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Crazy Fan Theory: Homer Simpson Has Been In A Coma For 20 Years

simpsons
By Germain Lussier

Simpsons executive producer Al Jean says this isn't true. He would know, but no matter. A Reddit user has come up with a wild theory that attempts to explain why The Simpsons have never aged in 20-plus years. And even if it's false, it's an interesting, well-researched attempt to put a bow on a series that's never been about wrapping things up.

Basically the idea is that Homer has been in a coma for twenty years. Read more details on this Simpsons fan theory below.

Here's the Reddit Thread with the full Simpsons fan theory. I'm just going to bullet-point a few quotes.

  • "October 1992: Homer The Heretic airs and ends with Homer talking to God." Mentions Homer will die in six months.
  • "April 1993 (SIX MONTHS LATER): So It's Come To This: A Simpsons Clip Show airs and involves Bart's April Fools prank inadvertently putting Homer into the hospital, where he is then crushed by a vending machine and put in a coma." Homer wakes up at the end but the theory purposes this is where the coma begins.
  • If Homer is in a coma, it explains why the characters have never aged.
  • Some of the plots before April 1993 were much simpler and realistic (Bart cheats on an IQ test, Homer tries to give up drinking) than after (Homer goes into outer space, Mr. Burns captures the Loch Ness Monster).
  • How does Homer know about new pop culture references and characters? He overhears people talking in his hospital room.

    • If you head to the Reddit link, there are more examples, details and images to try and back up this theory too.

    Again, The Simpsons has never been about telling a huge, cohesive story. It's episodic. Every episode tells a single story that you can just jump into without seeing anything before it. Nothing that happens ever carries over into another episode as if the slate is wiped clean every week. Nevertheless, imagine when The Simpsons does end that they pull a Newhart on us (a famous instance of the whole series being a dream)? It would be a hilarious goodbye. Let's just hope that never happens.

    Even though we know it's not true, what do you think about this Simpsons fan theory?

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