See Homer Run

Last updated

"See Homer Run"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 17
Episode 6
Directed by Nancy Kruse
Written by Stephanie Gillis
Production codeGABF21
Original air dateNovember 20, 2005 (2005-11-20)
Episode features
Couch gag The Simpsons sit on the couch as normal. The camera zooms out to reveal that they are a part of a zoo on Kang and Kodos’ home planet, Rigel VII, as an "Earth Family" exhibit.
CommentaryAl Jean
Stephanie Gillis
Tom Gammill
Max Pross
David Silverman
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Marge's Son Poisoning"
Next 
"The Last of the Red Hat Mamas"
The Simpsons (season 17)
List of episodes

"See Homer Run" is the sixth episode of the seventeenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 20, 2005.

Contents

Plot

On Father's Day, Homer is unimpressed with Lisa's gift, a book she created with caricatures of herself and Homer as unicorns. Trying to make Lisa feel better, he hangs the book on the refrigerator, but it falls into the refrigerator's water dispenser and gets wet and ruined. Worse, Homer blames the magnet, which Lisa gave him for his birthday.

Lisa takes out her frustrations at school, leading her into trouble, and her parents are called to talk with Principal Skinner. The school psychiatrist Dr. J. Loren Pryor determines Lisa is going through a developmental condition spurned by Homer's antics and could wind up with a hatred for men for the rest of her life, which can only be resolved by Homer trying to make amends for everything. He dresses up as The Safety Salamander, a mascot meant to warn children about electrical power lines, but on the school bus, causes myriad dental injuries when he has Otto stop the bus promptly, and then a fireworks display during a school assembly causes a massive fire in the auditorium.

Meanwhile, Barton a dare from the bullies, who plant the idea in his head that he is allowed to steal public property that has his name on itsteals a "Bart Boulevard" street sign. This leads to a fiery multi-vehicle pileup. Homer, still dressed in his Safety Salamander costume, runs to the rescue, extracting people who were trapped in their cars. Homer gets a rousing reception, and Mayor Joe Quimby is blamed for the bumbling response. Springfield's residents criticize Quimby for his many other failures and demand a recall election.

On Lisa's suggestion, Homer decides to run for mayor against candidates numbering in excess of 200, playing on his popularity as the Safety Salamander and building a huge lead in the polls. However, after Marge washes Homer's salamander costume after he vomits in it, it falls apart during a debate forum, and the crowd turns on him. None of the new candidates gain the 5% of master vote needed to oust Quimby. Nevertheless, Lisa confides in Homer that she is proud of him and glad he is her father. They then dance in the deserted ballroom.

Production

In a reference to the "lesser of two evils" justification the public often give when voting for a political party, Homer's campaign slogan for Springfield mayor is "the lesser of 25 evils". [1]

Laughing Matters: Humor and American Politics in the Media Age cites the episode to illustrate an example of "it's only funny because it's true" humour. In the episode Mayor Quimby undergoes a recall election that includes hundreds of questionably-qualified candidates, one of which is Rainer Wolfcastle. This obscure joke references actor and bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger (on whom Wolfcastle is based), who won the 2003 California gubernatorial recall election when incumbent governor Gray Davis was recalled. Laughing Matters notes that while the plot of the episode is about lack of citizen efficacy and the power of name recognition and popularity, the sophisticated humor for a few serves little comedic purpose". [2]

Reception

Simpsons Confidential cites the episode as an example of "increasingly explicit social and political commentary [that] we are now clubbed over the head with" in the Jean era. It says the "single contemporary subject" See Homer Run revolves around is "electoral politics". [3]

Stephanie Gillis was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Writing in Animation at the 58th Writers Guild of America Awards for her script to this episode. [4]

Related Research Articles

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

Mayor Joseph Fitzgerald O'Malley Fitzpatrick O'Donnell The Edge "Joe" Quimby, nicknamed "Diamond Joe", is a recurring character from the animated sitcom television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, and first appeared in the episode "Bart Gets an 'F'". Quimby is the mayor of Springfield, and is a composite parody of U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy and certain other members of the Kennedy family who have entered politics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr. Hibbert</span> Fictional character and singer from The Simpsons franchise

Dr. Julius Michael Hibbert, M.D. is a recurring character on the television animated sitcom The Simpsons. He is Springfield's most prominent medical professional. Although he has a kind and warm persona, he is also often characterized as greedy and lacking in empathy. His signature character trait is his often-inappropriate chuckling, which is generally cued by misfortune rather than something genuinely amusing. The character was voiced from his 1990 debut by Simpsons regular Harry Shearer, and since a recasting of all of the show's non-white characters, by Kevin Michael Richardson from 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trilogy of Error</span> 18th episode of the 12th season of The Simpsons

"Trilogy of Error" is the eighteenth episode of the twelfth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 266th episode overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 29, 2001. In the episode, Homer's rush to the hospital to re-attach his severed thumb, Lisa's rush to school to win the science fair, and Bart's run-in with an illegal fireworks scheme are interconnected as each act tells the events of the same day, but from a different point of view.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simple Simpson</span> 19th episode of the 15th season of The Simpsons

"Simple Simpson" is the nineteenth episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 2, 2004 and was the final episode to be directed by Jim Reardon.

Politics is a common theme in the animated sitcom The Simpsons, and this phenomenon has had some crossover with real American politics. The local politics of the fictional town Springfield feature prominently in many episodes, and character archetypes represent different political concepts within a community. The show satirizes ideas across the political spectrum, though overall it is described as having left-wing and anti-establishment bias. Politicians have been caricatured in many episodes of The Simpsons, including an episode following President George H. W. Bush in response to his public criticism of the show. References to the show also feature in real-world politics. The Simpsons addresses contemporary issues including substance abuse, the economy, education, environmentalism, gun politics, health politics, LGBT rights, immigration, and criminal justice. Episodes of the show have also caused international political dispute for its portrayal of foreign countries.

