Please pardon my stuffy nose in this video. I had been battling a cold last week when it was time to record this and, despite drinking lots of hot tea, you can still hear it a little in my voice. (I do find it weirdly appropriate that when it was 'Ol Gil's time for his spotlight, I was a bit under the weather.) 🤣

I'd like to nominate Cletus. He got a ton of small interesting moments in the later seasons and was sneakily good in The Simpsons movie.

It’s still wild to me that it’s been 34 seasons and Blue Haired Lawyer is still referred to as Blue Haired Lawyer

I’m once again nominating Luigi. He is such a mystery to me, and I want to see if he’s ever actually contributed anything of use besides jokes.

Its truly is heart-breaking seeing Gill be a lawyer. knowing that if Phil Hartman was still alive. the roll would be filed by Lionel Hutz.

I've never been too crazy about Lindsey Naegle, she was always just there to me and sort of blended into the crowd. That's honestly a good enough reason for me to nominate her for a new Histories, and see if there's some sort of depth that I don't see and appreciate.

In many ways, Gil feels like someone TRYING to be like Lionel Hutz (covering up their utter incompetence with upbeat bluster), but Gil can never keep that bravado up for more than a couple seconds before their desperation shines through.

my boy finally gets a breakdown, not the bad kind either.

Gil feels like an alternative for Moleman in some ways. A character that exists as a punching bag but for different reasons.

Never realized how many careers Gil has had over the years. All the more reason Lindsey Neagle should be next as she's had plenty of them herself.

I'm gonna take a wild detour and suggest something a little different: A history of the Simpson's pets. I'd love to see you explain the Snowballs, that shit is crazy.

I genuinely felt sorry for Gil and thought he was hard done by in "Kill Gil". Yes, he abused the Simpsons' hospitality, but the fact remains, he wasn't lying! He wasn't spinning a story as an excuse to stay, he genuinely was waiting for a call from Scottsdale, he did get the job and he did move out. The Simpsons actively perpetuated the situation by pursuing him to Arizona and ruined his new career out of sheer spite. When Gil foreclosed the Simpsons' house in a later episode, I can't help but think that Gil was feeling pretty revengeful himself!

In my mind, Gil always feels linked to the Phil Hartman characters, possibly because of his appearances as a lawyer and "Realty Bites" being Lionel Hutz's last appearance and Gil's first.

I'm like 99 percent sure for kill Gill they came up with the episode name first than just rushed together a story about Gill while Kill Bill references were still popular

100% behind Duffman from the names listed at the end. He's so much deeper than his shtick implies. Maybe Ruth Powers as I've always liked her appearances (minus one), she gives off this vibe of being up against adversity but continuing to fight. Dr. Marvin Monroe? You could do an April Fools video on Guy Incognito, who I do love, but there's probably not a lot there for a full video.

I like the episode where the town is taken over by dogs, where you’re waiting for Gil’s big redemption moment and it just never happens.

Gil choosing a hot air balloon of all places to live is just hilarious to me

Old Girl is the perfect transition point from the Hartman era to the early 00's more absurd humor.

I find it funny how Gill says he worked the same job for 42 years, then he’s instantly cursed by the job market to be jumping from job to job forever. Gill strikes me as the kind of guy who was so used to/good at his Realtor job, that his Resume is stronger than his actual ability

Reminder that TheRealJims in his Sideshow Mel video promised us a Simpsons Histories on Mr. Teeny in 2023 That’s my vote

I've been pulling for Lindsey Naegle for a while now. I think it's interesting to see how a character who almost exclusively appeared post-Season 8 gets developed. This episode did a good job of it, but would love to see more!

