10 Completely Insulting TV Plot Twists

There's a reason that The Principal and the Pauper, the second episode in The Simpsons' ninth season, is often heralded as the point in which the popular animated sitcom began its decline.

Long time character Seymour Skinner, who had undergone quite a bit of character development in his time on the show, was revealed to be an imposter named Armin Tamzarian that had stolen the identity of his former army sergeant. Even worse yet was the lack of an interesting motivation, in which Tamzarian takes on Skinner's life in order to avoid upsetting the latter's mother with news of Skinner's death.

Taking one of the best characters on the show and completely retconning their background for a single episode only really signaled to everyone that the show was running out of ideas.

Yes, you read that correctly. A single episode. The show went out of its way to hit the reset button, with the entire town (including the real Seymour's mother) refusing to accept Sergeant Skinner, and instead insisting that Tamzarian go back to assuming Skinner's identity full time. The real Skinner is shipped out of town, and Springfield is ordered to completely forget it ever happened "under penalty of torture."

The return to the show's status quo is galling at best and insulting at worst.

The Simpsons has never exactly been a show bound by logic, but the existence of Kang and Kodos is nothing compared to this blunder.