The Simpson's writer/producer, AL Jean has revealed he always believed Russia had a suspicious side since living "with the spectre of the Soviet Union" for over 30 years. Speaking on a recent flurry of activity on social media pointing toward yet another prediction from the classic sitcom, the showrunner revealed it was actually "the norm" for him to think like that.
In an episode airing in 1998, the classic family comedy told the story of Homer joining the navy in Simpson Tide. While participating in a submarine exercise, Homer accidentally fires his captain out of the vessel into Russian waters. Causing chaos amongst governments, the scene cuts to Russia revealing themselves to be the Soviet Union. Troops and tanks begin to descend upon the streets, while a Berlin Wall is instantly reinstated with armed guards. Vladimir Lenin also comes back to life, with the Soviet Union Premier breaking out of his glass coffin and shouting: “We must crush capitalism.”
These comparisons have not gone unnoticed by Jean, who said the now stark reality is "very sad." Speaking to Hollywood Reporter, he revealed “in terms of predictions, there are two kinds we have: The trivial, like Don Mattingly getting in trouble for his hair in ‘Homer at the Bat’.
“And then there are predictions like this. I hate to say it, but I was born in 1961, so 30 years of my life were lived with the spectre of the Soviet Union. So, to me, this is sadly more the norm than it is a prediction. We just figured things were going to go bad.”
“Historical aggression never really goes away, and you have to be super vigilant,” the Simpson’s legend continued. “In 1998, when this clip aired, it was maybe the zenith of U.S.-Russia relations. But ever since [Russian President Vladimir] Putin got in, almost everybody has made it clear that he’s a bad guy and bad things are going to happen. There is the kind of prediction, where we reference something that has happened, happening again — we hope it wouldn’t, but sadly, it does.”
You can check this gag out in season 9, episode 19 of The Simpson’s.
