10 Times The Simpsons Blatantly Trolled The Audience
3. The Principal And The Pauper
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You knew we had to include this one, since this instalment is often highlighted as the turning point after which this once-iconic series jumped the shark and began to decline in quality.
Yes, it’s the infamous episode in which Principal Skinner's backstory is retconned and then un-retconned for no reason, with the entire episode’s action being undone by its close and the plot becoming a frustrating exercise in futility.
It’s not an unfunny episode—“So why is Jasper here?” remains an underrated bit—but it did signal the show’s willingness to undo plots at the flick of a switch, an annoying tendency which robbed the show of stakes and anything resembling emotional grounding.
Boo this episode!