Review: The Simpsons “Flanders Ladder”

The season finale of The Simpsons is all about death and the afterlife.

Overview:

In an attempt to steal internet from Flanders Homer sends Bart to steal their router.  Unfortunately, on his climb to the attic Bart is struck by lightning and falls into a coma. Lisa in a plot of revenge plans the perfect prank while Bart is out, and she begins influencing his dreams.  Bart is stuck in a dream where he can see dead people and is forced to help them to move onto the afterlife.

After assisting a barrage of memorable Simpsons characters, Bart is left to help Maud Flanders.  As we remember, Maud was killed in season fourteen after taking a shot by a tee-shirt cannon and falling out of a stadium.  Her spirit lingers on Earth for the purpose of revenge on Homer. After helping Maud, Bart is left with a dilemma of saving Homer’s life.  Powerful emotions may be enough to save Bart and relieve Lisa of her guilt.

 

Our Take:

That is a wrap on a milestone season 29, with the big 3-0 approaching this fall.  And, what a way to finish!  This episode takes on the topic of death and the afterlife in a somber, but playful manner. There is a sense of purpose to the event as if the creators are speaking towards an approaching death of the show. By sharing this episode fans can be comforted that there is life after death.  Though, with the contracts still rolling in, and the show still being relevant, who knows if the Simpsons will ever die?

Well, one of them will absolutely live forever, but you will need to watch the show for that information.

Another reason that this show seemed to bring some totality is the abundant amount of characters revisited that we assumed gone forever. Maud was just the beginning, with appearances by Bleeding Gums Murphy, Crazy Cat Lady, Dr. Marvin Monroe, and even Shary Bobbins.  The whole episode was a trip down memory lane of lost and forgotten characters.  I mean, Dr. Marvin Monroe is a face that has been long forgotten but was easily recognizable on screen.

Of course, we should talk about the blatant Sixth Sense rip-off storyline.  It was all played out really well, especially with the parallelism between Bart’s dream and Lisa’s guilt.  It may seem like a basic plot when you write it out, but The Simpsons have always had a way of making classic stories their own.  This one is no different, and should I watch the Sixth Sense now, I will probably be reminded of this show, as much as I was reminded of the movie tonight. That is how well these writers can make The Simpsons stand apart from their source material.

Even with a great main story, the beginning stood out for me. With the Simpsons family without internet, Homer was forced to pull out his old VCR.  A nostalgic trip for anyone that has been a Simpsons fan since the start. Maybe, I am just a sucker for 90’s references.  This episode also ends on an epic conclusion, giving away the ages and methods of the death of some of the show’s most popular characters.  Worth watching just for the last two minutes.

It was a strong finish to a successful season that has established The Simpsons as one of the greatest sitcoms in television history.  If we can expect brilliant storytelling like this next season, the show may never die.  I enjoyed ending on this high note of emotion, and I will be anticipating the start of the upcoming season.