"The Bart Wants What It Wants" is the eleventh episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 17, 2002. In the episode, Bart befriends Rainier Wolfcastle's daughter, Greta. While Greta falls in love with him, Bart only accompanies her because she owns a lot of entertaining things.

"They Saved Lisa's Brain" is the twenty-second and penultimate episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 9, 1999. In the episode, after writing a thoughtful letter to the Springfield Shopper, Lisa is invited to join the Springfield chapter of Mensa. When Mayor Quimby later flees Springfield, the group takes control of the town, hoping to improve the lives of Springfieldians through the rule of the smartest. Meanwhile, Homer poses for a series of erotic photos.

"This Little Wiggy" is the eighteenth episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 22, 1998. It was written by Dan Greaney and directed by Neil Affleck. The episode sees Ralph Wiggum becoming friends with Bart. Phil Hartman guest stars as recurring character Troy McClure.

The Boy Who Knew Too Much (<i>The Simpsons</i>) 20th episode of the 5th season of The Simpsons

"The Boy Who Knew Too Much" is the twentieth 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 May 5, 1994. In the episode, Mayor Quimby's nephew Freddy is wrongly accused of assaulting a waiter, with Bart being the sole witness to the true course of events. Since Bart cannot reveal what he knows without admitting that he skipped school, he faces the dilemma of either testifying on Freddy's behalf and facing punishment himself, or staying silent and allowing a miscarriage of justice.

"Marge in Chains" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 6, 1993. In the episode, Marge is arrested for shoplifting after forgetting to pay for an item at the Kwik-E-Mart. The family hires attorney Lionel Hutz to defend her at trial, but she is found guilty and sentenced to 30 days in prison. Homer and the rest of the family have trouble coping without Marge.

"The Girl Who Slept Too Little" is the second episode of the seventeenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 18, 2005, and was seen by 9.79 million people during this broadcast.

"Sideshow Bob Roberts" is the fifth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 9, 1994. Kelsey Grammer returns in his fourth major appearance as Sideshow Bob, who, in this episode, wins the Springfield mayoral election through electoral fraud to get revenge on Bart. The episode received a favorable reception in the media, including a positive mention in I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide and Green Bay Press-Gazette. A review in Press & Sun-Bulletin placed the episode as the seventh best of the series.

"Lisa the Beauty Queen" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 15, 1992. In the episode, Homer enters Lisa into a beauty pageant to boost her confidence. Lisa is runner-up, but gains the title of Little Miss Springfield after the original winner is injured. Little Miss Springfield's duties include being a spokesperson for Laramie Cigarettes, which causes Lisa to speak out against smoking. As a result of her anti-smoking protests, her title is taken away on a technicality.

<i>Planet Simpson</i>

Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation, also abbreviated to Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation, is a non-fiction book about The Simpsons, written by Chris Turner and originally published on October 12, 2004 by Random House. The book is partly a memoir and an exploration of the impact The Simpsons has had on popular culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papa Don't Leech</span> 16th episode of the 19th season of The Simpsons

"Papa Don't Leech" is the sixteenth episode of the nineteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired in the United States on April 13, 2008 on the Fox network. It features the return of Lurleen Lumpkin from the third season episode "Colonel Homer", after an absence of sixteen years. The Dixie Chicks also appear as themselves. The episode was written by Reid Harrison and directed by Chris Clements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milhouse Van Houten</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a recurring character in the Fox animated television series The Simpsons voiced by Pamela Hayden and created by Matt Groening. Milhouse is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class at Springfield Elementary School. He is insecure, gullible, and is often led into trouble by Bart, who takes advantage of his friend's naïveté. Milhouse is a regular target for school bully Nelson Muntz and his friends Jimbo Jones, Dolph Starbeam and Kearney Zzyzwicz. He has an unrequited crush on Bart's sister, Lisa, which is a common plot element.

"At Long Last Leave" is the fourteenth episode of the twenty-third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 500th episode overall of the series. In the episode, the Simpsons discover that the inhabitants of Springfield have grown tired of them and have secretly decided to throw them out of the city. After being evicted from Springfield, the family members end up in a rugged place without rules and regulations called the Outlands. There, they briefly come across their neighbor Julian Assange, who created WikiLeaks. Assange guest-starred in the episode as himself and recorded his lines over the phone while under house arrest in Britain, while waiting for the results of Assange v Swedish Prosecution Authority.

<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. The episode received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Animated Program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XXXII</span> 3rd episode of the 33rd season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror XXXII" is the third episode of the thirty-third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 709th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on October 10, 2021, and unlike the previous season, aired at the appropriate time to avoid conflict with Major League Baseball’s post-season, which stretched into November. The episode was directed by Matthew Faughnan, and written by John Frink.

References

  1. Delaney, Tim (January 1, 2008). Simpsonology: There's a Little Bit of Springfield in All of Us. Prometheus Books. ISBN   9781591025597.
  2. Baumgartner, Jody; Morris, Jonathan S. (August 21, 2012). Laughing Matters: Humor and American Politics in the Media Age. Routledge. ISBN   9781135907778.
  3. Ortved, John (October 15, 2009). Simpsons Confidential: The uncensored, totally unauthorised history of the world's greatest TV show by the people that made it . Ebury Publishing. ISBN   9781407028811.
  4. McNary, Dave (December 14, 2005). "Peacock laffers have the write stuff". Variety. Retrieved February 23, 2019.