The Simpsons: 10 Utterly Heart-Breaking Moments You'll Never Forget

10. Homer's Sacrifice

One of the most successful and largely unspoken jokes of The Simpsons is that Homer is very, very unworthy of Marge: she is a babe to say the least, and a dutiful wife and mother who by all accounts turned her back on her dreams in order to settle for the uncomplicated but occasionally wayward love of Homer.

The joke is that Homer doesn't really see it, and his behaviour indicates he possibly doesn't care (or is ignorant enough to not have to) but every so often, we do see some flashes of self-realisation, and none are more wrenching than in "And Maggie Makes Three," the flash-back show that presents Maggie's birth.

Homer realises his dream (one of countless) to work in a bowling alley, after paying off his debts before Maggie is conceived, but on the realisation that Marge is pregnant and he can't support his family on his wages, he is forced to go back to the Power Plant. Shamed, but accepted back into his new job, Homer is forced to have a plaque over his workstation, carrying the demotivational message "Don't Forget, You're Here Forever."

The heart-breaking sacrifice is emotional enough, but the pay-off that he has covered the plaque with photos of Maggie to leave the message reading simply "Do It For Her" is even more affecting.