History UnexpectedlyDarkEpisode / TheSimpsons

* Some episodes with [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Mr. Burns]] are darker and more dramatic than most other episodes. Examples include "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E22 Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in The Curse of the Flying Hellfish]]" (where he [[MoralEventHorizon tries to drown Bart]]), "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E25WhoShotMrBurnsPartOne Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part One]]" (where he blocked all the sunlight from Springfield, and screwed over several other characters, all of which is played seriously enough to make his shooting look justifiable), "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E8MotherSimpson Mother Simpson]]" (where he was involved with biological warfare and he is responsible for making Homer's mother, Mona Simpson, to run from the law, even though she saved him), and "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS28TheGreatPhatsby The Great Phatsby]]" (where he is betrayed by a superstar hip-hop artist who idolizes him, and schemes to get revenge on him). Mr Burns' actions also set future episodes in motion...

* One unexpectedly dark CouchGag features the entire family except for Bart dying in morbid ways; Homer chokes on the radioactive rod he's handling, Lisa ''somehow'' breaks her neck after bumping into a wall and getting hit in the head with her saxophone, and Maggie actually gets to drive the car, taking her and Marge off a cliff, through a barn, and into a lake. Bart comes home to an empty house, but doesn't seem to mind because it means he gets the remote to himself.

* "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E8HurricaneNeddy Hurricane Neddy]]" is about the Flanderses' house being destroyed by a hurricane and Ned going crazy, shouting at everyone about their biggest flaws. It also reveals that Ned's VerbalTic is due to years of repressed anger due to his parents that would never punish him.

* "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E2CapeFeare Cape Feare]]" has Bart sent a death threat in the mail; the words "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU" written in blood. He spends the rest of the day paranoid about who could be trying to kill him, but eventually learns that it's Sideshow Bob. The Simpsons go under witness protection, change their name, and relocate to a houseboat, although Sideshow Bob continues to chase after him. That night, Bob ties up the family and traps them, with the exception of Bart, whom he chases after with a knife. Bart only makes it out alive at the end because of some BondVillainStupidity on Bob's part.

* Some episodes with [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Mr. Burns]] are darker and more dramatic than most other episodes. Examples include "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E22 Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in The Curse of the Flying Hellfish]]" (where he [[MoralEventHorizon tries to drown Bart]]), "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsWhoShotMrBurns Who Shot Mr. Burns?]]" (where he blocked all the sunlight from Springfield, and screwed over several other characters, all of which is played seriously enough to make his shooting look justifiable), "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E8MotherSimpson Mother Simpson]]" (where he was involved with biological warfare and he is responsible for making Homer's mother, Mona Simpson, to run from the law, even though she saved him), and "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS28TheGreatPhatsby The Great Phatsby]]" (where he is betrayed by a superstar hip-hop artist who idolizes him, and schemes to get revenge on him). Mr Burns' actions also set future episodes in motion...

* One unexpectedly dark CouchGag features the entire family except for Bart dying in morbid ways; Homer chokes on the radioactive rod he's handling, Lisa stumbles on her way out of the classroom and gets hit on the head by her saxophone, and Maggie actually gets to drive the car, taking her and Marge off a cliff, through a barn, and into a lake. Bart comes home to an empty house, but doesn't seem to mind because it means he gets the remote to himself.

Unexpectedly dark episodes of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''.

* "Lisa's Sax" is Season 9's entry in the tradition of {{Flashback}} episodes and starts, as the title indicates, with Homer and Marge telling the story of how Lisa got her saxophone. However, to get there they have to reveal the history of Bart's first experiences in school, which turns out to be his StartOfDarkness as a SadistTeacher crushed his spirit before he was out of kindergarten. Lisa was discovered to be gifted by school psychologist Dr. Pryor when Homer and Marge went to him in an effort to get help with Bart, who had alarmed Marge by drawing [[NightmareFuelColoringBook a picture of himself being stabbed with knives]]; as a result, Homer eventually bought Lisa her saxophone because it was the only way to encourage her gift that he could afford. Bart continued to be left to his own devices and learned to cope by becoming the ClassClown he is today.

* "Lisa's Sax" is Season 9's entry in the tradition of {{Flashback}} episodes and starts, as the title indicates, with Homer and Marge telling the story of how Lisa got her saxophone. However, to get there they have to reveal the history of Bart's first experiences in school, which turns out to be his StartOfDarkness as a SadistTeacher crushed his spirit before he was out of kindergarten. Lisa was discovered to be gifted by school psychologist Dr. Pryor when Homer and Marge went to him in an effort to get help with Bart, who had alarmed Marge by drawing [[NightmareFuelColoringBook a picture of himself being stabbed with knives]]; as a result, Homer eventually bought Lisa her saxophone because it was the only way to encourage her gift that he could afford. Bart, meanwhile, was left to his own devices and learned to cope by becoming the ClassClown he is today.

