See Homer Run
Encyclopedia
"See Homer Run" is the sixth episode of the 17th season
of The Simpsons
.
, Homer
is profoundly impressed by Bart's
gift — a Leather Buddy multi-function knife
, holding which he fantasizes about rescuing Marge
from pirates
— and proudly tells Bart that it is the greatest gift any father could receive. As for Lisa's
gift (a book she created, disgusted with the "mass-produced junk" that does not adequately convey her feelings for her father; with caricatures of herself and Homer as unicorn
s), it does not 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 when the book falls into the refrigerator's water dispenser. Homer blames the magnet
, which (ironically
) turns out to be a magnet that Lisa gave Homer 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 (last seen on the season nine
flashback episode "Lisa's Sax
") determines Lisa is going through a developmental condition and could wind up hating all men in the world, which can only be resolved by Homer trying to make amends for everything. He does so by dressing up as The Safety Salamander
, who is meant to warn children about electrical power lines. Before accepting the job he asks "What happened to the last Safety Salamander?", to which Skinner responds "Uh, he fell asleep in the suit and suffocated". However, while on the school bus, Homer causes myriad dental
injuries when he has Otto
stop the bus promptly, and then a fireworks
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, and will endure full immunity from the law — steals a "Bart Boulevard" street sign. This leads to a fiery multi-vehicle pileup when Cletus
is unable to find Bart Boulevard so that he and Brandine can go to the hospital to deliver a baby. Police cars, fire trucks and ambulances race to the scene but crash into the wreck, making matters even 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 giant fireball.
Homer gets a rousing reception, and Mayor Joe Quimby
is immediately blamed for the bumbling response. Springfield
residents pick apart Quimby's administration for his myriad other failures, and after Quimby stupidly taunts the crowd by saying "I cannot be removed from office. except through a simple recall election
", the media notes his increasingly bizarre behavior, and Quimby is met with fresh demands for a recall everywhere he goes, even in his sleep, until he finally calls one.
On Lisa's suggestion, Homer decides to run for mayor against candidates numbering in excess of 200, from the Comic Book Guy
, to the Italian
chef Luigi Risotto, to Springfield Elementary School bully Jimbo Jones, to newsman Kent Brockman
, to actor Rainier Wolfcastle, playing on his popularity as the Safety Salamander and building a huge lead in the polls. In Jimbo' closing statement it says "Tough on nerds, tougher on dorks". It does not help Homer's competitors when Smithers
puts out a negative advertising campaign that points out that Homer hardly ever shows up at the Springfield
Nuclear Power Plant
anymore, and instead pays a homeless man
to do his job for him. But when Marge washes Homer's salamander costume after witnessing him vomit
therein — though more generally, acting up on her own concern that his possession of the outfit has not included it being washed — it falls apart during a debate forum (where we learn that the Crazy Cat-Lady's real name is Eleanor Abernathy and is very intellectual despite her deranged rantings for "cats in everyone's pants!"), and the crowd turns on him. Eventually, none of the new candidates gain the 5% of master vote needed to oust Mayor Quimby. On his news program, Brockman states that he did not really want to be mayor anyway ("Sorry! Your loss, jackasses!"). Nevertheless, Lisa confides in Homer that she is very proud of him and glad he is her father. As they dance in the deserted ballroom, Homer notes that he can't believe he lost "after Ben Affleck
campaigned night and day for me" and Lisa sighs and says "Yeah, I warned you about that."
The Simpsons (season 17)
The Simpsons' seventeenth season originally aired between September 2005 and May 2006, beginning on Sunday, September 11, 2005. It broke Fox's tradition of pushing its shows' season premieres back to November to accommodate the Major League Baseball games airing on the network during September...
of The Simpsons
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...
.
Plot
On Father's DayFather's Day
Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. Many countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June but it is also celebrated widely on other days...
, 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...
is profoundly impressed by Bart's
Bart 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...
gift — a Leather Buddy multi-function knife
Multi-tool
A multi-tool is any one of a range of portable, versatile hand tools that combines several individual functions in a single unit...
, holding which he fantasizes about rescuing 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...
from pirates
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
— and proudly tells Bart that it is the greatest gift any father could receive. As for Lisa's
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...
gift (a book she created, disgusted with the "mass-produced junk" that does not adequately convey her feelings for her father; with caricatures of herself and Homer as unicorn
Unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
s), it does not go over so well. In a half-hearted attempt to make Lisa feel better, Homer hangs the book on the refrigerator
Refrigerator
A refrigerator is a common household appliance that consists of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump that transfers heat from the inside of the fridge to its external environment so that the inside of the fridge is cooled to a temperature below the ambient temperature of the room...
, but it quickly becomes a water-soaked glob of paper when the book falls into the refrigerator's water dispenser. Homer blames the magnet
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, and attracts or repels other magnets.A permanent magnet is an object...
, which (ironically
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
) turns out to be a magnet that Lisa gave Homer for his birthday.
Lisa takes out her frustrations at school, leading her into trouble, and her parents are called to talk with 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...
