10 Changes The Simpsons Hoped You Wouldn’t Notice

5. Snowball II (Or V?)

The Simpsons Snowball 2
Fox

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!

In this post: 
The Simpsons
 
First Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"