A Mid-Childhood Night's Dream

A Mid-Childhood Night's Dream is the second episode of Season 35.
==Synopsis ==
Marge feels an overwhelming dread of the empty nest.
==Plot ==
The episode starts with Homer and Marge playing bubbles with 5-year-old Bart and 3-year-old Lisa in the backyard. Bart suddenly gets stuck in a giant bubble and pops, making Marge scream in horror. Marge then wakes up from her dream in the middle of the night, all pale and sweaty. Homer realizes that Marge is sick and tells her she shouldn't go to the Bounce-A-Thon at Springfield Elementary School, but Marge insists on going. Marge goes back to sleep and has another dream about taking Bart to his first day at kindergarten. Marge tries to give Bart the sweater he forgot, only to find that he suddenly aged to a teenager. Marge then finds herself in the desert talking to Homer like an otter. She then realizes she's dreaming and wonders why she's having nightmares about Bart. Her "Inner Lisa" explains and how she's worried about Bart growing up. Otter-Homer takes her to the memory of her removing a splinter from Bart's hand while being surprised at how his hand got bigger. She then finds herself at a therapist's office talking about how Bart is growing up, only to realize she's still dreaming since the "therapist" is an 18 months-old Lisa.
Marge wakes up in the morning and announces that she's coming to Bounce-A-Thon, only to find Homer already prepared the snacks for the Bounce-A-Thon. Homer takes Marge back to her bedroom to rest, at which point Bart reveals he hates Bounce-A-Thon and is only going to make fun of it. Marge understands how mature Bart is and falls asleep. Back in her dreams, Marge is still fretting about how Bart is growing up and doesn't need her anymore and that it's a matter of time before Lisa and Maggie grow up too. Homer (as a dog) comforts Marge and assures she doesn't need to be sad about it now because it hasn't happened yet. To prove his point, he takes her back to the morning and shows her how Lisa still loves Bounce-A-Thon and was excited when Marge said she was coming. 
Marge wakes up and decides to go to the Bounce-A-Thon to support Lisa despite her illness. She vomits in the car and has to ride a scooter to get to the Bounce-A-Thon, stopping to vomit on the way. She makes it to Springfield Elementary in time and uses her illness to make the other parents clear her path. She tries to take Lisa's picture but passes out from the smell of hotdogs that made her sick. She wakes up in the infirmary and realizes she needs to accept that Bart is growing up. Fully recovered, she goes back to the race and takes a picture of Bart holding two bouncey balls to look like he's mooning and is proud of him.
==Behind the Laughter==
=== Reception===
====Critical response====
John Schwarz of Bubbleblabber gave "A Mid-Childhood Night's Dream" an nine out of ten stating, "Pretty much every season of The Simpsons features some sort of a flashback or flash forward episode, and most of them are pretty bad…but “A Mid-Childhood Night’s Dream” from Carolyn Omine was actually very well done."
===Awards ===
Writer Carolyn Omine was nominated for this episode for the Writers Guild of America in 2024.
==References==
Category:Season 35 episodes
Category:Episodes
Category:Episodes named after previous episodes
Category:Bart episodes
Category:Marge episodes
Category:Dream episodes
Category:Simpson Family Bonding episodes
Category:Coming of age episodes
Category:Episodes with alternate end credits
Category:Episodes with a alternative Gracie Films logo
Category:Episodes Where Marge cries
Category:Episodes featuring guest stars
Category:Rayshelle Peyton episodes
Category:Episodes with no Opening Sequence
Category:Highly Rated Episodes
Category:WGA Award nominated episodes
Category:Unusual episodes
fr:A Mid-Childhood's Night Dream