This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Larry laptop (talk | contribs) at 18:57, 11 December 2006 (Looking at the simpsons project page - those should be moved to wikiquote - whoever has an account there and wants to do it - you can recover them from the previous edit to this). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 18:57, 11 December 2006 by Larry laptop (talk | contribs) (Looking at the simpsons project page - those should be moved to wikiquote - whoever has an account there and wants to do it - you can recover them from the previous edit to this)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Episode of the 17th season of The Simpsons| "See Homer Run" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| File:GABF21.jpg | |
| Episode no. | Season 17 |
| Directed by | Nancy Kruse |
| Written by | Stephanie Gillis |
| Original air dates | November 20, 2005 |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | None |
| Couch gag | The family appears as usual, afterwards the angle zooms out to reveal they are on display on as earth humans in a zoo for the alien species to which Kang and Kodos belong. |
| Episode chronology | |
| The Simpsons season 17 | |
| List of episodes | |
"See Homer Run" is the sixth episode of the 17th season of The Simpsons. The synopsis is a takeoff of the 2003 California recall election.
Synopsis
On Father's Day, Homer is impressed by Bart's gift – a Leather Buddy multi-function knife – but Lisa's gift (a book she created, with caricatures of herself and Homer as unicorns) doesn't go over so well. In a half-hearted attempt to make Lisa feel better, Homer hangs the book on the refrigerator, but it quickly becomes a water-soaked glob of paper.
Lisa takes out her frustrations at school, and her parents are called to talk with Principal Skinner. School psychiatrist Dr. Pryor determines Lisa has a development disorder, which can only be resolved by Homer trying to make amends. He does so by deciding to dress as the Safety Salamander and giving safety talks at school. However, a fireworks display during a school assembly causes a fire.
Meanwhile, Bart – on a dare from the bullies – steals a "Bart Blvd." street sign. This leads to a fiery multi-car pileup when Cletus is unable to find Bart Boulevard. Police cars, fire trucks and ambulances race to the scene but crash into the wreck, making matters worse.
Homer, still dressed in his Safety Salamander costume, runs to the rescue, extricating people who were trapped in their cars just before the pileup explodes in a fireball. Homer gets a rousing reception, and Mayor Quimby is blamed for the bumbling response. Springfield residents pick apart Quimby's administration for other failures, and demand a recall election.
On Lisa's suggestion, Homer decides to run for mayor, playing on his popularity as the Safety Salamander. However, Marge washes the costume, and it falls apart during a debate forum, disappointing the crowd. Eventually, none of the new candidates gain enough of the vote to oust Mayor Quimby. However, Lisa confides in Homer that she is very proud of him and glad he is her father.
Trivia
- This is the first indication (discarding the non-canonical "Treehouse of Horror XVI") that Groundskeeper Willie was not actually killed by his cousin's attack several episodes ago, in "The Girl Who Slept Too Little".
- None of the candidates win because of less than 5% support. This is in line with "Two Bad Neighbors", where George H. W. Bush says that Springfield has the lowest voter turnout in the country.
- Revealed: Dolph is Jewish, and the Crazy Cat Lady's real name is Eleanor Abernathy.
- This is the first appearance of both Dr. J. Loren Pryor (the school psychiatrist), and Freddy Quimby (Mayor Quimby's nephew) in many years. The voices of each character are not audibly different from their original forms (particularly Quimby).
- The stalker-like wedding album scene with Moe reveals that he is still obsessive for Marge.
- Homer also ran for mayor in an issue of Simpsons Comics, though the plots are dissimilar.
- The boys stealing The Scream is a reference to one of The Scream paintings being stolen from the Munch Museum in 2004. The Scream itself, however, was first depicted on The Simpsons in Treehouse of Horror IV.
- This is similar to Officer Buckle and Gloria.
Cultural references
- 2003 California recall election – The Springfield mayoral recall election, Rainier Wolfcastle's campaign in particular, is an obvious parody of the 2003 California recall election, which saw incumbent governor Gray Davis ousted and replaced by Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger.
- See Arnold Run – The episode title is a play on the movie about Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign for California governor.
- The Station nightclub fire — A pyrotechnics show, which caps Homer's "Safety Salamander" presentation at school, starts the stage curtains on fire, under similar circumstances as the deadly 2003 fire before a Great White concert at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island. Everyone is able to escape the Springfield Elementary School fire, however.
- Superman – Homer's line – "This looks like a job for a father trying to win back his daughter's love!" is a play on Superman's signature phrase, "This looks like a job for Superman!"
Broadcasting Information
- 1st Airdate: Sunday, November 20, 2005
- 2nd Airdate: Friday, December 30, 2005
- 3rd Airdate: Sunday, June 18, 2006 (Aired on Father's Day)
- 1st Airdate: Sunday, January 8, 2006
- 2nd Airdate: Friday, January 13, 2006 (Encore Screening)
- 3rd Airdate: Thursday, April 20, 2006
- 4th Airdate: Sunday, June 18, 2006 (Aired on Father's Day)
- 5th Airdate: Sunday, August 6, 2006
- 6th Airdate: Saturday, August 26, 2006
- 1st Airdate: Wednesday, October 11, 2006