Pinpointing The Exact Moment Marge Simpson Should Have Left Homer

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True Simpsons fans know the following to be true. A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man. If something’s hard to do, it’s not worth doing. You don’t win friends with salad. And Marge should have left Homer a long time ago. But when? Here is a comprehensive analysis of the Simpsons’ marriage timeline, and the definitive moment Marge should have left Homer for good.

Season 1, Episode 4: “There’s No Disgrace Like Home”

Things get dark very, very fast. Homer is embarrassed by his family’s lack of social etiquette, so decides to take them against their will to therapy where he repeatedly electrocutes his wife and children. Even Maggie gets hooked up to an electric chair. It’s abusive and fuuuucked up – but the whole family seems as bad as each other.

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Season 9, Episode 5: “The Cartridge Family”

After nine seasons of consistently undermining Marge’s hopes of a more independent life, cycles of extreme arguments and weeping apologies, and the constant physical abuse of her son, Homer gets a gun. RUN FOR YOUR LIFE MARGE. This is, in my mind, truly the moment where Marge should have left Homer for good. The preceeding nine seasons show a flawed but essentially loving relationship. However, Homer’s creeping dependency issues and refusal to allow Marge to live a life outside of their family home gives me the willies. Homer has proved himself to be a violent, unstable, controlling, reckless husband – now, he’s a violent, unstable, controlling, reckless husband WITH A GUN. He uses it totally irresponsibly, and lies about his gun ownership – pretending to get rid of it, but hiding it in different places around the home. At the end of the episode, Marge successfully manages to take the gun from Homer, but keeps it herself – truly the actions of a terrorised and fearful wife. THIS IS IT. THIS IS THE TURNING POINT. I’M SORRY MARGE BUT YOU WERE DOOMED FROM HERE ON OUT.

https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/tv-radio/2017/10/marge-should-have-left-homer-simpsons

Pretty good stuff here!

[DetlefK]

1. Some red flags:

Season 2, Episode 20: “The War of The Simpsons”

Marriage is not about that one big gesture to show your significant other how much you love him/her. It's a continuum of small gestures. Homer has not understood that.



Season 5, Episode 22: “Secrets of a Successful Marriage”

Telling your significant other that you are lost without them can be cute... But what Homer did was just emotional blackmail.



Season 8, Episode 6: “A Milhouse Divided”

Homer secretly files for divorce as a set-up for a romantic prank to re-marry Marge. In theory it's cute. In practice it's crazy and immature.



Season 9, Episode 5: “The Cartridge Family”

Homer falls in love with his new hobby of being a gun-owner to the point where he's rather a gun-owner than being with his wife who doesn't like guns. (In the last scene, Marge keeps the gun because she likes to make cool poses with it.)




Season 15, Episode 15: “Co-Dependents Day”

Homer frames his wife for a crime he committed, including making her believe that she did it.

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2. Our favorite is when his birthday present to her is a bowling ball with "homer" engraved on it

But I guess that's pretty tame in comparison to some of these....