In case you missed the 411, The Simpsons revisited the 1990s in the season 37 premiere, "Thrifty Ways To Thieve Your Mother," that aired on Sunday, September 28. In this exciting chapter, Lisa becomes the "star" at Springfield Elementary when she wears Marge's old, but still fashionable clothes from the decade that brought us grunge music, TRL, and the internet.
In reality, upcycling and wearing archival pieces from decades past has become the latest trend, and people, just like in "Thrifty Ways to Thieve Your Mother," are flocking to resale shops to try to find gems. However, as the saying goes in fashion, trends come in repetitive cycles; it's just that social media has made them a popular craze.
As cool as it was to see the '90s fashions again (and a piece of my own teenage self) in The Simpsons and the new generation breathing new lifeforms into the garments, there was one plot line twist that fans did not see coming. Was it shocking? Yes. Is there a logical explanation? Absolutely. And what was that unexpected twist?
Well, it happened to be a character's death. But not just any character. It's the music teacher, Mr. Dewey Largo-whose acidic criticisms on how his students conduct in the orchestras and practice has resonated into The Simpsons lore for well over thirty years. Largo's not much to look at, but he's well established himself both as a character and a LGBTQ icon in pop culture.
But the real question is, is Mr. Largo actually dead?
Did Mr. Largo really die in The Simpsons season 37 premiere?
The Simpsons has only killed off one or two characters in its run, which is remarkable, as shows often write off characters in the events that lead to the actor's departure, or to keep the stories interesting and realistic. Yet, for the animated comedy, the statistics run differently, as it doesn't have to be 100% realistic.
But you can all take a collective sigh of relief, because Mr. Largo isn't dead. The situation rose when Lisa asked how the Fashion Club acquired the Music Room and the president answered with,
"We took it over when Mr. Largo died. Or he has jury duty. It was something dumb.”
The line confirms that Mr. Largo hasn't met an untimely fate, so we'll see him again soon!
When speaking with TVLine following the premiere, co-executive producers Cesar Mazariegos and Jessica Conrad, about the death, both of them said "No."
Mazariegos further elaborated on the character's death process in The Simpsons. As I mentioned before, the formulation brews differently for the animation. However, Larry the Barfly is truly gone, as there was a whole episode covering his demise.
"When we killed off Larry the Barfly last year, that was a big discussion. ‘How do we do it? Should it be that guy, or should it be trucker hat guy?’ Anything that’s that big, where there’s a whole episode about it, we for sure think about it. But we usually don’t want to get rid of our characters. And it’s such a cartoony world. We know even if Moleman is in a car that explodes, it doesn’t mean he’s dead forever."
So there you go. Mr. Largo isn't gone and we can enjoy more of what's to come in season 37.