Homer Goes to Prep School

Last updated

"Homer Goes to Prep School"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 24
Episode 9
Directed by Mark Kirkland
Written by Brian Kelley
Production codeRABF02
Original air dateJanuary 6, 2013 (2013-01-06)
Guest appearances
Episode features
Chalkboard gag "Teacher did not get fat during the holidays"
Couch gag The Simpsons are several awards (Homer is an Oscar, Marge is an Emmy, Lisa is a Grammy, Maggie is The Stanley Cup, and Bart is a Kids' Choice Award) who get crushed by the couch into a silver block that reads, "World's Greatest Grampa." Abe comes in and takes the cube.
Episode chronology
← Previous
"To Cur with Love"		Next →
"A Test Before Trying"
The Simpsons season 24
List of episodes

"Homer Goes to Prep School" is the ninth episode of the twenty-fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons , and the 517th episode overall in the series. The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland and written by Brian Kelley. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 6, 2013.

Contents

In this episode, Homer learns to be a survivalist and takes his family to a survivalist camp when he inadvertently causes a blackout. Maurice LaMarche and Tom Waits guest starred. The episode received mixed reviews.

Plot

Homer and Marge take the kids to a kids' fun center, which disappoints Homer as he has to watch the kids. Some kids end up in a secret room where they are dressed in black suits and white shirts and told, "Welcome to the Mormon Church, America's most respectable cult." However, upon seeing that the other dads have abandoned their duties, he does so as well. When a child leaves the building, it triggers an automatic alarm that shuts down the entire facility. Marge and the mothers pass the time by telling each other stories of childbirth, but the fathers instantly turn on each other and fight savagely. Homer is traumatized, and on a routine trip to Moe's Tavern, he admits his doubt of civilization's ability to survive a worldwide catastrophe and meets a man named Lloyd (guest voice Tom Waits), who reveals himself to be a survivalist "prepper." Lloyd introduces him to the world of survivalists, and Homer quickly adopts their ideals and methods, storing necessary equipment in the family basement.

Studying how to become a survivalist, he neglects his job at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, and as a result, an electromagnetic pulse blacks out all of the power in Springfield. When Mayor Quimby cannot find a solution to the problem, Homer is prompted to take his family to a base camp his fellow survivalists, who include Herman Hermann and Superintendent Chalmers, have set up. However, after an argument with Marge over their new lives, Homer begins to doubt the other survivalists when they refuse to share their stored equipment to the others in Springfield. Realizing that everyone else needs the equipment, he steals it all that night and flees back to Springfield with the family. The survivalists quickly catch on and gain pursuit. The Simpsons manage to make it back to Springfield, only to find that the townspeople have quickly gotten over the EMP burst and recovered as a society, much to Lloyd's dismay. Lisa tells everyone that a big lesson has been learned from all of this; meanwhile, a meteor carrying a horde of zombies approaches the Earth.

Production

To create the episode, executive producer Al Jean stated that research was done on the prepper phenomenon, including how some people believe an electromagnetic pulse event would require people to live off the grid. [1]

In August 2012, TVLine reported that musician Tom Waits had been cast as a survivalist who introduces Homer to a prepper community. [1]

The episode aired three minutes late due to NFL overrun. [2]

Cultural references

In 2022, the episode became part of a QAnon conspiracy after German lawmaker Friedrich Merz misspoke September 24 instead of February 24 as the date of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Because the numerical equivalent of the date matches the season and episode number of this episode and because the episode's subject refers to preppers and an electromagnetic pulse, conspiracy theorists believed that an event on that date would create "10 days of darkness" and return Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States. [3]

Reception

Ratings

The episode got a 4.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic and was watched by a total of 8.97 million viewers making it the most watched show on Animation Domination that night. [2]

Critical reception

The episode received mixed reviews, with praise going to the humor and the criticism directed at the plot.

Robert David Sullivan of The A.V. Club gave the episode a C, calling it a "rather lifeless episode." [4]

Teresa Lopez from TV Fanatic said "There quite a few amusing The Simpsons quotes to go along with the great sight gags and parodies of survivalist videos, but there wasn't much else new or exciting about the episode. Being topical can only make a show somewhat entertaining, so this episode only managed to be a little above average." [5]

Jen Johnson of Den of Geek stated that the show was staying contemporary by mocking people's dependence on electronics and overreactions to disasters. [6]

Related Research Articles

"Moms I'd Like to Forget" is the tenth episode of the twenty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 9, 2011. In the episode, Marge reveals that she used to be in a group called "The Cool Moms" and decides to reconnect with the group. It was directed by Chris Clements and written by Brian Kelley.

