5. Homer the Great

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• Season: 6
  
• Episode: 115 (2F09)
  
• First Aired: 8 January 1995
  
• Writer: John Swartzwelder
  
• Director: Jim Reardon
  

Synopsis

Homer joins the secret society of the Stonecutters and inadvertently becomes their leader.

Memorable Quotes

Homer – “Why don’t those stupid idiots let me in their crappy club for jerks?”

Number One – “You have joined the Sacred Order of the Stonecutters, who, since ancient times, have split the rocks of ignorance that obscure the light of knowledge and truth. Now let’s all get drunk and play ping-pong!”

Marge to Homer – “Homer, a man who called himself ‘You Know Who’ just invited you to a secret ‘wink wink’ at the ‘you know what.’ You certainly are popular now that you’re a Stonecutter.”

Things You May Have Missed

• The Stern Lecture Plumbing companies motto is “I Told You Not To Flush That”
• Stonecutter World Council members: George Bush, Orville Reddenbacher, Jack Nicholson and Mr. T
• A car in the parking lot has the license plate “3MI ISL” (Three Mile Island)

Couchgag

The living room is modeled after M. C. Escher’s Relativity.

Chalkboard

“Adding ‘just kidding’ doesn’t make it okay to insult the principal”

Guest Voices

Patrick Stewart as Number One

The Stonecutters’ Song

Who controls the British Crown? / Who keeps the metric system down?
We do, we do
Who keeps Atlantis off the maps? / Who keeps the Martians under wraps?
We do, we do
Who holds back the electric car? / Who makes Steve Guttenberg a star?
We do, we do
Who robs cave-fish of their site? / Who rigs every Oscar night?
We do, we do

4. Bart Gets An Elephant

• Season: 6
  
• Episode: 98 (1F15)
  
• First Aired: 31 March 1994
  
• Writer: John Swartzwelder
  
• Director: Jim Reardon
  

Synopsis

Bart wins a radio contest that allows him to choose between two prizes: $10,000 or an elephant. Bart picks the elephant and names him Stampy. Homer and Marge decide to give the elephant away because he costs too much to feed, so Bart and Stampy run away together.

Memorable Quotes

Bart – “All that money sounds mighty tempting, Marty, but I think I’m going to have to go with the elephant.”

Mr. Burns – “Smithers! This reminds me of that fat man I used to ride to work!”

Mr. Blackheart – “Little girl, I’ve had lots of jobs in my day. Whale hunter, seal-clubber, president of the Fox Network. And, like most people, yeah I’ve dealt a little ivory.

Things You May Have Missed

• Signs at the Republic Convention read “We Want What’s Worst for Everyone” and “We’re Just Plain Evil.”
• Signs at the Democratic Convention reads “We Hat Life and Ourselves” and “We Can’t Govern.”
• Signs at the tar pits: “Springfield Tar Pits. The Best in Tar Entertainment’ – Time Magazine”

Couchgag

The family’s eyes run in with the lights off. When the light turns on, the bodies run in and push the eyes back into their sockets.

Chalkboard

“Organ transplants are best left to the professionals”

Movie Influence

Stampy looks directly into the Simpsons’ living room just like the T-Rex in Jurassic Park.

3. Brother from the Same Planet

• Season: 4
  
• Episode: 73 (9F12)
  
• First Aired: 4 February 1993
  
• Writer: John Vitti
  
• Director: Jeffrey Lynch
  

Synopsis

Bart, fed up with Homer’s neglect, joins the Big Brother program posing as an abandoned child so he can hang out with a better father figure. Homer finds out about Bart’s cool, new friend, Tom, and exacts his revenge by donating his time as a big brother to a real orphan named Pepi.

Memorable Quotes

“Trab pu kcip. TRAB PU KCIP!” – Milhouse saying “Pick up Bart” backward

Pepi – “Oh, Poppa Homer, you are so learned”

Kent Brockman – “This just in…  a fistfight is in progress in downtown Springfield. Early reports indicate (and these are very preliminary) that one of the fighters is a giant lizard.”

Things You May Have Missed

• The driving woman Bart mistakes for Homer looks like Homer with a wig on.
• One of the articles in Non-Threatening Boys magazine is “Meet Joey Joe.”

