How The Simpsons Erased Ling Bouvier
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- Опубликовано: 13 янв 2024
- In this weeks video, I look into How The Simpsons Erased Ling Bouvier character. What happened this character? Was she removed from the show all together? And if so, why?
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some guy called joe is making angry comments on your vids
We need this in Canada 🍁 🍁
Both of your books are fantastic for any Simpsons fan. Thanks for writing them.
@@Thomas-yg9nz it's available in Canada too. Just search 'Collecting The Simpsons' in Amazon.ca and it will come up 🙂
She actually went threw menopause long before the show even started. Reality check she is around 58 years old. She is too old to have children and has been too old for nearly 20 years of her life. I actually hate her and her sister because if you seriously looked at them they are control freaks, absolute assholes, and they don't care about anyone at all. The chain smoke constantly. They are drunk 99% of the time. Hell the both work at the DMV and they like to abuse their power for their own amusement and they reject people to getting their licenses unless they get paid or unless the person makes a complete fool of themselves for their amusement. They are assholes. Every single time they are on screen they blow smoke into children's faces and they insult people to act cool but they are just assholes. bother her and her twin sister are evil and hell they both tried dating but everyone dumped them because people don't like being treated like garbage by absolute assholes. Its does not break my heart when she gets rejected because rejecting someone who spat in your face is common sense. The fact that you think someone who nearly killed children thousands of times and who literally treats everyone like trash would be a good parent is proof you are insane.
It is an annoying tendency of Simpson writers to keep forgetting the "happily ever afters". The most recent example was Moe's engagement
Still hoping for a wedding episode 🙏
Right?!
I think Moe already got a cell phone need to have something for season 42
I think they remember but they are taking forever to show the wedding.
Then Comic Book Guy agreeing to conceive a child
They threw Baby Ling into the same Void as Apu, Homer’s brother Herb, and Sideshow Bob’s family.
-Apu isn't being voice anymore because the voice actor didn't want to deal with angry white people saying he can't voice an inidian guy anmore
-Herb was always a one time character, which is quiet obvious since he was voiced by Dany Devito
-Francesca has appeared in season 23
-there are over 4000 Simpsons characters, obviously there's going to be times when some just don't appear for a while
@@TemariNaraannaschatz Remind me what happened with Apu? Wasn’t there that one India comedian that was saying he got bullied over apu.
@@paladinboyd1228 There was a documentary from an Indian-American comedian called "The Problem with Apu", which caused the voice actor Hank Azaria to stop voicing him. It's noteworthy to point out that plenty of people who are either Indian or Indian-American had no issue with Apu.
@@TemariNaraannaschatz Ah now I remember yeah it seems just one guy had a issue.
@@paladinboyd1228he got his indian american comedian friends over to feign it to be a big issue.
Btw the guy is an unfunny hack and his comedy is all “white people are stupid, aren’t they?”
It's impressive that Kimiko was able to be added to the cast so late in the series but managed to stick while Ling and Maya have been missing in action.
The issue with adding another baby. Should have made Ling closer to Lisa's age for some cousin interactions. How many Maggie Episodes do we get afterall?
@@kyleellis1825I think five would’ve been better age, gives the Simpsons writers more to do with her since she’s not a mostly immobile baby, but also opens up different kinds of plots you can’t do with an eight or ten year old.
The problem is probably what can they do with Ling? She's a normal baby, can't age and Maggie already fills the hypercompetant baby secretly doing non baby things role. I honestly think the writers forgot about her.
Always with the Kimiko. You pretty rarely hear a Kimiko that exists in real life but it always ends up as the name in the Western productions that want to experiment with the identity of beign Japanese.
@sboinkthelegday3892 to be fair, I've never heard the name kimiko before, and googling it tells me it was apparently really popular in the 1910s in Hawaii. The majority of public figures with the first name Kimiko are Japanese women. Like from Japan. Including Olympians and voice actors.
Just because you watch a lot of anime doesn't mean you're a expert on Japan or Japanese names lol
I loved the scene between Selma and Homer in “Selma’s Choice”. As you mentioned, for once Selma was being vulnerable and there was no hatred between the characters while she expressed her emotions. Homer didn’t mock her - in fact, he took the time to listen and comfort Selma.
yeah there was little to no Jerkassery in the episode when you think about it
Um... didn't she just ask him how he manages to raise children and we never even got his answer to that question?
