Annette the therapist brings him back thirty years ago to the day that Grampa got notes from Mona that she was wanted by the FBI and was leaving them.
During the credits, Homer is sleeping with a bottle of maple syrup and dreams of dancing in a circle with his family and ancestors in an homage to 8½.
Tony Sokol of Den of Geek gave the episode a 4 out of 5 stars stating, "'Mothers and Other Strangers' plays a bit with the known story of Homer and his mother Mona, and the conclusion is a little forced because of it.
Every threat of an overbearingly heart-tugging moment is adeptly swept into comic territory with the ease of a moon from a newborn child.
Its humorous jokes work well alongside its heartfelt moments despite its pacing, and Glenn Close's performance was once again heavenly to the ears.
"[2] In its original broadcast, the episode was watched by 3.61 million viewers and was the highest-rated show on Animation Domination that night.