Homer vs. Dignity
Encyclopedia
"Homer vs. Dignity" is the fifth episode of the The Simpsons
’ twelfth season
, first broadcast by Fox
on November 26, 2000. In the episode, Mr. Burns hires a cash-strapped Homer as his "prank monkey", paying him to play pranks on others and humiliate himself in public.
The episode was written by Rob LaZebnik
in his last writing credit for over eight years, until season 20's "Father Knows Worst
". The episode features cultural references to The Magic Christian
and The Birds
.
to dinner at the Singing Sirloin restaurant (as seen in "Life on the Fast Lane
") for getting his first "A" in an astronomy
quiz. When asked how he achieved this rarity, Bart explains that he was in Mrs. Krabappel
's class trying to force a hamster and a lizard to mate, but was forced to hide in the coat closet when he saw Krabappel and Principal Skinner
making out, and needing to get his mind off this, he studied a chart of the Solar System
on the closet wall. The family's feeling of pride does not last, though, as a waiter tells Homer
that the credit card he has attempted to use for paying the meal has been rejected. The family responds by trying to run away, but are stopped and made to sing and entertain the other customers in the restaurant to work off their debt. At the end of the night, as the family are driving home, Bart and Lisa notice that the back seats and floor of the car are missing, and Homer explains that he had to sell them for gas money (which he spent on a novelty car horn). He and Marge
subsequently learn from a visit to financial planner Lindsay Naegle that the Simpsons are having severe money woes.
In the hope of sorting out these problems, Homer decides to ask his boss, Mr. Burns, for a raise. Burns, meanwhile, has decided to spend a week looking for things to amuse himself while his assistant, Smithers
, is in New Mexico
performing in a Malibu Stacy musical that he wrote. When Burns tries unsuccessfully to use the salad bar
at the cafeteria, Homer shows him how, then sums up his courage to ask for a raise. Burns is unimpressed and, wanting a "larf", orders Homer to throw a pudding at Lenny with the promise of four dollars. Homer does so, amusing Burns so much that he decides to make Homer his "Executive in Charge of Recreation" or, in his words, his "prank monkey".
Subsequently, Burns takes Homer around the streets of Springfield, making him perform embarrassing or cruel tasks such as eating a rare Spider-Man
comic in front of Comic Book Guy
and pretending to be a baby in a public toilet, and paying him for each of these tasks. Then, Burns takes him to the Springfield Zoo, where he makes him put on a panda
suit and masquerade as a new female panda named "Sim-Sim" in the hope of shocking onlookers when they discover the disguise. It goes wrong for Homer, though, when first he is zapped by two animal handlers, before the zoo's male panda, Ping-Ping, becomes romantically interested with "Sim-Sim" and drags "her" into his cave. Finally, when Homer tries to escape, he ends up in the skunk
exhibit and gets sprayed. It is then that Lisa
discovers him.
Lisa convinces Homer to stop being a "prank monkey" as his dignity is more important than money. This he does, though Burns still gives him his payment for the panda task. When Homer asks Lisa what he should do with all the money he has earned, Lisa suggests donating it to needy children, so he spends it all on toys at Costington's Department Store. Mr. Costington is so impressed by this show of generosity that he suggests that Homer dress up as Santa Claus
for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day parade, distributing the toys to the kids. During the parade, however, Burns shows up and tries to convince Homer, in his Santa costume, to pull a prank on the whole town. Homer flatly refuses, only to be tempted by Burns' promise of one million dollars. Santa is then seen throwing bucketfuls of fish guts into the crowd, which results in an attack by seagull
s. A disappointed Lisa watches on, remarking, "Oh, dad, you sold your soul
," when Homer, back in his normal clothes, appears alongside her; it turns out that Burns is now wearing the Santa costume. Homer thanks Lisa for giving him "the gift of dignity", and the family embrace before Burns throws fish guts at them.
and directed by Neil Affleck
, his last episode to direct. It is Rob's first full written script with the first script being "G-G-Ghost D-D-Dad" from "Treehouse of Horror XI
" and is based on The Magic Christian
. There was originally a sub-plot with Smithers
' musical. Rob brought some friends and his wife to the table read and during the third act was repeatedly ended and went badly making Larry Doyle laugh hysterically. There was another prank where Mr. Burns put a lottery ticket into a grave and everybody went digging for the lottery ticket. The episode includes a character named Rusty the Clown, a reference to Rusty Nails
, the inspiration for Krusty the Clown.
