Homer Goes to College

Last updated • 9 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

"Homer Goes to College"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 3
Directed by Jim Reardon
Written by Conan O'Brien
Production code1F02
Original air dateOctober 14, 1993 (1993-10-14)
Episode features
Couch gag The family sits on the couch, only to be squashed by The Foot of Cupid from Monty Python's Flying Circus . [1]
Commentary Matt Groening
James L. Brooks
David Mirkin
Conan O'Brien
Jim Reardon
David Silverman
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Cape Feare"
Next 
"Rosebud"
The Simpsons season 5
List of episodes

"Homer Goes to College" is the third episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons . It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 14, 1993. [1] In the episode, Homer causes a nuclear meltdown during a plant inspection and is required to study nuclear physics at college. When Homer neglects his studies, the college dean has three nerds tutor him. Homer enlists the nerds' help in playing a prank on a rival college, leading to their expulsion. Homer invites them to live with the Simpsons, who soon grow tired of their new housemates.

Contents

The episode was written by Conan O'Brien and directed by Jim Reardon. It was the third and final episode of the show that O'Brien received sole writing credit, having previously written the episodes "New Kid on the Block" and "Marge vs. the Monorail", both from season 4. O'Brien would leave the series halfway through the production of the season to host his own show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien . He had been working on this episode when he was informed that he had received the job and was forced to walk out on his contract.

The episode contains several references to the film Animal House as well as Monty Python and the Holy Grail , Star Trek and the song "Louie Louie" by The Kingsmen, which plays during the end credits. Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 11.3, and it was tied with Beverly Hills, 90210 as the highest-rated show on the Fox network the week it aired.

Executives at Fox wanted "Homer Goes to College" to be the season premiere, but the writing staff felt that "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" was a better choice because of George Harrison's guest appearance in that episode.

Plot

During the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's inspection of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, Homer is placed in a test module van that simulates a power surge. He has no idea what to do, so he pushes buttons at random and somehow causes a nuclear meltdown, even though the van contains no nuclear material. Mr. Burns attempts to bribe the NRC officials; they refuse the bribe and inform Burns that Homer's job requires college training in nuclear physics. After Homer is rejected by every school he applies to, Mr. Burns helps him enroll at Springfield University, since he is a member of the admissions board there. However, Homer neglects his studies; having seen many teen films about college, Homer believes that at college, academics do not matter, life is full of pranks and partying, and that every college dean is a grouchy old man. Homer continues to hold these beliefs even after meeting the university's Dean Peterson, a friendly, laid-back young man who at one time played bass for The Pretenders.

Homer is asked to demonstrate how a proton accelerator works and causes a nuclear meltdown in class. Dean Peterson recommends Homer receive tutoring. When his tutors—three nerds named Benjamin, Doug, and Gary—try to help Homer understand physics, he refuses to cooperate. Instead, Homer and Bart convince the nerds to pull a prank on rival college Springfield A&M by kidnapping the rival college's mascot, a pig named Sir Oinkcelot. When the pig falls ill after Homer feeds him malt liquor, the nerds are blamed for the incident and expelled.

Homer invites Benjamin, Doug, and Gary to move in with his family. Their presence quickly disrupts the normal family routine. When Marge orders Homer to evict them, he tries to get them re-admitted to college with an elaborate hoax: he will nearly run down Peterson with his car, but the nerds will push him from harm's way at the last moment, hopefully reinstating them. The plan backfires when Homer's car actually hits the dean, seriously injuring him. At the hospital, Homer asks Dean Peterson to reinstate Benjamin, Doug, and Gary as students. Dean Peterson agrees, and the nerds move back into their old dormitory room. Homer fails his final exam, so the nerds hack into the school's student records and change his grade to an A+. However, Marge finds out and forces Homer to take the course again to set a good example for Bart and Lisa.

Production

"Homer Goes to College" was the final episode of the show for which Conan O'Brien received a sole writing credit. Conan O'Brien - Simpsons (cropped).jpg
"Homer Goes to College" was the final episode of the show for which Conan O'Brien received a sole writing credit.

