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{{Infobox Simpsons episode
| image =
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| production = XABF09
| airdate = {{Start date|2018|4|29}}
| guests = * [[Glenn Close]] as Mona Simpson
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| next = [[Left Behind (The Simpsons)|Left Behind]]
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"'''Forgive and Regret'''" is the eighteenth episode of the [[The Simpsons (season 29)|twenty-ninth season]] of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]'', and the 636th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by [[Rob Oliver]] and written by [[Bill Odenkirk]]. It aired in the United States on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] on April 29, 2018. The title is a play on "forgive and forget". The episode deals with the relationship between Homer and Grampa hitting rock bottom once again, the result of a secret that the latter held from his son.
 
The title is a play on "forgive and forget". The episode deals with the relationship between Homer and Grampa Simpson hitting rock bottom once again, the result of a secret that the latter held from his son.
As of this episode, ''The Simpsons'' surpassed ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' to become the longest-running scripted American primetime television series by number of episodes.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/television/the-simpsons-surpasses-gunsmoke-to-become-the-longest-running-scripted-prime-time-tv-series|title=The Simpsons surpasses Gunsmoke to become the longest-running scripted prime-time TV series|newspaper=[[National Post]]|date=30 April 2018 |accessdate=2018-04-30|last1=Ahsan |first1=Sadaf }}</ref> This event was marked in the opening sequence by a [[gunfight]] between Maggie and [[Matt Dillon (Gunsmoke)|Marshal Matt Dillon]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/04/29/simpsons-to-surpass-gunsmoke-with-636th-episode-sunday-night.html|title='Simpsons' to surpass 'Gunsmoke' with 636th episode Sunday night|work=[[Fox News]]|accessdate=2018-05-01}}</ref>
 
As of this episode, ''The Simpsons'' surpassed ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' to become the longest-running scripted American primetime television series by number of episodes.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/television/the-simpsons-surpasses-gunsmoke-to-become-the-longest-running-scripted-prime-time-tv-series|title=The Simpsons surpasses Gunsmoke to become the longest-running scripted prime-time TV series|newspaper=[[National Post]]|date=30 April 2018 |accessdate=2018-04-30|last1=Ahsan |first1=Sadaf }}</ref> This event was marked in the opening sequence by a [[gunfight]] between Maggie and [[Matt Dillon (Gunsmoke)|Marshal Matt Dillon]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/04/29/simpsons-to-surpass-gunsmoke-with-636th-episode-sunday-night.html|title='Simpsons' to surpass 'Gunsmoke' with 636th episode Sunday night|work=[[Fox News]]|date= April 29, 2018|accessdate=2018-05-01}}</ref>
 
==Plot==
While trying to leaveleaving [[Moe's Tavern]], [[Homer accidentallySimpson|Homer]] knocks over a streetlight. A man appears, askingwho gives Homer to$500 sellfor his car forand $500makes tohis repairproblem the damages to the streetlamp, which he acceptsdisappear because his car will be used in a demolition derby. While at the derby, [[Grampa Simpson|Grampa]] has a heart attack, and Homer is faced with the solution to either watch the rest of the derby and see his car win, or escortescorts his father to the hospital,. Homer[[Dr. agreesHibbert]] tosays helpGrampa him.is Onabout histo deathbeddie, so Grampa makeswhispers a startling confession to Homer, who forgivespromises himnot becauseto hereveal thinksit. hisHe fatheralso isforgives abouthim to die andbecause he wants to have peace between them before thathe happensdies. However, Grampa ends up surviving, which angers Homer.
 
Grampa mocks Homer because Homer promised to keep his secret. The family sends Grampa and Homer to solve an escape room at the mall to force them to bond, but it fails. Homer decides to tell the family about how he and his mother, [[Mona Simpson (The Simpsons)|Mona]], bonded over baking pies. She wrote down the pie recipes and placed them in a box to remind him of her. After she left home, Grampa threw anything that reminded him of her off a cliff, including the recipe box. Grampa lied to Homer, saying Mona took the recipes with her. The family turns against Grampa.
However, Grampa ends up surviving, and he increasingly mocks and laughs at Homer while reminding him that Homer promised to keep his secret. The family, surprised by Homer's "silent treatment", decides to make them bond once again, only leading to an altercation between both of them at Moe's and an unsuccessful session at an entertainment center (formerly a mall). When Grandpa plays the victim, he then watches in horror as Homer coldly tells the family the deathbed secret. In Homer's youth, he and his mother Mona bonded over baking pies. After she left home, Grampa, in an attempt to forget about Mona, threw her recipe box off a cliff. The family turns against Grampa, and decides to condemn him for his actions at the Retirement Castle, only to find that Grampa, who now feels guilty of what he did many years ago, is going to the cliff to find the box. Homer plans to stop him because the recipe box is still resting on a cliffside, and Grampa could lose his life getting them. Homer helps him to safety and to get the recipe box, and for a minute Grampa looks like he is sacrificing himself so that Homer can reach it, but when Homer gets to it, Grampa lands on a bed he got rid of many years earlier. However, the box is empty.
 
