Maude Flanders
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Maude Flanders was a fictional character on The Simpsons. She is the late wife of Ned Flanders, and the mother of Rod and Todd. Maude was voiced by Maggie Roswell and also by Marcia Mitzman Gaven while Roswell was involved in a pay dispute.
Biography
Life
Maude was a woman who had many gifts: faith, chastity, charity and the most come-hither eyelashes in the town of Springfield. Happily married to Ned Flanders, she was the proud mother of Rod and Todd, in whom she had instilled her unwavering piety.Busty yet guarded, Maude Flanders was a devout Christian who once attended a Bible camp to learn how to be "more judgemental". She campaigned strongly against Itchy and Scratchy with Marge.
While she did not work, aside perhaps from occasional stints at her husband's small business -- the 'Leftorium' -- Maude was a busy homemaker and a tireless advocate for the children of Springfield, whose innocence is so often soiled by the evils of cartoon violence, liberal education and the insidious influences of popular culture.
Even though she spent much of her free time in prayer and reading the Bible, Maude was known to let her hair (and her neckline) down for the occasional dinner party at the home of her neighbors, the Simpsons.
She held a deep love for ficus plants, unflavoured ice milk and Newsweek magazine.
Then, she died in a terrible, freak t-shirt bazooka accident.
Quoting Reverend Lovejoy, "In many ways, Maude Flanders was a supporting player in our lives. She didn't grab our attention with memorable catchphrases, or comical accents. But, whether you noticed her or not, Maude was always there ... and we thought she always would be."
Untimely Death
In "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily", Maude died after being knocked off a grandstand at the Springfield Speedway. (If Homer had not been distracted from catching the t-shirts launched in her direction by an air-bazooka, it is likely that the senseless tragedy could have been averted. But, as he did find a bobby pin, he cannot really be blamed). Homer had also parked in the ambulance zone, preventing any quick resuscitation.Her death crushed the surviving Flanders', who, though used to some measure of hardship (house-destroying hurricanes and car crashes among them), assumed that they would always be together.
Maude's death is considered the most show-changing death as it is often cited as the point at which the series "jumped the shark."
Praiseland
In "I'm Goin' to Praiseland", after Maude's death, the grieving Ned saw in her sketchbook a series of drawings that outlined a plan for a Christian-themed amusement park named "Praiseland". Realizing this park to be her final dream, Ned acquired the defunct amusement park "Storytime Village" from Colonel Antoine "Tex" O'Hara ("The Rich Texan") and, with the assistance of Homer and other townspeople, built and opened Praiseland. He memorialized Maude there with a statue bearing her likeness, on whose base there was a plaque bearing the phrase 'She taught us the joy of shame and the shame of joy'. Praiseland gained popularity among the residents of Springfield when they erroneously attributed the statue of Maude with the performing of miracles providing of religious experiences. (It was, in fact, a gas leak, and possibly the attendant hallucinations, that produced the illusion of these events.)Reason for Character's Death
It was rumored that the character was killed off because Roswell demanded more money. This rumor was initially denied, but the fact remains that the actress was tired of multi-state commutes for what was only occasional work, and a salary that did not cover the airfare costs.
Posthumous Appearances
- At the start of Treehouse of Horror XIII, originally broadcast November 3, 2002, The Simpsons and Ned Flanders held a seance and summon Maude's ghost, who proceeds to tell them three horror stories.
- The regular episode "Bart Has Two Mommies", which aired March 19, 2006 showed her looking down on her sons from heaven, saying "My little boy is growing up."
- Maude is also shown to be alive in Season 6 in the episode Lisa's Wedding which was set in the future after the Simpson children had grown up, but written before Season 11 when Maude was killed. However it should be noted that this was a vision, and may not be considered truthfully the future.
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