Difference between revisions of "Agnes Skinner"

Revision as of 16:34, February 19, 2010

Agnes Skinner (voiced by Tress MacNeille and once by Dan Castellaneta) is an elderly widow and the adopted mother of Principal Seymour Skinner. She first appeared in "The Crepes of Wrath".

Early life

In 1952, Agnes had a relationship with a soldier on leave from Korea. From this relationship came the pregnancy of Seymour Skinner. During her pregnancy she continued pole vaulting in the Helsinki Summer Olympics. She also was a Plane Dancer.

Personality

Currently

She is harshly controlling of Seymour, who spends more time with her than with his old girlfriend, Edna Krabappel.  

First Appearance

She first appeared as a kindly old woman who embarrassingly called her son "Spanky". According to the DVD audio commentary it is said that her current mean streak can be attributed to the incident involving Bart that took place in that episode in which, while sitting in a urinal stall, Bart caused the toilets to explode.

Relationship with Seymour

Agnes shares an unhealthy relationship with her son, which often borders on psychosis. Examples include Agnes covering up "her half of the television" with cardboard to spite Seymour. When Seymour is out of the house, Agnes phones him regularly demanding to be taken out of the bath, shielded from the glare of car lights on the street, and other such petty requests. She hides his car keys as a punishment for his talking to a woman on the phone. Seymour himself is very obedient and almost distressingly physically and emotionally close to her (for example, when Edna agreed to marry Seymour, Agnes murmured under her breath "three in the bed!"). Agnes Skinner's catchphrase is "Seymour!" often used to snap her son's attention (as opposed to Superintendent Chalmers's catchphrase, "Skin-NER!").

Death

Although with no continuity Agnes is dropped to her death from many stories up in Treehouse of Horror XI when Homer is attempting a good deed.

Future

In the future, Seymour keeps her living head in a jar in his and Edna's home, similar to the heads in a jar shown in Futurama

Family

Real Son

In "The Principal and the Pauper", Agnes' biological son, the real Seymour Skinner (voiced by Martin Sheen), returns to Springfield from war. Agnes, unhappy with her new living situation with her biological son, travels to Capital City to take back Armin Tamzarian. She and other Springfieldians, who have grown to like Tamzarian, force the real Seymour Skinner out of Springfield, tying him to a freight train cart headed out of the town.

Husband

Her husband Sheldon Skinner resmbles Armin Tamzarian (now legally Seymour Skinner) and not the real Seymour, this is most likely an inconsistency. Agnes has also claimed that she was married to three tow truckers.

Episode Appearances