Homer choosing to listen to her is still a hugely significant act given how the mutual animosity between him and his sister-in-laws.@@andyreacts
Modern Homer would be like, "Your brought them back alive, you did fine."
Selman!Homer honestly feels like a Classic!Homer who went through a giant offscreen character arc. Like all the lessons he learnt actually stuck.@@BigJonB36
The thing about Ling is she was based on a real person. Dana Gould wrote Goo Goo Gai Pan very loosely based on his experience adopting his eldest daughter (who is now 21 years old). Every so often on social media posts for her birthday, he will include a screenshot of Ling in with her actual baby photos- which seem to have also been the basis for the character design of Ling. So while it sucks that they've done almost nothing with the character since as Gould left the show a few seasons later, it is really sweet that there's a character that shows up every so often that is just a dad's love letter to his kid.
I always found it creepy that Ling somehow managed to age almost 2 years while Maggie was still 1. Come to think of it, I also find it creepy that Apu's kids ALSO grew to be 2 year olds while Maggie never aged. Maybe that's a factor in Ling's disappearance?
It’s also kinda implied that Frank Grimes Jr *grew into an adult* in real time while Maggie didn’t age a day. Springfield is kinda horrifying.
@@RubyBlueUwUFrank Grimes JR was born before the episode
@@almightyk11 Kent Brockman's TV segment on Grimes Sr. in "Homer's Enemy" reveals that he is 35 years old. If Grimes Jr. was an adult during that episode, he would have been born when Grimes Sr. was a minor.
@@youcouldbelisteningtomusic442 That doesn't invalidate it
What if radiation from the Springfield Power Plant affects a large majority of the population of Springfield and it keeps them from aging?
Kinda funny that they've started developing Patty a bit more by giving her a recurring gf, but the writers can't toss Selma a bone by developing her motherly side a bit.
lol
Motherhood is banned nowadays.
@@JarinCOD Please do NOT tell me you're pulling a transphobic dog whistle 😑
@@JarinCODI have two trans friends in my life, so I hope that wasn’t an attack on people like them.
@@AlkisenSuper What does motherhood have to do with transphobia? You are so brainwashed it's beyond belief.
I think one of the reasons behind the writers shifting away from these new characters that give characters like Selma and Moe their happy endings is because they might be worried that the focus will shift away from the Simpsons family. It is a shame as we are just as attached to these secondary characters as we are to the title family.
It's because all of the non simpson family characters are essentially just vehicles to hang jokes on. Part of Selma and Moe's shtick is that are ugly single people if you have them live happily ever after they lose what makes them unique. Lazy writing I know but that's modern Simpsons for you.
This feels like a trapping of the modern era, especially nowadays since the show is starting to garner some semblance of critical acclaim and attention again. I'd love it if they started doing episodes on side characters, but how well would those episodes actually do ratings-wise?
It's a shame because I think there's a lot of story potential for these types of characters.
After 35 seasons they should think about shifting away from them for at least a little while.
In a show with one or two seasons it wouldn’t make sense but it’s been 35 seasons
@@rootfish2671That's messed up if that's the case. Even shows like South Park and Family Guy have given their characters changes over the years. For example, Eric Cartman an insufferable brat, dated a girl named Heidi Turner. Randy bought Tegridy Farms and has been there for awhile. Kenny stays alive every episode. In Family Guy, Meg turned 18 and became a surrogate. Tbh I watch South Park more but my point stands. 😂 Sitcom cartoons should never be afraid to make changes if it works because eventually certain shticks get old and people get bored so they won't watch.
@@trevie7589 part of the problem is that the executives want everything to revert to the status quo at the end of each episode because they don't want viewers to get confused at changes and so they can run the episodes in any order for syndication. It all depends on the network and how much power the showrunner has over their show over network meddling.
I forgot about Ling until I rewatched the episode where Patty and Selma quit smoking and one of them said “wow, who would have thought an apartment with two women, a baby, and an iguana would smell so bad”
Sound like Patty .
Selma can’t smell
This is The SImpsons, think they'd remember that?@@the-nina-beans88
Also in Season 28 Fatzcarraldo. Patty and Selma say "And don't forget, we have a baby and an iguana."
God I hate the character stagnation, especially in the Simpsons
The one thing I have in issues with episodic shows is that they won’t let their characters change in the risk of confusion of the audience
Yeah. I really wish instead of rebooting the timeline every 10-12 years, they just aged up the characters. Getting teenager Bart + Lisa, kid maggie and Ling. Could even have Bart with a teenage pregnancy if you really need a simpsons baby.
