Plot elements common to a specific season

[biffwestwood]

One example was that season 19 had three episodes where specific characters were thought to be dead but we later found out they were really alive.

In Little Orphan Millie it was Milhouses parents

In Funeral for a Fiend it was Sideshow Bob

In Dial N for Nerder it was Martin



What are some other examples?

[Wavy Gravy]

Seasons 7 and 8 had the recurring plot element of a surprising secret being discovered about a character's history.

- "Mother Simpson": We find out where Homer's mom has been all this time
- "Lisa the Iconoclast": We find out Jebediah Springfield was really a murderous pirate
- "The Day the Violence Died": We find out Roger Meyers Sr. plagiarized Itchy and Scratchy
- "A Fish Called Selma": We find out Troy McClure stopped getting work because of his fish fetish
- "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish": We find out Abe and Mr Burns knew each other in World War II
- "Much Apu About Nothing": We find out Apu is an illegal immigrant
- "Burns, Baby Burns": We find out Mr. Burns fathered an illegitimate son
- "Hurricane Neddy": We find out Flanders is physically incapable of expressing anger
- "Brother From Another Series": We find out how Sideshow Bob became Krusty's sidekick
- "In Marge We Trust": We find out why Reverend Lovejoy is so apathetic towards his parishioners

And it all culminated in "The Principal and the Pauper", which mercilessly spoofs this plot element by making the secret about Skinner's past so ridiculously outrageous. (That's actually a big part of why I don't hate that episode, because I know it's not meant to be taken seriously at all.)

[Nauru-1]

Season 8 -> One-time characters getting killed off.

The Twisted World of Marge Simpson
Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious
The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show
Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment (presumably)
Homer's Enemy

[Bartesque]

Season 8 -> One-time characters getting killed off.

The Twisted World of Marge Simpson
Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious
The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show
Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment (presumably)
Homer's Enemy

And Mr. Bont

[HMS pinafore]

Season 11 had a lot of episodes that had the element of being shit

[Homer the Vigilante]

Season 11 had a lot of episodes that had the element of being shit

XDD

But seriously speaking, season 11 had many "Homer gets a new job" -episodes.

[Bella Drape 'er]

Season 17 (and 18 I think) usually had an unrelated plot last an entire act before getting into the main plot and/or subplot

And while this still happens nowadays, it was far more commonplace during these seasons.

"The Girl Who Slept Too Little" - The family protests against a stamp museum, leads to Lisa being unable to sleep.
"See Homer Run" - Homer upsetting Lisa, leads to Homer running for mayor.
"The Last of the Red Hot Mamas" - The Simpsons attending an Easter egg hunt, leads to Marge thinking about doing a heist.
"The Italian Bob" - Mr Burns getting teased about his ancient car, leads to the Simpsons meeting Sideshow Bob's new family.
"Homer's Paternity Suit" - A toll booth appearing in Springfield, leads to Homer discovering that Abe is not his father.
"My Fair Laddy" - A dodgeball tournament leads to the Willie turning into a gentleman.
"Bart has Two Mommies" - A church fundraiser leads to Bart being held hostage by a Chimpanzee.
"Homer Simpson This Is Your Wife" - Homer being obsessed with Lenny's TV leads to Homer trading wives with someone else.
"Regarding Margie" - Marge wanting to win the best house contest, leads to her getting amnesia.
"Girls Just Want to Have Sums" - Skinner making sexist comments at a musical leads to Lisa pretending to be a boy.

[jbauer]

Technically, Little Orphan Millie was a season 18 episode. It was a holdover episode written during the period where pretty much everyone was focused on the movie.

Also worth noting, although Funeral for a Fiend was a season 19 episode, it was still written before the movie was completed.

[Jesse Pinkman]

not counting the THOH, season 3 had 3 episodes in a row which relate to bad fathers:

like father, like clown- rabbi krustofski not wanting his son to be a clown

lisa's pony- homer being late with the reed lisa asked him to get

saturdays of thunder- homer realizing he knows nothing about bart.

[Bartesque]

In Season 4 Homer was hospitalised in:

Homer's Triple Bypass
Brother From The Same Planet
So It's Come To This

[cloneasaurus]

DHS pointed out an interesting link between Season 7 and sunsets

[Hommer]

Season 9:
KALOOH KALASH!