"Homer Goes to College" was the final episode of the show for which Conan O'Brien received sole writing credit; his final writing credit altogether was for the episode "Treehouse of Horror IV", which he co-wrote with five other writers. O'Brien would leave the series halfway through the production of the season to host his own show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien on NBC. O'Brien was informed that he had been hired by NBC not long before the recording session for this episode began, and he was forced to walk out on his contract. [2] [3] The concept of the episode was that Homer attends college, but bases his entire understanding of what college is on "bad Animal House rip-off movies". [3] O'Brien mentioned in the DVD commentary that the antics of the characters Benjamin, Doug, and Gary were based on three "incredible nerds" who lived in the same college dormitory as O'Brien. [3]

The Fox Network executives had wanted the season premiere to be "Homer Goes to College" because it was an Animal House parody. However, the writers felt that "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" would be a better episode because of George Harrison's involvement. [4]

During the episode, Homer lights his framed high school diploma on fire, unintentionally setting fire to his living room, while distractedly singing "I am so smart! S-M-R-T... I mean S-M-A-R-T!" This blunder was unscripted; during the recording session, Dan Castellaneta was singing the song and accidentally misspelled "smart". The writers decided it was much funnier that way, because it seemed like something Homer would do, so they left the apparent blooper in. The song has since become a fan favorite. [5]

Jim Reardon directed the episode and has noted he remembers the episode for several scenes in which the action is viewed through windows, such as when Homer prank calls the dean. [6] The animators were short on time, so for the design of Gary they took an earlier drawing of director Rich Moore and made him African-American. [6]

Cultural references

Homer has a poster of comedian W. C. Fields hanging on his wall. W. C. Fields 1938.jpg
Homer has a poster of comedian W. C. Fields hanging on his wall.

The episode contains several references to the film Animal House , including the song "Louie Louie" by The Kingsmen, which plays throughout the film. [1] The couch gag with the huge pink foot squashing the Simpsons is a reference to The Foot of Cupid from the television series Monty Python's Flying Circus . [1] The film Monty Python and the Holy Grail is also referenced when Benjamin, Doug, and Gary imitate the Knights who say Ni. [3] They play Dungeons & Dragons, hold arguments over Star Trek , and their room number is 222, a reference to the television series Room 222 . [7] Homer has posters of Albert Einstein and W. C. Fields hanging on his wall. [7] The books that Homer cites as his favorites are TV Guide , Son of Sniglet and Katharine Hepburn's Me. Bart scratching the chalkboard to get everyone's attention is a reference to the film Jaws . The episode contains the first reference to the Internet on The Simpsons, as "computer signals" being sent between the Nerds and MIT. [8] A picture in the dorm showing four men wearing silver dome hats resembles the '80s new wave band Devo. The phrases the nerds say when Homer greets them ("Intruder Alert", and "Stop the Humanoid!") are from the 1980 arcade game Berzerk. Lisa tells Homer: "Some nerds of note include...popcorn magnate Orville Redenbacher, rock star David Byrne, and supreme court justice David Souter." Homer replies "Oh, not Souter!"; his apparent familiarity with Supreme Court Justices is a running gag.

Mr. Burns asks Homer to "find the jade monkey" in a reference to the film The Maltese Falcon . [1] He also offers the nuclear inspectors a washer and dryer or the contents of a mysterious box, which parodies the gameshow Let's Make a Deal . [7] Mr. Burns' escape pod resembles the one used by R2-D2 and C-3PO in Star Wars . [9] Mr. Burns tries to get Homer into college by using violence and hitting one of the members of the admissions committee with a baseball bat, a reference to the film The Untouchables . [10]

Reception

In its original broadcast, "Homer Goes to College" finished 44th in ratings for the week of October 11 to October 17, 1993, with a Nielsen rating of 11.3, and was viewed in 10.5 million households. It was tied with Beverly Hills, 90210 as the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week. [11]

The episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, wrote: "Homer at his most excruciatingly stupid in another superb episode—his attitude to the college's 'stuffy old dean' (who was, in fact, bassist for The Pretenders) is a joy." [1] Thomas Rozwadowski of the Green Bay Press-Gazette listed Homer's line "Curly, straight. Curly, straight" whilst he torments the pig as "instantly memorable". [12] In 2019, Consequence ranked it the top episode on its list of top 30 Simpsons episodes. [13]

DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson commented that it did not "quite live up to its two predecessors "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" and "Cape Feare" this year, but it remains a strong show nonetheless. Actually, it starts a little slowly but builds steam along the way. It includes some classic moments of a Homer idiocy—hard to beat him chasing squirrels with a stick—and one of the better visual gags via Burns' chair. Who can dislike a show in which Richard Nixon threatens Homer due to a drunken pig?" [14] The episode's reference to The Untouchables was named the 13th greatest film reference in the history of the show by Total Film 's Nathan Ditum. [10]

In 2014, The Simpsons writers picked "Burning Down the Mouse" from the episode as one of their nine favorite "Itchy & Scratchy" episodes of all time. [15]