Couchgag

The rear wall rotates, taking the family to another room and leaving an empty couch behind

Chalkboard

“The Principal’s toupee is not a frisbee”

Movie Influence

Milhouse writes “TRAB PU KCIP” on the wall like the little boy in The Shining.

Guest Voices

Phil Hartman as Big Brother Tom

2. Homer Badman

• Season: 6
  
• Episode: 112 (2F06)
  
• First Aired: 27 November 1994
  
• Writer: Greg Daniels
  
• Director: Jeffrey Lynch
  

Synopsis

Homer and Marge attend a candy convention and hire a babysitter for the kids. After the convention, Homer gives the babysitter a ride home. He notices a very rare Gummi candy stuck to her bottom, so he reaches out and grabs it. Homer is accused of sexual harassment, and the whole town and the media are against him until Groundskeeper Willie saves the day by giving proof of Homer’s innocence.

Memorable Quotes

“Two, four, six, eight, Homer’s crime was very great! ‘Great’ meaning large or immense, we use it in the pejorative sense!” – Protestors outside the Simpson House

Homer – “See you in Hell, candy boys!!”

Homer – “You mean, I’m on my own? I’ve never been on my own. Oh no! On own! On own! I need help. Oh God, help me! Help me, God!”

Couchgag

The family chases the couch and back wall down a long, portal-type hallway.

Chalkboard

“I will not whittle hall passes out of soap”

Movie Influence

New Fox TV Movie, starring Denniz Franz as Homer: Homer S: Portrait of an Ass Grabber.

Guest Voices

Dennis Franz as himself playing Homer in a movie

Homer’s “Under the Sea” Song Lyrics

Under the sea! / Under the sea!
There’ll be no accusations
Just friendly crustaceans,
Under the sea!

Although I have put this as number 1 today, tomorrow it may be a different story. The choices for 1 – 3, I could shuffle in order.

1. Marge vs The Monorail

• Season: 4
• Episode: 71 (9F10)
• First Aired: 14/01/1993
• Writer: Conan O’Brien (yes, really!)
• Director: Rich Moore

Synopsis

The EPA catches Mr. Burns dumping toxic waste in the park and issues a $3,000,000 fine. unfazed, Burns pays his debt to Springfield in cash. The citizens of Springfield hold a town meeting to discuss how to spend the money. The town decided to repair the damaged roads in main street at Marge’s suggestion but then they are interrupted in the meeting by a smooth-talking stranger named Lyle Lanley who talks the townspeople into spending the money on a needless monorail…built from shoddy materials.

Memorable Quotes

Homer – “I call the big one Bitey”

Homer – “Donuts. Is there anything they can’t do?”

Things You May Have Missed

• The scene in which Mr. Burns and Smithers prepare to illegally dump the nuclear waste is accompanied by Axel F the theme from Beverly Hills Cop. This theme was also used in “Separate Vacations” and “Radio Bart”
• A picture of a dinosaur is pinned to the Simpsons’ bulletin board just like the Flintstones.
• Mr. Burns tries to disguise himself at the Town Hall meeting as Mr’ “Snrub”, which is Burns spelled backward.

Couchgag

The Simpsons are joined by the whole of Springfield as they sit on the couch.

Chalkboard

“I will not eat things for money”

Movie Influence

Lyle Lanley acts and sounds like the traveling salesman on The Music Man.

Guest Voices

Featuring Phil Hartman as Lyle Lanley, Leonard Nimoy as himself

So, there you have it. My favourite 25 episodes.

These episodes just missed out

• Homer the Heretic
• The Springfield Files
• Lisa the Beauty Queen
• Itchy & Scratchy The Movie
• Whacking Day
• Rosebud
• Deep Space Homer
• Bart’s Comet
• Bart Sells his Soul
• Burns, Baby Burns
• The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochy Show
• Homer vs. The Eighteenth Commandment
• The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson

I would like to thank the creators of The Simpsons for making this amazing animated series and all the talented voice actors for bringing to life all the great characters that make this the best TV show ever!

Last words

• Homer Simpson is one of, if not the best characters in pop culture
• The Simpsons have been in my life as long as I can remember, It’s pure comfort TV even though the new episodes aren’t very good, the old seasons are timeless.
• Everything is coming up Milhouse!

 

Sources for this article include…

The Simpsons World – The Ultimate Episode Guide. Well worth a read if you love the show!

This article uses material from Wikisimpsons & The Simpsons wiki at Wikia and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.