There was originally going to be a running gag where Lenny keeps getting hit with random objects. There were many endings to the original script. One ending was Homer throwing pig's blood into the crowd and 50 years later showing Homer telling a group of children that this was the reason why Thanksgiving was renamed Bloodsfest. There was also another ending with gravy, but then changed to fish guts. They were also going to be hit by blood and laugh. The full version of the song "Sold Separately" was later released on The Simpsons soundtrack album, The Simpsons: Testify
. "Homer vs. Dignity" was included on The Simpsons Christmas 2 DVD along with "Dude, Where's My Ranch?
", "Skinner's Sense of Snow
", and "'Tis the 15th Season".
episode "Skinner's Sense of Snow
", the season fourteen
episode "Dude, Where's My Ranch?
", and the season fifteen
episode "'Tis the Fifteenth Season
".
The episode has received negative reviews from critics. Cindy White of IGN
said that while the episode is universally panned (mostly due to the scene where Homer is (implicitly) rape
d by a panda at the zoo and the intentional recycling of other Simpsons episode premises, such as The Simpsons having financial trouble, Mr. Burns hiring Homer to be his assistant while Smithers is on vacation
, Homer dressing up as Santa Claus
, and Lisa worrying over someone selling their soul
), but has funny throwaway jokes and sight gags to make up for it. Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide gave the episode a negative review saying "Bad sign number one: when a series plagiarizes
itself. That occurs here when Mr. Burns states “There’s a new Mexico?”, a line that was a lot funnier...back in season five. Bad sign number two: a scene in which Homer gets raped by a panda. A couple of the pranks provide minor amusement, but overall, this is a weak episode. Judge Mac McEntire of the DVD Verdict said the episode's best moment was with Homer and the panda. Mike Scully
claims that the episode was critically panned because not many people had seen The Magic Christian
.
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
’ twelfth season
The Simpsons (season 12)
The Simpsons 12th season began on Wednesday, November 1, 2000 with "Treehouse of Horror XI".The season contains four hold over episodes from the season 11 production line. The show runner for the twelfth production was Mike Scully. The season features three episodes that were produced for the...
, first broadcast by Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
on November 26, 2000. In the episode, Mr. Burns hires a cash-strapped Homer as his "prank monkey", paying him to play pranks on others and humiliate himself in public.
The episode was written by Rob LaZebnik
Rob LaZebnik
Rob LaZebnik is a television writer. He graduated from David H. Hickman High School in Columbia, Missouri and Harvard University. He currently works as a co-executive producer on The Simpsons and is credited with having written five episodes: "Treehouse of Horror XI" , "Homer vs...
in his last writing credit for over eight years, until season 20's "Father Knows Worst
Father Knows Worst
"Father Knows Worst" is the eighteenth episode of the twentieth season of The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 26, 2009. In the episode, Bart and Lisa start struggling in their academic and social lives at school and Homer starts monitoring them and...
". The episode features cultural references to The Magic Christian
The Magic Christian (film)
The Magic Christian is a 1969 British comedy film directed by Joseph McGrath and starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, with noteworthy appearances by John Cleese, Raquel Welch, Christopher Lee, Richard Attenborough and Roman Polanski. It was loosely adapted from the 1959 comic novel of the same...
and The Birds
The Birds (film)
The Birds is a 1963 horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on the 1952 short story "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier. It depicts Bodega Bay, California which is, suddenly and for unexplained reasons, the subject of a series of widespread and violent bird attacks over the course of a few...
.
