Capsule Submission for GABF07 "Mobile Homer"
DYN... ...Marge inadvertently says "Hey, hey, it's Krusty the Klown"? ...Homer's hat says "Hunk" on it in Marge's fantasy? ...Bart's skateboard has his name on the bottom? ...OFF has apparently been to France (Bart wasn't the only one)? ...Bart seemed to be the cause of all of Homer's near-death experiences in their vacation photos (he was in the background laughing in all three)? ...The insurance representative doesn't seemed concerned at all during Homer's shredder accident (I guess she wouldn't have to be since her company didn't have to cover him) ...Bart and Lisa fit in the same chair in the motor home? ...Bart and Lisa initially take their parent's separation pretty well? ...Homer tries to fix his "comb-over" when his head is sticking out of the car window during the chase?
Goofs - Homer throws the TV Guide out the garage at the spider, yet it loops back to inside the garage to hit the open/close button - The spider disappears as the garage door closes repeatedly on Homer - The house next door to OFF's is facing to the left (towards the Simpson house) instead of to the street (I'm not sure if this is a goof, but I don't recall this setup from past episodes) - Homer's RV friend drives forward into OFF's backyard, but in the next shot it looks like he backed up into it because the RV is facing the opposite direction - Homer does the divorce paper work in 4F04, despite Lisa's belief that he wouldn't - The button that releases the table bed disappears and reappears before Bart and Lisa steal the RV - Bart and Lisa don't write a note when they suddenly drive away in the second act, but there is one left behind in the third act - Bart and Lisa enter the freeway and merge into the fifth lane without turning the steering wheel - The color of the SUVs in front of Marge change - Lisa can reach the accelerator, but not the brake?
- "Charlotte's Web" (book) Charlotte's Dead Spider Poison is a parody - Lifetime TV Channel Wifetime TV is a knockoff - Google/Ask Jeeves Internet search engines Homer "googles" his name at work and makes a note to "Ask Jeeves" if Dino is short for dinosaur - "Extreme Home Makeover"/"Pimp My Ride" (TV shows) Homer's desire to go on "Motor Home Make Over" and to "trick [the motor home] out like a palace" is a reference to these two popular shows - "Home Alone" (movie) Homer worries that the kids stole the car and are home alone, then he holds his face kind of the way Macaulay Culkin does in this film - Cyprus War of 1974 (see comments) Homer calls the Turkish "Cyprus splitting jerks"
Past Episode References AABF17: Marge makes the family go out to do something boring 5F16: Homer's body becomes muscular AABF02: Homer has long luxurious hair in a fantasy 1F15: OFF cleans the house BABF04: Homer doesn't want to throw out cross country skis CABF14: "Spider poison is people poison?!" reminded me of "Inflammable means flammable?!" 3F02: Homer trips on Bart's skateboard 8F06: Homer crushed multiple times by a door 7F23: Homer's face changes color when he's lacking oxygen 7G13: Bart goes to France 9F09: Happy Widow Insurance (Merry Widow Insurance Co.) 9F09: Homer's heart attack 9F09: Homer tries and fails to sign a contract at the last minute 7F24: Homer is stamped with an adjective ("insane"/"uninsurable") 3G03: Marge rocking rhythmically in fetal position 9F01: A president on U.S. currency comes to life 7G09, 2F22: Homer in an RV 1F20: Homer leaves the house to live in the backyard AABF10: Bart turns something Lisa says into an insult ("You're for dinner"/"You're a bread compartment") FABF16: Homer takes off his shirt and waves it above his head in celebration 7F20: Marge extensively lists all of Homer's flaws 4F04: Homer does the divorce paper work 8F21, 1F14, 5F10: Someone does a bad impression of Marge 3F17, 4F21, AABF22, DABF01: Bart drives a motor vehicle 2F02, 5F03: Lisa drives a car 4F20: The Great Gazoo/"Ozmodiar" appears AABF10: An SUV rolls and bursts into flames 1F03: Homer pleads with a family member to pull over 9F01: Homer's vehicle lands on a boat
Review Tonight's episode was so down to earth that it actually made me miss the Simpsons wackiness of the past few seasons (...I feel so dirty). The plot flowed well and logically, yet it was light on laughs. I don't think I laughed once until the "Budget O's" joke (my other two laughs were "Woo-hoo! Free gas!" and the SUV "gentle curve ahead" joke). The drama of Marge and Homer possibly getting divorced has dried up, which could be seen by Bart and Lisa's overall lack of concern. On the whole, "Mobile Homer" is a standard if not forgettable episode. But it gains some points for actually being somewhat plausible and steadily written, not absolutely insane as past episodes have proved to be. Grade: C
Comments
"Cyprus splitting jerks!" Cyprus, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, was partitioned in 1974. On July 15, the president was exiled by a group that wanted Cyprus to unite with Greece, which Greek cyproits considered the "homeland." However, there were many on the island that claimed Turkish heritage and would have none of it. Turkey didn't like the way things were heading so they invaded on July 23. After many ethnic massacres, the island was split with the Greeks in the south and the Turks in the north. Cyprus has been divided since, with the UN trying their best to keep violence at bay. So surely, it's not just Turkey's fault...the Greeks had a role in splitting the country, too.
Thoughts
If Homer actually did google his name at work, it's no wonder why it takes so much time to look at all the results. With all the stunts this "local nut" has pulled, I'm sure his name gets many webpage hits.