All's Fair in Oven War (FABF20)
Well, I've managed to get through seasons 1 through 4 of "The Simpson" on DVD - audio commentary.
To anyone hardcore fan who has also done this (and yes, I'm sure there are quite a few), I have one comment for your reactions (and to the writers and creator who may or may not be reading).
Throughout these DVDs, there is mention of the 'Homer strangling Bart rule - loosely observed it implies a 'massage' of the strangling by having Homer do it reflexively or impulsively or by having Bart get back at Homer or even by having something 'redeem' the strangling in a comical way.
However, I believe the show has finally become desensitized to its own rule - perhaps on purpose. In "All's Fair in Oven War" (episode FABF20), the strangling, or rather the true gratuity of it (at one point Homer strangles Bart for having questioned his motives for strangling his son) begins to disgust me.
Yes, I know, the Simpsons creator/writers are not infallible, but to use this kind of violence - and not somehow comment on it (even on its gratuity) was groundbreakingly horrifying. This is probably the first time (and I've grown up watching nearly every episode of the show) something on 'The Simpsons' has socked me. I have never written to any television show/producer/writer or what have you at any point in my life. This time, I just had to see if my reaction was unique.
Why do you think it was necessary, after 16 years of episodes alluding to and showing outright family violence, that Homer actually strangle Bart repeatedly throughout the show for no reason? Do the writer think we've missed the point? Are they purposely trying to shock us? If so, why? Reactions?
Most of the time I can decipher the intended meaning of a Simpsons gag/line/whatever, but with this string of strangling I am left cold and puzzled. Almost as if in this episode of the Simpsons, an evil streak permeates everyone and everything.