Personally, I don’t think that Nelson would ruin Lisa. I think that he’d end up working hard and turning his life around. If anyone is going to ruin lisa, it’s milhouse.
That was one of my dislikes of the later seasons is that the writers seemed determined to ship Milhouse and Lisa. Realistically, she would meet someone at a university
Milhouse is the ultimate "settle" pick. Milhouse is basically inertia in high water pants and glasses. While Milhouse wouldn't be bad for Lisa, he'd be limiting, I feel. Milhouse's Lisa is a Lisa that never really leaves Springfield, and never really goes on to big things. Even Milhouse's romantic interest (His Best Friend's little sister) is low effort. Nelson, meanwhile, would be something of a project. Project relationships very rarely end up well. We see enough sweetness in Nelson that it's not like there's NOTHING to work on, but undoing all of the toxic masculinity to get him to be a real "match" for Lisa would be an undertaking. Nelson's gotta work on himself a lot to be a truly GOOD match for her. That said, this is all based on their personalities as 8 and 10 year olds, so by the time high school rolls around, who knows. Maybe Nelson starts seeing a therapist and Milhouse learns to assert himself on a topic OTHER than trying to date his best friend's sister.
I like to think Nelson did that because he was threatened by Milhouse flirting with Lisa and decided to prove to her that Milhouse would crumble if faced with a real problem.
I personally love Nelson’s character development: He went from being a pretty stereotypical bully to a fully formed character and an interesting nature vs nurture allegory. I don’t think anything was really lost in softening his image either. Honestly, if the Simpsons needs one-dimensional bullies to threaten Bart, they can just use Jimbo, Dolph and Kearney.
I wholeheartedly agree. I honestly want to see Nelson grow and change as a person, especially out of his "bully" image into a more sensitive soul that has a strong loyalty to his friends and loved ones-- and I think that should be allowed and encouraged, because everyone deserves a chance to grow and be better. Nelson is *10*. He's literally still a child. I know that physically the characters will never age, but they should still be allowed to grow emotionally and relegating Nelson to the role of "School Bully" is incredibly limiting. He deserves a chance to be something more. As you said Ferghal, if the Simpsons writers _really_ want their "one-dimensional bully character(s)", Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney are right there ready to go! Even then, we've had "future" episodes where Kearney has clearly grown out of his bully phase and mellowed out, going so far as to become Lisa's trusted bodyguard when she becomes President, so why not let him and Nelson grow and mature? If they still want a "bully" character, they've got Jimbo who often seems to be portrayed as the one least likely to grow up emotionally, while Dolph always felt the most like a follower - prone to just go with others ideas. Unfortunately it feels like Nelson might be regressing back into his early seasons bully image, as the writers seem to keep placing him back with the trio of Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney. 'Boys in the Highlands' is the most recent offender, but to me, it kinda feels like when the writers aren't teasing Nelson/Lisa moments like in 'Be Nine Rewind', they're putting him back with the bullies either because they don't know what to do with him, or they're submitting to fan pressure of reverting Nelson to his "old self".
It really shows how many of the characters on The Simpsons really are more than just two-dimensional stereotypes, especially in the seasons between 1993-2000.
@@cannibalisticrequiem And even then, Jimbo/Dolph/Kearny's antics aren't fun to watch, and only age worse as the years go on (something the Simpsons subreddit SLAMMED me for when I criticized it). No comeuppance bully characters are the worst... But yeah, I really want to see them solidify Nelson's character development. It feels like in some episodes Nelson's a good friend to Bart with a tough exterior (ala Harold, Buford, etc.). While in others he's back to being a barbaric bully who hates Bart, puts people in the hospital (a prime example being what he did to Milhouse in Lisa's Date with Density, which is ironic since it is one of Nelson's key depth/sympathetic episodes), and pals around with the Jimbo trio (even imagining a school with nobody to beat up and rob as a literal hell). This flip-flopping is what's *really* holding Nelson back. He wants to go in one positive direction, and usually does, but is sometimes tugged backward into his early season self when the writers wanna be sadistic. They need to let him change as a person and not throw in these moments of barbarism to trivialize it. Granted, they have been getting better at keeping him more consistently developed as the seasons have gone on, but they still make mistakes from time to time. Hell, even the Jimbo trio flip flops a ton, sometimes being friends to Bart, respecting him as a fellow delinquent, while sometimes devolving into no-comuppance barbarism instead. Like you said, Kearney mellows out, so why not let him do so? and Dolph's just a follower, I can see that being explored more especially without Jimbo around. Honestly, these three's antics are one of my least favorite part of an otherwise great show, and its a shame that they end up having a negative effect on Nelson as well.
Oh that'd be interesting. I remember in the early seasons Ned Flanders was just a really nice guy, and him being religious was somewhat perfunctory. Then Ned's religion started becoming a bigger focus for jokes, but he was still somewhat decent. Tying into the video's point about the Oakley/Weinstein era, Ned's character was subverted in Hurricane Neddy, where he gets REALLY pissed at Springfield for poorly rebuilding his house. Later on, the writers realised you could use Ned to parody extreme parts of Christianity in America, like the infamous "Bible Belt". So we started seeing episodes like The Monkey Suit, where Nerd crusades against teaching scientific evolution.
