Marge & Bart - The Most Underrated Simpsons Duo? 

Wasn't sure what to call this one, as it's essentially a tribute to Marge & Bart as a character duo. The original title was simply, "Marge & Bart are great." But this video does compare and contrast Marge/Bart with the more popular Homer/Lisa quite a bit (especially in the first half), so I'm going with the "Underrated" label for now. The goal really was to look at that "other" Simpson family duo that doesn't get as much attention. If y'all can think of a more apt title, let me know. I struggle so much with titles 😆

I think you could build a solid connection between Marge & Bart in how image conscious they both are? Like Bart straining to get the bullies to accept him is extremely on harmony with Marge trying to get the Country Club women to accept her.

In case no one has mentioned it, in the PTA disbands, Bart systematically gets rid of every substitute teacher, right up until Marge comes in. Then he has to rush to get the thumb tack off her chair and tackles her out of the way of his swinging log trap.

This duo created the krumping meme

I didn't realize that Bart's main character trait is caring about how other perceive him. He's always trying to be popular, trying to mantain his "bad boy" imagine, but on the other end, Bart really cares about what Marge thinks of him.

I think Bart's relationship with Marge also transfers into school with Ms. Krabappel. Bart sees Skinner as a combination of Homer(clueless) and Lisa(dorky) and sees him as just someone to have fun antagonizing in a rival type relationship. Meanwhile, with Edna, Bart knows she doesn't see him as a complete failure so Bart tries just hard enough to not disappoint her and is more weary about not taking pranks too far with her.

I think it's the nature of how kids grow up in some ways. Bart is around the age when a kid starts to pull apart from their parents for the first time and while love is still there, boys will often want to do their own thing. Meanwhile, Lisa, being g just a bit younger, may want to be around her dad more and want to feel closer in a lot of ways. It's why I think "Marge Be not Proud" hits so hard, it's Marge for the first time coming to terms with her oldest baby growing up and Bart realizing how bad it hurts when he disappoints her.

I really do love the idea that Bart inherited marge’s mischievousness and Lisa inherited Homer’s intelligence it’s a subversion that doesn’t feel insulting

Marge telling Bart to run for it in Bart the Mother is one of the most underrated touching moments in the series, along with him running back to give her a kiss. So wholesome and sincere. Bart is a troublemaker by default but there are times where breaking the rules is (or at least seems like) the morally correct choice, and I like when a goody-goody like Marge is not only able to see that, but just goes with it without questioning the moral ambiguity of it.

I feel like another big part of the Bart+Marge dynamic is that, while Marge obviously feels the need to look out for Bart as his mother, Bart actually shows some of those same instincts towards her. Like when he helps her out in the monopoly game- "well who else is going to look after her? *Dad?"* Or when he has a go at Homer for not knowing Marge's birthday. Or when he starts riding the tandem bike with her after Homer refused. Or when he yells at Flanders to "back off man!" when he insults her. Marge has a troubled relationship and a stressful, at times very unfulfilling life as a homemaker. While Lisa frequently seems to almost blame, or at least look down on her for this, assuming that she must be in a position as a result of her own choices, Bart as the older (and in some ways more mature) sibling recognises the sacrifices Marge is making for her family, and wants to make things better for her. Obviously, he's still a ten year old, and still a little heckraiser, so frequently he ends up just adding to her stress. And Marge is right to acknowledge that it's not his job, as a kid, to worry about her. But I think this is a trait that will grow more apparent as Bart grows older and becomes naturally more responsible. Most of the flash-forwards (barring the one where he's chief justice of the supreme court) depict Bart as growing up a failure, but I'd kind of like to see one where he ends up pulling it together purely because he wants to support Marge.

Bart : Everyone thinks they're** monsters, but I raised them and I love them! I know that's hard to understand. Marge : Not as hard as you think. Gets me every time 😭 **Bart’s pet bird eating lizards, Chirpy Boy & Bart Junior.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Homer/Lisa episodes but Bart/Marge episodes/plots were always more heartwarming and entertaining to me

I've always really liked the Homer-Lisa Bart-Marge focused episodes. Something about those particular interactions just strikes a chord, I guess because all participants are a little more out of their comfort zones, but also tend to open up or soften in ways we don't usually see them. Something about seeing a lummox like Homer doting on Lisa, or hellion like Bart trying to make is mom happy really does it for me.

