Team Homer
"Team Homer" | ||
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Couch gag The Simpsons run to and sit on the couch as normal and the camera zooms in on a nearby mousehole, where a family of mice resembling the Simpsons scurries to and sits on its couch. | | |
Commentary | Matt Groening David Mirkin Mike Scully Mark Kirkland | |
"Team Homer" is the twelfth episode of the
The episode was written by Mike Scully and directed by Mark Kirkland. Scully came up with the idea for it when he went bowling one day. The episode features cultural references to Mad magazine and the film Caddyshack.
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a
Plot
Homer and his teammates —
Burns gives the Pin Pals new
At school, Bart's
Production
The episode was written by Mike Scully. He was bowling "a lot" at the time, and one day when he was bowling, he came up with the idea for "Team Homer".[2] The idea for the school plot came later in production when the school that Scully's children went to was thinking of introducing school uniforms. Both Scully and his children were against it so he decided to put it in the episode.[2]
Former
The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland. When he first read the script, he thought the challenge of the episode was that the bowling theme had already been covered in the season one episode "Life on the Fast Lane". Since it had been done before, Kirkland felt pressure to make the bowling alley look "really good". Kirkland and his team of The Simpsons animators at Film Roman all went over to a local bowling alley and had lunch. They inspected the whole alley for inspiration and drew sketches.[4] "Life on the Fast Lane" deals with Marge becoming infatuated with Jacques, a French bowling instructor. Mirkin points out that Jacques makes a brief appearance in this episode, but without a speaking role. Also appearing with non-speaking roles are Mindy Simmons, Lurleen Lumpkin, and Princess Kashmir, the three women who almost broke up Marge and Homer's marriage.[3]
Mirkin remembered the episode "very fondly" because when it was finished, the staff received customized The Simpsons bowling balls, bowling bags, and Pin Pal shirts as gifts.[3] Scully said the bowling balls were "really cool" because they were yellow and had The Simpsons logo on them.[2]
In one scene, Homer tells Marge: "We were so close to winning the championship. Now, thanks to Burns, it's never going to happen. And I spent so much time building that trophy case." The scene then cuts to the trophy case with an
Cultural references
Reception
In its original broadcast, "Team Homer" finished 58th in the ratings for the week of January 1–7, 1996, with a
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics.
It was named the fifth best episode of the show by MSNBC. They praised how the episode utilized Burns's physical weaknesses for laughs, and Homer's line; "I guess some people never change. Or, they quickly change and then quickly change back."[9]
DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson said that to his surprise, "the dress code plot works the best". He liked the mockery of Mad magazine and the "overemphasis on the way it disrupts the educational process". Jacobson thought the bowling plot had plenty of "nice moments" too, and "these add up to a solid show".[10]
Jennifer Malkowski of DVD Verdict considered the best part of the episode to be when Homer ends a phone conversation with the "highly quotable" line, "I gotta go. My damn wiener kids are listening." Malkowski concluded her review by giving the episode a grade of A−.[11] Mirkin described the episode as "excellent", and praised Scully's "great" script.[3]
The episode received criticism from the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, who said that "Team Homer" is one of their least favorite episodes. They thought the school uniform plot was "a lot more satisfying than the bowling story". They added that the scene where
References
- ^ OL 433519M..
- ^ a b c d Scully, Mike (2005). The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Team Homer" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b c d e f Mirkin, David (2005). The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Team Homer" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Kirkland, Mark (2005). The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Team Homer" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Robinson, Dean (January 8, 1996). "TBS premieres 'Survivors of the Holocaust'". The Journal Gazette.
- ^ a b Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Team Homer". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
- ^ Groening, Matt (2005). The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Team Homer" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b "Nielsen Ratings". The Tampa Tribune. January 10, 1996. p. F02. Retrieved on January 4, 2009.
- Today.com. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- ^ Jacobson, Colin (January 5, 2006). "The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season (1995)". DVD Movie Guide. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
- ^ Malkowski, Judge (January 16, 2006). "The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2008.