This episode is a real kick to the stomach for anyone who has ever let their family or friends down which if we are being totally honest, is probably all of us at some point. Rolling Stone put it in their top 150, but its all the way down at 93, which is at least 70 places lower than it should be. And while the episode does come in at a very respectful 34 at IMDB, I couldn't find any other popular publications that ranked this one in their best episodes. It is almost impossible not to feel heartbreak for Marge when she finally finds out that in blindly defending her son, her faith has been misplaced. She learns that he can truly be a bad child, and her shame is not superficial she genuinely feels like a failure for raising a thief. Marge doesnt know what to do next and for the first time has lost her motherly mojo. She finds herself alienating Bart from the rest of the family in the hopes that maybe the independence he craves is what will set him straight, even though she isnt really ready to let him go. Its devastating to watch such a wonderful mother lose confidence in her own abilities. Meanwhile, Barts arc is equally humbling, as he is crushed by his guilt over hurting his mother. The voice acting and story direction in the episode exquisitely relays the indescribable anxiety that weve all felt when weve hurt somebody we care about in a way that feels irreparable. In his pain he learns for the first time that the only thing worse than being punished is not being punished, and that his mother is not the invincible demigod he assumed her to be. Finally, the warm resolution is beautiful without veering into the territory of mawkish sentimentality.
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I have only loved three things my entire life: my family, Batman, and the All Blacks.