There is something always so sad about "marge's son poisoning". Not one thing in the episode suggests that Bart would ever be like skinner except the fantasy sequence. I would have preferred if it ended with them not doing karaoke but them just having tea occasionally. It's nice to have a healthy relationship heck even grown up one where you can share a meal and talk.

It also comes down to one trope just being much more well worn in pop culture than the other. Father-Daughter relationships, in American culture at least, are weirdly prioritized. Father-Daughter dances, the expected protective streak most fathers are supposed to have, even the weirdly accepted idea of the "daddy's girl" On the other hand, boys are almost discouraged from keeping close, healthy relationships with their mothers. The image of hiding behind your mother's leg or skirt is very infantile and the idea of a "momma's boy" is MUCH less positive than a "daddy's girl"

I'm still pissed they were the only duo that never got a level together in the Simpsons Game, especially since Grand Theft Scratchy was RIGHT THERE.

I just think Lisa and Bart is underrated, we only ever see them being evil to each other and Lisa being a weird sidekick, but rarely the soft protective side of Bart and stuff. Sweet sibling stuff just isn’t aloud.

"You're hurting the one person who still believes in you." That broke my heart.

I'd never thought about it before, but you're absolutely right that there's a strong stigma on close relationships between a mother and a son. And the Simpsons has been very adamantly continuing that stereotype with Skinner and Agnes for 30 years now 🤔 Honestly I've never even found the joke that funny and just wish the writers would let Skinner be independent.

Two Marge/Bart moments that I love: Bart’s “who else would?” when Marge stands up for him to Milhouses mom to let them be friends and, The reconciliation at the end of Marge be not Proud. Sorry, it’s a Christmas episode so it gets away with being extra saccharine.

Even though it's a small scene I'm a little disappointed you didn't talk aboot the part in Hurricane Neddy where Ned is freaking out and starts yelling at Marge and Bart jumps in between them and is all like "Whoa man back off!". He immediately jumps in to defend his mom

Always found Marge and Bart's dynamic to be one of the most relatable and genuine to me, as a young boy. Bart wanting to act selfishly and impulsively, but also feeling guilted by his mother's care and support. I also used to think of Marge as lame and nagging when I was a kid, but now see her as sweet and tirelessly nurturing, much how I've come to relate to and respect my own mother from an adult perspective. Thinking about their relationship is a good fast-track to reminding me how good a show The Simpsons has been.

the fact that The Simpsons Game didn’t have a Marge and Bart level was criminal. the levels Bart had with Homer and Lisa were super fun and memorable, i guess there wasn’t enough dev time and story placement to implement a proper Marge Bart level

They actually make a great duo. As long as they don't turn into Principal Skinner and his mother duo.

This duo taught me how to "Watch out for the Shaq attack!" Yes, Marge and Bart are the most underrated duo of the primary Simpsons family.

As sad as it is, I find these kinds of episodes very difficult to watch without tearing up at points. Marge's relationship with Bart is so similar to my own with my own mother as a kid, it really hits home in a way that Lisa/Homer or Bart/Lisa episodes don't. Even now as an adult, sometimes it can feel like the whole world is against you - that no one's got your back, even yourself. But the knowledge that your mother will always have faith in you and always believe in the very best version of yourself is something really special, and these Simpsons episodes encapsulate it so well.

These stories just make me sad about how having a close and secure relationship with your mother is treated as an immasculating thing and how deeply that anxiety prevents Bart from being close with this mother regularly, but also Marge from being close with Bart. It's natural that Lisa would want and welcome connection with her father, but Bart has to always deal with this feeling that being close with his mother will make him weak that is often validated by the show itself in characters like Skinner. Also I love Gene/Linda so much. They're cuties.

There's honestly something to be said in that Bart may have more in common with Marge than he does Homer at times, like yes, he obviously has his share of qualities in common with him, but he definitely takes after his mom, too. Hell, Bart's faith in Krusty seems more like Marge than Homer in influence. Just, Marge's faith in Bart is better placed than Bart's in Krusty.

In the MMO story I wish more time was spent in the aftermath, where Marge avenges Bart. We could have had a cool moment similar to when he discovers that she was a prankster where he can relate to the brutality with which Marge avenges her son.