" The thing about hucklberries is, once you've had fresh you'll never go back to canned." *Skinner approaches* "Um, uh, so anyway, I kicked the guy's ass."
5:59 *picuture of Nelson and Milhouse* "One of Nelson's most fun character combinations is when they pair him with Martin." Never any love for Milhouse.
I find myself quoting Nelson frequently. His character progression is natural, I feel. Most cartoon bullies start out rough, but gradually soften up. To the point where they're more friend than foe to the main character. The same can be seen with Harold in Hey Arnold! and Binky in Arthur.
Almost went with a Hey Arnold comparison (instead of Regular Show) but I reference that too much on this channel. Harold is definitely a much more extreme example of where to take a bully character.
one example i really liked was Shannon in Home Movies. throughout the series he was always the bully, but he seemed to genuinely care about his victims' health, going as far as to call Brendan before their fight, asking him if there's any hospitals nearby. Shannon even let Brendan "beat him up" to make Brendan feel good about himself. he was oddly civil for a schoolyard bully, and definitely a unique character in his own right.
I think one of the driving force behind Nelson becoming softer is the use of the other bullies as well as the catchphrase . Jimbo, Kerney and Dolph can do the Job of the school bullies far better than Nelson allowing him to become a more rounded character than in the earlier seasons when he was literally just the stereotypical bully.
That's a good point. Nelson being the same age as Bart helps him too. Other than teenager type jokes, Jimbo doesn't have much else to do, other than antagonize Bart. It's kinda interesting how he floats toward and away from Jimbo's crew throughout the series.
@@TheRealJims If you did a history of the bullies, I'd love to see if there are any trends in his connection to the bullies (maybe it's a showrunner thing?)
Nelson feels like a real kid to me and not a contradiction at all. I knew a couple of kids like him growing up that would bully me but then would some times break down and we would end up hanging out despite them being a bully because there were only so many kids in our age group in the small town I grew up in so if we started doing something as a group they would be part of that group and as much as you may hate bullies as a kid you really don't know you have to avoid them when they aren't bullying you and for their part they 'don't seem to understand that if they bully you they aren't supposed to hang out with you when you are doing something they want to do. Nelson is very well written and just feels real to me and the episodes he is in seem to capture how the group dynamics and relationships work when you are kids growing up in a small town.
I’d quite like to see one of these on Edna Krabapple, for a few reasons. -her character is now retired, so you can do a video looking at her entire time on the show -She’s one of the few characters that had a permanent change to their status quo (she started off as a single woman looking for love, and did eventually get married to Flanders) -Outside of the Simpsons Family and their relatives, she’s pretty much the only major recurring female character on the show who receives character development and has episodes centred on her
Joshua McSmith it's true that he is capable of looking at all of Edna's showing time, but remember that she was suddently taken out, so she didn't hit a full ark of character developement
Martin Godoy it’s true that she was taken out and they probably would have developed her relationship with Ned more if they’d had the chance, but I feel like she did have an (unintentional) full ark. Her first major episode was about her being a lonely woman looking for love and her final episode was about her getting married
People don't realize Nelson is so good at Home Ec. is not because he has unusual interests but because his home situation, with an absent father and a drunk/negligent mother, has encouraged him to take care of himself because he was forced into self independence. It's like in Matlida how she learned to take care of herself by age 3 because her family sucked at taking care of her.
Some people dislike the idea of a "soft" Nelson, but in a 20+ season long show every relevant character needs a change of direction, an ark if you want. After all that time, the bully and mocking character would be burned out really soon. Although the transition from a cold hearted bully to showing his deep interests & feelings is somewhat cliché, the writers executed it in a remarkable way. BTW I love this type of videos. I wouls suggest you covered Flanders & Skinner
That's true. I wanted to point out that they do still keep him around as the mocking sort of character, even if they de-fanged him a little. I like that they played it kind of cool on this show and didn't go crazy overboard about it. They opened Nelson's character up a bit, but still let him be kind of a dick to people.
I personally enjoy Nelson being a bit of a softer character. He's great, got a lot of layers and I do feel that we've got Jimbo, Dolph and Kearny to pick up the slack for bullying and stuff
My apologies for the long amount of time between Simpsons videos, this project went through a lot of Development Hell. Partially to figure out the format and topic and feel of the series, and partially because I greatly underestimated the amount of research and episode-watching that would be involved. Even for a minor character like Nelson! He is hard to track down. This project reminded me of an episode I never got around to for 60 Second Simpsons (not Nelson related), so that should be next.
TheRealJims Hey TheRealJims! What are your thoughts on the recent Simpsons documentary on Apu called "The Problem With Apu"? If so, are you going to do a video sharing your thoughts on it?
Seeing Nelson being emotional or sad is really touching to me, the larger picture is important. He's troubled, his family was absent and gone, it lets us see that it really affects him. I mean fuck I've been the same way in my life
I think Conan said that Mr Burns was one of the funnest characters to write for because you they just kept making him impossibly old. (Or something like that)
I think that Ralph was criminally robbed of his character and turned into a "stupid baby". The last time I recall them treating him like a character and not just a dummy was I love Lisa. There could have been something more.
