10 Changes The Simpsons Hoped You Wouldn’t Notice
5. Snowball II (Or V?)
I-(disgruntled noise)-Robot appears in the Simpsons' fifteenth season, and it was well within the period when the quality had begin to drop. In this episode, Lisa's cats are rapidly offed, one by one. She finally receives a kitten from the Crazy Cat Lady, who she accepts. Rather than dub her Snowball V, she christens her Snowball II, to avoid confusion.
At which point, Principal Skinner walks passed, commenting that this is a bit of cheat. Lisa responds,
'I guess you're right, Principal Tamzarian'
The Principal and the Pauper is often cited as one of, if not the, worst episodes of The Simpsons, due to its changing of Principal Skinner's entire character. Even at the end of the episode, the town agrees to wholeheartedly forget the events that have just transpired. The episode was panned and for the most part, it looks as though the show wants it buried.
And then there are gags like this. While it is actually funny in the context of the episode, it's a bit of a mixed message - does the show want us to remember Arnim Tamzarian or not?
The change that they made in Skinner's character has, for the most part, been quietly ignored since the episode was aired - arguably, for the better!