Talking about comic books, TV shows, movies, sports, and the numerous other pastimes that make us Gentlemen of Leisure.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Retro Review: Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder

AKA: Homer gets depressed when his 15 minutes of fame expires, so he attempts suicide and bonds with Maggie.

The Setup: After showing up at work 26 hours late, Homer skives off early to go bowling with Lenny and Carl, wherein his rage at Mr. Burns helps him bowl 300.

Favorite Lines:

Burns: Turn around, Simpson
Homer: No! I can't get in trouble if I can't see you.
Smithers: I'm afraid he's got us, sir.

Lisa: Dad, what she's saying is, you've had your moment in the sun and now it's time for you to gracefully step aside.
Homer: Lisa, I know what's going on here. They did it to Jesus, and now they're doing it to me.
Marge: Are you comparing yourself to Our Lord?
Homer: Well, in bowling ability.

Ron Howard: Look, I'd love to help you out, Homer, but I'm taking my kids to the zoo.
Homer: That's great -- even big stars take their kids to the zoo.
Howard: Well, it's a different zoo, containing animals *you've* never heard of.
Howard's daughter: Daddy, we're missing the fantastipotamus. She only sings twice a day.



Teebore's Take: I remember greatly disliking this episode, but it's more boring and scattershot than anything else. The best bit is the first act, with Homer's bowling of a perfect game, Marge's hilarious over-the-top concern for Lenny ("Oh, no, not Lenny -- not Lenny!!" and her subsequent shrine to his well being) and Lenny's inadvertent attempts to jinx Homer by ordering a banana split that cost $7.10. After that, it's pretty blah as Homer meanders his way into and out of fame before the final act (which is notable for giving Maggie the most attention she's received in an episode since season three's "Streetcar Named Marge") ends in the zany fashion we've come to expect.

Zaniness:

Homer sleeps through a day-and-a-half, eats several mouthfuls of toxic waste, survives a jump off the top of a skyscraper, and is single-handedly rescued from drowning by Maggie.

Jerk-ass Homer:

Homer casually ignores Maggie at the beginning, uses his anger at Mr. Burns to help his bowling game, and is generally annoying and arrogant during his 15 minutes of fame.

2 comments:

  1. Nothing's more comedic than suicide.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah, I remember thinking the same thing as I rewatched it. Maybe Homer should have stomped on some puppies. That's hilarious too, right?

    ReplyDelete

Comment. Please. Love it? Hate it? Are mildly indifferent to it? Let us know!