‘The Simpsons’ Reveals the Secret Reason Homer Is Still Working After 35 Years

The Simpsons He officially turns 35 this year, and the latest episode of the animated series reveals how a secret deal was struck to allow Homer Simpson to work at the nuclear power plant even after all these years of shenanigans. The Simpsons began the long-running animated sitcom’s 36th season with the promise that there was no end in sight. This experimental nature continues in the series’ final episode, revealing a previously unknown part of Abe Simpson’s past. Speaking of his life in the 1980s, there is actually a big reveal going on regarding Homer and his future.

The Simpsons previously revealed the past connection between Abe Simpson and C. Montgomery Burns in classic episodes like “Mad Abe Simpson and His Grumpy Grandson in “The Curse of the Flying Hellfish”,” but the new episode reveals a different situation in which their paths crossed decades later. To bribe Abe into keeping the secret, Mr. Burns offers a deal in which he will always give Homer a job at the nuclear power plant and vows to never fire him, no matter what happens. Which means this long-running joke finally has an in-universe explanation.

Video from ComicBook.com

The Simpsons Explains Why Homer Still Has a Job

Homer being a terrible employee has become one of the world’s longest running jokes. The Simpsonsentire story (almost as old as Homer strangling his son), but fans have always just accepted that he still works at the Power Plant as a result of a simple return to the status quo. He was fired many times, left to pursue another career, and went weeks without work at the power plant. However, despite all this, Homer never completely lost his job as a safety inspector for more than one episode. But other than a few instances and jokes, it’s not generally seen as a real thing in the universe.

That changed with the Season 36 episode “Mean Heat.” This episode reveals that Homer’s father Abe actually worked as a detective in the 1980s with a partner named Billy O’Donnell (voiced by guest star Topher Grace). When O’Donnell goes missing after investigating Mr. Burns, Abe sets out to find out what happened to his partner. Upon meeting Mr. Burns (with young Homer in tow), Burns alludes to the fact that O’Donnell made a one-way trip out of town and even went to “heaven.” Abe rightly guesses that Burns is hiding something, so Burns offers Abe a deal.

If Abe forgets about his partner and stops looking for him, Burns will give Homer a job when he grows up. He promises to never fire him, how often and badly he messes things up, and Abe agrees once he realizes that young Homer will probably need help. Mr. Burns then explains that despite Homer being wrong “742 times”, Homer will never get fired. Abe was worried how Homer would react to such a revelation if he found out, but Homer actually feels empowered. Now that he knows he will never lose his job, he feels better than ever. He even thanks his father for keeping this secret all this time).

Is this a retcon of The Simpsons?

The Simpsons he’s no stranger to revising or adjusting his timeline given how long it lasts and how many episodes have aired, but this isn’t one of them. Homer never lost his job permanently, so while he might get fired accidentally, he was always okay in the end. Now there is simply an acceptance of the status quo in the universe. Mr. Burns even once told Homer, “Don’t forget, you’re here forever,” which turned out to be one of the truest things Homer’s boss ever said.

In fact, it even adds a secret layer to their relationship that shows that while Mr. Burns completely forgot Homer’s name, he never once forgot about the deal he made with Abe. It was all for Abe’s partner Billy O’Donnell, who turned out to be okay. Mr. Burns was simply fulfilling his end of the deal to keep Abe from prying further, but he never killed O’Donnell. He just paid him back and that’s what led to all of this in the first place.