I'd like to nominate Lou and Eddie. They're very rarely seen without each other, and while it's usually Lou who gets the speaking role, it's not _always_ Lou. Do they have a rich life outside their job? Or are they just extra bodies for crowd scenes, who are entirely functional characters, fulfiling the role of "police officer" when the show needs more than just Wiggum

Gil the salesperson is a such a strange recurring role for him. Normally The Simpsons would satirize an effective salesperson’s tactics for whatever industry they’re in, but Gil fails as an effective salesperson. Which means he also fails as an effective way to satirize them. Gil’s incompetence in his role at work somehow transcends itself and makes him incompetent in his role on The Simpsons too.

How has there not been chief wiggum yet? He’s one of the most important secondary Simpson characters and has been around since season 1 ❤️

Putting my hat back in the ring for Groundskeeper Willie. I think the directions in which the writers took his character, and in some of the later episodes (My Fair Laddy comes to mind) they really expand on someone who was originally written fairly stereotypically.

I know very little Simpsons past season 10 so this was like learning a history lesson on an extended family member I never knew

Gill is imo the most relatable character in the Simpsons. As someone who has jumped around from random job to random job again and again I relate alot to Gills economic struggles. It's actually inspiring to see a character fail and go through so much hardship and still go on and try again.

I nominate Mr. Largo. For a character so strongly attached to one of the most well-known traits of one of the main characters, that Lisa plays the saxophone, he is so strongly unused. I remember some moments about him but nothing regarding his personal life & even moments featuring him or the band Lisa plays in are extremely rare. Maybe it's because I'm a band-kid myself but damn. I think he's a bit of a missed opportunity. I think it's just because of how he looks. He really looks like a season 1 character.

I nominate the anti-Gil, Lindsey Naegle, and once again remind Jims to amend the absolute slander in his seasonal retrospective that Season 8 introduced no significant supporting cast members.

I am once again asking you to cover Lenny and Carl. They've got a lot of history, they're somehow both Homer-centric and not at the same time, and I want to know what the heck is going on with Lenny specifically. Is he married? Is he not? What is his story? And Carl too, but I feel like we've seen more about him. Either way, I really want to see a deep dive on their histories and their appearances. They're in so many episodes, but I still feel like we don't know them quite as well as someone like Moe, or Smithers. I feel like every time you post a Simpsons History, I comment the same opening line, lol. TLDR; We're here, we're queer, we don't want any more bears- I mean, we don't want any more waiting for Lenny and Carl!

i'm really looking forward to a possible duffman histories. would be interesting to find out about his several deaths and replacement actors

i think Gil has extra bad luck because he was introduced in Realty Bites, which also happened to be Lionel Hutz' last episode

Thank you for this video! Please could you put Blue Haired Lawyer in your queue for Simpsons Histories? I just think he’s a really interesting character both in character and design. He’s not a character one would naturally think of when we think of show, but He’s been in almost every season of the Simpsons at least once or twice. I feel like whether he wins or loses a case he plays his role so well. It’s always a nice surprise seeing him outside of court lecturing somebody about copyright infringement. You teased him a bit in this video, so I’d really like to see a video on him. Also DINAH DAWG I rest my case

I never thought about it before but Gil is the antithesis of Homer that Grimey talked about. He works hard, sometimes really hard, and his failings come from circumstances outside of his control. He never gives up, and tries to be optimistic, always going for that new job and finding the good in people. But life finds a way of always making it worse. Even when he does succeed it comes at the expense of someone else. Gil is the physical embodiment of the truth behind the USA work culture. 9:35 it's barely a hustle, he finished damn quick regardless I would also like to throw in my nomination for "Smug Girl". That oddly detailed girl in Bart's class that still isn't a character, yet she is still drawn

I know I’ve said this before, but I’d really love to see you do a video on Ruth Powers. She’s a really interesting character who I always thought was greatly underused on the show.

Somehow I always feel nostalgic about the Kill Gil episode. For how it keeps escalating in its insanity, the background calendar gags, the you're fired bits and how it literally takes place during a whole year with no regards to continuity and the passage of time. It also helped that it was one of the first full episodes I've seen when I first stumbled into the show in my early teens during the mid-late 2000s.