But the earlier seasons would keep their changes and build on them, like when Lisa became vegetarian. The newer episodes retcon changes for the sake of making a joke.
That’s why I really liked modern family and live action shows, because actors age, so the characters have to age too. Whereas in the Simpsons, nothing has to change.
Ned's wife died and never returned.
I first thought up they should do a spinoff maybe with them portrayed with futurama skin, and play it like something like Daria to Beavis and Butthead. But no joke, they SHOULD make a Simpsons anime. It's a proven concept, and it would be respectful of the modern, conscious standard, like labor rights of the Asian animators.
Moving to the direction of Scott Pilgrim or Amazing world of Gumball really could revitalize the series. The problem is actually AUDIENCES today, who don't tolerate tone shifts, they just WANT to come back to the same show but whine about it getting stale. Like anime localization used to be very directed, there was a local tone and AMERICANISMS inserted to sound "natural".
But now American culture is fractured and kids cringe at hearing their own language, nothing gets a pass, from robotic formalism to zoomer mumble rap and memes in the dialogue. THERE IS no local US culture to localize into, because it's a sham nation, jsut a federation like China and Russia where culture is spread top-down through exclusionary media. Stephen Colbert is not cringe because he's not a serious person, with a constant smirk about everything. Troy McLure is not a parody anymore. AMERICAN SPLENDOR has become the parodic world that exists nowhere.
Love how you said Lisa became the lizard queen rather than saying she drank questionable water
The weirdest aging thing was Sanjay's son (Apu's nephew) starting at about the same age as Maggie and then aging past her into his 20s!
The Simpsons is at a point, or rather has been long past the point, where it needs to evolve. It can't just stay on as it is, the characters need to grow and change and while you can see that in part it constantly struggles with the problem of reverting back to a status quo that does not actually really exist anymore. Let Barney be sober, let Slema be a mother, let Maggie grow up.
The Barney one is saddest for me, especially since we're given glimpses into how dynamic a character that he can be.
It might've worked if they didn't just put him in Moe's Tavern and have him drink coffee.@@mangrove
Right. If things have no consequences, they don't matter at all.
Even better, END.
I agree but also I just want to say I love your Dan vs icon
Has it really been 19 years since Ling's debut my goodness time really does fly.
It's so weird how much development Comic Book Guy has gotten in the last few years compared to characters who always had dimensionality and played much more critical roles in the series.
Probably because more people are into Marvel/DC superheroes due to all the movies, so focusing on one of the few characters who know about this makes some sense.
...and because Comic Book Guy, who originally was created to be an "obvious weirdo", now accurately represents most of the show's audience.
I think it'd be interesting to include Ling into plotlines where Selma is still looking for romantic love and dating people who may or may not be interested and also raising a child. It could add a new dimension to her dating life that a 30-year-old should have.
wait she's only meant to be 30?!?!
@@felixhenson9926I think she’d be in her mid 40s bc Homer is supposed to be 39, and is usually implied to be the same age as Marge. In flashbacks they usually present patty and Selma as being a decent bit older than Marge. Also she went through menopause, which normally doesn’t come until you’re in your 50s or so
Sorry guys, when I said 30 year old, I meant 30 year old show.
Painfully relatable for many, many people!
Right now I figure Ling's in a tiny room along with Apu and Manjula's octuplets, Wendell, Richard, Lewis, Ute, probably half of Bart and Lisa's classmates. There used to be a sign on the door that said 'SURPLUS KIDS' but it fell off.
I genuinely believe Ling should return because while I understand Selma’s whole deal is that she’s lonely and looking for love I think a variation of that trope could still be possible with her being a single mother.
Maybe she could have an episode where she’s trying out dating again but realizes how hard it is to find a partner that won’t dismiss her for having a kid (because she deserves a partner that won’t belittle her or her daughter) or one where he need to push her daughter into excellence is the result of her internalized fears around loneliness (perhaps believing that if Ling’s impressive early on people will adore her for years to come and loneliness will never be an issue for her) but through talking to Marge and Homer she realizes that the important thing is for Ling to feel loved and cared for in the present weather she excelled in various tasks or not, that way she’ll know that the best company is from people who love her for who she is and not her accomplishments.
I agree about Maya, when she and Moe were reunited and she accepted his proposal, I thought we were going to see more of Maya and more important that Moe was finally going to get a happy life but Maya was never seen again after she agreed to marry Moe.
