The Simpsons: 10 Most Disturbing Episodes

As stated in the first entry of this article, the show does not deal with death regularly. Although the demise of the character in question was a misunderstanding, this episode still takes an unbelievably morbid approach to the subject matter.

Dial N For Nerder depicts the events of Bart and Lisa attempting to cover up the supposed man-slaughter of Martin. When encountering him at a national park, Bart plays a prank on him which results in the young boy tumbling onto a small ledge on a cliff. Upon trying to retrieve him with a stick, Lisa accidentally pushes him off and he plummets.

The two are rightfully convinced that they have killed the boy and the rest of the episode revolves around the guilt they feel. One of the darker aspects also centres on Bart's desire to go to the police but Lisa's convincing him to keep it a secret. This is thoroughly out of character for her and switches the dynamic of Bart as the troublemaker and Lisa being the sensible moral sibling.

Although it is revealed that Martin survived, this episode is still easily one of the most disturbing occurrences in The Simpson's canon.