I love Nelson BUT never really did growing up watching the simpsons as a young child. It was later in my angsty teen years when I started and still do identify with him, he's misunderstood and life as you said has dealt him a bad hand. I feel like everyone can Identify with that. So when I see Nelson grow or open up a little more and things go just a tiny bit his way; i root for him.
Nelson is probably my favorite secondary character in the show. I think he's at his absolute best when they show him as a somewhat misunderstood tough guy who's putting on a persona to cover up his emotional vulnerabilities. His frenemy relationship with Bart, Milhouse, and Martin just feels great. If the series really needs more traditional bully characters, it has Dolph, Kearney, and Jimbo. Hell, Nelson was the one bully Martin didn't hit with a 2×4 at the end of the movie. Could be hinting something there.
It's weird to think that at one point Nelson was legitimately intimidating... at least from Bart's perspective. When it comes to favorite moments, it's minor and kind of stupid but it makes me laugh so hard; it's the episode where the kids get snowed in at school, and at the end when the snow melts, Martin tastes the water and says "With a little help from our friend Sodium Chloride!" and Nelson just starts beating the crap out of him. I even started laughing again just thinking about it!
Yo boy! I really enjoyed this one! For the next one, I think a Mr Burns-episode would be interesting- His backstory always fascinated me, what with him being basically kidnapped or sold by his grandfather from his parents and then turing into 'Citizen Kane'
Rend Keaven Smithers would be amazing, if just to talk about the change in race and sexuality (he was coded straight for a while) so that’d be an interesting, if tricky episode.
I like how multi dimensional (if that’s the right term) his character can be. Like one episode he’s bullying Bart, Ralph, Milhouse, and Martin with Jimbo and the gang. Next episode he’s practically best friends with the same kids he bullies.
The growth of Nelson was a big lesson for me growing up. We want to view our bullies as these flat evil people and forgetting they are just as complex as ourselves. In some ways it makes worse that they are a fully human being doing terrible things to other human beings.
An idea for a Simpsons Mystery: What the hell happened to Nelson's original dad!? Wasn't he the kids' soccer coach at one point? How did he go from that to the current "Nelson's dad"?
These simpsons character studies are awesome. I hate what's become of the simpsons, but I grew up loving it - and I didn't fully understand why until I got older. There's something special about a cartoon that you can watch as a kid with your dad, and you laugh at the same jokes for different reasons.
I like to see you do Krusty and Principal Skinner- two characters whose histories are often explored on the show, and can often be contradicted in regards to the show's timeline. Also, two of my personal favourite characters.
Great video as always. I think Nelson's "Haw-haw" might be the most perfect catch phrase ever. I don't know if it is the delivery but it says so much with so little. I'm surprised it isn't used more as like a meme.
"*after watching Naked Lunch* I can think of two things wrong with that title." - Nelson Muntz. And while I never thought of it before you mentioned it... Nelson could totally work as Lisa's girlfriend better than Milhouse. And this a great idea for a new series, can't wait to see more! Did the idea come from your Herman episode?
Yep, that's right... It was kinda unplanned, but people had said they would be interested in more character backstory stuff, and it was a good suggestion. Some of the Mystery episodes really got into history stuff (especially the timeline eps), so it kinda blurs the line a little as a spin-off. So thanks Herman!
TheRealJims Mhm... btw you should totally review Homer vs. Patty and Selma soon. In that one, Bart was doing Ballet YEARS before Billy Elliot made it kinda-acceptable.
Great video. I was never that much of a Nelson fan throughout the seasons. Though an expertly timed “Haw Haw” can get really get me. You should definitely do Skinner next. Or y’know. Don’t. Keep up the Simpsons, you’re one of my favorite channels. Cheers!
The two characters that spring to mind when I think of "detailed analysis of how a character has developed/changed over time" are Mr. Burns and Ned Flanders.
Great episode, Nelson is one of my favorite characters. I always like it when any TV-show shows a softer side to a tough character and let someone who's viewed as "rough" as you said have some genuinely caring moments. Kind of want to see you do an episode on Milhouse next just because I want to hear your take on the times the show alluded towards him being gay.
I like his continued civility and respect to Lisa that carried on after season 8- eg in season 10's 'Wild Barts Can't be Broken', when all the kids sneak into the drive-in, he holds a fence panel open for her. Quite sweet.
This is a great series idea! There's so many different characters that I'd like to see get the histories treatment. I'd love to see Milhouse get his own video and all the other secondary characters but I'd also like to see someone like Gill get one even if it's really short and just listing all the jobs he's had. I think it says something about me that I'd be totally down with a 40 minute Simpsons Histories video.
I think a Simpsons Mysteries Revisited would be an interesting experiment. You’ve already addressed how the canon about Father Bouvier has changed since your SM episode came out, I’m curious to know if any of your other theories have changed.
A character becoming basically a different person isnt exactly unrealistic, many people drastically change through their lives in real life, and it seems better than flanderisation or repeating the same exact thing forever
@@dontspikemydrink9382 no reality, nothing against the LGBTQ community it's just that Bart is the type that typically grows up to be a working class person with a wife and family.
