‘The Simpsons” Ned Flanders Says Goodbye to Marcia Wallace and Mrs. Krabappel
We've seen 'The Simpsons' pay tribute to late voice actress Marcia Wallace on multiple occasions, but its latest is the most heartfelt and lovingly crafted yet. Last night's installment, "The Man Who Grew Too Much," officially put Ms. Krabappel to rest with a closing tag that saw Ned Flanders missing his second wife and her iconic laugh.
While the episode itself dealt with Sideshow Bob's (Kelsey Grammer's) latest villainous plot, the closing tag for the episode saw Ned Flanders daydreaming of a romantic dance with his wife, before snapping out of it with a black armband and a lament on how much he'll miss her laugh. Nelson appears at the window to share his own laugh, but admits he too will miss the character.
Wallace passed on October 26 from complications of her 28-year battle with breast cancer, an end to a career that saw Wallace making guest appearances on ‘Bewitched’ and ‘The Brady Bunch,’ and portraying Carol Kester Bondurant on ‘The Bob Newhart Show.’ Due to the turnaround involved in ‘Simpsons’ episodes, Wallace had actually recorded a year’s worth of additional dialogue for her character, though has now presumably been retired for good.
You can check out the heartrendingly sad tribute below, courtesy of Vulture, and tell us in the comments if the tag makes for a fitting end to one of our most enduring favorite characters.