* "Lisa's Sax" is Season 9's entry in the tradition of {{Flashback}} episodes and starts, as the title indicates, with Homer and Marge telling the story of how Lisa got her saxophone. However, to get there they have to reveal the history of Bart's first experiences in school, which turns out to be his StartOfDarkness as a SadistTeacher crushed his spirit before he was out of kindergarten. Lisa was discovered to be gifted by school psychologist Dr. Pryor when Homer and Marge went to him in an effort to get help with Bart; as a result, Homer eventually bought Lisa her saxophone because it was the only way to encourage her gift that he could afford. Bart was left to his own devices when his parents GaveUpTooSoon and learned to cope by becoming the ClassClown he is today.

* "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS18E18TheBoysOfBummer The Boys of Bummer]]" gets a special mention. The entire population of Springfield abused Bart simply over a lousy baseball game. And they did not stop abusing Bart, even when he was DrivenToSuicide (they even ''[[SuicideDare egged him on]]'' when he tried to kill himself). Not even Bart falling into a coma stopped them from continuing to mock him. They continue to verbally abuse him until [MamaBear Marge]] [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech furiously puts the entire town into shame]] for their cruelty towards him.

* "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS18E18TheBoysOfBummer The Boys of Bummer]]" gets a special mention. The entire population of Springfield abused, mocked, humiliated and attacked Bart simply over a lousy baseball game. And they did not stop abusing Bart, even when he was DrivenToSuicide (they even ''[[SuicideDare egged him on]]'' when he tried to kill himself). Not even Bart falling into a coma stopped them from continuing to mock him.

* In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E14AloneAgainNaturaDiddily Alone Again, Natura-Diddly]]", Maude Flanders is KilledOffForReal when she is shot by a T-shirt cannon, is knocked off the rails of a speedway, and falls to her death. Both Ned and his kids are devastated, with even Bart feeling bad for them. Homer attempts to get Ned back into dating, although he still feels uncomfortable with it. While the episode has a slightly upbeat ending where Ned meets a Christian musician he likes, it's later revealed that their relationship didn't work out.

* Downplayed for "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E11OneFishTwoFishBlowfishBlueFish One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish]]" and "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS10E8HomerSimpsonsInTheKidneyTrouble Homer Simpson in: 'Kidney Trouble']]", which both have a character believe they are going to die but zigzag between BlackComedy and playing it seriously. In the former, Homer eats a blowfish and is told he may be dying. There are jokes like him getting SequentialSymptomSyndrome with the five stages of grief, but also serious moments like Marge dealing with her husband's possible death. In the latter, Grandpa needs a kidney transplant but Homer chickens out. There is comedy in scenes like the cause of the kidney failure being [[PottyEmergency holding his pee too long]], but his situation is played very seriously.

* Any episode with a character who has no funny quirks and is played seriously. Examples include the French winemakers from "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS1E11TheCrepesOfWrath The Crepes Of Wrath]]" (who nearly killed Bart by giving him antifreeze-laced wine not to mention that their general treatment of him was pretty poor), the Babysitter Bandit from "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS1E13SomeEnchantedEvening Some Enchanted Evening]]" (who tied up the kids and tried to rob the house) and Bart's kindergarten teacher from "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E3LisasSax Lisa's Sax]]" (whose treatment of Bart made him what he is today).

* Downplayed for "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E11OneFishTwoFishBlowfishBlueFish One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish]]" and "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS10E8HomerSimpsonInKidneyTrouble Homer Simpson in: 'Kidney Trouble']]", which both have a character believe they are going to die but zigzag between BlackComedy and playing it seriously. In the former, Homer eats a blowfish and is told he may be dying. There are jokes like him getting SequentialSymptomSyndrome with the five stages of grief, but also serious moments like Marge dealing with her husband's possible death. In the latter, Grandpa needs a kidney transplant but Homer chickens out. There is comedy in scenes like the cause of the kidney failure being [[PottyEmergency holding his pee too long]], but his situation is played very seriously.