Plus it's not like it'd be hard to include her in things. She's voiced by Tress McNeal, a regular cast member.
WAIT THEY GOT BACK TOGETHER???
Damn why is she not seen more often, she should be a regular at the bar helping out moe because they like running the tavern.
-pop
Who's Maya no offence was she that little lady he dated or the old woman who did show business singing?
@@DanBen07 The little lady. She came back a few years ago, they reconnected and got engaged at the end of the episode. And she hasn't been seen since.
She & Jay Nahasapeemapetilon are two characters have actually aged since their first appearance.
In The Simpsons characters like Utah have disappeared been seen in the background and then return.
7:28 In Changing of the Guardian where we see her slightly older she say "Help me!" to Marge indicating that she wants to get away from Patty and Selma. I didn't realise they showed her younger after that.
Online it says she was mentioned in Season 28 Fatzcarraldo. Patty and Selma say "And don't forget, we have a baby and an iguana."
Nothing else after mentioned about her online.
Ling was created while Dana Gould was working on the show and she's loosely based on his adopted daughter. Dana has since left the staff. Maybe the other writers are uncomfortable doing anything particularly dramatic with a character based on someone they know.
That's actually a pretty good reason
@@TheSimpsonsTheory She's not just loosely based on his oldest adopted daughter (Lulu), her look was based on a baby photo of her, according to a podcast Gould was on a few years back. He also said that when Lulu was older and the episode came up as a rerun, he told her that Ling "is you", and...she didn't care. (The clip is on RUclips under "Incompatible w/ Kat & Michael - Dana Gould - The Simpsons & Being A Dad") So, if she didn't care about a herself as a cartoon character, why would the Simpsons writers who came after Gould care (especially one based on an actual human who is aging). FYI, Gould and his first wife ended up adopting two other girls (not at the same time) from China later on.
Both Maya and Ling disappearing really bugged me personally 😆 I just think how hard would it be in new episodes for Selma to be carrying Ling with her in scenes, or maybe even having the episode "Puffless" be she successfully gives up smoking when she remembers that she loves Ling and doesn't want to give her second-hand smoke. It doesn't change continuity that much. Moe and Maya is the most frustrating one to me. It would've been so cool to have the same Moe bar dynamic. But instead maybe Maya is there swinging beers too. But maybe she's lightened the decor a bit. Both Ling and Maya disappearing feels like such continuity cop-outs to me.
Let us not forget, this is the show which spent six entire years procrastinating on a proper replacement for Edna after Marcia Wallace died, barely did anything with Ned when they decided to use him, then four years later created an entirely different replacement in Mrs Peyton. Who, go figure, they haven't done much with either.
What I'm saying is that this show does not like meaningful growth or change.
Hey Strider! What a surprise to see you here!
@@doll9340 Howdy Doll9340 :) Always nice to see a familiar face.
This is the fate of many side characters of the series. They are often introduced and then quickly forgotten about.
Yeah remember Lisa’s boyfriend from the movie?
@@SonicXtreme99akaCreeperMarioWhich one? She had a lot. And Milhouse for a disturbing number of years.
@@SonicXtreme99akaCreeperMarioAll I remember that he was an Irish kid
@@SonicXtreme99akaCreeperMario no kidding not even an appearance in the Simpsons comics (even Russ Cargill showed up in The Death of Comic Book Guy)
I really wish we got more Ling. I think it would be so cool to see her in a future episode, have older Bart, Lisa, and Maggie interacting with their cousin at like a family dinner or a wedding or something. I know she's a baby in the present time of the show but they could show her in a flash forward being really close to one of her cousins in particular and then give them little moments in the present day that hint to that future
7:53 It was very weird that Ling start as a baby, and then she become older than Maggie
Ling should return. If they can give Maggie an extraordinary adventure with animals, I bet they can do something similar with Ling.
Something with Lisa could work, tying into the tiger mother angle and using it for a plot line rather than a gag for a scene. Long finding enjoyment over obligation and misery, and Selma learning to listen to her daughter.
This is the problem fans have with these writers. They introduce a character, yet they have no idea what to do with them so they push to the sidelines. Which is kinda lame cause I've seen fan stories, art and animations that actually used characters more creatively.
I don’t think the Simpson writers care anymore
A really underrated character, and to think they could have exploited her and made her evolve over the seasons.
