Alternative Character Interpretation / The Simpsons

The Simpsons has this with a number of characters; it just naturally goes with more than 30 seasons, Negative Continuity, Flanderization, some changes depending on the writer and the Rule of Funny in play.

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• Homer:
  • Is Homer naturally smart but crippled mentally by the crayon in his brain, or victim to the Simpsons' "stupidity gene" that passes on the Y chromosome? If it was the crayon then it makes little sense for him to have pushed it up his nose and the episode showing the Simpson gene states that Homer's stupidity didn't kick in until two years after the crayon incident.
  • Alternatively the Simpson gene isn't stupidity but laziness. Bart is Brilliant, but Lazy and Homer as mentioned is pretty much a male Lisa without the crayon lodged in his brain, but couldn't take the social isolation so gave up and is wilfully stupid. Whenever the males hear of the gene they relent to it happening and allow themselves to become deadbeats, while the females retain their alertness and egos and try desperately to disprove the gene.
  • On the subject of Homer, is he a sweet, naive, loving but dense father or an abusive, alcoholic patriarch with a horrible temperament? He flits between the two extremes constantly.
  • Are the head injuries just Rule of Funny, or do they explain Homer's actions? Before falling off the Springfield Gorge, he was more of the former-The Ditz with some anger issues, but relatively normal. The numerous injuries could've resulted in major brain damage, explaining the stupidity and emotional immaturity, and the contradictory flashbacks. Given this wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Bart, it would certainly explain the strangling.
  • Is Homer really as stupid as he seems? There are times where he's surprisingly intelligent.
  • Was Homer's response to Bart's confession in "Bart the Genius" the result of Bart lying to him or because he found out that Bart wasn't a genius?
  • When he claims he "got off pretty easily" in "Hurricane Neddy" despite having been called the worst human being, does he just not understand, or is he glad that he wasn't yelled at (since Ned yelled all the other insults but just stated the "worst human being" one)?
• Bart:
  • Most of the time, Bart is portrayed as Book Dumb, but he's also much more talented and intelligent than people give him credit for. Is he secretly a genius but simply doesn't care or wants to differentiate himself from Lisa? Is his active mind a double-edged sword and because of this, wants to focus his attention to trivialities? Or is he just really good at Obfuscating Stupidity?
  • Bart usually exhibits symptoms of what seems to be ADHD, but his intelligence varies from somewhat dumb to "genius-level rivaling Lisa when treated for ADHD", so perhaps the Simpson gene may only be a strong version of ADHD. This is reinforced in a later episode where Bart "knows his history" when it comes to cruelty and torture, so he can be hyperfocused on things he likes to learn.
  • "Lisa's Sax" puts up the theory that Bart's hatred for school seems to stem from his first day of school where his initial enthusiasm was crushed by an uncaring teacher.
  • Is Bart a fun loving prankster or is he a Sad Clown using pranks and comedy to cope with abuse from Homer, the bullies and prejudice from the town of Springfield?
• Maggie:
  • Maggie might be much more versatile and intelligent than the average infant: we get hints of it, such as orchestrating a Great Escape sort of plan to recover her pacifier from the Ayn Rand School for Tots, shooting someone trying to kill Homer, and making "E=MC2" out of building blocks.
  • Maggie's usually depicted as overly intelligent but her personality sways often. It's become common for her to be depicted as the Token Evil Teammate of the family, or at bare minimum she will be mischievous like Bart.
  • Is Maggie an Action Girl infant with a sweet affection for Homer and Marge or a budding Sociopathic Hero in the making?
  • In "Who Shot Mr. Burns?", when she shot Mr. Burns, was it on purpose, or by accident? And if it was on purpose, did she do it because she's secretly evil and just wanted that candy? Or was it because Mr. Burns is so evil that she feels he deserves to die?
• Unlike the approachable fellow of the TV series who just happens to be the (reluctant at times) subordinate of a Corrupt Corporate Executive, the Smithers of the arcade game version is nearly just as big of a jerkass as his boss, and a jewel thief to boot, kidnapping a baby just because she turned the diamond he was stealing into her new pacifier. Could be a case of Characterization Marches On, as this game was made fairly early in the show's run.
• Lisa:
  • Is Lisa's lack of friends only because the other kids are mean? Or is it because she remains aloof? Or are other kids really unable to understand her? Or do they simply just not want to be her friend because they find her insufferable?
    • Adding to this, there have been times when her classmates have been uncharacteristically friendly towards Lisa, only to be brushed off, such as Terri and Sherri at the beginning of "The Last of the Red Hat Mamas", opening up the possibility that her not having any consistent friends is at least partially her own doing.