WhileThe stoppingfamily atlearns that Grampa is going to the cliff to find the box. Homer tries to stop him, but they end up tied to a nearbyrope restauranthanging on the side of the cliff. Homer sees the recipe box on a ledge and tries reaching for it. Grampa cuts the rope, so Homer recognizescan reach the tasteledge. Grampa lands on Mona’s bed at the bottom of the piecliff. heHowever, the box is eatingempty. asLater, at a nearby restaurant, the samefamily oneis heeating andpie, hiswhich mothertaste usedexactly tolike bakeMona’s pie. The waitress tells himHomer that she found the recipes falling down the cliff when Grampa tossed them out, and she gives them to Homer, wrapped in a bow, and. Homer and Grampa make up and reconcile once again.
 
The tag featuresLater, Homer buyingbuys back his old car again, finding that [[Snowball II]] hadhas been therein the car the whole time.
 
==Production==
In honor of ''The Simpsons'' becoming the [[List of longest-running scripted American primetime television series|longest-running scripted American primetime television series]] with its 636th episode beating the record held by ''[[Gunsmoke]]'', the episode features a pre-title sequence of Maggie shooting [[Matt Dillon (Gunsmoke)|Marshal Matt Dillon]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-simpsons-to-become-longest-running-primetime-scripted-series-on-tv/|title="The Simpsons" to become longest-running primetime scripted series on TV|newspaper=[[CBS News]]|date=April 27, 2018|access-date=July 2, 2023|last=Park|first=Andrea}}</ref><ref name="Pedersen">{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2018/04/the-simpsons-gunsmoke-record-longest-running-primetime-scripted-series-promo-1202378280/|title='The Simpsons' Taunts 'Gunsmoke' Ahead Of Record-Breaking 636th Episode|newspaper=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=April 27, 2018|access-date=July 2, 2023|last=Pedersen|first=Erik}}</ref> Creator [[Matt Groening]] said that the cliff scene is a nod to Homer's fall into Springfield Gorge from the [[The Simpsons season 2|second season]] episode "[[Bart the Daredevil]]."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2018/04/27/thesimpsons-matt-groening-new-record-fox-animated-series/524581002/|title='The Simpsons' exclusive: Matt Groening (mostly) remembers the show's record 636 episodes|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|date=April 27, 2018 |access-date=July 2, 2023|last=Keveney|first=Bill}}</ref>
 
Originally, the [[Lisa Gets the Blues|previous episode]] was scheduled to be the record-breaking episode before the scheduling pattern changed.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/the-simpsons-636-episodes-record-gunsmoke-1201958054/|title='The Simpsons' Passes the 'Gunsmoke' Record While Baby Maggie Shoots Another Victim — Watch |newspaper=[[IndieWire]]|date=April 27, 2018 |access-date=July 2, 2023|last=Schneider|first=Michael}}</ref> That episode also alluded to the record when Bart reminds Homer about the radio episodes of ''Gunsmoke''.<ref name="Pedersen"/>
 
The apple pie recipe in the episode was created by [[Evan Kleiman]], who hosts "Good Food" on [[KCRW]] in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/the-simpsons-apple-pie-recipe-evan-kleiman-1201958440/|title='The Simpsons' Celebrates Historic Episode by Sharing the Best Apple Pie Recipe in History |newspaper=[[IndieWire]]|date=April 29, 2018 |access-date=July 2, 2023|last=Schneider|first=Michael}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.eater.com/2018/4/30/17302040/the-simpsons-pie-recipe-evan-kleiman|title='The Simpsons' Featured an Apple Pie Recipe Created by LA Chef/Radio Host Evan Kleiman|newspaper=[[Eater (website)|Eater]]|date=April 30, 2018 |access-date=July 2, 2023|last=Fuhrmeister|first=Chris}}</ref> Kleimen knew producer [[Richard Sakai]] previously, but the idea for adding a real recipe in the episode came from executive producer [[James L. Brooks]], who contacted KCRW about asking Kleiman because he was a fan of "Good Food." Kleiman selected an apple pie recipe with which she had been working since she was a teenager.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/good-food/make-evan-kleimans-apple-pie-recipe-from-the-simpsons|title=Make Evan Kleiman's apple pie recipe from The Simpsons|newspaper=[[KCRW]]|date=May 1, 2018 |access-date=July 2, 2023}}</ref>
 
