Image via Fox
Published Jun 21, 2026, 5:58 AM EDT
Collier Jennings is an entertainment journalist with a substantial amount of experience under his belt. Collier, or "CJ" to his friends and family, is a dedicated fan of genre films - particularly science fiction, fantasy and comic book adaptations, not to mention all forms of animation animation. This stems from a close bond with his father, who introduced him to these genres via copies of X-Men comics and reruns of the original Ultraman series. Using his near-encyclopedic knowledge and bottomless love of genre, he's been able to tackle a wide variety of articles.
Sign in to your Collider account
There are only three certainties in life: death, taxes, and The Simpsons. The animated sitcom shows no signs of slowing down going into its 38th season, and its tenure has spawned discussions about the quality of its episodes. Usually, that discussion revolves around trying to pinpoint when the "Golden Age" of The Simpsons ended, but it's also led to discussion of which episodes have aged for better or worse.
Some episodes, like "Bart to the Future," grow more hilarious in hindsight due to the fact that they predicted real-life events, while episodes featuring Apu Nahasapeemapetilon (Hank Azaria) might explain why the Kwik-E-Mart owner was phased out of the show. But there's one episode of The Simpsons that has gotten far better with age, and that's the Season 6 episode, "And Maggie Makes Three." But what makes this episode so satisfying to rewatch?
‘And Maggie Makes Three’ Has an Unexpectedly Heartwarming Ending
Image via 20th Television Animation"And Maggie Makes Three" begins with a simple question: when Lisa (Yeardley Smith) looks through the Simpsons' family albums, she notices that there are no pictures of Maggie, leading Homer to retell the story of Maggie's birth. In 1993 (back before everyone on The Simpsons stopped aging), a younger Homer ended up receiving a massive paycheck that allowed him to not only quit his job at the Springfield nuclear power plant but also get his dream job at a bowling alley.
He even gets the chance to humiliate Mr. Burns (Harry Shearer) by playing the drums on his head! But Homer's second act takes an unexpected turn when Marge reveals she's pregnant with Maggie; due to financial strain, and a series of events that are ridiculous even by The Simpsons' standards, Homer is forced to return to the power plant.
It's here that "And Maggie Makes Three" delivers its iconic ending. When Homer goes back to the power planet, Mr. Burns installs a plaque above his desk that reads "Don't Forget - You're Here Forever" to try to break his spirit. But the closing moments of the episode reveal that Homer has taped all of Maggie's baby pictures to the plaque, changing its message to "Do It For Her" — and as Homer tells Lisa and Bart (Nancy Cartwright), the pictures are in a place where he needs them most.
It's an image that would melt even the hardest of hearts, topped only by the scene with Maggie's actual birth. Homer at first is less than pleased to have "another mouth to feed", but the moment Maggie grabs onto his pinky, he immediately grows to adore her. This helps cement one core fact about Homer's character that hasn't wavered, even in the most recent seasons.
“And Maggie Makes Three” Defines Homer Simpson at His Best
Homer Simpson is arguably the character who best represents The Simpsons at its best and at its worst. At his worst, especially during the "Jerkass Homer" moments in Season 10, he's....well, a jerk, or at the very worst, a man that no living human being would put up with. But "And Maggie Makes Three" is a reminder that even if he's not the smartest or the most capable man in Springfield, Homer genuinely loves his family. Why else would he go back to a job he hates if he didn't? Or why would he turn Burns' attempt to break his spirit into a reminder of what his youngest child means to him?
"And Maggie Makes Three" was one of the best reminders that Homer loves his family, and that point would be hammered home in some of The Simpsons' best episodes, including Season 5's "Boy Scoutz 'n the Hood", where he and Bart work together to survive the wilderness, or Season 7's "Lisa the Iconoclast" where he stands by Lisa after she uncovers a horrible truth about Springfield's founder.
Related
25 Best Seasons of 'The Simpsons,' Ranked
What are the best moments in its 35 season run?
The real kicker is The Simpsons Movie, which finally brought the Simpsons to the big screen. After Homer's actions lead to Springfield being sealed in a dome, he and his family escape... until Marge learns that Springfield is slated to be destroyed by a nuclear explosion. Homer refuses to help, which results in Marge leaving him (in what's one of The Simpsons' most emotionally devastating moments).
But at the last minute, thanks to an emotional revelation, Homer returns and saves the town, even having a great moment with Bart since the bulk of The Simpsons Movie deals with their less-than-ideal father-son relationship. It's doubtful that The Simpsons Movie would have reached the heights it did if "And Maggie Makes Three" hadn't laid the emotional groundwork.
“And Maggie Makes Three” Remains One of ‘The Simpsons’ Most Emotional Episodes
"And Maggie Makes Three" isn't the first time that an episode of The Simpsons has put Maggie front and center. The first five seasons gave her some good spotlight episodes, and more recently, she's been the focus of multiple short films, including two set in the world of Star Wars. But "And Maggie Makes Three" is the one that's aged the best because it means that Maggie's birth truly completed the Simpsons family. Homer, for all his faults, settled deeply into fatherhood the moment he met Maggie. Marge (Julie Kavner) adores her youngest daughter, often having episodes that zero in on the bond she shares with Maggie.
Even Lisa and Bart have had episodes where they've had to look after Maggie or form a deeper bond with her. "And Maggie Makes Three" should be considered one of the best episodes of The Simpsons, not just because of its heartwarming story, but because it's remained one of the biggest fixed points of The Simpsons' admittedly nebulous timeline. Even with episodes that've pushed up characters' ages or introduced fancy new trends, it's an episode that fans and newcomers alike will keep coming back to.
The Simpsons is available to stream on Disney+.
Release Date December 17, 1989
Network FOX
Directors Steven Dean Moore, Mark Kirkland, Rob Oliver, Michael Polcino, Mike B. Anderson, Chris Clements, Wes Archer, Timothy Bailey, Lance Kramer, Nancy Kruse, Matthew Faughnan, Chuck Sheetz, Rich Moore, Jeffrey Lynch, Pete Michels, Susie Dietter, Raymond S. Persi, Carlos Baeza, Dominic Polcino, Lauren MacMullan, Michael Marcantel, Neil Affleck, Swinton O. Scott III, Jennifer Moeller
-
Homer Simpson / Abe Simpson / Barney Gumble / Krusty (voice)
-
Julie Kavner
Marge Simpson / Patty Bouvier / Selma Bouvier (voice)
English (US) ·