‘Simpsons’ Fans Behind on the Canon Saddened By the State of Ned Flanders

If you haven’t watched a new episode of The Simpsons in the last 10 seasons, you might find the current state of a certain character a little sad-diddly-ding-dong-depressing.

With the possible exception only of one Hans Moleman, there isn’t a single surviving Simpsons character from the inaugural cast who has had a more heartbreaking 35 years than Ned Flanders. Between the tragic t-shirt-cannon killing of his kids’ mother Maude to the offscreen death of his second wife Edna Krabappel, Flanders has loved and lost repeatedly while raising Rod and Todd to be conservative and Christ-fearing men largely on his own. Despite his godliness and his good-neighborly behavior, the Simpsons universe has not been kind to the Leftorium proprietor, and the rare, permanent canon adjustments have all been a one-way ticket to Bereavementburgh when poor Neddy deserves to be in Cidertown.

Simpsons fans who have skipped the last dozen-or-so seasons were recently surprised to hear that Ned's in-universe grief has only increased, and that that the years have not been kind to voice actor Harry Shearer’s ability to enunciate in Ned’s signature tone – also, Ned married Edna Krabappel??

The above clip comes from the most recent double episode and the show's first-ever streaming only special, “O C'mon All Ye Faithful,” which hit Disney+ this December 17th, exactly 35 years since the series premiere. Since the splashy new special clearly hasn't yet lured back all the Simpsons fans who consider themselves die-hard but haven't watched a new episode since Season 15, it's clear that the massive and inactive faction of the fandom needs a crash-course on Ned's character arc.

After years of Simpsons writers exacerbating Ned's evangelical and conservative leanings in a post-Golden-Age arc so severe in how it flattened his character that it has its own Wikipedia page, the powers that be decided to reverse course on making Ned the show's Christian anti-Christ, and, in the Season 23 episode "Ned 'N Edna's Blend Agenda," he and Springfield's sauciest spinstress Edna Krabappel surreptitiously tied the knot to the surprise of the show's cast – and to its fans, over 12 years later.

Sadly, voice actress Marcia Wallace would pass away little over a year after her character wed The Simpsons' pre-eminent widower, leaving Ned twice bereaved and leading to the most solemn and touching chalkboard gag in the show's history. 

Now, Homer's formerly annoyingly cheery neighbor walks a little slower, talks a little lower and reflects on loss in monologues like the viral one from “O C'mon All Ye Faithful.” As Ned and Shearer both grow weary, long-time fans can mourn the fading of The Simpsons and its cast, or they can embrace the time they have left with the characters they've loved for decades.

I know which one Ned would choose – even through all the heartbreak, he's not one to stay down in the diddly-dumps.