An episode on Smithers, followed by Mr Burns? Also minor characters episode covering people like Dolph, Rafael, the barflies and “just stamp the ticket man”
When did Nelson's dad go missing anyway? He's clearly not missing in earlier episodes; he picks Nelson to go to Pele''s soccer school in season 4, and they clearly have a good relationship then.
I hope you make an episode of Simpsons Histories about Snake Jailbird. He’s been in many many episodes yet he’s very under appreciated and being one of Springfield’s prominent criminals, he definitely needs some recognition.
♪ HARK TO THE TALE OF NELSON ♪
♪ AND THE BOY HE LOVED SO DEAR ♪
♪ THEY REMAINED THE BEST OF FRIENDS ♪
♪ FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS. ♪
No Kiddin'
"Aw jeez, I never hang out with him normally"
Cram it!
"Team Discovery Channel!"
*swats at Martin*
Personally, I don’t think that Nelson would ruin Lisa. I think that he’d end up working hard and turning his life around. If anyone is going to ruin lisa, it’s milhouse.
Ralph Wiggum has entered the chat
In a physical relationship when the ages appear appropriate, I respectfully disagree that he wouldn't "ruin" Lisa lol..
I genuinely want to know if you still feel this way
That was one of my dislikes of the later seasons is that the writers seemed determined to ship Milhouse and Lisa. Realistically, she would meet someone at a university
Milhouse is the ultimate "settle" pick. Milhouse is basically inertia in high water pants and glasses. While Milhouse wouldn't be bad for Lisa, he'd be limiting, I feel. Milhouse's Lisa is a Lisa that never really leaves Springfield, and never really goes on to big things. Even Milhouse's romantic interest (His Best Friend's little sister) is low effort.
Nelson, meanwhile, would be something of a project. Project relationships very rarely end up well. We see enough sweetness in Nelson that it's not like there's NOTHING to work on, but undoing all of the toxic masculinity to get him to be a real "match" for Lisa would be an undertaking. Nelson's gotta work on himself a lot to be a truly GOOD match for her.
That said, this is all based on their personalities as 8 and 10 year olds, so by the time high school rolls around, who knows. Maybe Nelson starts seeing a therapist and Milhouse learns to assert himself on a topic OTHER than trying to date his best friend's sister.
"You wrecked Hitler's car! What did he ever do to you?" *punches bart*
Wasn't that actually Kearny, though? I feel like they once used Kearny for one of Nelson "that's fer" punches.
That joke always makes me laugh
@@ZNKChannel It's Nelson. Just google the quote :)
*THAT'S FOR SELLING OUT YOUR BELIEFS.*
THAT'S FOR BESMIRCHING THE NAME OF AN INNOCENT GIRL
Fattest Royal
That’s for taking credit for someone else’s work!
*This is for wasting teacher's valuable time!*
I like to think Nelson did that because he was threatened by Milhouse flirting with Lisa and decided to prove to her that Milhouse would crumble if faced with a real problem.
I personally love Nelson’s character development: He went from being a pretty stereotypical bully to a fully formed character and an interesting nature vs nurture allegory. I don’t think anything was really lost in softening his image either. Honestly, if the Simpsons needs one-dimensional bullies to threaten Bart, they can just use Jimbo, Dolph and Kearney.
and even kearney has that side of him that makes him all rounded because of his son but i agree.
I wholeheartedly agree. I honestly want to see Nelson grow and change as a person, especially out of his "bully" image into a more sensitive soul that has a strong loyalty to his friends and loved ones-- and I think that should be allowed and encouraged, because everyone deserves a chance to grow and be better. Nelson is *10*. He's literally still a child. I know that physically the characters will never age, but they should still be allowed to grow emotionally and relegating Nelson to the role of "School Bully" is incredibly limiting. He deserves a chance to be something more. As you said Ferghal, if the Simpsons writers _really_ want their "one-dimensional bully character(s)", Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney are right there ready to go! Even then, we've had "future" episodes where Kearney has clearly grown out of his bully phase and mellowed out, going so far as to become Lisa's trusted bodyguard when she becomes President, so why not let him and Nelson grow and mature? If they still want a "bully" character, they've got Jimbo who often seems to be portrayed as the one least likely to grow up emotionally, while Dolph always felt the most like a follower - prone to just go with others ideas.
Unfortunately it feels like Nelson might be regressing back into his early seasons bully image, as the writers seem to keep placing him back with the trio of Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney. 'Boys in the Highlands' is the most recent offender, but to me, it kinda feels like when the writers aren't teasing Nelson/Lisa moments like in 'Be Nine Rewind', they're putting him back with the bullies either because they don't know what to do with him, or they're submitting to fan pressure of reverting Nelson to his "old self".
It really shows how many of the characters on The Simpsons really are more than just two-dimensional stereotypes, especially in the seasons between 1993-2000.
@@cannibalisticrequiem And even then, Jimbo/Dolph/Kearny's antics aren't fun to watch, and only age worse as the years go on (something the Simpsons subreddit SLAMMED me for when I criticized it). No comeuppance bully characters are the worst...
