"Dad Behavior" is the eighth episode of the twenty-eighth season of the American animated television series ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
'', and the 604th episode of the series overall. It first aired on the
Fox network
The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations ...
in the United States on November 20, 2016. The plot revolves around
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
discovering an app that makes his life easier, and Grampa learning that he's about to become a father again. It was the first episode to be written by
Ryan Koh
Ryan Koh is an American television writer. He is currently a writer and co-executive producer for ''The Simpsons''. He has also worked as a writer and producer on The Office (American TV series), ''The Office'', ''New Girl'', ''Workaholics'', and ...
Whilst attempting to put together Scandinavian flat-packed furniture, Homer manages to get stuck in a cabinet he has assembled. To help him escape, Barney recommends to him a new app called "Chore Monkey" that makes its user's life easier by assigning contractors to perform menial tasks for the user. Homer begins to use the app for all his unwanted tasks, and solicits a Chore Monkey called Blake, who is an ex-hostage negotiator, to argue with Marge in his place. Homer then uses Chore Monkey Gold—the app's premium subscription tier—to hire a substitute father figure for
Bart
Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc.
Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Bartho ...
. However he soon becomes jealous of the easy rapport between this Chore Monkey— Matt Leinart—and his son. Homer briefly hires a Chore Monkey named Tyler to act as a substitute son, but the two squabble, leading to Tyler
blackballing
Blackballing is a rejection in a traditional form of secret ballot, where a white ball or ballot constitutes a vote in support and a black ball signifies opposition. The system is typically used where an organization's rules provide that one or t ...
the Simpsons' house.
After attempting to video a premeditated "accident" for submission to
America's Funniest Home Videos
''America's Funniest Home Videos'', also called ''America's Funniest Videos'' (abbreviated as ''AFV''), is an American video clip television series on ABC, based on the Japanese variety show ''Fun TV with Kato-chan and Ken-chan''. The show featur ...
, Milhouse and his father, Kirk Van Houten, fall out. Homer attempts to spend time with Grampa, who has been informed that he's impregnated a fellow (unnamed) resident of his retirement home, and is nervous since he believes that Simpson men do not make good fathers. Midway through a game of
Monopoly
A monopoly (from Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situation where a speci ...
, Bart discovers that Matt is following a Chore Monkey script, rather than bonding with him naturally. Homer and Milhouse bond whilst topping up the
engine oil
Motor oil, engine oil, or engine lubricant is any one of various substances used for the lubrication of internal combustion engines. They typically consist of base oils enhanced with various additives, particularly antiwear additives, detergen ...
of Homer's car, and cooking engine block pizza. Bart in turn becomes jealous of the time Homer and Milhouse are spending together.
Whilst playing videogames with Bart, Homer fantasizes about playing with Milhouse instead, before taking the latter out on a fishing trip to the park. Out with Marge at the same park, Grampa reflects that his own relationship with his father was just as dysfunctional as his relationship with Homer. Upon noticing Homer and Milhouse (whom he mistakes as Bart) fishing, Grampa reminisces that he still has the chance to be a good father. Bart meets up with Kirk in the Van Houten's garage. Grampa discovers that his girlfriend got pregnant by
Jasper Beardley
The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The write ...
instead of him, and is first shocked, but then immensely relieved. Bart and Kirk head to Itchy and Scratchy Land, only to find that Homer and Milhouse are also visiting the theme park. The two pairs of characters begin a
go-kart
A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performance racing ...
race, but after Kirk crumbles under the pressure and brakes suddenly, Bart flies out of the kart and hits a stop sign. Homer rushes to help him, apologizing for his earlier obstinance. Bart calls him "dad", which pleases Homer greatly, and the two rekindle their relationship. Despite Kirk confessing that riding in a go-kart with Bart was the best time of his life, he and Milhouse also make up. The four characters all ride out of the park, stealing two of the theme park's go-karts.
In an epilogue Blake negotiates with Maggie, trying to get her to spit out her pacifier, but fails. Bart, Homer and Abe watch baseball together.
Production
The episode was the first to be written by
Ryan Koh
Ryan Koh is an American television writer. He is currently a writer and co-executive producer for ''The Simpsons''. He has also worked as a writer and producer on The Office (American TV series), ''The Office'', ''New Girl'', ''Workaholics'', and ...
, and was additionally his debut episode as co-executive producer of the series. Koh has since written two further episodes of the series; "
Singin' in the Lane
"Singin' in the Lane" is the seventh episode of the twenty-ninth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 625th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Mike Frank Polcino and written by Ryan K ...
" from season twenty-nine, and "
Krusty the Clown
Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofsky (; ) better known by his stage name Krusty the Clown (sometimes spelled as Krusty the Klown), is a recurring character on the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castel ...
bucket list
Bucket list may refer to:
* A list of activities to do before dying ("kick the bucket")
* Wish list
* ''The Bucket List'', a 2007 comedy film
* ''Bucket List'' (2018 film), a 2018 Indian Marathi comedy-drama film
* "Bucket List" (song), a 2013 ...
things. Doing voiceovers for The Simpsons is like...so crazy".