Nathan Rabin writes of how the episode toys with expectations: "When it comes out that Homer still needs to pass the big test (he had conveniently forgotten that detail amidst all the pranks and stunts) he cycles his way through the kind of cramming montage that invariably ends with a proud graduate clutching an 'A' paper. However, Homer is denser than most, so even after all that cramming, he still ends up with an 'F.' In a glorious closing scene, Homer crows that at least everyone learned important lessons before his family corrects him and points out that nobody has learned any lessons at all, which is the perfect ending to a classic episode that subverts and lampoons every college movie cliché in existence." [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barney Gumble</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

Barnard "Barney" Gumble is a recurring character in the American animated TV series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marge vs. the Monorail</span> 12th episode of the 4th season of The Simpsons

"Marge vs. the Monorail" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 14, 1993. The plot revolves around Springfield's impulse purchase of a faulty monorail from a conman, and how it subsequently falls to Marge to stop the train from destroying the town.

"Brush with Greatness" is the eighteenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 11, 1991. In the episode, Marge enrolls in an art class after Lisa encourages her to revive her former interest in painting. When she wins first prize in a local art competition for a portrait of Homer on the couch in his underwear, Mr. Burns commissions her to paint his portrait. In the subplot, Homer is determined to lose weight after getting stuck in a water slide at an amusement park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror IV</span> 5th episode of the 5th season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror IV" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the fourth episode in the Treehouse of Horror series of Halloween specials. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 28, 1993, and features three short stories called "The Devil and Homer Simpson", "Terror at 5+12 Feet", and "Bart Simpson's Dracula".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homer's Barbershop Quartet</span> 1st episode of the 5th season of The Simpsons

"Homer's Barbershop Quartet" is the first episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 30, 1993. It features the Be Sharps, a barbershop quartet founded by Homer Simpson. The band's story roughly parallels that of the Beatles. George Harrison and David Crosby guest star as themselves, and the Dapper Dans partly provide the singing voices of the Be Sharps.

Rosebud (<i>The Simpsons</i>) 4th episode of the 5th season of The Simpsons

"Rosebud" is the fourth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 21, 1993. In the episode, Mr. Burns misses his childhood teddy bear Bobo on the eve of his birthday. After flashbacks reveal Bobo's journey through history, the bear ends up in the hands of Maggie Simpson. Burns does everything in his power to get Bobo back.

"Homer vs. Dignity" is the fifth episode of the twelfth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 26, 2000. In the episode, Mr. Burns hires a cash-strapped Homer as his "prank monkey", paying him to play pranks on others and humiliate himself in public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Kid on the Block</span> 8th episode of the 4th season of The Simpsons

"New Kid on the Block" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 12, 1992. After meeting his new neighbor, Laura, Bart falls in love with her, only to later discover that she has a boyfriend, Jimbo Jones, whom he attempts to scare off so that he can have a relationship with Laura. Meanwhile, Homer sues the Sea Captain Horatio McCallister after being kicked out of his all-you-can-eat restaurant while still hungry.

"It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the eleventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired in the United States on the Fox network on May 14, 2000. After a failed marriage attempt with Otto, Becky stays with the Simpson family. However, Marge begins to get paranoid at her family's newfound love of Becky, and begins to think that she is seducing Homer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Blunder Years</span> 5th episode of the 13th season of The Simpsons

"The Blunder Years" is the fifth episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 9, 2001. The episode sees Homer, after being hypnotized by the hypnotist Mesmerino while having dinner at the restaurant Pimento Grove, reminded by a repressed traumatic experience from his childhood, including the moment he discovered the dead body of Waylon Smithers' father while having a fun at an abandoned mine. The Simpsons set out to find the corpse that triggered Homer's psychological trauma, which evolves into a murder mystery later in the episode.

"So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show" is the eighteenth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 1, 1993. In the episode, Homer plays a series of practical jokes on Bart, and to get even, Bart shakes up a can of Homer's beer with a paint shaker. Homer opens the can, resulting in a huge explosion that lands him in the hospital, where he goes into a coma. At Homer's bedside, the Simpson family reminisce, mainly about moments relevant to Homer's life.

"Radioactive Man" is the second episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on September 24, 1995. In the episode, the film version of the comic book series Radioactive Man is shot in Springfield. Much to Bart's disappointment, the part of the hero's sidekick, Fallout Boy, goes to Milhouse. When he tires of the long hours required to shoot the film, Milhouse quits the role, forcing the filmmakers to cease production and return to Hollywood.

