Between Ben and Jen, Gwen and Gavin, and everyone in between, this summer has truly been a summer of breakups, but one iconic couple managed to avoid the curse. News came out earlier this year that Homer and Marge Simpson would be calling it quits in the new season of The Simpsons, and there was definitely an air of panic among fans.
When it was reported that Lena Dunham would be playing the pharmacist that supposedly got between the longtime couple, the internet responded in exactly the way that you would expect. Well, all of that ire was for naught, because it turns out that the entire breakup was merely a dream that Dunham’s Girls character, Hannah Horvath, had after getting a Simpsons-themed tattoo.
Executive producer Al Jean spoke to TV Guide about the episode, claiming that the fake-out was a commentary about the difficulty of making marriage work.
“What we’re saying is that people try to find a solution to a marriage problem, and some problems have no solution. People stay together despite their flaws,” he says. “We’re cognitive of the criticism that we’ve done a lot of stories about Homer and Marge having trouble. But anyone who’s been married knows that marriages have rough patches that come and go. I thought this was a great way to play with the form.”
So, for better or for worse, Homer and Marge live to love another day. Since it was all in Hannah’s head, it’s pretty safe to assume that Homer didn’t learn anything about being a better husband and human, so while the breakup was an illusion, it probably won’t be all smooth sailing for these two.
(Via TV Guide)