Plot
The family take BartBart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
to dinner at the Singing Sirloin restaurant (as seen in "Life on the Fast Lane
Life on the Fast Lane
"Life on the Fast Lane", also known as "Jacques To Be Wild", is the ninth episode of The Simpsons first season, which originally aired on March 18, 1990. It was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by David Silverman. Albert Brooks guest starred as Jacques, a French bowling instructor, with...
") for getting his first "A" in an astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
quiz. When asked how he achieved this rarity, Bart explains that he was in Mrs. Krabappel
Edna Krabappel
Edna Krabappel is a fictional character from the animated TV series The Simpsons, voiced by Marcia Wallace. She is a 4th grade teacher at Springfield Elementary School. Krabappel is the only character Wallace voices on a regular basis.- Profile :...
's class trying to force a hamster and a lizard to mate, but was forced to hide in the coat closet when he saw Krabappel and Principal Skinner
Seymour Skinner
Principal W. Seymour Skinner is a fictional character in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer. Born in Capitol City, he is the principal of Springfield Elementary School...
making out, and needing to get his mind off this, he studied a chart of the Solar System
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
on the closet wall. The family's feeling of pride does not last, though, as a waiter tells Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
that the credit card he has attempted to use for paying the meal has been rejected. The family responds by trying to run away, but are stopped and made to sing and entertain the other customers in the restaurant to work off their debt. At the end of the night, as the family are driving home, Bart and Lisa notice that the back seats and floor of the car are missing, and Homer explains that he had to sell them for gas money (which he spent on a novelty car horn). He and Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
subsequently learn from a visit to financial planner Lindsay Naegle that the Simpsons are having severe money woes.
In the hope of sorting out these problems, Homer decides to ask his boss, Mr. Burns, for a raise. Burns, meanwhile, has decided to spend a week looking for things to amuse himself while his assistant, Smithers
Waylon Smithers
Waylon Smithers, Jr., usually referred to as Smithers, is a recurring fictional character in the animated series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer. Smithers first appeared in the episode "Homer's Odyssey", although he could be heard in the series premiere "Simpsons Roasting on an Open...
, is in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
performing in a Malibu Stacy musical that he wrote. When Burns tries unsuccessfully to use the salad bar
Salad bar
A salad bar is a buffet-style table or counter at a restaurant or food market on which salad components are provided for customers to assemble their own salad plates...
at the cafeteria, Homer shows him how, then sums up his courage to ask for a raise. Burns is unimpressed and, wanting a "larf", orders Homer to throw a pudding at Lenny with the promise of four dollars. Homer does so, amusing Burns so much that he decides to make Homer his "Executive in Charge of Recreation" or, in his words, his "prank monkey".
Subsequently, Burns takes Homer around the streets of Springfield, making him perform embarrassing or cruel tasks such as eating a rare Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
comic in front of Comic Book Guy
Comic Book Guy
Comic Book Guy is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria, and first appeared in the second-season episode "Three Men and a Comic Book", which originally aired on May 9, 1991. He is the proprietor of a comic book store, The...
and pretending to be a baby in a public toilet, and paying him for each of these tasks. Then, Burns takes him to the Springfield Zoo, where he makes him put on a panda
Giant Panda
The giant panda, or panda is a bear native to central-western and south western China. It is easily recognized by its large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, over the ears, and across its round body. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the panda's diet is 99% bamboo...
suit and masquerade as a new female panda named "Sim-Sim" in the hope of shocking onlookers when they discover the disguise. It goes wrong for Homer, though, when first he is zapped by two animal handlers, before the zoo's male panda, Ping-Ping, becomes romantically interested with "Sim-Sim" and drags "her" into his cave. Finally, when Homer tries to escape, he ends up in the skunk
Skunk
Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...
exhibit and gets sprayed. It is then that Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
discovers him.
