The Simpsons Season 28: 7 Things It's Got Right (So Far)
4. A Smithers Episode
The ninth episode of season twenty-eight, The Last Traction Hero turned out to be a bit of a surprise - and not just because there was no couch gag for this episode.
No, the real surprise was that it turned out to be a Smithers episode, and a pretty solid one at that. Really, how many Smithers episodes have there been throughout the entire series? Not too many.
Switching focus to a supporting character was a smart move here (a bit of a theme this season). Smithers might be one of the most underutilized characters on the show, mostly playing the "straight" man to Burns while the latter gets up to whatever scheme he has cooked up lately. In The Last Traction Hero Marge turns to him for comfort when Homer is injured, and winds up developing feelings for him despite Smithers being very openly gay.
That's not the best part, however. The best part is the very honest examination of both Marge and Smithers' choice in partners. When they openly question whether they made the right choice, the episode really hits home in a way few later-season Simpsons outings do. The best Simpsons episodes, after all, always dealt with moral issues and real emotions at their core.
More good news: the show doesn't drop the ball with the end. Homer comes through to prove why Marge loves him.