Another good moment between Bart and Marge is during the "Hurricane Neddy" when Ned snaps and is yelling at everyone in town nobody defends themselves but when Ned targets Marge it causes Bart to get angry and yell back at Ned

I always loved that when Ned snapped and Bart jumped in when he was yelling at Marge.

I think beneath his 'bad boy and proud of it' exterior, Bart has always been a very soulful and sensitive person, capable of great introspection and empathy. "Bart Sells His Soul" is a prime example of that, but the stories he shares with Marge show this too. The christmas episode is one of the richest and most characterful in series history.

My favorite bit is the pajamas joke. Like Bart admits immediately that of course she bought them for him.

Yeah, unfortunately Bart's at an age where he's just not into hanging out with his parents that much, and Marge is his primary parent. (Part of how Homer-Bart episodes get around this is by making Homer more of a co-conspirator instead of "the heavy" in their shenanigans.) It's sort of highlighted in that one episode you mentioned where Bart and Marge start spending a ton of time together. Marge is having a great time, but even she realizes that a boy Bart's age should be out doing other things and not hanging out with his mom all the time. I think Lisa gets around this partially because she's a bit younger and father-daughter/mother-daughter dynamics are more socially acceptable, but also because it's already established that Lisa's a bit weird. She has unusual and niche interests and doesn't really have friends her own age. Every now and then the show does a bit of a character reset and tries to make her a normal little girl again, but most of the time, she's portrayed as a bit of a loner who relies on her family to socialize moreso than Bart does. That is to say, Marge nudging Bart out of the nest (even if she doesn't really want to) is perceived as responsible parenting towards Bart. Nudging Lisa out of the nest is seen as nearly cruel, in that it would likely just result in Lisa being alone.

Just wanted to mention that Homer and Lisa’s contrast from what I’ve seen is Lisa’s maturity for her age, and Homer’s childishness (I mean neither of these in a negative way). The episode where Homer brings Lisa to work and they make marshmallows kinda brings that inner child out of Lisa. They really can bring the best out of each other.

Marge is def my favorite character in the show. I think that her relationship with Bart is one of the most consistent things throughout the show. I love whenever they are paired together.

I'm so interested in that duo dynamic. Bart is a ten-year-old, which means the most profound bond of his life so far is with his mother, BUT he's a rebellious boy, which means she'd be the last person he'd want to be embrace with, regardless of her personality. But on top of that, you have the fact that Marge is -- on the face of it -- the cutesy-est, corniest lady in town. All this means that if Bart identifies with Marge, he'll be showing his softer, square-er side, but it Marge identifies with Bart, she'll be showing off her edgy side. And since these two characters are at their best when they play all the keys, I'm always here for a Marge and Bart ep.

One of my favorite subtle character moment with these two is Marge's reaction to Bart's call in "Gone Boy" (S29): "He's alive and sassy!", such an understanding of how Bart's psyche works without it being an elaborate sappy story, just an interaction moment) And "Bart The Mother", as wacky it get by the end, as season 10 goes, is their peak as family duo. Which is weird, though, writers having constant need in inventing some brand-new reason for bonding between them, even going as far as introducing never previously surfaced character traits, when they *do* both have one recurring thread in common, and the show constantly reminds of it in different forms: their artistic inspirations. Even when episode creates situation for Marge's artistic collaboration with her child, it's with Lisa instead ("Springfield Splendor", also S29). Don't know why the series is avoiding to address this major connection between them.

Wish we got to see more of this relationship - Whenever they try it they really get it right!

I feel like this paragraph on the Wikipedia page describing Bart's character really sums him up as well as his and Marge's dynamic really well: " Despite his attitude, Bart is sometimes willing to experience humiliation if it means pleasing his mom. Marge has expressed an understanding for her "special little guy" and has defended him on many occasions. She once said 'I know Bart can be a handful, but I also know what he's like inside. He's got a spark. It's not a bad thing ...of course, it makes him do bad things.'"

I’m adoring these main character analysis videos. They’re such special treats inbetween the Histories, Mysteries and season retrospectives. And I don’t want to make you feel old, but maybe there’s so many latter-day examples of this dynamic because we’re only a few years away from there being more HD episodes than standard definition ones.

