12 Times The Simpsons Went Dark

In the episode Homer vs. Dignity, Mr. Burns starts using Homer as a means for "entertainment" when he needs money to pay his bills. Unfortunately, Mr. Burns' type of entertainment is humiliating people for his own amusement. So, he hires Homer as his personal "prank monkey."

The jokes seem demeaning enough but things really take a turn when he forces Homer to dress as a new female panda for the local zoo. That would be fine enough but the zookeepers' treatment of Homer in the costume is somewhat disturbing. Not only do the zookeeper abuse the him by relentlessly zapping him, but what happens to Homer when he is dumped into the panda preserve is considered one of the most hated moments in the entire series.

A male panda emerges from the cave and begins violently grabbing and pinning Homer to the ground and then drag him back to his den for... well, you know. Fans thought that this moment crossed a line with the show's already well-established humor.

Back in 2012, The Guardian published an article writing that the panda rape scene is often regarded as "a low in the show's history" and even suggested that the phrase "jumped the shark" should be replaced with "raped by a panda." Subtle huh?

Regardless, a lot of people would not appreciate such a sensitive subject being used for a punchline.