I certainly would have like to have seen her in some of the "future" episodes, you know with Ling possibly following in Selma's footsteps by working at the DMV, or even as a child prodigy who becomes one of Lisa's professors at Yale.
“Homer give me your peanuts and I’ll let you fly on my back”
“I’ll give you one”
“You’re a very greedy man. I shall tell the other dragons about this”
I love the song afterwards, because it's based on how actual Chinese opera sounds.
Love that episode
"Hey, dragon! You fly like a girl!"
THHHHHHE MAN WHO MADE A DRAAAGON CRY!!!
Main reason I can see this happening is because Ling is actually aging and Maggie isnt.
Look at Kimiko, she's been seen very rarely.. Just seeing Comic Book Guy alone lately.. she appears as a background character most of the time or she appears with him randomly but has no lines.. so basically another background character..
Acc it’s the opposite
Well she got to talk in the Nerd Cruise episode and she is so funny! They need to put her in more episodes
@@DDarkestKnightYeah that's the penultimate latest episode, so they def still use her. I assume she's just one of those characters that gets maybe one role per season, if that.
I used to not really like Kumiko because I found her uninteresting and I disageed with giving CBG a permenant partner, but that episode made me enjoy her and the relationship. It was sweet
@@usermcskull4713 I also used to think that she was uninteresting but ever since she got a new voice actress she's really entertaining. Even if she's only talked in two episodes.
For ref, that episode was the first she spoke in three entire years. She'd been silent since the episode giving CGB's backstory.@@usermcskull4713
They should have had Selma stay off screen much more after getting Ling, the reason being she has too much on her plate raising Ling, then every so often have her visit Marge, bringing Ling for a playdate or something with Maggie(or have Marge visit her) just so they can say "Selma got her happy life she wanted" without turning Ling into just a prop, they could of even used this as a way to built Patty's character as well, having her realize without her sister she doesn't have much in her life and give a reason to have her find something, a hobby, a partner, a pet, or something.
Definitely a missed chance turning Selma into a generic parent with a prop as a kid.
Speaking of the Bouvier sisters and missing characters, i also liked Pattys girlfriend from the costa rica episode, primarily how well her and homer get on despite how much homer hates Marge's sisters. Since that episode she's appeared at least once as a silent background character, but i would love to see her appear more as pattys partner in future episodes
I wish there would be a call back of her dating Skinner. i don't like the angle they later on shoehorned in that she was always a hardcore lesbian stereotype.
It would be really interesting to see Ling in an episode about the Simpson's future - maybe she tries to connect with her Chinese roots and find out more about her birth mom
Given how we se homer interact with most babies, they could have redefined his relationship with selma. Homer being a doting Uncle and Selma appreciating Homer caring. We also could have seen Maggie and Ling team ups saving him from danger.
So much missed potential.
I go for the writers simply forgot or don't care that she ever existed🤷🏿♂️
Pretty much and that she was just a one off character to build an episode around. The Simpons have stopped caring about consistency and continuity a long time ago
@@rootfish2671 the show never cared abt consistency or continuity in the first place especially continuity. The show revolves around a floating timeline which essentially means nothing is permanent.
I honestly didn't realise that Ling continued to exist outside of her debut episode
They can do little adventure episodes with Maggie and Ling like how family guys does Brian and Stewie adventures lol
It bothered me that she was the only kid that grew. Apu's kids stayed the same age and so did the simpson children. Yet Lint grew wrf??
I know right??!!!
I thought Apu's children did age@@eeveefennecfox
@@loonytunescrazyYeah, they're babies when they're first introduced but are portrayed as toddlers in future episodes.
Apu's nephew Jamshed is a full blown teenager lol
@@loonytunescrazy they did? XD I don't remember that very well,well I guess only ling and apu's kids are the only one's aged up then
Huh it just dawned on me she is the cousin of the Simpson kids.
And by the same time that Patty and Selma are their aunts.
Somehow my brain removed them from the kids family tree, but still kept them ad Marges sisters
Oh yeah, I get that with my own family. I sometimes realise all over again that my Dad is also an Uncle and Great-Uncle.
and its such a shame they did that to ling because her debut episode was my favorite
Ling is just like any other ancillary character. They appear when needed. I just hope Moe and Groundskeeper Willie keep their significant others.
Comicbook Guy and Carl Carlson too. Though a long running show suddenly deciding to pair off it's single characters kinda suggests that they're tying up loose ends. Giving a character a relationship is the laziest 'happily ever after' trope out there. I was actually surprised that Raj didn't get a girlfriend in the last episode of Big Bang Theory.
