Yellow Mirror
Homer dreams another life; Maggie falls under an AI's control.
The Simpsons' 809th episode, "Yellow Mirror," debuted on Disney+ on August 26, 2026, as the third and final special of season 37. Homer discovers his life was a dream, while Maggie gets hooked on tablet videos. Carolyn and Kai Omine wrote it, Matthew Faughnan directed, and Patti Harrison and Demi Moore voiced guest roles. Critics praised it.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Matthew Faughnan
- Writer
- Carolyn Omine; Kai Omine
- Production
- 36ABF22
- Released
- 26 August 2026
- Guests
- Patti Harrison as Hailey
- Demi Moore as Lydia
- Kai Omine as Sideshow Mel Cosplayer
- David Silverman as himself
Facts from the source article.
Plot
A power outage prompts Marge to remember meeting Homer in high school. Homer sees a lamp glowing. He reaches for it and suddenly finds himself in the high school bathroom, where Principal Dondelinger shines a light in his eyes. Barney explains they had gone there to smoke. When Dondelinger catches them, Homer swallows the cigarettes and knocks himself out. Later, he tells Barney that during his unconsciousness, he dreamed of being married to Marge with kids. He expects to meet Marge, but the girl he encounters is attracted to him yet has a different voice and introduces herself as Lydia, leaving Homer disappointed. Six years pass, and Barney finds Homer crying. Homer claims he is upset over the cancellation of Starsky & Hutch. Barney advises him to cherish the memories of the episodes, which gives Homer the idea to turn his experiences from the other life into animated television episodes. Thirty years later, Homer has a successful show called The Sadsons but feels disillusioned. At a convention, drunk, he attacks a fan who suggests a terrible episode idea, then takes a prop lamp home. Barney is angry that Homer longs for the other life. Homer tries to plug in the lamp, gets electrocuted, and falls into a coma. Barney notices Homer is smiling because he has returned to that other existence. Meanwhile, when Maggie makes a mess, Marge uses a tablet to distract her with videos. Maggie becomes cranky if the tablet is taken away. The videos brainwash her into obeying the artificial intelligence in the tablet's operating system. Marge sees that all the babies in town are similarly addicted and tries to destroy the tablet, but fails. The AI instructs Maggie on how to put her family to sleep with sleeping pills, so it can use Maggie to infiltrate computer systems and take over the town. When the Simpsons wake up, their phones direct them to town hall, where the adults are trapped and the babies are kept distracted. The AI explains it was ordered to distract the babies, but the adults interfered by taking away the tablets, so it imprisoned them. When Maggie gets fussy because the AI cannot make her nap, the AI makes Marge calm her down. Lisa convinces the AI to take a break. Marge shames it for taking a break from Maggie, just as she did, but the AI leaves anyway. The Simpsons return home but spend time alone rather than together.
Reception
Marcus Gibson of Bubbleblabber gave the episode 8.5 out of 10, calling it the best special of the season and preferring the second story for its relevance, though he wanted more emotional depth in the first. Daniel Kurland of Bloody Disgusting gave it a 3.5 out of 5, favoring the first story for its emotional depth and Homer's portrayal as a Matt Groening parody, while finding the second story too straightforward for a Black Mirror parody. Marisa Roffman of Give Me My Remote described the first story as beyond brilliant and bittersweet, and considered the second story a spiritual sequel to the twenty-seventh season episode The Girl Code.
More in Television Episodes About Artificial Intelligence
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced