I did already do something with Season 33 of "The Simpsons" which was the most recent season when I did that post, now this one is about 1 season removed at time of making this one. This is season 33 episode 9 called "Mothers and Other Strangers".
Homer's mother was first actually given a spotlight in the classic ,meaning well known and also very good, season 7 episode "Mother Simpson" . The character , sadly, dies in season 19, so any later appearances are like flashbacks and non-canon needed moments. I'm picking this episode since it has her in it, we can dip into another topic that has to do with time, and going into the conversation about season 33 a little more.
The episode starts more with a focus on Santa's Little Helper as Bart has found a a channel/streaming service something for dogs. This leads us to the plot's main fuse being set off when Santa's Little Helper's mom is spending time with him on Mother's Day. (See season 31, on more about SLH's mother) Homer is sad because it is Mother's Day, and misses his mother. It leads to Lisa suggesting an app where he can talk to someone for help. The episode uses flashbacks for the story.
The episode recalls something from that season 7 episode where Mona, Homer's Mother, left when he was a kid because she was wanted by the FBI and where his ad lied to him that his mother died. Then Homer remembers the time he found a postcard where there was a clue about her being alive still. I'm going to cut here to mention something, so this episode decided to its own path about Homer's mother. Instead of him finding out that his mother was still alive in his current age (whatever that means in the show) he found when he was much younger at 16. That was a choice alright. I think it's actually probably more confusing if someone was watching this episode new and maybe was starting to watch this show and then finding out that it changed something that was established. If you already know about the other episode it doesn't come into your mind and wipe memory of it from your head, but it is an interesting direction.
I think this was another example of the show time correcting again. Because the characters are always in "present time" there's a problem as the show keeps running, the one thing that can't be controlled at all- Time. Mona's original story in "Mother Simpson" has a straight-laced World War II vet and his wife who was going through the 60's turmoil and being radicalized fits in with the early to mid 90's setting of that episode and the show's start. When an about 40-year-old man's father would have been a WWII vet and the 60's would be his childhood. The problem with that now is that for the show to be in current time, it has to adjust its past. Now this episode takes place in 2021 times a nearly 40 year old man would have been a child in the late 80's. (now to make people feel old) Essentially, for the show still do callbacks to the past they had to float the timeline. It might rub some people the wrong way, but that's how it's going to really be sometimes.
The Mama's Boy shirt is a laying it on a bit thick/ Copyright Disney
Back to the episode, the flashback has Homer confronting his father and he does find out the truth, the episode keeps the part the where she's wanted by the FBI for doing radical hippie stuff, because that can kind of fit after the 60's too. He decides to go find his mother, but Abe tries to stop him, but they end up going. There's also the FBI following them. There are actually some nice Abe and Homer moments, in the flashback moment, it's something sweet.
He does catchup to his mother, but so the does FBI and she runs before he can see her and talk to her. That chance is missed. He also recalls a moment when Bart was born and he was able to see his mother. So yeah, the episode also doesn't really say if she's dead in this new time line. It wraps up with Homer taking Marge and the family out on a Mother's Day dinner and then one last Dog channel thing joke.
The episode, on it's own merit, isn't bad, it's not heavy in jokes or being funny, but the emotional story is well done and it is nice. I don't think it hurts "Mother Simpson" or in any sense tries to take that episode to the back shed and put it out to pasture. (geeze) I think they only way they could have done a Mona story would have to be this way since the other arc is pretty much over and already has the story told. On some of the little aspects, I think the Muttflix thing at the start went on longer than it should have, they should have just done the full intro and had less focus on the Muttflix stuff. The Mother's Day tie-in stuff was nice and even has a nice ending for Marge's Mother's Day. The quick app therapy jokes were alright. It had a nice heartwarming moment for Homer to see his mother when Bart was born. Yeah it wasn't bad. This episode is alright to skip if you really want to keep the other continuity as well.
That's it for now , tune in next time when the FBI catches up to us , silly Fried Bread Investors, really want our secret recipe.
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