@@geraltrivia6148Well, we all know why Raj never got to have what every other principal character in the cast has...
Kind of hilarious how they have thrown Selma with every single guy on the Simpsons to the point this video can just casually bring up she married Grandpa and breeze right by it.
In general I just think baby characters are really hard to integrate, especially for a character like Selma who does just pop up every now and then, rarely getting an actual focus episode. There is a similar matter with Apu who not only barely appears, will never appear again now. I guess if they really wanted to actually have Ling be a character, they'd have her be more Lisa or Bart's age, but there are a ton of characters there age who don't get any play anyway.
This is the one channel I can rely on for good Simpsons content. Glad to see a fellow super fan on here.
Ling should come back. Even if she isn't doing much it isn't hurting the plot.
With so many one step forwards one step backwards when it comes to character development, It's really sad that Enda died,..
R.i.P Marcia Wallace - VA of Edna Krabappel
Ling would have been great to include in one of the episodes set in the future
I was waiting for someone to finally bring this up
Her appearance in Changing of the Guardian it felt so weird to have her slightly age up and have Selma be so demanding as a mother
I found your channel again randomly after years of me watching some old videos. I can't believe you are still loving the series. Thanks for your videos
It's frustrating that such a long-running show is so afraid to change away from the status quo. We can handle it.
I thing Ling should return (and Maya too).
From my personal view I like to think that Ling is still there. She is still there with Selma and Patty taking care of her.
I also like to imagine her and Maggie beeing best friends when they grow older.
I just realised that 5:00 is a tiananmen square joke
If Ling doesn't talk, she's basically a Maggie clone, so writers don't know what to do, unless it's a slapstick Maggie bit and they decide to lampshade Ling into it.
Ling is still around, she's just playing in the Simpson's rumpus room.
This is why you’re one of my favorite Simpsons channels/analysts. You actually point out after carefully and thoroughly analyzing where they messed up or did wrong after doing right. In the RealJims, he talked about how many female roles from other characters were no longer being used in the show or just moved to the background. I totally understand all of points you made and the alternatives routes an episode could have gone if they gave Ling more of a role.
Ling could have gone with Maggie in her animal adventure, she could have had more screen times and scenes with her mother where she wasn’t just there just to be there, it would have given her more character and lore, Ling could have shown a little bit more of what her life was like with Patty after they both came into each other’s life.
The characters don’t even have to go back to their status que once they find their happiness. I mean, they can in a manner of speaking, but they can very much continue their lives, stories and character roles after their happy ending. Mya could still be (for lack of better word or phrasing) the butt of the joke with Mya by his side, Ling could have some kind speaking or non-speaking lines where she performed actions and expressions to express or communicate with others.
There are just so much they don’t manage to hit and keep hitting with their characters to keep the consistency they are unfortunately lacking in these episodes after some major additions to their status que happens in a episode tailored around them. I for one would loved seeing Moe more with Mya and even Ling with her mother now that you broke it down in this video.
I really don’t have a doubt in my mind after this that they should take you on as part of the team on the Simpsons. They really should because many of these problems would be addressed with you there and maybe they would put some extra thought into these episodes to improve upon more. Even though a lot of us can’t argue much since the Simpsons won the Emmy for best animation, but what you pin pointed in your analysts videos would have improved upon it even more.
Honestly one episode idea we could have had is a Ling and Patty focused episode and seeing how Patty has to deal with being a mother (more or less.) since Ling does live under the same roof.
I always wondered what happened to there adopted child?
Yes 🙌 let Ling Bouvier returned please 🙏
I will say her appearance in My Life is a Vlog is a blink and you miss moment. There is a moment where there is a parade in Springfield, and she is seen in the background been held by Selma, but like I said, its a blink and you miss moment
but yeah, I do wish Ling could of appeared more
Yeah I didn't notice that lol
Becoming a permanent member of the cast in the later years is hard.
Season 9 was the last significant batch. Ole Gill, Cookie Kwan, Lindsay Neagle, and Duff-Man.
I think the only one since then to not fall off was Shauna Chalmers who was added in S20
I just remember the episode with the chili dogs and Homer the Patty and Selma got fired from the DMV so they had to move in with the Simpsons and they said the baby and the Iguana have different poop and sleep schedules but you never see the both of them when they move in.
