latest victim of Homer’s plot armor in this famous meta episode, increasingly enraged by Homer’s breezing through life. Mocking Homer’s cartoonish immunity from consequence, Grimes gets electrocuted and suddenly dies. At times shocking, dark, and blackly hilarious, the show shows it’s not afraid to poke fun at its own absurdity.
