Now we come to what is perhaps my favorite Simpsons episode in the show's 25-year history. Bart and Lisa ask why there are no pictures of Maggie in the photo albums. The episode is then told in flashback as we see what life was like for the family before Maggie was born. After paying off all their debts, Homer is able to quit the power plant and get his dream job working at a bowling alley. It is a perfect life for him, and he even claims out loud that he never wants anything to change. It is at this point that Marge finds out she is pregnant for the third time. Not wanting to tell Homer, she tries to keep it a secret for as long as possible (in a series of hilarious moments where Homer should have obviously figured out what was happening). But soon he finds out and sadly quits his dream job in order to make more money at the plant to take care of his family. Gloating that Homer was forced to return literally on his hands and knees, Mr. Burns posts a plaque in Homer's office that reads: "Don't forget: you're here forever." In the final moments of the episode, Bart and Lisa ask what all this had to do with Maggie's missing photos. Homer responds that he put them all where he needs it most. Then the plaque is shown once again, Maggie's photos covering up the letters so that it instead reads: "Do it for her". It is a beautiful last image that shows so much about the intricacy of Homer's character, and it simply cannot be watched without shedding a tear. Want to share some of your favourite Simpsons memories? Have a Simpsons moment you think should be on this list? Let us know in the comments!
Sarah is a twenty-something film school graduate and mother-to-be from Arizona. She loves to write and is currently working on a novel that may be finished sometime in the next fifty years. Doctor Who, Star Trek, Final Fantasy, and Supernatural are among her various obsessions.