But yeah, I really want to see them solidify Nelson's character development. It feels like in some episodes Nelson's a good friend to Bart with a tough exterior (ala Harold, Buford, etc.). While in others he's back to being a barbaric bully who hates Bart, puts people in the hospital (a prime example being what he did to Milhouse in Lisa's Date with Density, which is ironic since it is one of Nelson's key depth/sympathetic episodes), and pals around with the Jimbo trio (even imagining a school with nobody to beat up and rob as a literal hell). This flip-flopping is what's *really* holding Nelson back. He wants to go in one positive direction, and usually does, but is sometimes tugged backward into his early season self when the writers wanna be sadistic. They need to let him change as a person and not throw in these moments of barbarism to trivialize it. Granted, they have been getting better at keeping him more consistently developed as the seasons have gone on, but they still make mistakes from time to time.
Hell, even the Jimbo trio flip flops a ton, sometimes being friends to Bart, respecting him as a fellow delinquent, while sometimes devolving into no-comuppance barbarism instead. Like you said, Kearney mellows out, so why not let him do so? and Dolph's just a follower, I can see that being explored more especially without Jimbo around. Honestly, these three's antics are one of my least favorite part of an otherwise great show, and its a shame that they end up having a negative effect on Nelson as well.
You have to do Ned Flanders. After all, he gave birth to the term "Flanderization"
Oh that'd be interesting. I remember in the early seasons Ned Flanders was just a really nice guy, and him being religious was somewhat perfunctory. Then Ned's religion started becoming a bigger focus for jokes, but he was still somewhat decent. Tying into the video's point about the Oakley/Weinstein era, Ned's character was subverted in Hurricane Neddy, where he gets REALLY pissed at Springfield for poorly rebuilding his house.
Later on, the writers realised you could use Ned to parody extreme parts of Christianity in America, like the infamous "Bible Belt". So we started seeing episodes like The Monkey Suit, where Nerd crusades against teaching scientific evolution.
Yeah, he's like the Grandaddy of this video series. I want to save him for a special occasion.
Diddily
@@TheRealJims It's been 2 years and you still haven't made a Flanders video.
@@HOTD108_ Patience is a virtue, neighborino!
" The thing about hucklberries is, once you've had fresh you'll never go back to canned."
*Skinner approaches*
"Um, uh, so anyway, I kicked the guy's ass."
*Skinner nods*
Now if the berries are TOO tart, I just dust ‘em with confectioners sugar!
A history on Krusty's evolution from "TV Clown" to "Stand-in for all things celebrity" might be cool.
qerguil more like homer to tv clown
5:59 *picuture of Nelson and Milhouse*
"One of Nelson's most fun character combinations is when they pair him with
Martin."
Never any love for Milhouse.
"Guess who likes you."
(ambulance siren)
I just wanted to bully Milhouse too! Nelson told me to do it!
"NOBODY LIKES MILHOUSE"
Thrillho
because Nelson loves Martin
I was a back up singer for Andy Williams. He thought it was funny that Nelson was a fan. Andy had a great sense of humor and loved things like that.
I find myself quoting Nelson frequently. His character progression is natural, I feel. Most cartoon bullies start out rough, but gradually soften up. To the point where they're more friend than foe to the main character. The same can be seen with Harold in Hey Arnold! and Binky in Arthur.
Almost went with a Hey Arnold comparison (instead of Regular Show) but I reference that too much on this channel. Harold is definitely a much more extreme example of where to take a bully character.
TheRealJims Makes sense. Oh and here are the following characters I'd like to see a history made for: Apu, Milhouse, Smithers, and Barney.
And Buford in Phineas and Ferb (though that technically takes place in summer vacation
one example i really liked was Shannon in Home Movies. throughout the series he was always the bully, but he seemed to genuinely care about his victims' health, going as far as to call Brendan before their fight, asking him if there's any hospitals nearby. Shannon even let Brendan "beat him up" to make Brendan feel good about himself. he was oddly civil for a schoolyard bully, and definitely a unique character in his own right.
@@TheRealJims how is it too much
I think one of the driving force behind Nelson becoming softer is the use of the other bullies as well as the catchphrase . Jimbo, Kerney and Dolph can do the Job of the school bullies far better than Nelson allowing him to become a more rounded character than in the earlier seasons when he was literally just the stereotypical bully.
That's a good point. Nelson being the same age as Bart helps him too. Other than teenager type jokes, Jimbo doesn't have much else to do, other than antagonize Bart. It's kinda interesting how he floats toward and away from Jimbo's crew throughout the series.
Jimbo also antagonized Bart very early to, when Bart tried to go at Jimbo's girlfriend
@@TheRealJims If you did a history of the bullies, I'd love to see if there are any trends in his connection to the bullies (maybe it's a showrunner thing?)
Aww yea it was so nice of them to allow him to do that☺️
Nelson feels like a real kid to me and not a contradiction at all. I knew a couple of kids like him growing up that would bully me but then would some times break down and we would end up hanging out despite them being a bully because there were only so many kids in our age group in the small town I grew up in so if we started doing something as a group they would be part of that group and as much as you may hate bullies as a kid you really don't know you have to avoid them when they aren't bullying you and for their part they 'don't seem to understand that if they bully you they aren't supposed to hang out with you when you are doing something they want to do.
