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"Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em" is the third episode The Simpsons’ eighteenth season and first aired September 24, 2006. After buying a series of carpenter books, Homer refuses to actually build anything, prompting Marge to become a carpenter. But as many residents in Springfield don't want a female carpenter, Marge decides she would use Homer as a front, while she would be doing the real work. It was written by Matt Warburton and double-directed by Mike B. Anderson and Ralph Sosa. In its original run, the episode received 9.72 million viewers.

Plot

On a trip to an extremely poor mall, Homer happens across the Time Life Carpenter’s Library, and Marge encourages him to buy them. Also seen is 'I, Scoundrel' by Esme Delacroix, a book featured in a previous episode. Homer's interest in carpentry fades, and Marge decides to use them herself to fix up the house, starting with her broken nightstand. She begins to learn more and more about carpentry and Lisa suggests to Marge that she try to earn some money as a handyman, thus opening up 'Simpsons Carpentry'. However, potential clients turn her down, dismissing the idea of a woman carpenter. Commenting on how people expect carpenters male, Marge develops a plan. She uses Homer as a front to the customers, while Marge, hiding in an accompanied red tool chest, does the all of the work as Homer rests in the tool box. Meanwhile, a note is sent out from the school, informing parents that someone at the school has a peanut allergy so peanuts will no longer be allowed on school premises. An indignant Bart claims it to be unfair not to disclose the identity of the "kid," but he soon discovers the "kid" is actually Principal Skinner. With this newfound knowledge, and with the assistance of a peanut on a yardstick, Bart is able to abuse Skinner by making him do a number of humiliating activities.

While business is going great, Marge becomes a bit discouraged by Helen Lovejoy and Lindsay Naegle when she is out buying supplies, who berate her for being Homer's "helper". That night, Marge tells Homer that she feels he is taking too much credit and wishes she would get some recognition for the work. Homer, however, does not want to be humiliated by revealing his wife did everything. After an incident in which Homer mocks Marge's carpentry skills with Lenny and Carl, Marge becomes enraged and quits, leaving Homer alone to do his biggest commission yet: repairing Springfield’s old wooden roller coaster, "The Zoominator". Homer tries to fake his way through being a foreman in front of his newly hired construction crew, but they eventually abandon him when he reveals he can not pay them nor knows anything about construction. Late one night, Skinner searches through medical records of Bart. He finds out that Bart is allergic to shrimp. The next day, Skinner counters Bart's peanut stick with his own: a shrimp on a stick. Bart and Skinner clash with their respective “sticks,” eventually leading them into into a Thai food factory in the "Little Bangkok" section of town. They battle over a rickety catwalk, until it gives way, plunging them both into a vat of peanut shrimp, setting off both of their sensitive allergies.

The big reopening day arrives, and Homer stands in front of a crowd gathered to witness the unveiling of the refurbished roller coaster. Marge has a video camera at the ready, so she can catch Homer being exposed as a fraud on tape. When revealed, the crowd is in awe at the seemingly repaired roller coaster, but with a hit from Homer's popped cork from his champagne, the coaster collapses, becoming as rundown as it had been before. Still not wanting to admit the truth, Homer proves the coaster is safe by riding it himself, even though there are large gaps in the track. Acting quickly, Marge repairs each broken piece just before Homer's cart runs over it. While riding, Homer announces to the crowd that Marge did all the handy work. The crowd applauds as the coaster comes to a stop at the beginning, and just as Marge is about to tell Homer that she loves him, the entire roller coaster structure comes crashing down on top, injuring Homer. At the hospital, Marge visits Homer, who is immobilized in a full body cast. Bart and Skinner rest in their respective hospital beds in the same room as Homer, and the two proceed to throw shrimp and peanuts at each other to set off their respective allergies again.

Cultural references

This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. Please relocate any relevant information into other sections or articles. (April 2008)

• The title of the episode is a play on MC Hammer's 1990 album Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em.
• The premise of this episode is similar to that of the 1980s U.S. television series Remington Steele, in which a woman private investigator invented the title character as a front to make her services more marketable. The makers of "Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em" subtly acknowledge the source of the premise by including a fictitious Remington Steele video game in the background when Bart is shown playing in the mall's video arcade.
• The music played during Bart and Principal Skinner’s stick fight (and also while they throw peanuts and shrimps at each other, later in the hospital) is called "Duel of the Fates", composed by John Williams. It is used a number of times in episodes 1-3 of the Star Wars franchise.
• The duel between Bart and Skinner parodies the battle between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader on Mustafar. Bart and Skinner's fight also moves into a peanut shrimp factory where they battle above steaming vats, which is a reference to Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi's battle above a river of lava in Revenge of the Sith. Also in the mall scene is a game named Triangle Wars, a spoof on Star Wars.
• The song that's heard while Bart is torturing Skinner is "Beat on the Brat" by The Ramones.
• One book at the book store is entitled "The Kansas City Royals: Forever Champions" is a reference to their 1985 World Series victory. The Royals, hampered both by being a small-market franchise and making a lot of bad personnel decisions, have been mostly non-competitive since then, making this the perfect book for a dead mall's store to sell.
• The song Homer, Carl and Lenny sing to diffuse Marge's groaning is Queen's single "We Will Rock You".
• The outfits Marge and Homer wear is a reference to video game heroes Mario and Luigi. Homer has a red under shirt and Marge has a green under shirt, and they both have blue overalls.
• The sign for the factory Skinner and Bart fight into says it was formerly Petco. This is a reference to many people believing Thai food comes from pets.
• One of the roller coaster enthusiasts has a shirt saying "Dilbert's Flying Cubicle" this is a ride in the season 19 episode "I Don't Wanna Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"
• When Principal Skinner says, "I was told to stand in your store window,(sigh)and breast-feed Bilbo Baggins", he is referring to Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit from The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The Mall Parodies

• A Polybius cabinet can be seen in the arcade.
• In the mall there is a store called 1987 Calendars. That is the year The Simpsons first aired on The Tracey Ullman Show.
• In the background of the arcade there is a game called Monkey Kong, a direct parody of Donkey Kong. A popular but untrue urban myth says that the name was originally meant to be Monkey Kong but was misspelled or misinterpreted due to a blurred fax or bad telephone connection.
• The bookstore in the Springfield Mall is named "Rock Bottom Remainders." This is a reference to the rock band of the same name, made up of famous published writers such as Stephen King, Dave Barry and Simpsons creator Matt Groening.
• The mall used to have a J.C. Penney (misspelled as "J.C. Penney's.")
• The Rocky game in the arcade has Rocky saying "You ain't so bad" to Clara Peller who is saying "Where's the beef". These were both popular phrases in the 1980s.
• The game "Triangle Wars" is a parody of the arcade game Asteroids.

Censorship

• The scene when Principal Skinner is tortured by Mr. Peanut is cut out from syndicated airings of this episode. Instead it skips to Skinner going to Doctor Hibbert's office to reveal Bart's weakness.

References

1. ^ "The Simpsons: "Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
2. [http://www.simpsonschannel.com/news/monthly-archive-9-2006.html Simpsons Channel ratings: "Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em"

• Articles with trivia sections from April 2008
• The Simpsons episodes, season 18
• 2006 television episodes