Lisa convinces Homer to stop being a "prank monkey" as his dignity is more important than money. This he does, though Burns still gives him his payment for the panda task. When Homer asks Lisa what he should do with all the money he has earned, Lisa suggests donating it to needy children, so he spends it all on toys at Costington's Department Store. Mr. Costington is so impressed by this show of generosity that he suggests that Homer dress up as Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day parade, distributing the toys to the kids. During the parade, however, Burns shows up and tries to convince Homer, in his Santa costume, to pull a prank on the whole town. Homer flatly refuses, only to be tempted by Burns' promise of one million dollars. Santa is then seen throwing bucketfuls of fish guts into the crowd, which results in an attack by seagull
Gull
Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...
s. A disappointed Lisa watches on, remarking, "Oh, dad, you sold your soul
Deal with the Devil
Deal With The Devil is the fifth studio album by the American heavy metal band Lizzy Borden released in 2000 .A return to form, featuring a cover by Todd McFarlane.2 covers were recorded...
," when Homer, back in his normal clothes, appears alongside her; it turns out that Burns is now wearing the Santa costume. Homer thanks Lisa for giving him "the gift of dignity", and the family embrace before Burns throws fish guts at them.
Production
The episode was written by Rob LaZebnikRob LaZebnik
Rob LaZebnik is a television writer. He graduated from David H. Hickman High School in Columbia, Missouri and Harvard University. He currently works as a co-executive producer on The Simpsons and is credited with having written five episodes: "Treehouse of Horror XI" , "Homer vs...
and directed by Neil Affleck
Neil Affleck
Neil Affleck is an actor, animator and director. Currently directing the children's cartoon, Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends on Nick Jr., he has worked on The Simpsons and Family Guy in the past....
, his last episode to direct. It is Rob's first full written script with the first script being "G-G-Ghost D-D-Dad" from "Treehouse of Horror XI
Treehouse of Horror XI
"Treehouse of Horror XI" is the first episode of The Simpsons twelfth season and the 249th overall, and the eleventh Halloween episode. The episode features "G-G-Ghost D-D-Dad", "Scary Tales Can Come True" and "Night of the Dolphin" and was written by Rob LaZebnik , John Frink and Don Payne and...
" and is based on The Magic Christian
The Magic Christian (film)
The Magic Christian is a 1969 British comedy film directed by Joseph McGrath and starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, with noteworthy appearances by John Cleese, Raquel Welch, Christopher Lee, Richard Attenborough and Roman Polanski. It was loosely adapted from the 1959 comic novel of the same...
. There was originally a sub-plot with Smithers
Waylon Smithers
Waylon Smithers, Jr., usually referred to as Smithers, is a recurring fictional character in the animated series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer. Smithers first appeared in the episode "Homer's Odyssey", although he could be heard in the series premiere "Simpsons Roasting on an Open...
' musical. Rob brought some friends and his wife to the table read and during the third act was repeatedly ended and went badly making Larry Doyle laugh hysterically. There was another prank where Mr. Burns put a lottery ticket into a grave and everybody went digging for the lottery ticket. The episode includes a character named Rusty the Clown, a reference to Rusty Nails
Rusty Nails
Jim Allen portrayed the clown character Rusty Nails and was the host of various children's television shows in the Portland, Oregon, U.S. television market from 1957–1972...
, the inspiration for Krusty the Clown.
There was originally going to be a running gag where Lenny keeps getting hit with random objects. There were many endings to the original script. One ending was Homer throwing pig's blood into the crowd and 50 years later showing Homer telling a group of children that this was the reason why Thanksgiving was renamed Bloodsfest. There was also another ending with gravy, but then changed to fish guts. They were also going to be hit by blood and laugh. The full version of the song "Sold Separately" was later released on The Simpsons soundtrack album, The Simpsons: Testify
The Simpsons: Testify
The Simpsons: Testify is an album that features songs from the animated television series The Simpsons. It was released on September 18, 2007 and includes songs from season 11 to season 18...
. "Homer vs. Dignity" was included on The Simpsons Christmas 2 DVD along with "Dude, Where's My Ranch?
Dude, Where's My Ranch?
"Dude, Where's My Ranch?" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons fourteenth season. The episode aired on April 27, 2003. It was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham and was the first episode directed by Chris Clements.-Plot:...
", "Skinner's Sense of Snow
Skinner's Sense of Snow
"Skinner's Sense of Snow" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons twelfth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 2000. In the episode, a snowstorm traps the students with principal Seymour Skinner and Groundskeeper Willie in Springfield Elementary...
