‘Simpsons’ Fans Are Confused About Moe’s Relationship Status

The Simpsons isn’t exactly known for its airtight continuity — none of the characters age, Springfield’s geography has randomly shifted around and Homer and Marge somehow started a family in both the early ‘80s and mid-‘90s. Somehow, it seems that nobody ever got fired for these blunders.

Of course, The Simpsons isn’t a show that anybody watches for narrative consistency (or if they did, they probably bailed after Smithers randomly turned white). That being said, the show has typically been pretty attentive when it comes to tracking characters’ personal relationships. From Mrs. Krabappel’s long-running relationships with characters like Principal Skinner and Ned Flanders…

…to Kirk and Luann Van Houten’s on-again, off-again marriage.

This may be why some fans were surprised by Moe’s behavior in the most recent episode. “Homer and Her Sisters” finds Homer improbably bonding with Patty and Selma following a TV host’s intervention. At one point, he takes his sisters-in-law to Moe’s Tavern, where Moe (aka Kid Presentable) ogles the Bouvier sisters, and tells Homer that he’s in love. “I always dreamed of hooking up with twins, ever since I saw that old commercial for the movie Twins,” Moe confesses.

Which was a little surprising for some loyal viewers, because Moe is supposed to be engaged, right?

Back in Season 20, we were introduced to Moe’s love interest Maya. Since she’s a little person, Moe volunteers for a surgery that would make them roughly the same size against her objections. Maya ultimately breaks up with Moe, leading to one of Homer’s more poignant monologues.

But then in Season 33’s “The Wayz We Were” Maya returns! Moe even proposes to her, and she accepts!

You’d think that they’d have gotten married soon afterwards (in a traditional Snake Handler ceremony, no doubt), but as Simpsons fans, including the “Simpsons Theory” YouTube account, have pointed out, there’s been no mention of Maya since then. And Moe has continued to fantasize about Marge/Midge as if he’s totally unattached.

Then came Sunday’s episode, which seemed to solidify that Maya was no longer in the picture. On Reddit, fans have been speculating that Moe may have gotten a “secret divorce,” or perhaps this episode somehow took place before the events of “The Wayz We Were”? One person correctly noted that the most probable explanation is that a “wizard did it.”

Well, it turns out that the show didn’t forget about Moe’s fiancée after all. Apparently we’re getting an episode later this season titled “Marge and Homer and Moe and Maya” — presumably a riff on the 1969 comedy Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice.

Does that mean that the return of Moe’s girlfriend will involve all of them becoming swingers and/or entering into a quad relationship? Stay tuned to find out.