Nelson is very well written and just feels real to me and the episodes he is in seem to capture how the group dynamics and relationships work when you are kids growing up in a small town.
Nelson is the brooding misunderstood bad boy that all the YA novel ladies fall for
Nelson is gay for Martin
Elijah Ford
And Martin is gay for Ralph (Citation Needed)
And Ralph is gay for Bart
Lorry 2 and nobody’s gay for moleman
Seriously when do they say that Martin is gay for Ralph?
I’d quite like to see one of these on Edna Krabapple, for a few reasons.
-her character is now retired, so you can do a video looking at her entire time on the show
-She’s one of the few characters that had a permanent change to their status quo (she started off as a single woman looking for love, and did eventually get married to Flanders)
-Outside of the Simpsons Family and their relatives, she’s pretty much the only major recurring female character on the show who receives character development and has episodes centred on her
Joshua McSmith it's true that he is capable of looking at all of Edna's showing time, but remember that she was suddently taken out, so she didn't hit a full ark of character developement
Martin Godoy it’s true that she was taken out and they probably would have developed her relationship with Ned more if they’d had the chance, but I feel like she did have an (unintentional) full ark.
Her first major episode was about her being a lonely woman looking for love and her final episode was about her getting married
He did it :D
People don't realize Nelson is so good at Home Ec. is not because he has unusual interests but because his home situation, with an absent father and a drunk/negligent mother, has encouraged him to take care of himself because he was forced into self independence. It's like in Matlida how she learned to take care of herself by age 3 because her family sucked at taking care of her.
I'm old enough to have used "ha ha" when something embarrassing happened to somebody in middle school. Probably early high school too.
Some people dislike the idea of a "soft" Nelson, but in a 20+ season long show every relevant character needs a change of direction, an ark if you want. After all that time, the bully and mocking character would be burned out really soon. Although the transition from a cold hearted bully to showing his deep interests & feelings is somewhat cliché, the writers executed it in a remarkable way.
BTW I love this type of videos. I wouls suggest you covered Flanders & Skinner
That's true. I wanted to point out that they do still keep him around as the mocking sort of character, even if they de-fanged him a little. I like that they played it kind of cool on this show and didn't go crazy overboard about it. They opened Nelson's character up a bit, but still let him be kind of a dick to people.
Just wanted to pop in and let ya know characters have "arcs," not "arks." Character arc. Have a nice day.
@@BlithesomeWayfarer pretty sure Noah had both an arc and an ark.
I personally enjoy Nelson being a bit of a softer character. He's great, got a lot of layers and I do feel that we've got Jimbo, Dolph and Kearny to pick up the slack for bullying and stuff
"Guess who likes you"
The cut between Milhouse giving the eyebrows and then being wheeled out on a stretcher is my favourite thing
My apologies for the long amount of time between Simpsons videos, this project went through a lot of Development Hell. Partially to figure out the format and topic and feel of the series, and partially because I greatly underestimated the amount of research and episode-watching that would be involved. Even for a minor character like Nelson! He is hard to track down.
This project reminded me of an episode I never got around to for 60 Second Simpsons (not Nelson related), so that should be next.
Don't worry about it. This project turned out great! Keep up the awesome work!
TheRealJims I think Herman should
TheRealJims Hey TheRealJims! What are your thoughts on the recent Simpsons documentary on Apu called "The Problem With Apu"? If so, are you going to do a video sharing your thoughts on it?
It alright
Plese jims do these simpsons showdowns don't make a chili sad
Seeing Nelson being emotional or sad is really touching to me, the larger picture is important. He's troubled, his family was absent and gone, it lets us see that it really affects him. I mean fuck I've been the same way in my life
I'd really like to see a Simpsons Histories on Mr. Burns. I always get the impression that the writers have a lot of fun with him in a lot of episodes
I think Conan said that Mr Burns was one of the funnest characters to write for because you they just kept making him impossibly old. (Or something like that)
"Tenting finger's ( you know the thing Mr Burns does with his fingers)" Excellent
@@ElMoShApPiNeSs Release the Hounds
As far as I am concerned you are the true Loremaster of the Simpsons. Your videos are top notch, criminally under subscribed!
as long as he remembers to include deleted scenes from the DVDs
"A riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a vest" and you delivered it perfectly :-)
Did you know Lisa was actually quoting Winston Churchill speaking about the Russians Haha indeed
Hey Willie catch the football 😁
I think that Ralph was criminally robbed of his character and turned into a "stupid baby". The last time I recall them treating him like a character and not just a dummy was I love Lisa. There could have been something more.
I love Nelson BUT never really did growing up watching the simpsons as a young child. It was later in my angsty teen years when I started and still do identify with him, he's misunderstood and life as you said has dealt him a bad hand. I feel like everyone can Identify with that. So when I see Nelson grow or open up a little more and things go just a tiny bit his way; i root for him.
How about Waylon Smithers :D
MIDORIII ES LA LUUUUUUZ
F A B U L O U S
A gay guy with a love that spans an absurd age gap who started black and turned white. Smithers = Michael Jackson.
you got it
Loved this! Looking forward to see who you do next
Im sorry but what the hell are you supposed to be?