", and "'Tis the 15th Season".
Reception
On November 2, 2004, the episode was released in the United States on a DVD collection titled The Simpsons Christmas 2, along with the season twelveThe Simpsons (season 12)
The Simpsons 12th season began on Wednesday, November 1, 2000 with "Treehouse of Horror XI".The season contains four hold over episodes from the season 11 production line. The show runner for the twelfth production was Mike Scully. The season features three episodes that were produced for the...
episode "Skinner's Sense of Snow
Skinner's Sense of Snow
"Skinner's Sense of Snow" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons twelfth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 2000. In the episode, a snowstorm traps the students with principal Seymour Skinner and Groundskeeper Willie in Springfield Elementary...
", the season fourteen
The Simpsons (season 14)
The fourteenth season of the animated television series The Simpsons was originally broadcast on the Fox network in the United States between November 3, 2002 and May 18, 2003. The show runner for the fourteenth production season was Al Jean, who executive produced 21 of 22 episodes. The other...
episode "Dude, Where's My Ranch?
Dude, Where's My Ranch?
"Dude, Where's My Ranch?" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons fourteenth season. The episode aired on April 27, 2003. It was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham and was the first episode directed by Chris Clements.-Plot:...
", and the season fifteen
The Simpsons (season 15)
The Simpsons 15th season began on Sunday, November 2, 2003 with "Treehouse of Horror XIV".The season contains five hold-over episodes from the season 14 production line...
episode "'Tis the Fifteenth Season
'Tis the Fifteenth Season
Tis the Fifteenth Season is the seventh episode of The Simpsons fifteenth season. This episode is notable as being the first to make reference to Lisa's Buddhism, to which she converted in an earlier Christmas episode, "She of Little Faith".-Plot:...
".
The episode has received negative reviews from critics. Cindy White of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
said that while the episode is universally panned (mostly due to the scene where Homer is (implicitly) rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d by a panda at the zoo and the intentional recycling of other Simpsons episode premises, such as The Simpsons having financial trouble, Mr. Burns hiring Homer to be his assistant while Smithers is on vacation
Homer the Smithers
"Homer the Smithers" is the 17th episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 25, 1996. In this episode, Smithers takes a vacation and hires Homer to take over as Mr. Burns' assistant...
, Homer dressing up as Santa Claus
Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", also known as "The Simpsons Christmas Special", is the first full-length episode of The Simpsons to air despite originally being the eighth episode produced for season one. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 1989...
, and Lisa worrying over someone selling their soul
Bart Sells His Soul
"Bart Sells His Soul" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It first aired in the United States on the Fox network, on October 8, 1995. In the episode, Bart pranks churchgoers by replacing the music to a hymn with a psychedelic rock song, so Reverend Lovejoy forces him and Milhouse...
), but has funny throwaway jokes and sight gags to make up for it. Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide gave the episode a negative review saying "Bad sign number one: when a series plagiarizes
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
itself. That occurs here when Mr. Burns states “There’s a new Mexico?”, a line that was a lot funnier...back in season five. Bad sign number two: a scene in which Homer gets raped by a panda. A couple of the pranks provide minor amusement, but overall, this is a weak episode. Judge Mac McEntire of the DVD Verdict said the episode's best moment was with Homer and the panda. Mike Scully
Mike Scully
Mike Scully is an American television writer and producer. He is known for his work as executive producer and showrunner of the animated sitcom The Simpsons from 1997 to 2001. Scully grew up in West Springfield, Massachusetts and long had an interest in writing. He was an underachiever at school...
claims that the episode was critically panned because not many people had seen The Magic Christian
The Magic Christian (film)
The Magic Christian is a 1969 British comedy film directed by Joseph McGrath and starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, with noteworthy appearances by John Cleese, Raquel Welch, Christopher Lee, Richard Attenborough and Roman Polanski. It was loosely adapted from the 1959 comic novel of the same...
.
External links
- "Homer vs. Dignity" at The Simpsons.com
- "Homer vs. Dignity" at Allmovie