  • Is Lisa just a sweet, sensitive and idealistic girl under a lot of stress due to the world around her? Or is she just a selfish, presumptuous, ungrateful, manipulative, hypocritical, melodramatic girl with anger issues?
  • Is Lisa the Only Sane Man or a preachy, self-righteous jerk?
  • Is Lisa ambitious enough to try to attend college at a young age ("Little Girl in the Big Ten") and stowaway on a spaceship ("The Musk Who Fell From Earth") in order to improve society and the future of science or is she a callous jerk who will abandon her friends and family for something that she believes is beneficial?
  • In "Barthood" Bart was only able to move past his grudge against Lisa in order to succeed after he essentially cut her out of his life and avoided her. Lisa is regularly the cause of Bart's failures, from him taking the fall for her in "Separate Vocations" and she even had him crippled in "Jazzy and the Pussycats" when he proved to be a better musician. It's not just Bart either; she usually is the catalyst for her family's failures, such as when Marge and Homer get into a position of power or competition and she will have them talk about things she wants. So is Lisa doing this on purpose because she can't accept anyone in her family but her being successful?
    • Another example of this is when she discovered that Maggie was a savant in whistling, and rather than praising her or being surprised like Homer, she immediately fears that Maggie will dethrone her as the smartest in the family. Does this mean that Lisa has an inferiority complex?
  • Is Lisa really going to be the most successful child of the Simpsons, or has she already peaked and it's all downhill from here? In some cases, it is shown that Lisa truly is bound for great things. In other cases, she simply happens to be a big fish in a small pond that is slowly getting bigger. The episodes that depict the future tend to point to Lisa being successful, but then again these episodes are non-canon.
• Marge:
  • Is Marge genuinely cheerful or a secretly depressed Stepford Smiler?
  • An episode specific example - "Marge Be Not Proud". After Bart shoplifts, Marge behaves in a way that could be considered mental abuse and emotional blackmail. Rather than punishing him, she stops showing affection for him. She excludes him from family activities while obviously showing love for her other children and he's led to believe she's stopped loving him. And when he does a big gesture for her, she immediately showers him with affection again. So essentially a ten-year-old boy spends the episode afraid his mother has stopped loving him forever and he 'learns' he must do a big gesture to make it up to her.
    • On the other hand, Marge is extremely forgiving for what Bart has done over the course of the series (up to and including running away from home, beheading a statue, picking on his sister, cursing constantly, graffiti, vandalism, crank calling Australia and not waiting until the last minute to tell her and Homer that the Australian government is suing him, and general troublemaker attitude). It could be that she's trying to teach Bart that there are limits to what she can forgive him for, especially the serious crime of stealing (in both the lawful way and her devout Christianity sense of it being a sin) and fears what will happen if he continues like this into his adolescence.
    • On the OTHER other hand, Marge gives a perfectly compelling reason for her behavior in the episode - "Maybe I mother him too much". She fears that Bart's bad behavior is due to her showing too much affection, and begins to take seriously his whining about 'tuck-in time' and the other ways she treats him like a little kid. She resolves to treat him as more of an adult and stops doing the childish things he's complained about - but because he doesn't know that's what she's doing, he takes it as her not loving him.
  • Raphael Bob-Waksberg's poem Does Marge have friends? theorizes that Marge and Maude had an affair together, or at least they could have if Maude hadn't died.
• Moe:
  • Is he a socially inept Jerk with a Heart of Gold who just wants to be loved, or a hidden psychopath who can go postal any second? There is evidence for both interpretations.
  • Speaking of Moe, the prank call Running Gag. Is Moe just playing along with Bart to get laughs out of everybody (especially after episodes like "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" which couldn't possibly have made it more obvious who is prank calling him) or is Moe really that stupid?
• Frank Grimes:
  • A misunderstood individual who's Surrounded by Idiots who has to work from scratch to make a meager living or a Green-Eyed Monster Driven by Envy at Homer's success even when the latter tries to befriend him?
  • When Grimes electrocuted himself at the end of the episode, debate has raged over whether it really was an accident, or if he did it on purpose so he wouldn't have to live in a world of idiots.
• Grandpa Abe: a senile, rambling Cloud Cuckoolander or a disturbed Shell-Shocked Veteran who makes up outlandish stories to deal with his PTSD? After all, he did see heavy combat on the Western Front in WWII, even taking part in the D-Day Landings. Perhaps best answered with this quote:

