The Simpsons will be officially turning 35 years old later this month, and the newest episode of the animated series has secretly snuck in a very notable change to Maggie Simpson right under our noses. As The Simpsons continues to work through new episodes of Season 36 on Sunday evenings with Fox, the long running animated sitcom has been keeping up a trend from the last few seasons where it’s not afraid to experiment with the characters. Fans have gotten to see fun new sides of the Simpson family in the last few seasons specifically, and it’s made each episode all the more intriguing.
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The Simpsons Season 36 Episode 8 pulls another one of these experiments as it opens with Homer and Marge attending a hearing about what happened on their latest flight with Convenience Airways. It turns out to be a whole secret endeavor that other airlines take up not before too long, but there’s actually something that stands out about Maggie’s time in the episode. She not only speaks, but Homer fully understands her and doesn’t really go with the common joke that it’s her first word again. It’s just a natural part of their lives.
Maggie Says “Momma” in The Simpsons Season 36 Episode 8
The Simpsons Season 36 Episode 8, “Convenience Airways,” sees the family heading out on a flight filled with some of the worst kind of passengers. Homer makes a promise to Marge that he won’t make a scene and get them kicked off a flight from the last airline that will let them fly, so he’s trying his best to keep his cool. Marge ends up in first class due to overbooking, and thus Homer is left to care for Maggie. She ends up crying, and Homer tries his best to solve the issue himself. But when Maggie tries to get into first class, she cries out “Momma” and Homer pulls her away.
He says that they shouldn’t bother Marge because she’ll leave the family for good, and it’s a small joke. But Maggie clearly says “Momma” and Homer understands her. This is far from the “first words” as she’s said in the past, so it’s a casual acknowledgement that Maggie is already speaking in some way. She even says “Woo-hoo!” later when singing along with a song, and that further pushes Maggie forward in terms of her development when compared to the rest of the series.
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Why Maggie Talking This Time Is So Different
Maggie has spoken many times over the course of The Simpsons, so it can be hard to track which of her “first” words are actually a part of the series’ canonical timeline. There are the moments where she says words outside of ear shot such in the classic episode “Lisa’s First Word,” that are technically her first word. Then there are moments like the end of The Simpsons Movie where she says “Sequel?” in front of the rest of the family. The Simpsons even jokes about this as many times as they get the opportunity to do so, with the most recent callout of it being in the Season 36 premiere as one of many potential finales.
She’s even been voiced by famous actresses with many of these times as her speaking has been seen as a big deal. But that’s not the case with “Convenience Airways.” It’s just a regular part of Homer’s life and Maggie is clearly at least saying words like “Momma” in front of the rest of her family. It’s not the biggest development for a baby that’s been seen shooting several people in the past, but it’s different because it’s not something the rest of the family isn’t aware of. It’s just another small change to The Simpsons that rewards fans for sticking around all this time.