They also forgot about Sideshow Bob's wife and son.
I think she could’ve opened up more stories for maggie
I feel like they may have written off her character because she could have been considered the victim of a tiger parent from that one episode where she does all those stunts. Thanks Lydia
She didn't mention this in the video but technically the last Mansion of her was in Season 28 Fatzcarraldo. Patty and Selma say "And don't forget, we have a baby and an iguana."
And that thing she mentioned about her being in season 34 I couldn't find that online.
You made a book!? Wow thats really impressive love your videos!
Comicbook Guy got his happy ending and we've seen him and his wife in episodes since. I think they could still do stuff with Ling or Moe after he marries Maya.
The show isn't ending any time soon. The writers should work characters like these into episodes and offer a little more substance
I think a great way to use her is in the future episodes or in an episode that focuses on maggie and lynn starting preschool together. One that would kickstart their bond as cousins.
Speaking of aging up characters anyone remember when the Simpsons writers realized that they had one prominent Asian character so they turned his one off 4 year old nephew into a college grad?
The problem with Ling, is that she isn’t quite a Simpson. The Simpsons are known for operating on a floating timeline, so essentially, such a minor character as Ling wouldn’t find her way into the plot, it’s like Richard and Lewis all over again, just because they’re there, doesn’t mean we have to give them screen time. Ling is just not a priority when it comes to writing an episode that features the twins to the writers. Sure they’ll stick her in as a sort of call back, but they won’t put much focus on her. A minor character, in a minor role, forgotten like the others.
Who is « Richard and Lewis? »
@@HAuSDECOSTuDiOs_ Characters from the early seasons, who are no longer focused on unless there’s a need for a group of kids that focus on what Bart or Lisa are doing. Those two other kids that Milhouse was next to when Bart was spray painting “Skinner is a weiner” on the wall in that one episode.
I think a problem with how modern Simpsons tends to handle characters is that they infrequently set up characters to be reoccuring and than barely have them appear afterwards.
By modern Simpsons, I mean like 10 onwards btw, this has been a problem for 25 years. The only characters that were introduced after season 9 that ever do anything to affect the plot are Shauna, Mrs Peyton, Kumiko and Maya (who ofc had a 13 year gap in between episodes).
I don't know why the show's so hesistant to keep new characters around, back in 1-9 they'd introduce characters and use them a lot.
I know that's because like, those were the early seasons but season 9 introduced Gil, (adult) Manjula and Cookie Kwan, all three characters that they used quite a bit shortly after their introduction (kinda for Cookie Kwan, she's not anywhere near as prominent as the other two.)
I'm not a modern Simpson hater, I enjoy most of the show, but I do hope this is a problem they iron out eventually.
The new character I want them to focus on most is Naima from Carl Carlson Rides Again, think she could be a fun character. Maybe they could have her join the Plant so that she could be featured in more stories
Ling: *gradually grows up into a young toddler*
Maggie: 👀
Even I completely forgot about this character and I've seen that episode of Selma getting her like a million times growing up.
I had no idea she existed until one of my teachers in high school used the simpsons family tree to teach us about family trees I was confused when I first saw I was all like "who the hell is that?"
Bro when I say I’ve been watching your videos and had no idea you wrote that book I ain’t lying I just randomly picked it up one day
Hey Lydia! I think you nailed it on the head. I think Ling is just a sad case of a cool idea at the time that made sense for the character but now they don’t know what to do with her! An unfortunate thing that happens way too often, as you also mentioned! You and your guests on this one did a tremendous job as always! By the way, if you get time, I dropped you an Instagram, DM to share a cool story about my quasi connection to Nancy Cartwright, which I don’t think I’ve ever told you about! I don’t remember.
Yeah but she forgot to mention this in the video:
Also in Season 28 Fatzcarraldo. Patty and Selma say "And don't forget, we have a baby and an iguana."
considering the most recent Treehouse of Horror had an alternate version of Cape Feare I would do a version of Time & Punishment from Willies POV and because of Willie's time travel Ling got erased.
