Character: Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
First Episode: The Telltale Head (S01, E08-008)
Occupation: The man in charge of Springfield's Kwik-E-Mart store.
General Demeanor
In earlier years, Apu was mainly known as the shrewd operator of the Kwik-E-Mart, often overcharging for nearly everything he sells and having to deal with the constant robberies by local criminal Snake Jailbird. In earlier years, Apu is paired with his brother Sanjay, but Sanjay is never seen in newer episodes. Apu is an Indian immigrant, possessing a notable Indian accent and is an open and devout follower of Hinduism. Apu is generally kind and courteous to his customers, and its that friendliness that makes him the center of attention in many episodes focused on him.
In the early episodes, Apu is a bachelor, perfectly content working at his store though in rare instances he is with a date of some sort. After Apu gets married, and especially after he has eight children, Apu's character in the show changes. While his role in the Kwik-E-Mart is still there, most of the 'comedy' surrounding Apu now focuses on his exhausting personal life with his strict wife and demanding children. Children, by the way, who have grown from babies into toddlers while Maggie remains the same age.
Key Character Moments
The Rise of the Simpsons
Apu doesn't have any notable episodes, mainly a side character, though in the Season 1 episode Krusty Gets Busted its Apu that gets robbed by the supposed Krusty, setting up many "Apu gets robbed" jokes for the future.
The Golden Age of the Simpsons
Apu's faith is noted heavily in Season 4's Homer the Heretic, as Homer mocks Apu's Ganesha statue, but is remorseful when Apu leads a volunteer firefighter group - full of people with different religious faiths - to save Homer's house.
Season 5's Homer's Barbershop Quartet sees Apu as a member of the Be Sharps - a barbershop group - alongside Homer, Seymour Skinner and (eventually) Barney. Apu's biggest episode comes later in the season, in Homer and Apu, where Apu's shady cleanliness practices leaves Homer sick and Apu out of a job. Realizing that he needs the Kwik-E-Mart, Apu makes amends with Homer and eventually saves his replacement at the store - James Woods - to regain his job.
Season 7's Lisa the Vegetarian reveals that Apu, too, is vegetarian but teaches Lisa a valuable lesson: don't be a preachy jerk even if your cause is just. Later in the season, Apu joins Homer, Moe and Otto to form a bowling team that feeds on team encouragement for success.
Much of Apu's history is revealed in Much Apu About Nothing, where Apu reveals he is an illegal immigrant, who came to America as one of India's top students but ended up loving his job at the Kwik-E-Mart and stayed. With bear-hysteria ultimately being blamed on illegal immigrants, a vote to ban illegal immigrants is coming up. With the Simpsons' help, Apu is able to earn his citizenship just in time and Apu gets to enjoy the benefits of being an American citizen, such as ignoring jury duty.
The Fall of the Simpsons
Season 9's The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons is one of two episodes to change Apu's character forever. In this episode, Apu finally embraces bachelorhood, only to find out his mother is forcing him to undergo his arranged marriage. Despite a clumsy attempt by him and Homer to stop it, Apu's mother eventually sets up the marriage - in the Simpsons' backyard, no less. Apu warms up to the idea only upon meeting his arranged wife, Manjula after many years, and decides to give the marriage a shot.
I'm with Cupid, in Season 10, is one of two episodes where Apu's marriage hits a bump. Apu is in the doghouse when Manjula believes Apu heavily prioritizes work over her, and to make it up Apu gives Manjula several days worth of publicly known apology gifts, putting most of Springfield's husbands in the doghouse themselves for not matching Apu's extravagant efforts. Regardless, Apu's plan works and the two reconcile.
Season 11's Eight Misbehavin' is the second of two episodes to change Apu's character forever. Here, he and Manjula want to have a baby, but have trouble conceiving one. With the Simpsons' help, they use multiple contraceptives to help the effort, but they help a little too well, as Manjula gives birth to eight children. With the episode getting a little too zany from there, let it be known that from this point own, Apu's soul is now owned by those eight little devils.
Zombie Simpsons
Season 13's The Sweetest Apu is the second of two episodes where Apu's marriage hits a bump. Unlike the last time, though, this one sees Apu is much more serious trouble as he's seen cheating on Manjula with the Squishee girl. Manjula is close to divorcing Apu, but after dealing with shady lawyers and her kids who have been coached to get her to forgive Apu, she takes him back but only after he's forced to go through several painful, embarrassing acts.
Season 18's Crook and Ladder sees Apu as a volunteer firefighter again, alongside Skinner, Homer and Moe, the latter of which encourages the others to thrift items "lost in fires". Only Moe and Apu still do so by the episode's end as Apu is mostly an afterthought compared to the other three for the plot.
Zombie Simpsons HD
Season 21's Moe Letter Blues forces Apu, Homer, and Reverend Lovejoy to reconsider how they treat their wives when Moe somehow trolls them into thinking he's swooning one of them over to him.
Season 23's Exit Through the Kwik-E-Mart sees a slight return to classic Apu when his store's business is hurt badly by a new superstore that outclasses his in nearly every fashion. In an ironic twist, the new store hires a reformed Snake Jailbird, who in turn gets mugged by a desperate Apu. Apu and his store is only saved when it turns out the new store used monkey meat instead of chicken. Apu hasn't had much of a role in the series since.
Must Watch Episodes That Focus on Apu
Homer's Barbershop Quartet
Homer and Apu
Much Apu About Nothing
The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons
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