PHRASING
@@oz_jones ?
@@bigpoop789 You don't know about Roly? He's kind of an expert on piercings.
@@bigpoop789 I’m Bart Simpson, who the hell are you
My favourite Nelson moment is probably in The Bart of War, when he keeps mistaking trees for his 'papa' and goes to hug and kiss them.
Nelson is probably my favorite secondary character in the show. I think he's at his absolute best when they show him as a somewhat misunderstood tough guy who's putting on a persona to cover up his emotional vulnerabilities. His frenemy relationship with Bart, Milhouse, and Martin just feels great. If the series really needs more traditional bully characters, it has Dolph, Kearney, and Jimbo. Hell, Nelson was the one bully Martin didn't hit with a 2×4 at the end of the movie. Could be hinting something there.
I would really love one on Smithers.
Comic book guy has always been a favorite character of mine. Love to learn more about him.
For a second I thought this was a Simpsons Mystery video! What a pleasant surprise!
A Surprise to be sure but a welcome one
It's weird to think that at one point Nelson was legitimately intimidating... at least from Bart's perspective. When it comes to favorite moments, it's minor and kind of stupid but it makes me laugh so hard; it's the episode where the kids get snowed in at school, and at the end when the snow melts, Martin tastes the water and says "With a little help from our friend Sodium Chloride!" and Nelson just starts beating the crap out of him. I even started laughing again just thinking about it!
Yo boy! I really enjoyed this one! For the next one, I think a Mr Burns-episode would be interesting- His backstory always fascinated me, what with him being basically kidnapped or sold by his grandfather from his parents and then turing into 'Citizen Kane'
Nice idea for a series.
I would love to see you have Smithers, Flanders or Groundskeeper Willie in a future episode of this series.
Rend Keaven Smithers would be amazing, if just to talk about the change in race and sexuality (he was coded straight for a while) so that’d be an interesting, if tricky episode.
I love this, I never knew I wanted such a deep look at Nelson until I got it. You should ABSOLUTELY do more of these.
Nelson's character growth didn't feel forced, just something the writer's let happen naturally. And they sid a banger of a good job
Simpsons histories?
I like that
Brilliant idea for a series!! Would be awesome to see more of these, Lenny and Carl would be great 😊
I'd like to see you explain just how Squeaky Voiced Teen had so many jobs.
Lemon of Troy = best episode ever
A part of us all...a part of us all
There's a doin's transpiring
Look, someone’s attractive cousin!
LEMON TREE?
Why, you're even stupider than you look!
I like how multi dimensional (if that’s the right term) his character can be. Like one episode he’s bullying Bart, Ralph, Milhouse, and Martin with Jimbo and the gang. Next episode he’s practically best friends with the same kids he bullies.
The growth of Nelson was a big lesson for me growing up. We want to view our bullies as these flat evil people and forgetting they are just as complex as ourselves. In some ways it makes worse that they are a fully human being doing terrible things to other human beings.
An idea for a Simpsons Mystery: What the hell happened to Nelson's original dad!? Wasn't he the kids' soccer coach at one point? How did he go from that to the current "Nelson's dad"?
Yumifreak3 There's a theory that Barney is his dad
But that falls down when you realise barneys last name is Gumble
But then his mom sleeps around with everyone, so it's possible that the dad we see might not actually be his dad.
These simpsons character studies are awesome. I hate what's become of the simpsons, but I grew up loving it - and I didn't fully understand why until I got older.
There's something special about a cartoon that you can watch as a kid with your dad, and you laugh at the same jokes for different reasons.
Thank you! Someone else who appreciates Nelson! I really enjoyed this great in-depth look!
"Spring forth, my burly protector and save me!" My favorite episode.
6sKi6z6 I don't normally hang out with him, usually.
LOL. Sometimes I think Martin nay be damsel in distress in old movie
I would literally watch you do one on every single character tbh you're videos are the best!
I'm really looking forward to more of this series. Loved the format
He opens his hearth with his short when he confesses he cries at the beach. It's pretty similar to Barney's short when he opens about his alcoholism.
Nelson still has the bite, but it’s not towards everyone any more. One of the best examples is in Postcards from the Wedge.
I like to see you do Krusty and Principal Skinner- two characters whose histories are often explored on the show, and can often be contradicted in regards to the show's timeline. Also, two of my personal favourite characters.
The openings of these videos allways get me. The way you use references to introduce the characters is fantastic.
Not even a huge fan of The Simpsons but you make the content so easy to digest and fun to listen to that I can binge this constantly.
Great video as always. I think Nelson's "Haw-haw" might be the most perfect catch phrase ever. I don't know if it is the delivery but it says so much with so little. I'm surprised it isn't used more as like a meme.
"*after watching Naked Lunch* I can think of two things wrong with that title." - Nelson Muntz.
And while I never thought of it before you mentioned it... Nelson could totally work as Lisa's girlfriend better than Milhouse. And this a great idea for a new series, can't wait to see more! Did the idea come from your Herman episode?
