YMMV / The Simpsons S 23 E 14 At Long Last Leave

• Alternate Character Interpretation:
  • What was Marge angry about? That the people of Springfield are unable to accept her family for who they are or is it actually at Springfield for being the problem and that everyone had responsibility for why she and her family are like this?
  • Why didn't the town call out Abe for any of his actions? Was it because they didn't care about his actions compare to his son's family, or because they couldn't think of any? Likewise, did he stay in the town because he was the only family member they tolerated, or did they just forget about him?
• Overshadowed by Controversy: Though the episode was already derided for being an underwhelming Milestone Celebration. Its inclusion of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, much less in a throwaway cameo, did not do the episode favors among certain critics and fans.
• Take That, Scrappy!: Mayor Quimby calls out Marge as being the worst Simpson among her family, which can be satisfying for fans who have never liked her. Though it depends on whether it's for the same reason that Mayor Quimby stated (that she makes them see her family in a more forgiving light), or another reason entirely.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character:
  • Ned is quickly butted out of the town's meeting without any rebuttal and is last seen in pain on a car's hood. It'd have been interesting to see Ned try and convince, even if futile, some of the town to reconsider their decision.
  • Grampa never shows up at any point in the Outlands scenes. Him making light of the situation or blaming his son for it while exiled would have made a lot of sense given how he was dragged into the whole debacle without notice or explanation. Instead, he quickly becomes a What Happened to the Mouse? plot thread never brought up again after the meeting.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: None of Springfield's neighboring cities, who are all shown to have grudges against the town (and vice-versa) at some point or another, are even considered by Quimby as potential exile locations. As he exiles them to a place we've never head of before this moment.