While The Simpsons rarely kills off characters in canon, one bizarre plot hole proves that this approach might be the right one for the series. As a general rule, The Simpsons does not follow many of television’s conventions. The anarchic animated comedy has been subverting television tropes since its earliest episodes, which replaced the schmaltzy golden moments that viewers expected from family sitcoms with sardonic life lessons like Homer telling his children that they should "never try" because they will inevitably fail.
In recent years, The Simpsons has taken its love of subversive comedy even further by mocking the very idea of canon and continuity. While even comparably wild, wacky comedy shows usually have relatively solid canon, The Simpsons breaks the rules constantly by changing the established backstories of its characters and rewriting the reality of the show’s fictional universe. This has occasionally led to anger from the show’s fan base, some of whom want a consistency that The Simpsons refuses to provide. However, a few episodes prove that this loose approach makes sense, since The Simpsons' canon is unsurprisingly hard to keep up with after over 700 episodes.
Homer’s Dead Vegas Wife Caused A Simpsons Plot Hole
In The Simpsons season 10, episode 10, “Viva Ned Flanders,” Homer and Ned accidentally married strippers from Las Vegas whilst drunk. Homer’s Vegas wife, Amber, later fled Springfield when she was tricked into marrying Grampa in season 13, episode 7, “Brawl in the Family.” However, by season 18, when the critical decline of The Simpsons had begun in earnest, an episode begins with the Simpson family attending Amber's funeral, which takes place in their hometown of Springfield. This outing, season 18, episode 2, “Jazzy and the Pussycats,” proves that the series cannot keep track of its own complicated canon.
The Simpsons never explains why Amber would have returned to Springfield, nor whether her marriage to Grampa ever ended. Instead, Amber is simply a Springfield institution in the opening scenes of “Jazzy and the Pussycats” - a twist that does not add up considering the lengths that the Simpson family went to in their efforts to drive her out of their lives. While many of the best episodes of The Simpsons ignore logic for the sake of humor, it is strange that this episode intentionally brought back a minor forgotten character and acknowledged her existence, only to then never explain or justify her return.
This Simpsons' Plot Hole Explains The Show’s Death Rule
The Simpsons rarely kills off characters permanently in canon. There are less than two dozen confirmed canon deaths in the show’s 34 seasons. This is precisely because frequently killing characters would require a commitment to consistent continuity that The Simpsons' creators are simply not invested in maintaining in future episodes.
The Simpsons' Amber plot hole proves that acknowledging mortality makes the show’s chaotic continuity too tough to follow. This in turn explains why The Simpsons seldom kills off characters. This is good for new seasons of The Simpsons, as the approach allows the show to tell increasingly ludicrous and outlandish stories without The Simpsons needing to worry about consistency.