* "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E1CapeFeare Cape Feare]]" has Bart sent a death threat in the mail; the words "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU" written in blood. He spends the rest of the day paranoid about who could be trying to kill him, but eventually learns that it's Sideshow Bob. The Simpsons go under witness protection, change their name, and relocate to a houseboat, although Sideshow Bob continues to chase after him. That night, Bob ties up the family and traps them, with the exception of Bart, whom he chases after with a knife. Bart only makes it out alive at the end because of some BondVillainStupidity on Bob's part.

* Some episodes with [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Mr. Burns]] are darker and more dramatic than most other episodes. Examples include "Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in The Curse of the Flying Hellfish" (where he [[MoralEventHorizon tries to drown Bart]]), "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" (where he blocked all the sunlight from Springfield, and screwed over several other characters, all of which is played seriously enough to make his shooting look justifiable), "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E8MotherSimpson Mother Simpson]]" (where he was involved with biological warfare and he is responsible for making Homer's mother, Mona Simpson, to run from the law, even though she saved him), and "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS28TheGreatPhatsby The Great Phatsby]]" (where he is betrayed by a superstar hip-hop artist who idolizes him, and schemes to get revenge on him). Mr Burns' actions also set future episodes in motion...

* In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E14AloneAgainNaturaDiddly Alone Again, Natura-Diddly]]", Maude Flanders is KilledOffForReal when she is shot by a T-shirt cannon, is knocked off the rails of a speedway, and falls to her death. Both Ned and his kids are devastated, with even Bart feeling bad for them. Homer attempts to get Ned back into dating, although he still feels uncomfortable with it. While the episode has a slightly upbeat ending where Ned meets a Christian musician he likes, it's later revealed that their relationship didn't work out.
* "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS1E4HomersOdyssey Homer's Odyssey]]" from season one has Homer attempt to commit suicide because he feels that he's failed his family by not finding a job after getting fired (for the first time). Outside of two elderly neighbors cracking a joke about Homer "...taking his rock out for a walk," the situation is not PlayedForLaughs. Thankfully, he doesn't do it and instead decides to become a safety advocate after saving his family from being run over on a dangerous street, but it's still rather shocking.

* "Cape Feare" has Bart sent a death threat in the mail; the words "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU" written in blood. He spends the rest of the day paranoid about who could be trying to kill him, but eventually learns that it's Sideshow Bob. The Simpsons go under witness protection, change their name, and relocate to a houseboat, although Sideshow Bob continues to chase after him. That night, Bob ties up the family and traps them, with the exception of Bart, whom he chases after with a knife. Bart only makes it out alive at the end because of some BondVillainStupidity on Bob's part.
* "Hurricane Neddy" is about the Flanderses' house being destroyed by a hurricane and Ned going crazy, shouting at everyone about their biggest flaws. It also reveals that Ned's VerbalTic is due to years of repressed anger due to his parents that would never punish him.
* In "Alone Again, Natura-Diddly", Maude Flanders is KilledOffForReal when she is shot by a T-shirt cannon, is knocked off the rails of a speedway, and falls to her death. Both Ned and his kids are devastated, with even Bart feeling bad for them. Homer attempts to get Ned back into dating, although he still feels uncomfortable with it. While the episode has a slightly upbeat ending where Ned meets a Christian musician he likes, it's later revealed that their relationship didn't work out.
* "Homer's Odyssey" from season one has Homer attempt to commit suicide because he feels that he's failed his family by not finding a job after getting fired (for the first time). Outside of two elderly neighbors cracking a joke about Homer "...taking his rock out for a walk," the situation is not PlayedForLaughs. Thankfully, he doesn't do it and instead decides to become a safety advocate after saving his family from being run over on a dangerous street, but it's still rather shocking.

* In "Sleeping with the Enemy", Lisa gets anorexia because she thinks her butt is big. And this arc doesn't have a happy ending, with Lisa saying that she still struggles with it and it might last for years to come. Her sadness in "Moaning Lisa" and "Lisa Goes Gaga" is also eerily similar to clinical depression.
* Downplayed for "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish" and "Homer Simpson in: 'Kidney Trouble'", which both have a character believe they are going to die but zigzag between BlackComedy and playing it seriously. In the former, Homer eats a blowfish and is told he may be dying. There are jokes like him getting SequentialSymptomSyndrome with the five stages of grief, but also serious moments like Marge dealing with her husband's possible death. In the latter, Grandpa needs a kidney transplant but Homer chickens out. There is comedy in scenes like the cause of the kidney failure being [[PottyEmergency holding his pee too long]], but his situation is played very seriously.