==Cultural references==
Grampa watches ''[[NCIS (TV series)|NCIS]]'', another long-running scripted American primetime television series. Homer sings a parody of the song, "[[The Way We Were (song)|The Way We Were]]."<ref name="Perkins"/>
 
==Reception==
===Viewing figures===
Dennis Perkins of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' gave this episode a B−, stating, "To the show’s credit, the episode itself makes only passing mention of the at-least numerically impressive feat, with the cold open seeing a once-again pistol-packing Maggie gunning down ''Gunsmoke''’s Marshall Matt Dillon. Credited to ''Simpsons'' writing stalwart Bill Odenkirk, ‘Forgive and Regret’, instead, dedicates itself to telling a single story, once more revisiting the justifiably fraught (on both sides) father-son relationship between Abe and Homer Simpson."<ref>{{cite web|last=Perkins|first=Dennis|url=https://tv.avclub.com/homer-learns-a-secret-as-the-simpsons-sets-a-hollow-rec-1825635487|title=Homer learns a secret as The Simpsons sets a hollow record, hollowly|publisher=Avclub.com|date=April 29, 2018|accessdate=April 30, 2018}}</ref>
"Forgive and Regret" scored a 1.0 rating with a 4 share and was watched by 2.47 million people, making it Fox's highest -rated show of the night.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/daily-ratings/sunday-final-ratings-april-29-2018/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501224625/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/daily-ratings/sunday-final-ratings-april-29-2018/|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 1, 2018|title='The Simpsons' adjusts up: Sunday final ratings|last=Porter|first=Rick|work= [[TV by the Numbers]]|date=May 1, 2018|accessdate=May 1, 2018}}</ref>
 
===Critical response===
Dennis Perkins of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' gave this episode a B−, stating, "To the show’s credit, the episode itself makes only passing mention of the at-least numerically impressive feat, with the cold open seeing a once-again pistol-packing Maggie gunning down ''Gunsmoke''’s Marshall Matt Dillon. Credited to ''Simpsons'' writing stalwart Bill Odenkirk, ‘Forgive and Regret’, instead, dedicates itself to telling a single story, once more revisiting the justifiably fraught (on both sides) father-son relationship between Abe and Homer Simpson."<ref name="Perkins">{{cite web|last=Perkins|first=Dennis|url=https://tv.avclub.com/homer-learns-a-secret-as-the-simpsons-sets-a-hollow-rec-1825635487|title=Homer learns a secret as The Simpsons sets a hollow record, hollowly|publisherwebsite=Avclub[[The A.comV. Club]]|date=April 29, 2018|accessdate=April 30, 2018}}</ref>
 
[[Tony Sokol]] of ''[[Den of Geek]]'' gave the episode 3.5 out of 5 stars. He highlighted Dan Castellaneta's performance, Marge's comments, and the jokes involving Moe.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-simpsons-season-29-episode-18-review-forgive-and-regret/|title=The Simpsons Season 29 Episode 18 Review: Forgive And Regret|newspaper=[[Den of Geek]]|date=April 30, 2018 |access-date=July 2, 2023|last=Sokol|first=Tony|author-link=Tony Sokol}}</ref>
 
Jesse Schedeen of ''[[IGN]]'' felt the record-breaking episode was a missed opportunity to shake things up, possibly by killing Grampa.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/04/30/the-simpsons-missed-a-big-opportunity-in-its-record-breaking-episode|title=The Simpsons Missed a Big Opportunity in its Record-Breaking Episode - IGN|newspaper=[[IGN]]|date=April 30, 2018 |access-date=July 2, 2023|last=Schedeen|first=Jesse}}</ref>
"Forgive and Regret" scored a 1.0 rating with a 4 share and was watched by 2.47 million people, making it Fox's highest rated show of the night.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/daily-ratings/sunday-final-ratings-april-29-2018/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501224625/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/daily-ratings/sunday-final-ratings-april-29-2018/|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 1, 2018|title='The Simpsons' adjusts up: Sunday final ratings|last=Porter|first=Rick|work= [[TV by the Numbers]]|date=May 1, 2018|accessdate=May 1, 2018}}</ref>
 
==References==
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[[Category:2018 American television episodes]]
[[Category:The Simpsons (season 29) episodes]]