- Mobile Homer
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"Mobile Homer" is the thirteenth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on March 20, 2005. In the episode, Marge saves money for life insurance, worried about Homer after a near-fatal incident and his bad medical history. Angered by his wife's new measures to cut back financially, Homer spends the savings on a motor home, where he spends most of his time in and causes a rift between her.
The episode was written by Tim Long, and was the first to be directed by Raymond S. Persi.
Plot
While Marge takes the children on a leisurely Sunday afternoon drive, Homer is forced to clean the garage at home. He gets spiders in his throat, and his neck is almost crushed by the garage door. When his family gets home, a suffocated Homer is saved by CPR by Lisa and Bart. After the incident, Marge insists that the family buy life insurance, but Homer is deemed uninsurable because of his bad medical history; even boasting that he smokes, to impress the consultant, which predictably does not work. Marge, influenced by a "Wifetime TV" movie about when a wealthy man without insurance dies and whose widow and children were forced to live on the streets, decides to save money in a very paranoid way by buying imitation brands of cereal and coffee, and convinces Maggie to conserve her pacifier. Homer however, becomes upset with Marge's petty attitude (especially regarding that she would not let him spend even false money to buy a single beer) and tries to argue with Marge, remarking that he has the right to use at least a part of the money since that he brings it home, but she denies his request, retorting that he does nothing in his job. Homer, now angry about Marge's new measures, takes the money she has saved and makes a down payment on a new motor home. After he buys his motor home, Marge tells Homer to enjoy it because she is not speaking to him.
Homer starts living in the RV, and he and Marge compete for the loyalty of Bart and Lisa. Fortunately (for Homer), his childlike ways give him an advantage. Homer discovers a convoy of RVs at a gas station, and he invites them to stay in his backyard. Marge, annoyed with their behavior, cuts off their electricity, causing Homer's newfound friends to ditch him. Homer and Marge proceed to get into an all night argument, and fearing that Homer and Marge might divorce, Bart decides that he and Lisa should return the RV to the dealership for a full refund, and Lisa agrees.
Discovering that the children and RV are gone, Homer and Marge give chase in the car. Bart and Lisa accidentally get on the freeway and force their parents to kiss before they will pull over. Bart and Lisa then lose control of the RV, which plunges off an uncompleted runaway truck ramp onto a Turkish container ship. The ship is leaving port, but Marge convinces the captain to turn around after offering him 300 cans of mushroom soup she bought on sale. With their marriage restored, Homer tells Marge that he will return the RV in the morning, and uses the ship's crane to put the vehicle on a nearby pier. This collapses, and the RV sinks in the harbor, much to Homer's dismay, while Marge is unconcerned about the loss of money, because the Turkish sailors put hashish in her food.
Reception
In its original broadcast, "Mobile Homer" acquired a Nielsen rating of 8.6, and was viewed in 8.6 million households.[1]
Walter J. Keegan, Jr. of TV Squad thought that the episode did not have enough laughs, but did have enough subtle Simpsons humor about SUVs, Turkish sailors, and evil religious icons. He also thought that the idea of Marge filling the viewers in on what Homer does at work (since he is not seen there a lot anymore) was good, while his most puzzling moment was Bart's drawing of Homer.[2]
References
Categories:- The Simpsons (season 16) episodes
- 2005 television episodes
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