10 Times The Simpsons Broke Its Own Rules
The continuity of this show is all over the place.
With dozens of memorable characters, hundreds of fantastic episodes, and more catchphrases than you can shake a dictionary at, The Simpsons is one of the biggest TV franchises of all time.
Its influence felt all over the small screen and new episodes are popping out like baby rabbits. It feels like the show is almost too big to fail at this point, but even Simpsons writers aren't immune to slip ups every now and again.
Over its run, various plot points, character details, and timelines have been forgotten or completely erased from the show's history. These ten rule breaks range from the small to the colossal, but The Simpsons has one of the most rabid fanbases in the world, so you can bet that plenty of people noticed.
These omissions usually happen when a writer wants the plot of an episode to go in a particular direction or when they just forget something that happened over twenty years ago.
The lore of Springfield is so deep at this point, it's easy to see how certain aspects of it can be overlooked. However, that doesn't make it any less jarring when a blatant error occurs.
10. Marge's Fear Of Flying
The aptly titled Season 6 episode Fear of Flying focusses on Marge Simpson and her struggles with aerophobia. Yes, that really is what it's called.
It is established in this episode that Marge links planes and flying to the childhood trauma she suffered after seeing her father working as a flight attendant. That might seem like a ridiculous plotline, but remember, this was episode came out in the 90s. Standards were different back then.
Clearly this issue with flying has been with Marge her entire adult life, so how on Earth did she manage to fly to Washington D.C. with her family in the Season 3 episode, Mr. Lisa Goes To Washington?
You could argue that Marge's phobia was triggered by her flight in Season 6, but it certainly appears as if she knew ahead of time that this would set her off. Also, in Season 3, there is a sequence where Bart releases all the oxygen masks, causing Homer and the other passenger to freak out. But not Marge.
Phobias and other psychological disorders are nuanced, but the likelihood is that Marge's inconsistent fear of flying is down to the writer's room's own fear of continuity.