Can you talk about Flanderization? It's a fascinating piece of TV lingo alongside Jumping the Shark & I'm wondering which episode it originated from & how it affected the rest of the Simpsons cast.

As a viewer from outside the US, I have taken Gil as an honest representation of what it is really like to be struggling in America. I think he is part of what is left of "satire" in modern (well, mid-term) Simpsons and I've always liked him for that.

I'm honestly a pretty big fan of Gil's. Kill Gil Vol 1 & 2 is one of my favourite teen seasons episodes, with a lot of jokes that stick in my head quite firmly. The sequence where Nelson pilfers and eats one of the "Mini quesadillas" Gil left in Bart's lunchbox as Lisa and Bart first exchange knowing, mischivieous grins, only for Nelson to faint and then Lisa looks to Bart with concern while Bart has an even bigger grin? That always gets me, not a big "ha ha" scene or one with particularly clever dialogue, but it's a great little Bart and Lisa bit that Gil sets up. And the subplot with the Grumbly is great. Homer's confused and panicked "What the Hell is this thing?!" after he bashes it over the head at Moe's and it starts bleeding green is another moment I often think of when I think of the SImpsons' high points during the teen years. Gil is definitely a very odd character to balance as I think he's a character that is at his best when he is crossing lines. There's a certain shamelessness to his personality, and it's a shamelessness he seems to always only recognize of himself in hindsight. So often a joke will happen to Gil, then he'll punctuate the joke with how pitiable his situation is, and then there's just this beat of "Did it take you this long to realize how much your life sucks, Gil?" or "Wow, Ol' Gil sure thought he had *some* shred of dignity beyond that, huh?" A bunch of Gil episodes all in a row would very quickly make the man wear out his welcome. Having written that out, he makes a fun contrast to Moe. Moe often realizes that he thought he had more dignity than he does before sinking to some new low, begrudging his circumstances but holding some degree of dignity in how he owns his ending up there. The scene from "Moe 'n a Lisa" (another great teens seasons episode, IMO) comes to mind. "Is this what I've come to? Flailing about in a pond, fighting geese? *sigh* Well, if I'm fighting geese, may as well win." *cocks a gun and begins to start firing* Moe recognizes that situation that he's in and tries to claim some dignity out of it while Gil is the kind of character who would just keep digging downwards. Fighting geese, he would just self-pity or ask someone to sympathize. I think that's why Gil is so great at setting up these act 1 plot swerves. He is a character that urges the other characters to reflect upon themselves and what they are willing to do. Do they sympathize with him only to get conned? Do they recognize that they are in a hole they need to escape before they sink to Gil's level? Or are the circumstances that establish the second act so extreme that you need a character with Gil's utter shamelessness to set them into motion, as in his various appearances in the insurance industry? He's a great catalyst character. Anyway, thanks to anyone who has read all the way through this painfully long comment of Gil Apologia.

Honestly, a Simpsons Histories on Comic Book Guy would be interesting.

Oh boy ol' Gil is finally gettin' his own history, he's gonna make it now you betcha, this is his big break!

I’d love to see a Lindsey Naegle history video. I’ve always found her really funny and she’s done so many different things in the show that I think she’d be interesting to dissect. Also if there’s enough material for a Shauna video, or at least a review of Beware My Cheating Bart, I would definitely watch that. Shauna’s my favourite side character, and that episode in particular is strange, yet pretty neat as a start to her character development

00:30 the implication that even Homer has done some of his random jobs well and Gil hasn’t is one of the most low key yet devastating insults I’ve ever heard

I like the idea of covering Rainier Wolfcastle. Like Gil, the character is a specific parody. But he's a parody of Arnold Schwarzenegger and dumb action movies, which were in the cultural zeitgeist when he was introduced - it might be interesting to see how the character's evolved as cultural trends have moved on, and what impact he's made. Plus he has a lot of odd aspects attached - like how the actor only got a name when they made a real movie called McBain and the way he literally becomes Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie.

