beloved animated series’ longest-running gags. “Times have changed,” Homer Simpson announces to wife Marge in Episode 3 of the current batch, referencing the portly patriarch’s penchant for strangling son Bart.Making its debut on Fox in late 1989, cartoonist Matt Groening’s groundbreaking show was controversial from the start — partly for the reoccuring scenes where a rage-filled Homer works out his frustration over Bart’s behavior by squeezing him tightly around the neck, causing the boy’s eyes to bulge out.Finally, in the recent episode, titled “McMansion & Wife,” the rotund — and apparently, reformed — lead character announces he’s moved on from the torturous tactic during a tête-à-tête with a new neighbor named Thayer, The Independent reported.When Homer goes to shake hands with Thayer, the man comments on his firm grip.
