4. The Death Of Maude Flanders And Numerous Other Supporting Characters
Deaths of prominent characters in TV shows have become a sort of go-to trope whenever a show needs an extra boost of publicity and attention. On the Simpsons however, Maude's darkly comedic death by a T-shirt cannonball not only garnered the show a considerable amount of attention, but it managed to change the dynamic of the show on and off-screen. The behind-the-scenes reason as to why Maude got such an ungraceful exit from the show was due to a dispute that arose between Fox and Maggie Roswell, Maude's voice actress. Frustrated over her low pay, Roswell asked for a not-too-unreasonable pay rise but when Fox offered her a tiny paltry sum in return, she just decided to quit instead (before returning later). On-screen, Maude's death meant that the writers could really push Ned outside his comfort zone whilst also giving him fresh stories about struggling to adjust to being a single father. Whilst Maude's death helped develop Ned's character further, Maude herself wasn't exactly the most memorable character. In fact, Maude's role on the show was best summed up by Reverand Lovejoy during her funeral: In many ways Maude Flanders was a supporting player in our lives. She didnt grab our attention with memorable catch phrases or comical accents. But whether you noticed her or not, Maude was always thereand we thought, she always would be.
My life story is nothing special. I haven't cured ebola, I'm nowhere near stopping terrorism, and I'm still working on that climate change problem.
Instead, all I've done so far is put a few hundred words together in an attempt to make people laugh.
You can follow me at @Fry_ying_pan but don't be offended if I don't tweet back. It's usually because I've spent too long trying to think up a witty response that the reply window has closed.
