Homer vs. Dignity

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"Homer vs. Dignity"
Max Pross
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"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.

The episode was written by Rob LaZebnik in his last writing credit for over eight years, until season 20's "Father Knows Worst". The episode features cultural references to The Magic Christian and The Birds.

Plot

The Simpsons go out to dinner to celebrate Bart getting his first test "A" grade; however, Homer's credit card is rejected and, after a failed escape attempt, the family are made to sing for customers to work off their bill. After Homer reveals that he sold the back seats of his car for gasoline money (which he spent on a novelty car horn), he and Marge seek advice from financial planner Lindsay Naegle, who informs them that, due to poor money management by Homer, the family have multiple mortgages and will need to declare bankruptcy several times.

Meanwhile,

Lenny. He does so, amusing Burns, who makes Homer his "prank monkey". Burns pays Homer to perform embarrassing and cruel tasks, such as pretending to be a baby who "made a boom boom" at the sports stadium restroom, and eating a mint condition The Amazing Spider-Man #1 in front of Comic Book Guy, eventually having Homer masquerade as the Springfield Zoo's new female panda
, Sim-Sim, and is electrocuted by animal handlers before being raped by the zoo's male panda, Ping-Ping.

Thanksgiving Day
parade. During the parade, Burns offers Homer a million dollars to throw buckets of fish guts to the crowd; rebuked, Burns performs the prank himself while Homer thanks Lisa for giving him dignity, whilst the townspeople are attacked by seagulls.

Production

Leeza Gibbons guest starred as herself.

The episode was written by

Rusty Nails, the inspiration for Krusty the Clown.[3]

There was originally going to be a running gag where

'Tis the 15th Season".[6]

Reception

The episode has received negative reviews from critics. Cindy White of

sight gags to make up for it.[7]

In September 2009, Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide gave the episode a negative review, saying "Bad sign number one: when a series

plagiarizes itself. That occurs here when Mr. Burns states 'There’s a new Mexico?', a line that was a lot funnier...back in season five. Bad sign number two: a scene in which Homer gets raped by a panda. A couple of the pranks provide minor amusement, but overall, this is a weak episode."[8] Judge Mac McEntire of DVD Verdict said the episode's best moment was with Homer and the panda.[9] Mike Scully believes that the episode's negative reception was due to critics and audiences being unfamiliar with The Magic Christian.[4]

In January 2012, Johnny Dee of

jumped the shark" to imply that a popular series has declined in quality and is beyond recovery.[10]

Cultural references

  • The chalkboard gag reads "I was not the Sixth Beatle", a reference to the "Fifth Beatle".
    • The chalkboard on The Simpsons: Christmas 2 DVD reads "I will not surprise the incontinent". This is the chalkboard gag from the season 12 episode, "Insane Clown Poppy".
  • The episode's plot is similar to the film The Magic Christian:
    • The main character, Sir Guy Grand, is an eccentric billionaire who bribes people to carry out his whims, similar to Mr. Burns' hiring Homer to be his "prank monkey".
    • Grand also plays his pranks to shock people, mocking what they consider to be important, similar to the prank that Burns and Homer play on Comic Book Guy.
  • In celebration of Bart's "A" on an astronomy quiz, the waitstaff at The Singing Sirloin sing "Happy First A", a parody of "Happy Birthday".
  • When the Simpsons are pressed into service as a Mariachi band to pay for their meal at The Singing Sirloin, they are heard playing:
  • Singing Sirloin employee Mary Kay seems to be a reference to the Mary Kay company, judging by her pink makeup and all-pink outfit.
  • When
    Malibu Stacy musical, Burns laughs and sarcastically asks, "Why not write a musical about the common cat? Or the King of Siam?", referencing the musicals Cats and The King and I
    , respectively.
  • Just before Homer and Mr. Burns prank him, Comic Book Guy is eating pink marshmallow Peeps.
  • Star Trek: Voyager: When Homer says he'd like to buy a mint condition Spider-Man #1 comic, Comic Book Guy sarcastically replies that he'd like an hour on the holodeck with Seven of Nine.
  • During the Panda-Monium!, Mr. Burns has Homer (costumed as female panda) dance the Lindy Hop, a dance which was very popular during the late 1930s and early 1940s.
  • One of the Thanksgiving parade balloons is of Rusty the Clown, a reference to
    Rusty Nails
    :
    • Rusty Nails was a popular TV clown in the 1960s in Portland, Oregon, where Simpsons creator Matt Groening grew up.
    • Krusty the Clown is loosely based on Rusty Nails.
  • Other balloons seen in the parade include:
    • A balloon that closely resembles El Chapulín Colorado, the main character of
      Bumblebee Man
      is based.
    • Funky Winkerbean, the title character from the comic strip.
    • Domino's Pizza
      in the 1980s.
  • The figure on the parade float "saluting the Native Americans" bears a strong resemblance to
    Cleveland Indians
    ' logo.
  • When the gulls attack the townspeople (who are covered in the fish guts Burns has thrown on them), it is similar to a scene from Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.
  • Trading Places, When Homer is dressed as a panda and is raped by a panda is a reference to when Beeks was dressed as a gorilla, locked into the gorilla cage and raped by a gorilla from the film

References

  1. ^ a b c d LaZebnik, Rob (2009). The Simpsons The Complete Twelfth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Homer vs. Dignity" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  2. ^ Selman, Matt (2009). The Simpsons The Complete Twelfth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Homer vs. Dignity" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  3. ^ a b Groening, Matt (2009). The Simpsons The Complete Twelfth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Homer vs. Dignity" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  4. ^ a b c Scully, Mike (2009). The Simpsons The Complete Twelfth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Homer vs. Dignity" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  5. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Simpsons: Testify". Retrieved August 30, 2010.
  6. ^ "The Simpsons - Christmas 2". Amazon.
  7. ^ White, Cindy (January 24, 2022). "The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season DVD Review". IGN. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
  8. ^ Jacobsson, Colin (September 2, 2009). "The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season (2000)". DVDMG.com. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
  9. ^ Mcentire, Mac (September 9, 2009). "The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
  10. ^ Dee, Johnny (January 13, 2012). "The Simpsons at 500: What Are Your Favourite Episodes?". The Guardian. Retrieved January 14, 2012.

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