  Federal Agent: Are you trying to stall us, or are you just senile?
  Abe: A little from Column A, a little from Column B.

• Milhouse:
  • Milhouse idolizes and serves Bart and Lisa. But is his friendship with Bart mainly an excuse to be near Lisa? Or is Milhouse's crush on Lisa just his way of repressing that he is in love with Bart? Is he in love with both siblings?
  • Or is he a Dirty Coward whose friendship with Bart is a way to live vicariously through his actions? In "Much Apu About Something", he tries to encourage Bart to send Willy off of a cliff after he promised Homer not to prank anymore.
  • Milhouse is always shown as a sensitive boy who's walked all over by everyone and is often plain unlucky. His future self is a copy of his father in a similarly dead marriage with Lisa. How long will it take his future self to become a serial killer or psychopath? Milhouse displays traits that may turn him into a vengeful serial killer in his later years.
  • His relationship with Bart is subject to debate. While Bart's not a perfect friend, Milhouse is quick to abandon him the instant someone cooler comes along or if Bart falls out of favor. Bart often gets upset and mopey when Milhouse ditches him but Milhouse becomes vindictive if it's the other way around. Is he really a loyal best friend or a possessive leech who only wants to sponge of Bart's notoriety?
  • Likewise, his relationship with Lisa is just as shaky. He tends to be portrayed as a Dogged Nice Guy but he often shows no regard for Lisa's boundaries or even safety at times.
• Ralph Wiggum: Is he just a weird kid or does he have genuine mental problems? And if he does have mental problems are they from that time he was dropped as a baby in that one flashback, a genetic condition he inherited from his father, or something else entirely?
• Patty is routinely quite nasty to many people, Homer included. Is she just a rotten bitch, or is she bitter about repressing her lesbianism?
• Is Selma as big of a bitch as Patty? Or does she act that way just for Patty's sake? Most of her more callous actions toward Homer are done by Patty and Selma together, whereas the two of them bond when Selma's alone. Could it also be because of her jealousy, as she desperately wanted a child of her own, while Homer had three?
• Ned Flanders:
  • He hit his second, and arguably worse, case of Flanderization after Maude died. This has made some fans wonder if his change is due to being bitter and stressed over the death and the fact that he is now a single father.
  • Does Ned show Parental Favoritism to his sons Rod and Todd? There are many episodes where he seems to prefer Todd.
  • Is his Verbal Tic really due to repression like Dr. Foster thought, or is it genetic (since his relatives, even those from abroad, also talk that way, and he's been heard talking that way even when he's clearly not angry?)
• In "22 Short Stories About Springfield", did Chalmers genuinely fall for Skinner's Blatant Lies in "Skinner and the Superintendent", or was he just humouring him? If the latter, was his line about Skinner "steam[ing] a good ham" meant mockingly, or not?
• Humorously, Dr. Hibbert's and Dr. Nick's services were once compared by a Canadian medical journal, which came to the conclusion that Dr. Nick was actually the better role model for medical doctors. The study praised Dr. Hibbert's humor and quality of care, albeit criticizing his wastefulness, political incorrectness, and paternalism. Dr. Nick, on the other hand, is resourceful, strives to cut costs, gives his patients what they want, and does his best to avoid The Coroner, so he comes out better.
• Sherri and Terri:
  • Throughout the Jean Era, very little about Sherri and Terri adds up. They supposedly dislike Lisa for being a nerd yet seem to be perfectly friendly to even bigger nerds like Allison or Martin or because she's unusual despite them being far weirder and also seemingly being friendly to Ralph. The times when they are friends with Lisa, the latter usually ignores or talks down to them. Do they have a more personal beef with Lisa?
  • Despite being treated as the Alpha Bitches, they've never actually been alphas and are only sometimes seen with Janey. And Janey is no more loyal to them than she is to Lisa. They never get complimented on their looks like Lisa, they act strange, used to be considered eggheads, often drawn as slightly chubby themselves and wear socks with sandals. Are they really the shallow Alpha Bitch pair or just wannabes who deflect onto Lisa? In the Simpsons Game Terri even implies they may be Bully Magnets themselves. ^note if punched repeatedly she'll sarcastically say "Sorry, I have enough friends."
• On a few occasions, Principal Skinner's mother Agnes has offhandedly mentioned that she and him often sleep in the same room or even the same bed (her "Oh, great! Three in a bed!" comment in "Special Edna" being a standout example). The intended interpretation was probably "Skinner is inappropriately close to his mother" (though it could just as well be an example of Agnes infantilizing him), but one Twitter user gave a more heartwarming explanation. Skinner is canonically shown to be a Shell-Shocked Veteran who has recurring nightmares about his experiences in the Vietnam War, thus it's possible that Agnes lets him sleep in her room so she can comfort him after he has a nightmare or wake him up before it gets worse. Remember, as mean as she can be, she is still Skinner's mother.
• Is Mr. Burns aware of Smithers's feelings towards him or is he that oblivious?
• At the end of "Kill Gil: Volumes 1 and 2", the family buys a house in Scotsdale. Did they buy the house so Gil could have a place to stay, or did they do it to stage Gil convincing them to buy a house so he could keep his realtor job?

• Guest Characters
  • Season 35's Persephone Odair, a tech upstart who establishes her company LifeBoat and charmed Mr. Burns into funding her questionable venture to flawlessly desalinate ocean water at a fraction of the cost. But she actually masks the salty taste with a potent sweetner used in a discontinued diet soda brand and with her company bankrupt once exposed when children almost drank her product. She continues lying after being arrested, is it out of pride or is she self-deluded?

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