00:00Simpsons' Marge death, Marge Simpson dies in season 36 finale of The Simpsons' A Stranger Things.
00:06The episode, titled A Stranger Things, saw the matriarch's sudden death during a flash-forward
00:11segment set three decades into the future. A Stranger Things is the latest in a string of
00:16episodes that lean into unexpected and often dramatic twists, including character deaths,
00:21as a way to refresh a series now in its fourth decade. The finale opens with a flashback of
00:26Marge leaving Homer in charge of the kids, warning him not to let them watch TV or eat
00:31Twinkies, advice he immediately ignores. Bart and Lisa discover the itchy and scratchy show,
00:36become obsessed, and even create baby-themed merchandise, which is rejected by their peers.
00:42As they grow older, the siblings drift apart, watching different shows and growing disconnected.
00:48Marge grows concerned, but Bart and Lisa promise they'll stay close.
00:52A flash-forward 35 years reveals her fears came true.
00:56Marge has passed away, Lisa is a successful WNBA commissioner, and Bart leads an unhealthy,
01:02chaotic life. Lisa returns to a changed Springfield, finds Homer in a scam retirement scheme,
01:08and later uncovers a heartfelt video will from Marge expressing love and hope they'll reunite
01:12in the afterlife. Moved, Bart and Lisa team up to rescue Homer from being shipped off to Florida,
01:18staging a plan inspired by itchy and scratchy. The episode ends with the family reunited,
01:24watching a rebooted itchy and scratchy, while Marge looks on from heaven at peace and joking
01:28about being able to remarry in the afterlife. According to a critic, historically, permanent
01:34deaths in The Simpsons were rare. In its first 30 seasons, barely more than a dozen characters
01:40were permanently killed off, including Maude Flanders, Bleeding Gums Murphy, Edna Crabapple,
01:45and Mona Simpson. Even Fat Tony's death was undercut by his immediate replacement with an
01:50identical double in a throwaway gag. In contrast, recent seasons have featured
01:56more decisive departures. Season 35's Cremains of the Day centered around the death of Larry the
02:02barfly, while season 36 saw Nick the Realtor's death turned into a murder mystery. Though both
02:08were minor characters, their deaths were treated seriously within the show's narrative.
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