I really like Gil. His larger appearances aren’t always my favorite, but any time he appears in a quick bit then you know it’s going to be hilarious.

I like Gil, because I contrast him with Grimes. Where Grimes is driven by indignation and becomes cruel, Gil is driven by holding onto hope despite constant struggle. I also like that this video explicitly points out the film reference, I think a lot of the jokes and the meaning of the Simpsons are enhanced by understanding the relationship between the episode and the thing it is parodying or paying homage to.

For Simpsons histories, what about Arnie Pye? You have done Kent Brockman so I am still waiting on Arnie. As for Gil, I liked him to a point then not as much by the modern seasons but I do like seeing him and what he is doing next. Actually one of my favourite episodes is Kill Gil, Volumes I & II. I saw him as someone who has a lot of different jobs because he doesn't have the confidence to succeed or stand up for himself (except for being at the Real Estate company for 42 years but even then he had to bring a wall from home), except in flashbacks when he is shown to have done better in the past. Take the Canyonero episode. He almost sells Homer the vehicle but the other sales guy takes away his sale. If he stood up for himself, that wouldn't have happened and he would have got the sale. Then he does things that make you want to hate him, such as fooling Lisa to win the Crossword competition, going to the AA meeting just to sell Amway products in "Days of Wine and D'ohses " and he mooch off people like in the aforementioned "Kill Gil, Volumes I & II" where he mooches of The SImpsons for 11 hellish months as Marge said.

I agree that the writers started using Gil to fill the Lionel Hutz roll after Phil Hartman's tragic death. It makes me wonder if he hadn't passed, would they have taken Lionel in the same direction? Would we have seen Lionel doing other jobs other than being a lawyer. Reality Bites makes me think that's where the writers heads were, as I believe that was the first time seeing Hutz in a diffrent career than being a Lawyer, we also saw him as the Simpson's Babysitter, so they were toying around with the versatility of that character. I think Kill Gil is one of my favorite later simpson's episodes. It's kind of surreal and I like how it spans a whole year.

Do Drederick Tatum next. Feel like he's overdue for a Histories episode.

I don't think I ever got around to sending a thanks for covering Chalmers last time, since I requested it a bunch of times. So Thanks! For my next vote...I feel like there's a bit of a pattern of characters covered in this series that "got old" after a while. Gil, Frink, Uter, Sideshow Bob...so my only request for the next one is a character you consider having stayed "fresh" and funny throughout the entire series, if such a character exists. A character who is still as great now as when they debuted. And if such a character doesn't exist, I vote Lenny.

Disco Stu is another one of those seemingly one off characters that's hung around far longer than you'd expect.

I am nominating Mayor Quimby and the Quimby family as a whole! Such a sleeper memorable character

If I’d have to nominate one of the characters with momentum, definitely Duffman. He’s unique in the sense that he’s a mascot played by multiple people, and I think that’d be an interesting subject to tackle. How many Duffman (or Duffmen) ARE there? If I could nominate a character with NO momentum, I’d choose Marvin Monroe of all people. An extremely minor character, but I’ve always had a soft spot for him, and how he could have been a perfect prominent role since he’s a family therapist in a show all about a dysfunctional family. His design has always reminded me of Season 1, and his life & death limbo could make him more of a Simpsons mysteries styled video, like Herman. I mean hey, if Just Stamp the Ticket Man can get a video, literally anyone can, right?

We want Lindsey Naegle! Her appearance alongside Gil at the realtor company would be a good jumping off point

I will KEEP asking for Lindsay Nagel until the day it is done! I will wait as LONG as it takes! Good job giving Gil some due, even if he's a loser, he's got worth.

