Warning: Spoilers for The Simpsons season 34, episode 14.
While The Simpsons did explore Carl Carlson’s origin story before, season 34’s new take on this old plot still offered a fresh perspective. After over 700 episodes, it is almost inevitable that The Simpsons has started repeating storylines. As far back as The Simpsons season 11, episode 13, “Saddlesore Galactica,” the show was mocking its own lack of fresh ideas. When Homer silenced the Comic Book Guy’s complaints about the family repeating familiar plot lines, this acted as a meta-joke about fans who voice the same complaints.
Of course, this Simpsons meta-gag didn’t work too well since “Saddlesore Galactica” went on to become one of the worst-reviewed episodes of season 11. The issue with this outing, however, was not really that the creators of The Simpsons were repeating a plot. Instead, the problem was that the series was repeating a plot, mocking viewers who found this annoying, and then doing nothing new to the storyline in question. In contrast, in season 24 and season 34 episodes, The Simpsons supporting star Carl Carlson got two separate canon backstories, but this gambit worked since both plots illustrated new elements of his character.
The Simpsons Season 34 Explored Carl’s Origins (Again)
The Simpsons season 24, episode 21, “The Saga of Carl,” delved deep into the story of Carl’s Icelandic ancestors. However, season 34, episode 14, “Carl Carlson Rides Again,” then went on to explore the story of his biological ancestors and both plots worked surprisingly well. Since “Carl Carlson Rides Again” saw Carl attempting to get in touch with his racial heritage and “The Saga of Carl” saw him focus on the shunning that his adoptive family went through in their local village, the two plots explored different sides of his personality and both offered original, fresh spins on the under-used supporting star.
In “The Saga of Carl,” Carl jetted off to Iceland without telling Homer and the rest of the gang to clear his adoptive family’s name and prove that his Icelandic ancestors were not really cowards. However, he soon learned that they were even worse than history claimed and it was up to Homer, Lenny, and Moe to help him come to terms with this. In contrast, The Simpsons season 34 episode saw Carl immediately enlist the help of his friends when he could not get in touch with his heritage and eventually ended with Carl discovering that he descended from a long line of black cowboys in his biological family tree.
Both of Carl’s Simpsons Backstories Were Surprising
The news that his Icelandic ancestors were not only cowards, but full-blown collaborators in the invasion and destruction of their village, was a hilariously dark twist in “The Saga of Carl.” In contrast, the revelation that Carl’s biological ancestors were a long line of black cowboys was a nod to an oft-overlooked element of real-life US history and a sweeter, less subversive spin on the genealogical discovery plot. While the weird non-canon of The Simpsons means that Carl’s old backstory could have just been retconned in “Carl Carlson Rides Again,” the choice to clarify that Carl still related to both his biological and adoptive families made the character more complex.
Carl’s Backstories Built His Simpsons Character
Traditionally, there has not been much dramatic weight to Carl’s role in The Simpsons, outside of him being the most proactive of Homer’s loyal barfly friends. However, his Icelandic backstory explained why Carl became such a loyal companion, while his biological history justified why he is bolder and more driven than the likes of Lenny and Barney. Much like The Simpsons season 34 flipped Bart and Lisa’s roles to keep the formula of the series feeling fresh, “Carl Carlson Rides Again” illustrated a new side of the character after “The Saga of Carl” already justified his loyalty via his attempts to atone for the shameful antics of his ancestors.
To keep a series as long-running as The Simpsons feeling relevant after 35 years is no small feat, and repeating familiar story elements feels like a tactic that would only get in the way of the show’s success. However, the two backstories of Carl Carlson prove that even a comparatively minor background character can sustain not only one but two origin stories when the creators of The Simpsons find a compelling angle to explore. Since The Simpsons season 34 came up with a fresh take on Carl’s past, it didn’t really matter that season 24 already delved into another side of the character’s story years earlier.
Episodes of The SImpsons season 34 air Sundays on Fox