| "Homer and Her Sisters" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |||
| Episodeno. | Season 36 Episode 9 | ||
| Directed by | Matthew Nastuk | ||
| Written by | Nick Dahan | ||
| Production code | 36ABF03 | ||
| Original air date | December 15, 2024 (2024-12-15) | ||
| Guest appearances | |||
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| Episode chronology | |||
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| The Simpsonsseason 36 | |||
| List of episodes | |||
"Homer and Her Sisters" is the ninth episode of thethirty-sixth season of the American animated television seriesThe Simpsons, and the 777th episode overall. It aired in the United States onFox on December 15, 2024. The episode was written by Nick Dahan and directed byMatthew Nastuk.
In this episode, Krusty's Aunt Sadie tries to resolve the relationship issues between Homer and Marge's sisters while Krusty tries to socialize with his show's crew.Susie Essman guest starred as Aunt Sadie, andIke Barinholtz guest starred as Wayne the Grip.Maggie Simpson does not appear in the episode. The episode received mixed reviews.
ForPatty and Selma's birthday party, the Simpsons and the twins attempt to solve an escape room. Patty and Selma, who have never failed to escape, argue withHomer whileMarge tries to mediate the situation. When they fail because Homer kept the escape key away from them, Marge is unable to stop Patty and Selma from attacking Homer. Meanwhile,Krusty's Aunt Sadie visits him when she is invited to be a guest on his show's rewatch podcast. Sadie notices that he does not recognize the crew members who host the podcast, and he is not interested in socializing with them outside of work. She berates Krusty and says he is the problem.Lindsay Naegle, listening to the podcast, is inspired to create a reality show starring Sadie to fix relationships. Marge signs up for the show to fix Homer, Patty, and Selma's relationship.
On the show, they explain how their hatred intensified at the baby shower forBart. Homer bought a chocolate cake, claiming to be his and Marge's favorite, but Patty and Selma told him to get a carrot cake. As they fought, Marge decided to keep them separated in the future. Sadie asks what is Marge's favorite cake, and she says vanilla. Sadie says Marge is the problem and that they would resolve their issues if Marge does not interfere. She says Marge does it to be the martyr in their relationship. Considering what Sadie said, Homer, Patty, and Selma attempt to have a secret friendship where they make fun of each other's appearance. When Marge discovers them, she thinks it was truly her fault. Meanwhile, Krusty ingratiates himself with Wayne the Grip from his show's crew and is invited to his party.
Attending the party, Krusty acts awkwardly and injures himself riding an all-terrain vehicle. Meanwhile, Marge becomes depressed and stays away from Homer, Patty, and Selma as they have fun. Homer, Marge, and the twins film the reunion special for Sadie's show. They point out each other's flaws until they start arguing. Marge berates Sadie for trying to give them an easy fix and says that hard work is needed to fix relationships. Marge declares she is not the problem, and Krusty agrees with her regarding his own issues. As the other participants on the show leave the reunion set,Drederick Tatum's tiger accidentally causes a sign to fall on Sadie and kill her.
Krusty is among those that attend Sadie's funeral. When Wayne the Grip makes a comment, Krusty retaliates as Wayne quotes "That's the Krusty I know".
Susie Essman guest starred as Aunt Sadie, andIke Barinholtz guest starred as Wayne the Grip.[1]
The episode aired simultaneously in all United States time zones at 8:30 PM ET/5:30 PM PT following a special episode of the television seriesUniversal Basic Guys.[1][2]
The episode title refers toWoody Allen'scomedy-drama filmHannah and Her Sisters (1986).[3]
Leading out of anNFL doubleheader andUniversal Basic Guys, the episode earned a 0.40 rating and was watched by 1.47 million viewers, which was the second-most watched show on Fox that night.[4]
John Schwarz ofBubbleblabber gave the episode a 6 out of 10. He highlighted the performance bySusie Essman but would have preferred the focus of the episode be on Krusty and Sideshow Mel's podcast instead of Homer, Patty, and Selma. He thought stories focusing on that relationship "has been done to death".[5] Mike Celestino ofLaughing Place liked the story and compared the "dark" ending to theeighth season episode "Homer's Enemy". He highlighted the episode's animation but thought the depiction of Homer's fingernails to be "kind of gross and off-putting".[3]
Cathal Gunning ofScreen Rant highlighted the death of Krusty's aunt Sadie, saying, "The Simpsons has been flexing the rules of the show's writing style and, more specifically, experimenting with its usual format sinceSeason 34."[6] Nick Valdez ofComicbook.com ranked the episode number 14 on his list of all episodes of the season. He praised the character combination of Homer, Patty, and Selma, saying, "It's a charming episode, but largely unmemorable compared to some of the season's most successful."[7]