Homer's Oedipal fear of Bart was definitely a joke I didn't get until I was significantly older.

the very beginning of this video gave me "I thought this was the story of how I got my saxophone" "It is, so Bart had just finished his first day of school, and Bart was feeling...." vibes.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Bart's relationship with Grandpa. They get even less focus episodes than Bart and Marge but I always thought it was interesting since Bart clearly looks up to Grandpa more than he does Homer.

Bart’s little comedy skit/Marge impression in The Last Temptation of Krust has always been one of my favorite scenes -- He absolutely nails it, the reactions are perfect and the love is unmistakably there.

When you mentioned Lemon of Troy in this video, it made me realize how much I want a Lemon of Troy Extra Seconds! That episode is so funny, unique, stylish, and adventurous, and it demonstrates that compelling "push and pull" of Bart's character excellently. The characterization of the town of Shelbyville is so fun and inventive. It also has this vague, unmistakable haze of nostalgia surrounding it for me, it sort of invites you to bask in the "play-pretend" world of childhood where lemonade stand rivalries can destroy reputations and Milhouse's camouflage fantasy seems like a legitimate possibility. I'd love to hear your take on it, beyond the thoughts you shared in the season 6 top 10 video. It's an episode I often forget about but it honestly might be one of my favorites.

Marge be not proud is one of my favorite episodes, and I’ve always loved them as a pairing.

I think the problem with the Seymour/Agnes relationship isn't that Seymour is close to his mother. It's that Agnes constantly bullies and belittles her son. Therefore Marge's concern about Bart growing up to be a Seymour in the end of Marge's Son Poisoning is unwarranted since she is nowhere near of a mother like Agnes. Also, wonder if the recording of this video had any retakes caused by saying Mart and Barge?

I think the reason Marge largely doesn't have many defining "duo" episodes in the way Homer does with Bart, Lisa and even Maggie is because I think Homer, Lisa and Bart have this constant pull to be better I guess Homer despite his flaws wants to be a good husband, father and son, therefore he's constant battling his inner flaws to be the best man he can be, Lisa is always trying to fit in while still maintaining her maturity and intelligence, Bart on the other hand is always up to mischief and no good but had this constant voice that wants him to do good hence why we see him show a lot of care for Lisa and Marge. Marge however is probably the only member who is rarely at conflict with herself and us often the voice of reason. She's a loving and caring mother and wife, she already has wonderful relationships with her family. This is also why I think it hits harder when Marge stops being that to Homer, Bart or Lisa. And typically Marge is happy being this way so she won't let someone change her morals and doesn't try to change her family unless it's needed, but will always try to be a guiding light.

Marge, and Bart aren't so different. I mean, they both share an interest in pranking, exotic food groups, the Springfield Police Academy, that fantasyland game, Artistic skills, Driving Vehicles, and both have an arch rival, aka, Bob, and Helen LoveJoy. That's an A+ in my book. 😁👍

one of my favorite subtle bart and marge moments that always comes to mind to for me is in Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield at the end when marge realizes she's distancing herself from her family and lists off all of the less savory traits she told them to relax on for the country club, and it ends with her just saying that she likes bart exactly the way he is without naming anything specific. it's a really sweet and funny line that sticks out to me a lot more than other, bigger scenes and episodes

I’d also say that Bart takes Grandpa seriously as well but not as much as Marge.

One thing I love is how defensive Bart often is of Marge. He is almost always the first to step in or say something when someone confronts her.

I love the idea that Lisa got her intelligence from Homer based on the episode where Homer had a crayon removed from his brain, and that Bart actually got his mischievous behavior from Marge who was a prankster in her youth instead. I know it's been established before that Marge was a good student before, but it's the twist concept that I like the most. You would think Lisa got her smarts thanks to Marge while Bart takes after Homer when it's the other way around.

Really goes to show how important Marge is to the family. That one person who believes in the goodness of people, especially in her prankster son.

