The Real Life Conflict Behind the Simpsons Episode "Flaming Moe's"

With over 30 seasons and hundreds of episodes to its name, ‘The Simpsons’ has numerous episodes that fans will declare as the absolute best episode ever. Ultimately, there will never be a consensus as to the greatest of all time. But a strong argument could definitely be made for the 10th episode of the 3rd season, “Flaming Moe’s”. The episode first aired in November 1991, and revolves around the premise of Moe getting famous off of an iconic drink that Homer invented by accident, that Moe takes credit for. The episode is one of the first instalments of the series that embodied all the things that made the Simpsons one of the greatest shows of all time with its constant stream of jokes, inventive sequences and shot composition, with a solid plot that revolves around a secondary character, highlighting that the series extended well beyond the titular family, as each and every citizen had a rich backstory and depth. But the episode didn’t just serve as a vehicle for Moe to be fully fleshed out as a character. It also, surreptitiously, was utilised as a means to criticise the very person who created (or at least is credited as creating) the very series itself…