Yep, that's right... It was kinda unplanned, but people had said they would be interested in more character backstory stuff, and it was a good suggestion. Some of the Mystery episodes really got into history stuff (especially the timeline eps), so it kinda blurs the line a little as a spin-off.
So thanks Herman!
TheRealJims Mhm... btw you should totally review Homer vs. Patty and Selma soon. In that one, Bart was doing Ballet YEARS before Billy Elliot made it kinda-acceptable.
Harryhenry lol you said called Nelson Lisa's GIRLfriend instead of BOYfriend😂and I agreed that he's a MUCH better partner then millhouse
whoops, heh. Didn't realise that
Best Simpsons vids! Thank you!
Excellent work RealJims. Glad to see you back with another wonderful episode. Really enjoyed watching this :D
gunshot
screams
explosion
I sleep
new therealjims video
Real shit?
new series
A S C E N D E D
i think a selma simpson histories would be very interesting also thank you for the four star content
More like 4 thousand star content.
Bouvier its Marge's family.
Great video. Hope this becomes a regular series.
I love secretly soft Nelson. He's both really endearing and super funny. Definitely one of my favourite side characters.
YES YES YES. I LOVE this video. Definitely do more.
Great video. I was never that much of a Nelson fan throughout the seasons. Though an expertly timed “Haw Haw” can get really get me.
You should definitely do Skinner next. Or y’know. Don’t.
Keep up the Simpsons, you’re one of my favorite channels. Cheers!
Thanks for having me realize Nelson is on of the best secondary characters of any show ever 😊
Love the new series!
I think one about Edna Krabapple would be interesting!
Nelson is one of my favorite characters of the show.
Great video, made me appreciate Nelson in a deeper way! I would love to watch a Clancy Wiggum version.
I can't wait for this series! This was fantastic!
I’m so happy when you upload
*sees this in feed* YES I NEED THIS IN MY LIFE
i shiped nelson and lisa so much! i used to search up fanfics of them
Love this idea of a series! I can't wait for more
All of your simpsons videos have catchy intro music and I love them so much
The two characters that spring to mind when I think of "detailed analysis of how a character has developed/changed over time" are Mr. Burns and Ned Flanders.
Great video! I think you should do one on either Ralph Wiggum or on The Crazy Cat Lady
I'd lost interest in the Simpsons a long time ago, but your videos make me want to watch it again. Great stuff, RealJims.
Great episode, Nelson is one of my favorite characters. I always like it when any TV-show shows a softer side to a tough character and let someone who's viewed as "rough" as you said have some genuinely caring moments. Kind of want to see you do an episode on Milhouse next just because I want to hear your take on the times the show alluded towards him being gay.
hey everybody, it's that boy that laughs at everybody. let's laugh at him
I like his continued civility and respect to Lisa that carried on after season 8- eg in season 10's 'Wild Barts Can't be Broken', when all the kids sneak into the drive-in, he holds a fence panel open for her. Quite sweet.
Great new series idea! I'm looking forward to future editions.
All I know is that those HA-HA's have made me LMAO over the years
This is a great series idea! There's so many different characters that I'd like to see get the histories treatment. I'd love to see Milhouse get his own video and all the other secondary characters but I'd also like to see someone like Gill get one even if it's really short and just listing all the jobs he's had. I think it says something about me that I'd be totally down with a 40 minute Simpsons Histories video.
Alex Weil I couldn't agree more!! Gill would be an amazing episode!!
An investigation into the mysterious background of "Moemar" Syzlak and his questionable citizenship status
I think a Simpsons Mysteries Revisited would be an interesting experiment. You’ve already addressed how the canon about Father Bouvier has changed since your SM episode came out, I’m curious to know if any of your other theories have changed.
Great video man, love your work.
You're videos are awesome dude.
A character becoming basically a different person isnt exactly unrealistic, many people drastically change through their lives in real life, and it seems better than flanderisation or repeating the same exact thing forever
When Bart was hugging the vest, he was imagining him and Nelson being best friends not in love with him.
denial
@@dontspikemydrink9382 no reality, nothing against the LGBTQ community it's just that Bart is the type that typically grows up to be a working class person with a wife and family.
@@michaelmckinnon1591 was joke
@@dontspikemydrink9382 I wasn't sure and that's why I responded the way I did
@@michaelmckinnon1591 same for me. happy holidays
this series is great, liked and subbed.
Spot on. Nelson is a realy well drawn character. He grows, yet is consistent and believable. And he's just a cartoon, ffs!
Marge: "Nelson is a troubled, lonely, sad little boy. "
An episode on Smithers, followed by Mr Burns?
Also minor characters episode covering people like Dolph, Rafael, the barflies and “just stamp the ticket man”
Just found out your channel, cant wait till you reach 100k, congrats man!
"Willie, Catch the football!"
Remember the speech he gave in Lisa goes to Washington? Epic.
When did Nelson's dad go missing anyway? He's clearly not missing in earlier episodes; he picks Nelson to go to Pele''s soccer school in season 4, and they clearly have a good relationship then.
I hope you make an episode of Simpsons Histories about Snake Jailbird. He’s been in many many episodes yet he’s very under appreciated and being one of Springfield’s prominent criminals, he definitely needs some recognition.
Love it! Keep it up and never stop!