Mobile Homer

"Mobile Homer"
The Simpsons episode
Homer getting crushed by the door of the garage while trying to clean it up. This scene was inspired by a real-life event of writer John Frink.
Episode no.	Season 16 Episode 13
Directed by	Raymond S. Persi
Written by	Tim Long
Production code	GABF07
Original air date	March 20, 2005 (2005-03-20)
Episode features
Couch gag	The Simpsons sit down as normal. An impostor Homer rips off a latex mask, and reveals himself to be Sideshow Bob. Bob then brandishes a knife and chases after Bart, knocking over the TV in the process, with the rest of the family cowering in fear.
Commentary	Al Jean Tim Long Bill Odenkirk Matt Selman Raymond S. Persi Tom Gammill Max Pross David Silverman
Episode chronology
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The Simpsons season 16
List of episodes

"Mobile Homer" is the thirteenth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons . It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on March 20, 2005. The episode was written by Tim Long, and was the first to be directed by Raymond S. Persi.

In the episode, Marge saves money for life insurance, worried about Homer after a near-fatal incident and his bad medical history. Angered by his wife's new measures to cut back financially, Homer spends the savings on a motor home, in which he spends most of his time, causing a rift between them. The episode received mixed reviews.

Plot

Marge takes the children on a leisurely Sunday afternoon drive while Homer stays home to clean the garage. A series of incidents results in Homer being suffocated by the garage door, and his life is saved when the family returns and Lisa and Bart apply first aid. That night, Marge insists that Homer apply for life insurance, but he is deemed uninsurable due to his poor medical history. After watching a melodramatic "inspired by real-life" made-for-TV film, Marge fears for the family's financial well-being and begins purchasing cheap, low-quality products, keeping the savings in a large jar. Homer argues that as the family's breadwinner, he has the right to spend the money. Angered by Marge's excessive measures, he secretly and spitefully purchases a motorhome, which he parks in the backyard and begins living in. Marge withdraws her word from him, and the parents begin competing for Bart and Lisa's loyalty.

While refueling the motorhome, Homer meets a group of fellow motorhome owners and invites them to settle in his backyard. Their late-night merriment further aggravates Marge, who cuts off their electricity and causes Homer's newfound friends to ditch him. Bart and Lisa, bothered by their parents' escalating argument, decide to return the motorhome to the dealership themselves while their parents are distracted. Homer agrees to return the motorhome, but he and Marge discover the note their children have left, and they give chase in their car. Although they demonstrate to Bart and Lisa that they have made up, the children are unable to reach the motorhome's brakes, and it plunges off an incomplete runaway truck ramp onto a Turkish freighter leaving the port. Marge persuades the captain to turn around by offering him several cans of mushroom soup. Homer's attempt to return the motorhome to land sends it sinking into the harbor. The family stays for dinner on the freighter, and Marge expresses a lack of tension over their financial loss due to the small amount of hashish laced in her food.

Reception

Viewing figures

In its original broadcast, "Mobile Homer" was watched by 8.6 million viewers. ^[1]

Critical response

Walter J. Keegan Jr. of TV Squad thought that the episode did not have enough laughs, but did have enough subtle Simpsons humor about SUVs, Turkish sailors, and evil religious icons. He also thought that the idea of Marge filling the viewers in on what Homer does at work (since he is not seen there a lot anymore) was good, while his most puzzling moment was Bart's drawing of Homer. ^[2]

Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide called the episode "spotty" because while it "occasionally capitalizes on its potential", there were moments where it was "lackluster". ^[3]

On Four Finger Discount, Guy Davis did not enjoy the episode, saying it was a combination of "half-baked" ideas and did not like the Homer and Marge conflict. However, Brendan Dando liked the episode because the creators were able to find a believable way for Homer and Marge to reconcile with each other by rescuing their children. ^[4]

Themes and analysis

Wind Goodfriend wrote that Homer and Marge arguing over Homer sleeping in the mobile home is an example of "working through disagreements" where they will become more committed to the relationship when they are done fighting. ^[5]

References

1. "Simpsons Channel | News Archive | March 2005". Simpsons Channel. Archived from the original on March 9, 2008. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
2. Keegan, Walter J. Jr. (March 20, 2005). "The Simpsons: Mobile Homer". TV Squad . Archived from the original on April 10, 2005. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
3. Jacobson, Colin (December 11, 2013). "The Simpsons: The Complete Sixteenth Season [Blu-Ray] (2004)". DVD Movie Guide. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
4. Davis, Guy; Dando, Brendan (October 20, 2022). ""Mobile Homer" Podcast Review (S16E13)". Four Finger Discount (Simpsons Podcast) (Podcast). Event occurs at 5:35. Archived from the original on September 8, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
5. Goodfriend, Wind (2006), "For Better, Or Worse?", in Brown, Alan; Logan, Chris (eds.), The Psychology of The Simpsons: D'oh! , BenBella Books, pp. 32–33, ISBN   1-932100-70-9

External links

• "Mobile Homer" at IMDb

• The Simpsons portal