The Simpsons Scene That Never Fails To Make Fans Cry
"The Simpsons" has given audiences countless memorable moments since its debut in 1989. The show, which acts as a satirical look at an American family and their fictional town of Springfield, has endured through the decades. It has broken numerous records, including being the longest-running U.S. animated series and the longest-running scripted primetime show with over 700 episodes to date. There are plenty of reasons why the show continues to endure, but much of it has to do with its iconic cast of characters and the show's special brand of self-aware humor.
However, the show is just as known for its emotionally-resonating moments. Despite the over-the-top, silly nature of the show, a lot of care is put into making the characters still feel very human, grounding them in some sort of reality that audiences can connect with. And although there are numerous examples of tear-jerking moments from "The Simpsons," one scene stands above the rest that many fans still bawl their eyes out to.
'Do it for her'
In Season 6, Episode 13, "And Maggie Makes Three," Homer Simpson (voiced by Dan Castellaneta) tells his kids the story of how the family's youngest, Maggie, came to be. At the time, Homer left the nuclear power plant to work his dream job at a bowling alley. After celebrating, Marge (Julie Kavner) discovers that she is pregnant and tries to withhold the information from Homer. He eventually finds out and is distraught, as their financial plans are now ruined. He tries his best to get a raise from his new job but fails to do so and gets his old job back. As punishment, Mr. Burns (Harry Shearer) leaves a plaque in front of Homer's desk that reads, "Don't forget, you're here forever."
When Maggie is eventually born, Homer immediately falls in love with her. Back in the present, Bart (Nancy Cartwright) and Lisa (Yeardley Smith) are still confused as to why there are no photos of Maggie in their family album. Homer responds by saying that he does have photos, but they're kept somewhere where he needs them most. We then see the wall in front of his desk at work is plastered with photos of Maggie. The photos are set up in a way that they alter the words on the plaque to now say "Do it for her."
It's easy to forget through all of Homer's dim-witted antics that deep down, he loves his family and works hard to provide for them. Any parent who has fought tooth and nail to provide for their loved ones, even if it means working a less-than-ideal job, can immediately identify with this moment. And even if you aren't one, the pureness of his connection with the most innocent member of the Simpsons household is just too wholesome to not get choked up over.
The moment still brings fans to tears
A Reddit thread showing images from the scene posted by u/justdoingmything birthed some strong fan reactions from all over. u/Cal679 wrote, "Moments like this are why The Simpsons and Futurama are streets ahead of your average cartoon." u/lacrosse771 continues this train of thought, noting the unsuspecting nature of the emotional scene, commenting, "Scumbag Simpsons, supposed to be a comedy. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy and makes you want to cry."
The scene proved so powerful that it caused several comments within the thread to bring up personal experiences that relate to the subject matter. Redditor u/Strangeglove is one of these individuals, as they shared, "The first time I saw this episode, I called my dad, who at one point was working 70 hours a week to support my mom, my sister, and I, just to tell him I loved him. Such a great episode." u/Plum_Loco also had a personal moment to share when they said, "My daughter was just born on the 15th of this month. I got back to work 2 days ago and as I count the seconds until 5:00... I'm totally printing this out and taping it to my monitor."
It's scenes like this that showcase why "The Simpsons" has endured for so long. Buried under all its gut-busting comedy and outrageous scenarios, there's a beating heart to the series and its characters that remains timeless. It proves that satire has the potential to let its viewers re-examine themselves and the society we live in, all while making hitting us pretty deep in the feels.