Although The Simpsons season 37 could possibly make sure not to contradict anything featured as far back as season 1, episode 1.

Moreover, The Simpsons isn’t a serialized drama series where continuity is vital for building stakes and developing an overarching storyline. Instead, The Simpsons is a traditional family sitcom where the show’s status quo resets at the end of every episode and almost no events permanently impact its characters. While Bart’s best season 36 storyline saw him worry about turning 11 after spending 35 years as a 10-year-old, the cheekily self-referential ending of season 36, episode 1, “Bart’s Birthday,” instead saw him turn 10 again as The Simpsons continued to cycle through the same nonsensical timeline.

Homer Gets Attacked By A Bear At A Dump 7 Years After His Decision That Contributed To It

The Simpsons Season 15 Pays Off Season 7’s Bear Tax Gag

That said, this doesn’t mean that there is no canon or continuity in the world of The Simpsons. On the contrary, even though The Simpsons showrunner Matt Selman mentioned the show’s “Elastic canon” in an X post, the series does occasionally reference the events of earlier episodes in more recent outings. One great example of this came in season 15, episode 5, when Homer’s anger over the bear tax literally came back to bite him in a gag that paid off a setup from seven years earlier.

“The Fat and the Furriest” sees Homer attacked by a bear at the Springfield dump some seven years after he bemoaned the supposed pointlessness of a tax paying for bear patrols.

In season 7, episode 23, “Much Apu About Nothing,” Homer complains about having to pay a tax to keep bears out of Springfield. Much later, “The Fat and the Furriest” sees Homer attacked by a bear at the Springfield dump some seven years after he bemoaned the supposed pointlessness of this tax. While The Simpsons’ humor isn’t flawless, this gag proves just how much thought the show puts into its delayed punchlines. The same clever technique can be seen in season 8, episode 3, “The Homer They Fall,” and season 9, episode 14, “Das Bus.”

How The Simpsons Paying Off Long-Term Narrative Set-Ups Is Good For Its Storytelling

The Simpsons Season 15 Episode 5 Disproves One Common Criticism

At the end of “The Homer They Fall,” Moe uses a paramotor to become an unlikely folk hero, saving civilians from peril by swooping in at the right moment. In the closing scenes of “Das Bus,” the narrator reassures viewers that the Springfield Elementary school children stranded on a deserted island were saved by “Oh, let’s say… Moe.” To the uninitiated, the gag seems like a bizarre non-sequitur. However, to those who recall the season 8 episode, it makes perfect sense.

Some of the best jokes in The Simpsons rely on clever wordplay or pure slapstick silliness, but these gags prove that long-term narrative setups can also contribute to the show’s success. Evidently, the long-running series has more connective tissue in its canon than it sometimes seems. Even though The Simpsons does contradict itself a lot, the show also pays off ancient jokes like this cleverly.

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