"The Spy Who Learned Me" is the twentieth episode of the twenty-third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. The episode was directed by Bob Anderson and written by Marc Wilmore. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 6, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XXIII</span> 2nd episode of the 24th season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror XXIII" is the second episode of the twenty-fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. The episode was directed by Steven Dean Moore and written by David Mandel and Brian Kelley. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 7, 2012. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the episode aired on Sky 1 on March 24, 2013 with 1,312,000 viewers, making it the most watched program that week.

"Gone Abie Gone" is the fourth episode of the twenty-fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the 512th episode overall. The episode was directed by Matthew Nastuk and written by Joel H. Cohen. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 11, 2012.

"The Changing of the Guardian" is the eleventh episode of the twenty-fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 519th episode overall. The episode was directed by Bob Anderson and written by Rob LaZebnik. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 27, 2013. The title "The Changing of the Guardian" is a pun on the term the changing of the guard.

"A Test Before Trying" is the tenth episode of the twenty-fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 518th episode overall. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 13, 2013. The episode was directed by Chris Clements and written by Joel H. Cohen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XXIV</span> 2nd episode of the 25th season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror XXIV" is the second episode of the twenty-fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the 532nd episode of the series. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 6, 2013. The episode was written by Jeff Westbrook and directed by Rob Oliver.

"The Day the Earth Stood Cool" is the seventh episode of the twenty-fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. The episode was directed by Matthew Faughnan and written by Matt Selman. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 9, 2012.

"Pulpit Friction" is the eighteenth episode of the twenty-fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 526th episode overall. The episode was directed by Chris Clements and written by Bill Odenkirk. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 28, 2013. The name is a pun on the film Pulp Fiction.

"What Animated Women Want" is the seventeenth episode of the twenty-fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 525th episode overall. The episode was directed by Steven Dean Moore and written by J. Stewart Burns. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 14, 2013. The name is a take on that of the film What Women Want.

"Hardly Kirk-ing" is the thirteenth episode of the twenty-fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 521st episode overall. The episode was directed by Matthew Nastuk and written by Tom Gammill and Max Pross. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 17, 2013.

"Love is a Many-Splintered Thing" is the twelfth episode of the twenty-fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. The episode was directed by Mike Frank Polcino and written by Tim Long. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 10, 2013, as a Valentine's Day themed episode, the name being a take on Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing.

"Steal This Episode" is the ninth episode of the twenty-fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the 539th episode of the series. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 5, 2014. The episode was written by J. Stewart Burns and directed by Matthew Nastuk. The title is a takeoff of Abbie Hoffman's Steal This Book (1971).

"Pay Pal" is the twenty-first episode of the twenty-fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the 551st episode of the series. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 11, 2014. It was written by David H. Steinberg and directed by Mike Frank Polcino.

"Peeping Mom" is the eighteenth episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 570th overall episode of the series. The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland and written by John Frink. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 19, 2015.

"My Fare Lady" is the fourteenth episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 566th overall episode of the series. The episode was directed by Mike Frank Polcino and written by Marc Wilmore. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 15, 2015.

"How Lisa Got Her Marge Back" is the eighteenth episode of the twenty-seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 592nd episode of the series overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on April 10, 2016.

"Orange Is the New Yellow" is the twenty-second and final episode of the twenty-seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 596th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Matthew Faughnan and written by Eric Horsted. It aired in the United States on Fox on May 22, 2016. The title is a spoof of the book and the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black.

"Marge the Lumberjill" is the sixth episode of the thirty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 668th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on November 10, 2019. The episode was directed by Rob Oliver and written by Ryan Koh.

"Woo-Hoo Dunnit?" is the twenty-second and penultimate episode of the thirtieth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 661st episode overall. The episode was directed by Steven Dean Moore and written by Brian Kelley. It aired in the United States on Fox on May 5, 2019.

References

  1. 1 2 Roots, Kimberly (August 24, 2012). "Simpsons Exclusive: Can Singer Tom Waits Save Homer From [Spoiler]?". TVLine . Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Bibel, Sara (January 8, 2013). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Family Guy', 'Revenge' & 'The Biggest Loser' Adjusted Up; 'The Simpsons' Adjusted Down + Final Football Numbers". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  3. ↑ Gilbert, David (September 20, 2022). "QAnon Thinks Something Big Is Coming... Because of a 'Simpsons' Episode". Vice . Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  4. ↑ Sullivan, Robert David (January 7, 2013). "The Simpsons: "Homer Goes To Prep School"". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on January 8, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  5. ↑ Lopez, Teresa (January 6, 2013). "The Simpsons Review: The End is Nigh". TV Fanatic. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  6. ↑ Johnson, Jen (January 8, 2013). "The Simpsons, Season 24, Episode 9: Homer Goes to Prep School, Review". Den of Geek . Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.