Old Gil is an interesting character in how he feels like a combination of a couple characters. His patheticness is handled similarly to Kirk, his numerous jobs is like Lindsay Naegal and he's often in the lawyer role like Lionel Hutz. Personally I don't like Gil anywhere near as much as these characters, they all kinda do his role better. Gil has funny moments and was weirdly likable in his spotlight episode, but is definitely not one of my favourites. I definitely want a Lindsay Naegal video, I find her sheer existence funny and that's something I don't really feel about many Simpsons characters besides Lenny and Carl

I watch Kill Gil every year after Christmas and before going home from my parents' house. It's the last of my holiday traditions and reminds me that the festive season will come around again. I've attached so much personal meaning to it over the years it's not even funny.

Id actually like to nominate Shauna Chalmers, she's probably the most notable breakout recurring character throughout the HD Simpsons

I get that it might be a bit soon to suggest this, since this is the first Simpsons Histories following the Springfield Elementary triple feature, but I keep suggesting Mr. Largo because nobody ever talks about him. Think about it: how many iconic Simpsons moments can you think of that feature Mr. Largo besides Nobody Likes Milhouse? How many times has he affected the plot in a major way? When was the last time you saw a "Best of Mr. Largo" compilation in your recommended videos? Considering music is such a big part of Lisa’s character, you’d think her music teacher would be more prevalent in the show.

I guess it's weird that I still think of Gil as one of the "new" reoccurring characters.

Oh, and I once again nominate Jasper. Few characters have ever packed so many great bits into so little screentime.

YES! Gil is my favourite character. Thank you finally doing his history!

Your channel has become one of my fav things to watch over the weekend.

Ah, I needed this. It’s been a long day. But at least my day has been better than any of Gil’s

I think there’s two types of people in the world. Those who wanted to ‘punch’ him and those who from a young age felt a sense of empathy for him. I’m not sure how people couldn’t feel sorry for this man.

My favorite thing about Gil is the fact that he has the same role in and out of the show. Unpopular with the citizens of Springfield? Unknown to the common audience. Hated by the citizens of Springfield? Hated by the fans. I mean, he’s probably the least popular of any secondary character in the show. When I was a kid, I thought they just made him up for the Hit and Run game.

I think Agnes Skinner would be a good candidate for the next Simpsons Histories because she didn’t fully develop as a character until surprisingly late. We all remember nice Agnes in season 1, but it really wasn’t until season 8’s “The Twisted World of Marge Simpson” that she became the nasty old crone we all know and love. Even as late as “Homer vs. the 18th Amendment” the role of cantankerous old woman is filled by Ms. Glick. Her vitriol was only directed towards her son, screeching over inflatable bath pillows and such.

I've been waiting for this for a long time

I do like Gill's use in the Simpsons Hit and Run being the guy you buy extra cars from and some of them are helpful. Its nice they gave him a role even though they didnt have to. Gill has always been one of those characters you find annoying if you have too much of him but in a way you want the best sometimes. Hes definitely shady in some ways that when he does fail it feels right. I dont know his character is shady and likeable who you do and dont want to fail. I think for the next nomination is Johnny Tightlips. He aint saying nothing. In all seriousness id like to see Luigi since hes kinda like the sea captain just there but has a nice role

I’d like to nominate bill and marty, the kbbl radio hosts, for simpsons history.

"i guess chief wiggum didn't care about his criminal past" that's the least surprising thing tbh

I'd like to suggest a potential video idea: a brief rundown on (somewhat) recurring characters introduced throughout the modern Simpsons era, such as Lionel Budgie and Reyshelle Payton. I don't believe there's many of them, but I'm curious to see what you and other people think of these newer characters.

Gil has becoming like a running joke in my friend group. We'd always bemoan how drawn out his whole shtick can be, but hes so pathetic that its become fun to dump on him to a point where I honestly love seeing him and how low he can fall. I'm gonna nominate Cletus next because I see him as being on a similar level to Gil. I honestly think Cletus is funnier, even if the hillbilly routine is a bit more generic and mean-spirited. I'm curious as to when they really picked up the pace on him, I know he's in a couple classic era episodes but it feels like he didnt get the spotlight until the 2000s.