It is impressive how The Simpsons has remained the longest-running series in broadcast but clinging so much to maintaining the same status quo and formula of self-concluding episodes. I think it would have worked much better if the characters had been allowed to age and move forward in time without going back. The experiments in special episodes that projected into the future were great examples of how well it could have been done (my favorite being the one with Lisa President, although well... I can accept the more mundane one of her being just Milhouse's wife (because it is realistic that just being smart or having potential does not guarantee you to be a beneficiary of some kind of cosmic justice like karma. But the Lisa of the first seasons really deserved it and would feel nice)... or it would be nice to apply to her to Milhouse and that yuppieism about her as president... or since Milhouse was his secretary it wouldn't have been bad if it was after Lisa's presidency that the two got married, doing that Milhouse had been doing everything he could to stay close to her even though she kept leaving him in the Friend Zone... until that finally changed, that would have been a good plot in itself).
But as often happens, it is easier and less scary to stay in what is known, for fear of rejection or disgust. But it would have been nice if they slowly allowed the characters to change, grow and age. Everything would have felt more real, and although several things would have to remain in the past and perhaps remembered with nostalgia... it would be better to leave them. And they could always do special flashback episodes in the style of Homer and Marge's youth. Keeping things frozen in time means that every so often you have to make micro-remakes, readapting or rewriting things already established previously to correct the dates. And that feels like betraying or deceiving viewers, it feels like nothing is really significant or important because it can be rewritten and ignored later; It would feel much better if one could stick as surely to the facts of the episodes as one can to the history.
I think the writers 20 years ago probably didn’t know they still would be having to find out what to do with her for this long lol
Congrats on that book, it looks very well made!
Thank you!
Me when I'm in a Poor Continuity contest and my opponent is The Simpsons:
I record episodes but erase everything after the 20th season. The few episodes I watched included one where one of the sisters gives up smoking. It was supposed to be both but somehow Ling's mum doesn't give up smoking. But status quo was returned in the end anyway for comedic purposes. Terrible weird.
I never realized that Maya disappeared too 😱
@2:10 when Homer consoles Selma. One of my favorite moments of classic Simpsons since they were always otherwise at odds with each other.
Also, @5:00 I'd be surprised if they still allow the Tiennemen Square reference to even see the light of day on TV anymore.
The writers are complete cowards if they do timeline rewrites and character stagnation just because they’re worried that giving secondary characters their happily ever after will shift less focus on the Simpsons.
This is why I’ve considered every season after the 2007 movie non-canon.
they definitely forgot about her. and when they did remember her they squandered her. i think there could have been great potential in that hover mom dynamic if patty and selma kept showing up with ling doing more over the top performances with her looking for an escape plan. thats hilarious. you can have her in any type of episode featuring kids performing on stage of in a competition or sport.
She never shows up in “future” episodes? Sad.
Good video! I haven't watched the Simpsons in decades. I think Season 16 was the last season I actually stuck with before hanging it up completely. I didn't even know there was an episode where Grandpa and Selma fell in love...what the heck!?
It does sound like they wanted to make a heartwarming episode for Selma and introduced Ling, but, yeah, it sounds like the writers didn't know what direction to take it and just had Ling become a minor background character (like many other one-off Simpsons characters). The Simpsons has done this many times before where a character sticks around for maybe one or two episodes before they vanish. I mean, did they ever bring Herb Powell back for another episode after Season 3? 🤔
Anyways, even though Selma is some sort of female madman, she and Patty always seemed to be tragic characters throughout the series, so it is nice to see them get a good ending now and then.
Ling comes home from boarding school and is inexplicably middle school aged. Maggie should still be 1 year old.
Doesn't comic book guy get married and his wife becomes part of the show? Like why cut these others but not his?
Yeah alot of theses characters get forgotten
The Nahasapeemapetilon Octuplets have received a similar degree of unfortunate neglection. There's tons of cute and funny gags you could make with them, as well as some storylines, perhaps in Maggie-related episodes. I know they're still trying to find a new voice for Apu, but you could still have him and his family in background roles.
When it showed some future episodes that showed Maggie in school and older, I was wondering wheres Ling to show how she looked as a school kid older.
one episode of Maggie and Ling's adventures would be great
It truly is a pity Ling just disappeared I would've loved to have seen her with Selma
Well I feel like characters should evolve. I think they do a great job in Bob’s Burgers where certain episodes they add details or events happens to characters, and those changes stick. I wish the Simpsons would embrace that more instead of giving characters More purpose, only to never expand on it
"You be best believing in Mandalla Effects stories. You're in one." - Barbosa
7:57 I mean they did that with Apu's Rarely seen nephew albeit making him a young adult
Weird Things happen when you are near a power plant. 3 eyed Fish, Eye jabable Squirrels, and Spiderpig. Its only a matter of time.