. School psychiatrist Dr. J. Loren Pryor (last seen on the season nine
The Simpsons (season 9)
The Simpsons ninth season originally aired between September 1997 and May 1998, beginning on Sunday, September 21, 1997 with "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson". The show runner for the ninth production season was Mike Scully...
flashback episode "Lisa's Sax
Lisa's Sax
"Lisa's Sax" is the third episode of The Simpsons ninth season and originally aired on the Fox network on October 19, 1997 to overwhelmingly positive reviews. In the series' sixth flashback episode, it is explained how Lisa got her saxophone...
") determines Lisa is going through a developmental condition and could wind up hating all men in the world, which can only be resolved by Homer trying to make amends for everything. He does so by dressing up as The Safety Salamander
Salamander
Salamander is a common name of approximately 500 species of amphibians. They are typically characterized by a superficially lizard-like appearance, with their slender bodies, short noses, and long tails. All known fossils and extinct species fall under the order Caudata, while sometimes the extant...
, who is meant to warn children about electrical power lines. Before accepting the job he asks "What happened to the last Safety Salamander?", to which Skinner responds "Uh, he fell asleep in the suit and suffocated". However, while on the school bus, Homer causes myriad dental
Tooth
Teeth are small, calcified, whitish structures found in the jaws of many vertebrates that are used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores, also use teeth for hunting or for defensive purposes. The roots of teeth are embedded in the Mandible bone or the Maxillary bone and are...
injuries when he has Otto
Otto Mann
Otto Mann is a fictional character on the animated TV series The Simpsons, voiced by Harry Shearer. He is the school bus driver for Springfield Elementary School...
stop the bus promptly, and then a fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
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
Public property
Public property is property, which is dedicated to the use of the public. It is a subset of state property. The term may be used either to describe the use to which the property is put, or to describe the character of its ownership...
that has his name on it, and will endure full immunity from the law — steals a "Bart Boulevard" street sign. This leads to a fiery multi-vehicle pileup when Cletus
Cletus Spuckler
Cletus Delroy Spuckler is a recurring character in the Fox animated series, The Simpsons, and is voiced by Hank Azaria. Cletus is Springfield's resident hillbilly stereotype. He is very messy and is usually portrayed wearing a white sleeveless shirt and pair of blue jeans.- Biography :Cletus was...
is unable to find Bart Boulevard so that he and Brandine can go to the hospital to deliver a baby. Police cars, fire trucks and ambulances race to the scene but crash into the wreck, making matters even 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 giant fireball.
Homer gets a rousing reception, and Mayor Joe Quimby
Joe Quimby
Mayor Joseph "Joe" Quimby, nicknamed "Diamond Joe," is a recurring character from the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, and first appeared in the episode "Bart Gets an F". A member of the Democratic Party, Quimby is the mayor of Springfield, and is a...
is immediately blamed for the bumbling response. Springfield
Springfield (The Simpsons)
Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its...
residents pick apart Quimby's administration for his myriad other failures, and after Quimby stupidly taunts the crowd by saying "I cannot be removed from office. except through a simple recall election
Recall election
A recall election is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before his or her term has ended...
", the media notes his increasingly bizarre behavior, and Quimby is met with fresh demands for a recall everywhere he goes, even in his sleep, until he finally calls one.
On Lisa's suggestion, Homer decides to run for mayor against candidates numbering in excess of 200, from the 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...
, to the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
chef Luigi Risotto, to Springfield Elementary School bully Jimbo Jones, to newsman Kent Brockman
Kent Brockman
Kent Brockman is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer and first appeared in the episode "Krusty Gets Busted"...
, to actor Rainier Wolfcastle, playing on his popularity as the Safety Salamander and building a huge lead in the polls. In Jimbo' closing statement it says "Tough on nerds, tougher on dorks". It does not help Homer's competitors when 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...
puts out a negative advertising campaign that points out that Homer hardly ever shows up at the Springfield
Springfield (The Simpsons)
Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its...
Nuclear Power Plant
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
anymore, and instead pays a homeless man
Vagrancy (people)
A vagrant is a person in poverty, who wanders from place to place without a home or regular employment or income.-Definition:A vagrant is "a person without a settled home or regular work who wanders from place to place and lives by begging;" vagrancy is the condition of such persons.-History:In...
to do his job for him. But when Marge washes Homer's salamander costume after witnessing him vomit
Vomiting
Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose...
therein — though more generally, acting up on her own concern that his possession of the outfit has not included it being washed — it falls apart during a debate forum (where we learn that the Crazy Cat-Lady's real name is Eleanor Abernathy and is very intellectual despite her deranged rantings for "cats in everyone's pants!"), and the crowd turns on him. Eventually, none of the new candidates gain the 5% of master vote needed to oust Mayor Quimby. On his news program, Brockman states that he did not really want to be mayor anyway ("Sorry! Your loss, jackasses!"). Nevertheless, Lisa confides in Homer that she is very proud of him and glad he is her father. As they dance in the deserted ballroom, Homer notes that he can't believe he lost "after Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck
Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt , better known as Ben Affleck, is an American actor, film director, writer, and producer. He became known with his performances in Kevin Smith's films such as Mallrats and Chasing Amy...
campaigned night and day for me" and Lisa sighs and says "Yeah, I warned you about that."
External links
- See Homer Run en TheSimpsons.com