"Marge Gets a Job" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 5, 1992. In this episode, Marge gets a job at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant to pay for foundation repair at the Simpsons house. Mr. Burns develops a crush on Marge after seeing her at work and sexually harasses her. A subplot with Bart parallels the fable "The Boy Who Cried Wolf".

"Principal Charming" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on February 14, 1991. In the episode, Marge asks Homer to find a husband for her sister Selma. Homer invites Principal Skinner to dinner after Bart gets caught vandalizing the school's lawn. Skinner's dinner with the Simpsons fails to go as planned when he instead falls for Selma's twin sister Patty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bart Gets Famous</span> 12th episode of the 5th season of The Simpsons

"Bart Gets Famous" is the twelfth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 3, 1994. In the episode, Bart gets a job as Krusty the Clown's production assistant. He replaces Sideshow Mel in one of Krusty's skits and accidentally destroys the stage props. When Bart says "I didn't do it," he instantly becomes famous for his catchphrase.

"Burns' Heir" is the eighteenth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 14, 1994. In the episode, Mr. Burns has a near-death experience that prompts him to find an heir to inherit his wealth after he dies. He chooses Bart as his heir because he admires the "creature of pure malevolence". Marge convinces Bart to spend time with his benefactor, who allows his heir the money and freedom to do whatever he pleases. Soon Bart leaves his family to live with Burns instead.

"The Last Temptation of Homer" is the ninth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 9, 1993. In the episode, an attractive female employee named Mindy is hired at the nuclear power plant. Homer and Mindy find themselves attracted to each other after bonding over their shared interests of beer, donuts and television. Although Homer is tempted to sleep with Mindy, he remains faithful to his wife Marge. Meanwhile, Bart becomes an outcast after medical treatments make him look like a nerd.

<i>The Simpsons</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 30, 1993, and May 19, 1994. The showrunner for the fifth production season was David Mirkin who executive produced 20 episodes, with the season being produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television. Al Jean and Mike Reiss executive produced the remaining two, which were both hold overs that were produced for the previous season. The season contains some of the series' most acclaimed and popular episodes, including "Cape Feare", "Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy", "Homer Goes to College", "Deep Space Homer", and "Rosebud". It also includes the 100th episode, "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song". The season was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and won an Annie Award for Best Animated Television Program as well as an Environmental Media Award and a Genesis Award. The DVD box set was released in Region 1 on December 21, 2004, Region 2 on March 21, 2005, and Region 4 on March 23, 2005.

"Bart's Birthday", titled onscreen as "The Simpsons Series Finale", is the first episode of the thirty-sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 769th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on September 29, 2024. The episode was written by Jessica Conrad and directed by Rob Oliver.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Homer Goes to College". BBC. Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  2. Jean, Al. (2004). Commentary for "Cape Feare", in The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  3. 1 2 3 4 O'Brien, Conan. (2004). Commentary for "Homer Goes to College", in The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  4. Groening, Matt; Reiss, Mike; Jean, Al; Martin, Jeff; Azaria, Hank; Lovitz, Jon; Kirkland, Mark. (2004). Commentary for "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", in The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  5. Groening, Matt; Castellaneta, Dan; Jean, Al. (2004). Commentary for "Bart's Inner Child", in The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  6. 1 2 Readon, Jim. (2004). Commentary for "Homer Goes to College", in The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  7. 1 2 3 Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 122.
  8. Turner 2004, p. 287.
  9. Chernoff, Scott (July 24, 2007). "I Bent My Wookiee! Celebrating the Star Wars/Simpsons Connection". No Homers Club. Archived from the original on April 8, 2008. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  10. 1 2 Ditum, Nathan (June 6, 2009). "The 50 Greatest Simpsons Movie References". Total Film . GamesRadar. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  11. The Associated Press (October 21, 1993). "Nielsen Ratings/Oct. 11-17". Long Beach Press-Telegram.
  12. Rozwadowski, Thomas (July 29, 2007). "Wanna be S-M-R-T? Take lessons from 'The Simpsons'". Green Bay Press-Gazette .
  13. "The Simpsons' Top 30 Episodes". Consequence. December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  14. Jacobson, Colin (December 21, 2004). "The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season (1993)". DVD Movie Guide. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
  15. "The Simpsons' Writers Pick Their Favorite 'Itchy & Scratchy' Cartoons". Vulture. March 26, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  16. Rabin, Nathan. "The Simpsons (Classic): "Homer Goes to College"". The A.V. Club .
Bibliography