I love how Bart acts all tough and cool, but deep down, he's a Mama's boy 🥰

I think that a good alternate take on "Marge Gamer" would have been to reverse Marge and Bart's fates in the middle of the story. Have Marge be the one who gets Bart killed, Bart gets upset at her while all the other players celebrate Marge, Marge feels bad because she just wanted to play with her son and embarks on the quest to revive him, but is stymied by her lack of knowledge and experience in the game. So, she goes to Bart, the experienced person she knows at the game, to teach her how to become good enough to resurrect him. They have a heart to heart, Bart agrees to help Marge git gud, and we get a good ol' training montage of Bart teaching Marge the joys and benefits of griefing people in a video game for your own gain. You end it by Marge successfully reviving Bart, and the two becoming the most feared duo to the point that they both get permanently banned from playing the game because no one else wants to as long as they're around. Bart and Marge may not be able to play the game anymore, but they have some great memories got to bond over something fun. I think putting the onus on Marge to fix a mistake she made by invading bart's space is a good way to show her values as a mom and having Bart be the one to teach her how to get better at the game is a good way to have them bond. You could easily picture a few scenes of Marge being too nice to enemies before shows her to how kill them, that's some classic Marge, I think. Overall, I think the episode would have been more fun if Marge was the one who had to grow and learn vs Bart. Parents have to learn and will learn things from their kids all the time, so making it another "Bart messes up and fixes his mistake" episode feels like a missed opportunity to cast the duo in a more interesting way.

I think there's a case to be said when we think about how forgotten Maggie is when thinking of duo dynamics in the series, but the few episodes that touches on it are really heartwarming even in the modern era

Very underrated. Marge and Bart you don't see often but when you do it's enjoyable. I love it

To be completely honest, I haven't seen as much Simpsons as I claim I have (in fact, I only started to watch the HD era this year, and even then I've only seen two episodes from that era), but thanks to this channel, I do know enough about how the show has evolved to totally predict that Marge-Bart episodes are mostly a back-half of the show thing. I guess I have Simpsons fanboy enlightenment now

I've been waiting for a video on this! I've always felt like the Marge and Bart duo doesn't get as much love as it deserves. Great work as always.

You're absolutely right: this is a dynamic largely unexplored by the show, and surprisingly not subverted by the social stigma of moms and their sons getting along. I remmeber this mostly in "Marge Be Not Proud" but I still remmeber the depth it gives Bart beyond a troublemaker, it gives him conscience and someone to not disappoint.

The Marge and Bart plots as well with the Homer and Lisa plots are nice, kind and heartwarming but for real Maggie in The Simpsons Family is so underrated

A miscellaneous video I'd like to see is figuring out what's on the Krusty the Klown Show. We just mostly see his clown antics, Itchy and Scratchy, and sometimes a zookeeper or something like that bringing an animal on stage, but an episode said it goes on for 3 hours and that it has a lot more shows we never see

Wonderful dynamic analysis. Marge and Bart make my favorite duo in the show. And it isn't particularly close. I love Homer and Lisa, but mother/son relationships resonate with me more. Nothing will ever be as great as that which was demonstrated in "Marge Be Not Proud", in my opinion, that episode is a masterpiece. But I appreciate how many more attempts the writers made afterward. An actively defensive parent and a pranking child make for such an interesting, heartfelt, and funny combination. Now, if only I can look at that last picture without bursting into laughter, thinking about that damn Dark Simpsons video.

Bart/Marge is by far my favorite dynamic in the entire show, I understand why it isn't pushed as much as Homer/Lisa but it still is a bit of a bummer. Great analysis video as always!

Wonderful job as always RealJims. Agree that Marge/Bart episodes are profoundly deep.

One of my fave Bart/Marge moments is "watch out for the Shaq attack!" and then "I told you to watch out" lmao xD

Thank you for making this video! I’ve always found Marge & Bart to be an under appreciated duo

I love the integration of quotes in this video, I think it adds a lot to your points and credibility. Keep it up!

Can you do a video on Maggie's relationship with Lisa and Bart respectively?

They were one hell of a doubles team.

To further elaborate on your mention about Marge being able to reach/meet Bart to his level, this has been proven to work (and with much less chaotic results no less) in Whacking Day. When she encourages him to read “Johnny Tremain” with certain edgy details, he became more interested in learning and reading. I prefer it this way when Marge can teach or be a positive influence on Bart without the story resorting to the typical Simpsons zaniness (especially if Bart is the cause).

