33 Years Later, This ‘Simpsons’ Episode Still Upsets Matt Groening’s Dad

There are a lot of moments in The Simpsons that should feel worse than they do. The Simpsons has spent decades letting Homer cross lines that would be unforgivable anywhere else, then smoothing them over with just enough absurdity that nothing lingers. That distance is the mechanism: it is how the show gets away with everything.