The Simpsons season 36: That Totally Unexpected Death After 27 Years!
The Simpsons Season 36, Episode 2: A Long-Forgotten Character Bites the Dust!
The Simpsons season 36, episode 2, "The Yellow Lotus," killed off a character most viewers probably forgot even existed! It really shows that despite those sometimes crazy storylines, The Simpsons mostly reverts to its regular state, usually with some fun twists included! But despite those generally crazy storylines that frequently involve major and minor character interactions in surreal situations, The Simpsons typically returns to normal by the end of every episode. Will season 37 be different? Maybe.
Episode 1 delivered some major payoffs to storylines stretching way back—such as that old threat toward Mr. Burns from way back in 1995—yet ultimately reversed almost all those crazy, episode-altering reveals. Yet episode 2 surprised us with the unexpected death of this pretty obscure supporting character, an important supporting character which most audiences are highly unlikely to remember, but still, the twist really was effective!
Nick the Realtor: A Long-Forgotten Face Meets a Sticky End
It was a parody of The White Lotus that set up the circumstances for Nick the Realtor's demise! The episode even mocked many popular modern media properties through various plot elements. It was Nick the Realtor who had a far more prominent appearance; which got entirely unexpected consequences; creating the premise for much of what actually transpired during the latter portion of this particular episode.
This isn't Sideshow Bob or Dr. Hibbert, or that insanely memorable character known only as Duffman. He only appeared once in “Realty Bites” (season 9, episode 9). Those others? Mainstays with tons of appearances, fans still remember many details even from extremely earlier seasons! That made the entire thing an interesting contrast; which only emphasizes what kind of surprise actually transpired and added tension. Yet Nick? Gone completely. Until now. The older version appeared after 27 years – quite intentional, Simpsons producer Al Jean told ScreenRant that they specifically wanted this completely unexpected cameo for exactly this kind of surprise!
How Nick Died: Karma, Otters, and Psychoactive Drugs
Marge and Homer totally cursed the day they agreed to a timeshare because of Nick's sneaky schemes, mocking that kind of situation. That set up what follows perfectly! Despite warnings of karma; that did nothing. It got diverted toward that far more significant subplot: the ongoing struggle of Dr. Hibbert’s marriage. Hibbert's wife, Bernice hides a serious addiction to prescription medication, a storyline the show focuses on before that major climax arrives.
Things then went wild: Hibbert takes Bernice for a hot air balloon ride where he completely ditches those meds; they both then reconnect in an unexpected show of bonding which made that storyline quite memorable. Beneath them, however— an otter gets really, really messed up after eating all the spilled meds! And in another unexpected twist – a surprise moment emerges after they had returned from their air balloon ride: That very otter decides to attack the still very carefree, ignorant Nick; who promptly becomes this victim, resulting in his demise. This shows that that small earlier moment was absolutely required and sets up perfectly why this whole murder mystery could begin and become so significant!
A New Trend? The Simpsons Keep Killing Off Obscure Characters!
The producers cleverly use obscure supporting characters as disposable players for bigger reveals and to highlight an evolving design philosophy, focusing on those more readily replaced characters instead of focusing on major plot points. And it does work for many reasons! Even more noteworthy are these kinds of references; this completely new and rather recent technique actually allows greater narrative flexibility. Remember Larry the Barfly's death in “Cremains of the Day” (season 35, episode 15)? This long-running Simpsons staple's unexpected departure set up another extremely crucial plot moment!
Both Larry's and Nick's deaths differ dramatically; although these show something similar. This completely new approach highlights another creative method that the writing staff could leverage going forward, allowing more options going forward.
Conclusion: Unexpected Deaths Are Just the Beginning of the Simpsons' Wild Rides!
That Nick the Realtor death in The Yellow Lotus surprised many—because many fans just had forgotten him. It was, however, an amusing moment cleverly integrated, setting off that whole murder mystery that continues for a longer timeframe. The choice was completely strategic, adding both some necessary humour and surprising plots which wouldn’t really be possible without leveraging the extremely large quantity of existing background characters, easily replaced with only minor consequences.
It’s worth mentioning what is probably quite obvious for many. The Simpsons remains incredibly clever; even its little creative choices; demonstrate deep understanding regarding those core expectations within its target audience! Those unexpectedly amusing plot choices only continue demonstrating what a highly successful and ever-evolving story it is, something it successfully achieved over multiple decades – and will certainly continue to be true for many future installments.
