Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and The Simpsons are ready to get their love game on. Whether it's finding love, reigniting it with your wife, or having a romance from another era, Springfield residents cannot get enough of it, no matter how sardonic they might be.
I always believed that love should be celebrated outside of Valentine's Day, as there shouldn't be any limitations. Yet, on TV, the holiday is greatly emphasized and exaggerated. The Simpsons decided to go with that angle to create some of the funniest episodes dedicated to the Day of Love.
So, what episodes made the heart grow fonder? Let's see!
5 The Simpsons Valentine's Day episode that will burst your heart out
"Principal Charming"
Season 2
When Homer accidentally sets up Principal Skinner with his sister-in-law, Patty, whom he thought was Selma, it was love at first sight for Bart's number one enemy. The more Skinner dates Patty, who doesn't exactly reciprocate his feelings, the more he falls for her. So much so, that he even proposes near the end of the episode. Although, she appreciates his offer, Patty can't marry him, as she has a strong connection with her twin sister, and can't be broken.
Fans additionally theorized that another reason why Patty turned Skinner down was because she was an in-the-closet lesbian, but that wasn't even part of the storyline until several seasons later.
"I Love Lisa"
Season 4
Ralph felt heartbroken when none of his classmates gave him a Valentine's Day card. Lisa, the kind-hearted and warm girl she is, gave him one of hers instead. The card itself is adorable, depicting an old-time train. Anyway, Ralph misinterprets the card's message, believing Lisa has fallen in love with him.
He tries everything to win Lisa over, including gifting her tickets to the Krusty Anniversary Show, and not wanting to hurt his feelings, she accepts them. However, she finally does "say no" and reveals the reason why she gave him the card. The truth slices Ralph in half and Lisa feels horrible. To make matters wore, the two are starring opposite in the school play, but by the end of the night, they gave excellent performances.
Besides, you can't beat the opening song of the presidential play, "The Mediocre Presidents."
"'I'm With Cupid"
Season 10
Apu showers his wife, Manjula, with over-the-top gifts and flowers, which makes the other wives in town feel inadequate by their own husbands. To try to smooth things over, Homer "hijacks" a plane to prevent the pilot from skywriting a love note to Majula. While the note is legible, all the wives, including Marge, believe it was for them. Homer falls from the sky, gets "attacked" by a rose bush, and presents his wife with dozens of the red flowers. Although his act wasn't intentional (and extremely painful), Marge is over the moon by his surprise.
To make Valentine's Day even more special, Elton John makes an unexpected visit to Springfield, but he wasn't scheduled to perform. Yet, he still does a private concert for Apu and Manjula on the Kwik-e-Mart's rooftop.
"Love, Springfieldian Style"
Season 19
This season 19 episode decodes three tales of vintage romances. First, we have a spoof of the infamous 1930s gangster couple, Bonnie and Clyde, with Homer and Marge as the legendary criminals. Although Bonnie and Clyde's acts were watered due to network safety and censorship, they were executed by police officers at the end, per the style of the 1967 film and in reality.
The second story is a parody of Disney's Lady and the Tramp, and it was really created for adult fans. In The Simpsons' version, the story follows its 1955 counterpart with a few noticeable alterations. Vamp (Marge) is expecting, but Shady (Homer) abandons her. We all know the latter didn't happen in the Disney movie, but again, the writers reimagined it for a more mature audience.
Finally, but not, least, Lisa and Nelson take in the semblances of Nancy Spungen and the Sex Pistols' Sid Vicious in The Simpsons style of Sid and Nancy. The real-life couple had a horrible hard drug addiction when the British punk band were rising to the top. Like the Bonnie and Clyde segment, Sid and Nancy was again modified for network protacol and swapped the hard drugs for chocolate.
"The Daughter Also Rises"
Season 23
Lisa falls in love with a boy named Nick, who loves Hemingway and is a smooth talker. Things quickly got serious between them, and Lisa spends a lot of time with Nick. Marge grows concerned, as a mother should, and checks the relationship out for herself.
Let's just say that things fizzled out with Lisa and Nick, with the lattar admitting that he was only playing with her heart. On the bright side, Marge and Lisa's unconditional bond only strengthened, as they both learned something from this experience.