“Mother Simpson” – Season 7, Episode 8
What makes for a good episode of The Simpsons? I think it needs to include some wonderful jokes, for sure. In fact, great jokes can often overcome other shortcomings. But if an episode also features some heart and genuine emotion, it becomes something special.
That’s the case with “Mother Simpson,” one of the show’s best episodes. After faking his own death, Homer discovers his mother (voiced by Glenn Close) did the same, and learns why she left him as a kid. And when she has to leave again and Homer is left sitting on the hood of his car, alone, staring at the stars, it’s an oddly poignant and touching moment from a show that has featured countless wacky shenanigans over the years.
