See Homer Run
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"See Homer Run" is the sixth episode of the seventeenth 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, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
.'' It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 20, 2005.


Plot

On Father's Day,
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 ...
is unimpressed with Lisa's gift, a book she created with caricatures of herself and Homer as
unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years o ...
s. Trying to make Lisa feel better, he hangs the book on the
refrigerator A refrigerator, colloquially fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so th ...
, but it falls into the refrigerator's water dispenser and gets wet and ruined. Worse, Homer blames the
magnet A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nickel, ...
, which Lisa gave him for his birthday. Lisa takes out her frustrations at school, leading her into trouble, and her parents are called to talk with Principal Skinner. School psychiatrist Dr. J. Loren Pryor determines Lisa is going through a developmental condition spurned by Homer's antics and could wind up with a hatred for men for the rest of her life, which can only be resolved by Homer trying to make amends for everything. He dresses up as The Safety
Salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten ...
, a mascot meant to warn children about electrical power lines, but on the school bus, causes myriad dental injuries when he has
Otto Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', ''Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded fro ...
stop the bus promptly, and then a
fireworks Fireworks are a class of Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a l ...
display during a school assembly causes a massive fire in the auditorium. Meanwhile, Bart—on a dare from the bullies, who plant the idea in his head that he is allowed to steal public property that has his name on it—steals a "Bart Boulevard" street sign. This leads to a fiery multi-vehicle pileup. Homer, still dressed in his Safety Salamander costume, runs to the rescue, extracting people who were trapped in their cars. Homer gets a rousing reception, and Mayor Joe Quimby is blamed for the bumbling response.
Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...
residents criticize Quimby for his many other failures and demand a recall election. On Lisa's suggestion, Homer decides to run for mayor against candidates numbering in excess of 200, playing on his popularity as the Safety Salamander and building a huge lead in the polls. However, after Marge washes Homer's salamander costume after he vomits in it, it falls apart during a debate forum, and the crowd turns on him. None of the new candidates gain the 5% of master vote needed to oust Quimby. Nevertheless, Lisa confides in Homer that she is proud of him and glad he is her father. They then dance in the deserted ballroom.


Production

In a reference to the "lesser of two evils" justification the public often give when voting for a political party, Homer's campaign slogan for Springfield mayor is "the lesser of 25 evils". ''Laughing Matters: Humor and American Politics in the Media Age'' cites the episode to illustrate an example of "it's only funny because it's true" humour. In the episode Mayor Quimby undergoes a recall election that includes hundreds of questionably-qualified candidates, one of which is Rainer Wolfcastle. This obscure joke references actor and bodybuilder
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
(on whom Wolfcastle is based), who won the
2003 California gubernatorial recall election The 2003 California gubernatorial recall election was a special election permitted under California state law. It resulted in voters replacing incumbent Democratic Governor Gray Davis with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. The recall effort spa ...
when incumbent governor
Gray Davis Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American attorney and former politician who served as the 37th governor of California from 1999 to 2003. In 2003, only a few months into his second term, Davis was recalled and remov ...
was recalled. ''Laughing Matters'' notes that while the plot of the episode is about lack of citizen efficacy and the power of name recognition and popularity, the sophisticated humor for a few serves little comedic purpose".


Reception

''Simpsons Confidential'' cites the episode as an example of "increasingly explicit social and political commentary hatwe are now clubbed over the head with" in the Jean era. It says the "single contemporary subject" ''See Homer Run'' revolves around is "electoral politics".
Stephanie Gillis Stephanie Gillis is an American television writer. She writes for ''The Simpsons'' and has written 11 episodes. Gillis lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband, fellow ''The Simpsons'' writer Al Jean. She is a graduate of Barnard Coll ...
was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Writing in Animation at the
58th Writers Guild of America Awards The 58th Writers Guild of America Awards, given on February 4, 2006, honored the best film writer, film and television writers of 2005. Winners and nominees Film Adapted Screenplay ''Brokeback Mountain'' – Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana ...
for her script to this episode.


References


External links

*
"See Homer Run"
en TheSimpsons.com {{The Simpsons episodes, 17 The Simpsons (season 17) episodes 2005 American television episodes Television episodes about elections