The Simpsons Season 7 Episode 8: Mother Simpson

When Mr. Burns has all of his employees clean up a highway on a Saturday, Homer fakes his death. The next day, Marge finds out and orders Homer to go to the Springfield Hall of Records to explain himself. While sorting out the problem, Homer gets into an argument with a clerk who claims that Homer's mother is still alive, in spite of Homer's belief that she died while he was young. At the cemetery, though, Homer finds his mother, Mona, and the two have an emotional reunion.



Homer takes Mona home to meet the family, and she bonds with Lisa. But when a police car drives by, Mona hides in the house, making Lisa suspicious. She shares her suspicions with Bart, who checked Mona's purse and found several driver's licenses with different names.

Meanwhile, Homer and Marge questioned why his mother left him for 27 years. The family decides to confront Mona, and she tells Homer that she mails him a care package every week. Homer tells her he never received them, and they go to the post office to claim them. But Mr. Burns recognizes her and calls the FBI. The FBI invade the Simpson home, and Homer and Mona manage to escape. Mona and Homer say goodbye, as she leaves in a car, and after she leaves, Homer sits on his car in the night, looking at the stars.

My thoughts:

How many times have I watched it: Twice.

Chalkboard Gag: None.

Couch Gag: The Simpsons get set on the couch like bowling pins. The cat screaming was nice, but nothing special. (B-)

My thoughts: Some episodes are non-stop humour. They may have weak plots and possibly have the characters acting a little bit out of character, but the humour of the episode makes up for it. Other episodes, like Mother Simpson, aren't all too funny, but have great characterization and a solid plot.

'Mother Simpson' is a classic episode. The plot is good once it gets going. Homer is characterised well. Mona Simpson is an interesting character, and it's nice to see how her characteristics were passed on. Lisa inherited her intellect and musical talents, Bart inherited her rebellious nature, and Homer inherited 'D'oh!' (Lol). I felt feels initially sorry for Homer as he had to grow up without a mother figure for a lot of his childhood, and Abe never supported him. Yet by the end, Mona's reasons for her long absence are made clear. Then there's the ending, with Homer staring up at the stars. 

Wonderful.

The only bad point is that it simply wasn't very funny. I am fine with plot-driven emotional episodes, but for an episode to be perfect, it usually tends to need both grade A humour, and an engaging plot.

My Grade: A-, but really close to an A.