The Simpsons: 10 Greatest Apu Moments
3. Marrying Manjula
Manjula’s already featured on this list a few times, but her first appearance is still her best. Initially, we see the bachelor side of Apu. He’s not much of a talker, but loves to listen, and in his spare time he likes to make furniture then have a discussion about where it could be placed in a room.
Wanting to avoid his arranged marriage, he lies to his mother about already being married. She then arrives in Springfield unannounced, with Apu celebrating as she falls over as it ‘will buy him some time’. The whole episode is peppered with chuckles like that throughout, as a well meaning Simpsons family are woefully inept at convincing grandma Nahasapeemapetilon that Apu married Marge.
As with all episodes like this that change the makeup of Springfield, the best part is in the nods to characterisation. The final act of the episode fleshes Apu out confidently and shows the flashes of dry wit that will come to mark Manjula’s personality. The both of them bonding over Fried Green Tomatoes being their favourite movie, book, and food is charming, endearing, and exactly the sort of thing fans are going to miss.