Marge Simpson ‘dies’ in The Simpsons season 36 finale

In a surprising twist, The Simpsons Season 36 finale, titled “Estranger Things”, ends with the apparent death of Marge Simpson.

The episode takes a dramatic turn during a flash-forward segment set 35 years into the future, revealing a changed Springfield and a fractured Simpson family.

The episode opens with a flashback where Marge Simpson leaves Homer in charge of the children, firmly instructing him not to let them eat Twinkies or watch TV.

Naturally, Homer does the opposite. Bart and Lisa discover The Itchy & Scratchy Show and become obsessed with it, creating baby-themed merchandise that fails to impress their peers.

As the years go by, Bart and Lisa grow apart, watching different shows and leading very different lives. Despite Marge Simpson’s efforts to keep them close, the flash-forward reveals her worst fears have come true.

In the future, Marge Simpson has passed away, Lisa has become the commissioner of the WNBA, and Bart lives an unhealthy and chaotic life.

Lisa returns to a very different Springfield and finds Homer caught in a retirement scam. She later discovers a touching video will from Marge Simpson, in which she expresses her love and hopes that her family will reunite in the afterlife.

The message moves Lisa deeply, and she and Bart work together to rescue Homer, pulling off a scheme inspired by the very cartoon that first divided them Itchy & Scratchy.

The episode ends on a hopeful note. The family sits together watching a reboot of Itchy & Scratchy, while Marge Simpson looks down on them from Heaven, smiling. In true style, she even jokes that she might now be free to remarry in the afterlife.

Marge Simpson’s apparent death is one of the most dramatic moments in the show’s long history. Permanent deaths in the series have been rare over the past 30 seasons.

While it remains to be seen whether Marge Simpson is truly gone for good, her presence throughout the episode and touching goodbye have already made “Estranger Things” one of the show’s most talked-about recent chapters.