I really appreciate this video. There was something that always ate deep in my soul every time Bart disappointed Marge in some way and his reaction to make things right; This deep dive made me realize my similar relation between me and my caretaker when I was a kid and how I felt similar feelings of not wanting to disappoint her Never thought one of these videos would ever answer a lifelong question I’ve had about myself with this show, but there ya go.

I would love if you did specific Bob's Burgers videos. The differences in the family dynamic are so interesting.

Marge and Bart is the mother/son relationship everyone wants

I really like the Marge - Lisa dynamic. A video on that would be cool.

You know what I think I'd like to see? It's in a similar vein to that tea-house episode, or the pranks, or the MMO. Or hell, even the good parts of Co-dependants day. I wanna see an episode where Marge gets a passion or interest in something that Bart is already known for, without worrying too hard about the mommy's boy stuff. Like I could see one centering around Bart's graffiti. Marge catches him pulling off an el-barto. But maybe make it a graffiti alley or somewhere out of the way and have it show off that, hey, Bart is actually kind of good at this. Maybe the episode could go off on a parody of Banksy and the overly publicized street art stuff. But at it's core have it be a shared passion for art that she and Bart share. We already know she's got that love for art in her, Bart could really push her in a fun new direction. Street art also is such a debated topic in the real world that you don't need to force any conflict internally like was done with the pranks. Marge and Bart can both be partners in crime, and the natural effect of graffiti can handle the rest. Actually, now that I type it all out. Why hasn't this been done yet? Kind of feels like a freebie for modern simpsons.

The Hurricane Neddy episode has one of my favourite Bart and Marge moments where on Neds Warpath, he has a go at Marge and Bart quickly steps in and tells him to "Back off, man!".

I think that there may be a way to get this combo to work. The first I can think of is having each of them be image conscious, but with conflicting images. Marge want's her family to seem well put together and model members of society, while Bart wants people to think of him as a cool bad boy type. The moral of the episode would be that more than image, being true to one's self is most important. Maybe have a scene where Marge draws unwanted attention to herself when defending Bart, then having Bart swallow his pride and sacrifice his image for his mom. The other idea I had is closer to the prank episode but tweaked. Marge shouldn't be put on the same level as Bart, but Bart should want to rise to his mother's level. In other words, Bart would find an admirable quality in his mom; he thinks she is cool. Marge has shown herself to be physically gifted at times, she's shot guns before, and she can and will do anything for her kids. I imagine a scenario where Bart wants to go do some activity, I'm thinking bmx, snowboarding, etc. and marge goes with as a chaperone. While chaperoning, she demonstrates insane natural skill in the activity.

Anyone else feel like Maggie and Bart is a unexplored relationship? It feels like those two never interact and I'm hard pressed to think of a scene of them together that also doesn't include Lisa (though to be fair there are a lot of seasons I haven't watched). I think the problem lies in that Lisa already has the little sister roll covered so the writers focus on that rather than doing anything with Maggie and Bart. There is also the fact Maggie is a baby but that hasn't stopped them from doing episodes focused on her relationship with Homer, Lisa and even Moe, but I imagine trying to write a scenario where the "too cool for school" 12 years old Bart has to hang out with her is hard.

I really like these two. I like Bart when he is more reflective and he often crosses some lines with Marge that prompt him to think back on his actions and himself. And Marge often has to get creative with how she engages with her son and her lighthearted oblivious nature means she often has fun opening up to that other side of herself.

I love when Marge was trying to krump with Bart!! 😂😂

I really enjoyed your comparison of Marge/Bart to Linda/Gene from Bob's Burgers. Marge/Bart also reminds me a lot of the Linda/Louise dynamic on BB, in that there aren't many spotlight moments for the two of them. Mother Daughter Laser Razor really illustrated this for me, that Linda and Louise have a lot of difficulty relating to one another, in large part because Linda tries too hard to force a special experience and Louise is an inflexible personality that lacks an interest in developing a deeper bond to begin with.