In a similar vein, Raphael would be interesting, especially once season 34 hits Disney+. Remember that time he led a Tolkien army against Bart and Lisa? Also, a Simpsons Mysteries on the Simpsons Gene would be great. Even discarding gags, Bart and Homer are clearly good at a lot of things, after all. Making Lisa the Simpson work with ultra-successful future Bart would be much appreciated, as that reveal always leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Let's keep the post-golden age characters coming and do a Duffman episode.

Please do Chief Wiggum! I feel like he’s the perfect character for this kind of thing being how often he comes up

It feels like Cletus has had momentum behind him for as long as Simpsons Histories has been a thing. I say it’s finally time for the yokel to get his due already!

There’s something profound about Gil first appearing in Lionel Hutz’s last episode, and then almost replacing him in function.

I’ll nominate the sea captain. He’s been there for what seems like forever!

Yeah when he was a basketball mascot I was like that cannot be Gil's lower-body.

Ok, I know I've said this before, but we gotta see a sequel histories episode with the Blue Haired Lawyer. How did that guy be so successful for Mr/ Burns yet lose multiple cases to ol' Gil?!

Hello, Jims. Good video, as always. For the next Simpsons Histories, might you consider the Winfields? They are like Dr. Marvin Monroe, but not as well known, and it could be interesting to see a history on such obscure Season 1 characters that the show for some reason was generous enough to properly give them a reason for leaving the show. And keep up the good work!

I think Eddie and Lou could be a fun Simpsons histories? Or even just one of them? Eddie would be more challenging I think but interesting too.

Thanks, I've been wanting a Gil history! I love your videos and the detail you go into, great job Jims!

Gil is one of my favorite background characters. Between his voice, and shtick, it just always made me laugh.

The thing I hated about kill Gil was they finally got Gil the life he wanted and had to have marge ruin it. She could have either accepted he was finally gone or talked to him after work in private with no one else around and told him off for everything but to deliberately ruin him after everything he has been through they really screwed Gil over.

6:51 My all time favorite Gill line: "I gonna eat *FOOD* TONIGHT!" I quote it all the time when I get money, including when I pick coins of the ground.

I was shocked to find out you hadn't delved into Ol' Gil up to this point, Jims! Expertly crafted and explained, as usual. Fantastic work!

Id love to see a Simpsons histories on Raphael “The Wise Guy”. maybe the “Yes guy” tho I doubt there’s much on him.

Nominating Lou and or Eddie. Always thought they would be interesting for a Simpsons histories. They're both characters who are connected to the appearance of another, more prominent side character, in this case Wiggum, but unlike characters with similar roles like Smithers or Sideshow Mel, don't really appear much outside of that.

I have been waiting a scary amount of time for this

I had no idea people disliked Gil so much? I always found him to be funny! Great video! Was happy to learn more about him. :)

Nice to see you doing a video all about Gil. He’s such an interesting character and it’s always cool to see what he’ll be doing next for a job.

I've heard Gil described as "the last good new Simpsons character," and as well as the dividing line between good and bad Simpsons altogether. I think there's something to that, but I've never been a fan of Gil's schtick beyond his first episode. Heck, I remember being surprised when he started returning again. It just made no sense to me.

Yooo ice been waiting for this episode, gill has been a favorite side character of mine since I was a kid.

Honestly, I think a good challenge would be doing a History on the "Hey, Pallie" guy. He's used as shorthand for so many roles, and never really feels like a singular person. Could be interesting to see where that leads.

It’s funny: I always assumed Gil was given more prominence only to fill the void that was left from Phil Hartman’s characters when he passed away. That’s kinda why I always had this stigma over his character. It’s that and the Christmas-esque episodes REALLY made me despise him

Usually a character being constant miserable gets annoying but I didn't feel that way with Gil. It's probably because Gil does act slimy so sometimes he deserves it.

Bumbleeman's time has come! He deserves the next Simpsons' histories! Come on, Jims! He'll really impress you if you do the homework, I'm sure of it!

I've waited patiently for this video, great work. I really love me some old Gil.