| « last episode | home | next episode » |
There's No Disgrace Like Home
The Simpsons Season 01, Episode 04
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
What the hell is homer wearing? Kids are arguing over who loves Homer less. It's the company picnic for the Springfield nuclear power plant. Very clear that Homer is trying to impress Mr. Burns with a normal, loving family, however his entire family is out to embarrass him. Homer requests that they give him love and or respect; Bart chooses respect. Smithers is whitened ala Michael Jackson in this episode. Homer runs screaming after his children, "Be normal! Be normal!" as they run off to terrorize the picnic. TV is apparently constitutes supervision for the toddlers while the mom's go get punch drunk. Everyone else's family is awesome. Marge can't take it and starts getting wasted after telling another mom, "I'm not much of a drinker". There's a sack race, which everyone must let Mr. Burns win. Bart almost ruins that but is tackled by Homer at the last second.
"Cease that infernal tootling!" Burns shouts at the band playing "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow". The hounds will be released in 10 minutes, everyone claps.
The sibling infighting reminds me of my childhood and I imagine most other people with siblings. Much closer to reality than the weirdo perfect family car that Homer imagines ascending to heaven while the rest of his family are portrayed as demons descending to hell.
We also get the very first Itchy and Scratchy in this episode although it's untitled and extremely short.
Homer actually wants to do better as a family? First and last time ever? Homer prays to god as he says grace and notes, "You're everywhere, you're omnivorous." Homer tries to prove to his family that they are a disaster of a family so they go spying on others in the neighborhood. "Look napkins!". "The dad has a shirt on!". "They actually enjoy talking to each other". Homer is getting some beers at Moe's and sees an ad for Dr. Marvin Monroe's family counseling on during the boxing match.
At Dr. Marvin Monroe's Family Therapy Center, which Homer has gotten money for by pawning the TV and using the college fund of $88.50. Marge first begs that they pawn her engagement ring instead of the TV. Noticed here for the first time (not sure how that's possible) that The Simpsons are always the edge case. Insurance and money back guarantees are made for them.
"OK, you want to kill each other, that's good, that's healthy." Dr. Monroe says. Everyone pins Homer as the aggravator in the family. Next, they attempt to get out their aggression with foam bats but Bart points out they work much better when you take the foam off. When that fails, Dr. Monroe tries electro-shock therapy. Of course this backfires when they start shocking each other willy-nilly. "This is not the way to get healthy!" Monroe shouts. Good business lesson here, sometimes you have to fire your clients. Monroe gives them the double money back guarantee totaling $500.00 and tells them to leave, they go and buy a new bigger TV, everyone is happy. Lisa ends the episode by saying, "It's not the money as much as the feeling that we earned it."
THIS EPISODE'S RATINGS
 5/5 donuts from Statler
 |
RATINGS LEGEND
= LAME
= BAD
= MEH
= GOOD
= CLASSIC
|
| « last episode | home | next episode » |
PLOT SUMMARY FROM WIKIPEDIA
Homer takes his family to the company picnic at his boss' manor. A cruel and tyrannical employer, Mr. Burns fires any employee whose family members are not enjoying themselves. Homer sees that Burns is drawn towards a family that treats one another with love and respect and he wonders why he is cursed with his unloving and disrespectful family. The entire picnic is a catastrophe when Bart chases and tortures the swans, Lisa swims in the fountain, and Marge gets drunk and performs a musical number.
The Simpsons observe other families on their street sharing quality time together. Although things begin well, a man notices them in the bushes and gets his gun. The Simpsons are later reported to the police for disturbing the neighborhood. Depressed because both he and his family are pathetic, Homer stops by Moe's Tavern, where he sees a TV commercial for Dr. Marvin Monroe's Family Therapy Center. When he hears that Dr. Monroe guarantees "family bliss or double your money back", Homer spends the kids' college funds and pawns the TV set to enroll the family in the clinic, causing them to become extremely angry.
When standard treatments prove useless, Dr. Monroe resorts to shock therapy and wires the Simpsons to electrodes. The family is soon sending shocks to one another (and the electricity buzzes when they are shocked), it eventually causes the entire parts of Springfield to lose power due to rapid shocking. Resigned to the fact that the Simpsons are incurable, the doctor reluctantly gives them double their money back. With $500 in his pocket, Homer takes his blissful family to buy a new 21-inch screen television set with flesh tones.
Accessed from Wikipedia on Feb. 20, 2010