A fantastic observation, and probably one of my favorite episodes of yours yet. I believe in lots of television, the positives of the mother and son dynamic is something removed from culture, and is taken over by the "mamma's boy" idea. Bart and Marge have always been a great duo in the show, and to see your analysis discuss their relationship is awesome. I think a lot of what you mentioned also helps us to understand the other character. Bart fans understand Marge more, and why her relationship is an important factor in keeping him grounded. While Marge fans get better insight into Marge, and how seriously she takes being a parent to her children. I think both characters help bring out better traits in the other, when the plot isn't intentionally putting them against each other. It also helps give Bart and Marge fans more things to like about their favorite characters, as they see the influence and relationship they have for one another. I think you did awesome with this video, and I always appreciate the content you put out. It is very consistent, always well written, and I leave with new interesting perspectives to think about on every video. Thank you for the content that you put out, as always I look forward to your next video.

Plus they was at the end where Homer quits his job as boss for the Nuclear Plant and when he and Bart play baseball it leads to roughhousing and Bart comments that he cant do this type of things with mom .

Gracias por estos videos, They make me appreciate the series and the family so much at levels that i did not know what I did always end up crying thank you for these videos so dedicated and made with love, appreciate them very much fr

Marge be not proud is one of my favorite episodes I'm glad you made this as i really love this dynamic!

Seeing this after I got into an argument with my mother, trippy man

I think the Marge/Bart dynamic is more interesting considering the glimpses we get of her childhood. We see in "Moaning Lisa" that Marge was taught by her mother to repress her negative emotions and put up a pleasant facade to please others. Her upbringing is more relevant in Lisa episodes (the writers like to contrast Marge's more "traditional" mentality with Lisa's progressivism), but I feel like it's underutilized in Marge/Bart stories. Yeah, I get that Marge's upbringing is more relevant to Lisa because it is founded on gendered stereotypes that Bart wouldn't be subjected to (quite the opposite), but I guess it still provides additional context that could give their bond more depth? Marge's repression and Bart's expression clash with each other, but I feel like she's more focused on getting Bart to express himself in more constructive ways than outright putting out his flame. She brings out the best in Bart and occasionally, Bart will get Marge to release her inhibitions for a while. I've said this a million times before and I'll say it again-I think it's a wasted opportunity that the writers don't explore Marge's and Bart's mutual love of art/creation more. Part of this is because Marge's artwork doesn't come up unless it's plot relevant and Bart's artistic abilities manifest in his pranks/grafitti, where the rebelliousness overshadows Bart's creativity. The only time I can think of where Bart as an artist is explored is "Barthood" and that episode focuses more on his bond with his paternal figures than with Marge. There could be more episodes like this, but there's over 700 of them and I wasn't even alive for some of it so bare with me. I'm starting to ramble now, but I'm glad that you made this video because Marge + Bart (and occasionally Maggie) are an underrated dynamic.

I was hoping you'd talk about this. Great work as always!

I think of the Simpson family pairings the least interesting one is Lisa and Marge, in a lot of ways they are too similar and the conflicts aren't as fun. Homer/Lisa is great for the Clash of personalities, Lisa/Bart are a great dynamic duo and fun foils to each other, and Homer/Bart are a fun and chaotic pairing. Honestly I think Grandpa and Homer is a pairing that's better than Lisa and Marge, as infrequently as we get it.

This is a really good overview on how to write compelling family dynamics in general.

Two of my favourite, realest moments between Bart and Marge: 1. Bart immediately thanks Marge for helping him get Milhouse back 2. Marge helping Bart save the lizards

Yo, Jims. Simpsons mysteries idea: When Homer went bald. Because Homer’s hair is very weird. When Lisa is 3 in Lisa’s Sax, Homer has no hair, in Barthood, Lisa is a little older than that, but Homer was not bald, just balding, idk it just bothers me.

These Simpson family relationship videos always get me emotional. I'm trying so hard not to cry before work ^.^

Plans for Halloween? How about another TOH Showdown between TOH XIV and TOH XX, since you talked about both in your Hidden Gems videos from the Middle and Modern Simpsons?

This all serves the 'Marge really shot Mr. Burns' theory so much. I love their dynamic, but really enjoy any character pairing of the Simpson family.

These two have a good comedy duo aspect in how opposite they are. Bart is the cool badboy, and Marge is the lame wet blanket. I think one of the fun things about these two is how easily they're able to drive each other crazy. But at the same time if they work together they help balance each other out.

I’ve always loved the Marge Be Not Proud episode. The relationship between Marge and Bart is great and I’ve always felt that episode was underrated.