This was the first episode of
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
Chore Monkey is a parody of the app TaskRabbit, and Barney has an app on his phone called "Uburp", which is a parody of
Uber
Uber Technologies, Inc. (Uber), based in San Francisco, provides mobility as a service, ride-hailing (allowing users to book a car and driver to transport them in a way similar to a taxi), food delivery (Uber Eats and Postmates), packa ...
. After discovering Chore Monkey, Homer sings a parody of the chorus of the Steely Dan song Dirty Work. A parody of an
It Gets Better
It or IT may refer to:
* It (pronoun), in English
* Information technology
Arts and media Film and television
* ''It'' (1927 film), a film starring Clara Bow
* '' It! The Terror from Beyond Space'', a 1958 science fiction film
* ''It!'' (1967 ...
poster with a picture of a grave on hangs in the retirement castle. Matt Leinart slightly deflates the football he and Bart are playing catch with, in a reference to
Deflategate
Deflategate was a National Football League (NFL) controversy involving the allegation that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady ordered the deliberate deflation of footballs used in the Patriots' victory against the Indianapolis Colts dur ...
. Grampa asserts that 'Grave Date' and ' Friends With Social Security Benefits' are popular dating apps among the residents of his retirement home. Matt states that he has played a Heisman Trophy edition of Trivial Pursuit. After smearing engine oil over Milhouse's face in the shape of a mustache, Homer remarks that he looks like
Tony Stark
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charac ...
. Homer and Bart play a videogame titled "PGA Tour of Duty", a portmanteau of '' Call of Duty: Zombies'' and the PGA Tour series, in which a representation of Bing Crosby appears as a zombie non-player character. Grampa's memory of his father is depicted in the animation style of
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar.Forever Stamp. Homer sings a parody of the sea shanty
Drunken Sailor
"Drunken Sailor", also known as "What Shall We Do with a/the Drunken Sailor?" or "Up She Rises", is a traditional sea shanty, listed as No. 322 in the Roud Folk Song Index. It was sung onboard sailing ships at least as early as the 1830s, and ...
to Marge. Prior to the episode, Marge and
Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to:
People
People with the mononym
* Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam
* Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer
* Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...
have fallen out because Marge has thrown out Lisa's copies of the
Utne Reader
''Utne Reader'' (also known as ''Utne'') ( ) is a digital digest that collects and reprints articles on politics, culture, and the environment, generally from alternative media sources including journals, newsletters, weeklies, zines, music, and ...
. Itchy and Scratchy Land is a parody of
Disneyland
Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envision ...
, and its ride "Itchy and Scratchy's Injury 500" is a reference to the
Indy 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianap ...
. The episode is dedicated to the American sportscaster
Vin Scully
Vincent Edward Scully (November 29, 1927 – August 2, 2022) was an American sportscaster. He was best known for his 67 seasons calling games for Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, beginning in 1950 (when the franchise was located ...
. Music played during the episode's race sequence and end credits was composed by Alf Clausen and Greg Prechel, and is an homage to the songs from the Fast and the Furious franchise.
In an article on Queer Theory that analyses the episode, Jonathan Hay relates the episode's unconventional opening credits sequence and Grampa's jubilation at realizing he is not a father to Lee Edelman's concept of reproductive futurity, as proposed in his 2004 monograph 'No Future: Queer Theory and the Death Drive'. Hay writes that:
Reception
Dennis Perkins of '' The A.V. Club'' gave "Dad Behavior" a B− stating:
In short, there’s nothing especially wrong with 'Dad Behavior,'...That the episode doesn’t turn out more memorably for all that is one of those elusive near-misses that’s maddeningly tough to pin down. In the end, the lack of stakes is what undermines the story. Bart and Homer’s estrangement just doesn’t feel weighty or immediate enough.
Tony Sokol
Tony Sokol (born March 23, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York, United States) is an American playwright, writer and composer, best known for writing the theatrical horror series La Commedia Del Sangue: Vampyr Theatre in New York City.
As a musician, Sok ...
of
Den of Geek
''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a bi-annual magazine.
History
''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ...
scored the episode 4.5 out 5 stars stating:
The episode is very funny, very clever and ends on a classic sequence...Although The Simpsons play out the family jealousies a lot, this one kept it fresh...Tonight’s highlight was the rising orchestral tension in the scene where Abe finds out about the baby’s lineage. The music builds on Abe’s face, the mother’s face and lingers on Jasper’s beard. Thrilling. Chilling. Ultimately freeing.
In addition, the episode's couch gag itself was commented on by reviewers. Lucy Morris of Digital Spy felt that the couch gag was bleak, and a strange departure from the show's usual opening sequences. She noted however that Bart finally getting control of the TV remote was a welcome "silver lining" to the numerous traumatic deaths of his immediate family members within the couch gag. Caroline Westbrook of ''Metro'' also felt that the sequence was "pretty darned grim", but noted that it was not the series' first significantly weird couch gag.
"Dad Behavior" scored a 1.3 rating and was watched by 2.88 million people, making it Fox's highest rated show of the night. However, this was a significant decrease from the previous episode, " Havana Wild Weekend", which acquired a 3.1 rating, and was watched by 7.13 million people.