“Goodbye, Maggie, stay as sweet as you are . . . Goodbye, Lisa, I know you’ll make me proud . . . Goodbye, Bart . . . I like your sheets.” – Homer Simpson
I know all these episodes so well that I often forget just how gobsmackingly amazing they are. The entire premise of “One Fish Two Fish Blowfish Blue Fish” is that Homer is going to die. The episode is mostly heartfelt moments and sadness, and yet it is laugh out loud funny and beautifully drawn. Even compressed and scaled down, you can see the bittersweet emotion on Homer’s face as he bids a silent farewell to his daughters, as well as the more neutral expression when he says goodbye to Bart. This is a legitimately tearjerk moment, and yet it is also funny. Twenty years on, this show blows me away.
Dead Homer Society 
7 responses to “Saturday Afternoon Cartoons”
One of the crowning scenes of the entire series. When Homer kisses his daughters’ foreheads, they smile, but when he kisses Bart’s, he, of course, grimaces.
I’m guessing you’ve watched One Fish, Two Fish lately?
I’m guessing you’ve watched One Fish, Two Fish lately?
Its also interesting how this episode plays on what’s something of an old cliche (character learns their death is imminent, turns out to be a misunderstanding), as you see vaguely similar plots even in shows such as Top Cat. The Simpsons of course alters the formula by squeezing jokes in everywhere and scenes like the above where we see how bitter Homer is towards his own son. (Which also fits with his having done so little with Grandpa before their ‘last’ afternoon.) Not to mention the smaller touches like the prisoner in for ‘atmosphere’.
One of the best episodes.
Season 2 is actually my favorite season. It is almost as funny as 3-7 but it’s also darker and more emotional than any other season.
The three little sentences that will get you through life:
Number one) “Cover for me.”
Number two) “Oh, good idea, boss!”
Number three) “‘It was like that when I got here.”
[…] know I said this last Saturday, as well as two bullet points above, but the way this episode handles sadness and death is […]