The Simpsons’ First Thanksgiving Episode Highlights How Much It Changed (2024)

Although the first Thanksgiving episode of The Simpsons is fun, the season 2 outing unintentionally highlights the tonal disparity between the show’s early years and its Golden Age. The future of The Simpsons is uncertain. The Simpsons season 37’s renewal has not yet been announced and its ratings have dwindled in recent years, although the show has enjoyed a critical resurgence since season 34. Online commentators from Vulture to YouTube agree that The Simpsons is “Good again,” although the general consensus is that the series will never replicate the once-in-a-generation success of its Golden Age from approximately seasons 3-11.

While the Simpsons never age, the show itself has gone through several distinct eras. There are its early years, its Golden Age, the so-called “Zombie Simpsons” era, and its recent critical renaissance. The worst Thanksgiving episode of The Simpsons helped usher in the "Zombie Simpsons" era as the show’s Golden Age gave away to gag-heavier humor, edgy attempts to compete with Family Guy and South Park, and less character-centric writing. However, the first Thanksgiving special proves that the early years of The Simpsons are almost as different from the show’s Golden Age as its much-maligned later seasons.

The Simpsons’ First Thanksgiving Special Is Surprisingly Sad

The Simpsons' Early Seasons Featured A Lot Of Darker Storylines

As surprising as it may sound, season 2, episode 7, “Bart Vs Thanksgiving,” proves that The Simpsons was a sadder, more grounded show than many viewers remember in seasons 1-3. The episode sees Bart accidentally destroy Lisa’s centerpiece and refuse to apologize while Marge and Homer handle the fallout terribly. Although the siblings make up in the end, it is a surprisingly poignant story wherein Bart isn’t particularly sympathetic, Marge and Homer’s shortcomings as parents take center stage, and the family’s dysfunction is less comedic and more dramatic than in later seasons.

Upon a re-watch, the outing feels as much like an animated episode of Malcolm in the Middle as it does a classic Simpsons episode. While the Golden Age of The Simpsons is notable for its mile-a-minute gag rate and the zany absurdity of its humor, “Bart Vs Thanksgiving” proves that the show’s early years were much more rooted in reality. There are plenty of silly moments in the episode, like Bart imagining Maggie blaming him for her inability to speak and Uncle Sam blaming him for America’s loss of soul. However, its tone as a whole is undeniably darker.

The Simpsons Seasons 1 and 2 Featured Numerous Sad Episodes

“Lisa’s Substitute” and “Bart Gets An F” Were Similarly Downbeat

The cynical edge of The Simpsons was toned down after season 3, but there was a good reason for this tonal shift. When the series began, The Simpsons was part of a new wave of family sitcoms written in response to the schmaltzy sentimentality of hits like The Cosby Show and Full House. Roseanne, Married… With Children, and The Simpsons subverted the twee, saccharine style of these shows with dark humor, witless father figures, and episodes where no one learned a valuable lesson. The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror Halloween specials were a particularly pointed jab at network censorship norms.

This inevitably meant that, in response to the sunny idealism of ‘80s family sitcoms, The Simpsons needed to feel more grounded in reality. As a result, The Simpsons season 1-3 featured a lot of surprisingly sad outings, like season 2, episode 19, “Lisa’s Substitute,” season 3, episode 8, “Lisa’s Pony,” and season 2, episode 1, “Bart Gets an “F”.” Compared to an episode from the anarchic and fast-paced Golden Age of The Simpsons, like season 5, episode 17, “Bart Gets An Elephant,” these episodes were far slower, more realistic, and more moving.

When The Simpsons Became More Playful And Less Poignant

Season 3, Episode 17, “Homer At The Bat,” Was A Major Turning Point

The Simpsons always had a wild sense of humor, but the turn toward prioritizing gags and zaniness over emotional resonance arrived in earnest around season 3, episode 17, “Homer at the Bat.” It is telling that one of the scariest Treehouse of Horror stories ever arrived before this hinge point, where the series began to focus on absurd and over-the-top humor more than emotional resonance. This approach lasted throughout the Golden Age until seasons 11 and 12 took things too far, abandoning any connection to reality with storylines that could have appeared on South Park or Family Guy.

The Golden Age of The Simpsons maintained an almost impossible balance. In season 4, episode 16, “Duffless,” the same episode featured Homer encountering a giant spider under the nuclear plant and later taking Marge for a romantic bike ride instead of having a beer at Moe’s. The mundane and the surreal, a grounded depiction of working-class Americana and an absurd cartoon parody of the same, comfortably co-existed during this era. The downfall of The Simpsons was inevitable, and looking back on its early years proves this. After all, The Simpsons was also almost too dark and realistic before it became too silly and unrealistic.

Sources: Vulture

YouTube

Your Rating

10 stars9 stars8 stars7 stars6 star5 stars4 stars3 stars2 stars1 star

Rate Now

0/10

Leave a Review

Your comment has not been saved

39

8.9/10

The Simpsons

Animation

Comedy

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Cast

Tress MacNeille , Julie Kavner , Harry Shearer , Pamela Hayden , Nancy Cartwright , Hank Azaria , Dan Castellaneta , Yeardley Smith

Release Date

December 17, 1989

Seasons

35

Network

FOX

Franchise(s)

The Simpsons