Homer's Night Out

Infobox Simpsons episode
episode_name = Homer's Night Out
episode_no = 10
prod_code = 7G10
airdate = 25 March 1990
show runner = James L. Brooks
Matt Groening
Sam Simon
writer =
Jon Vitti
director =
Rich Moore
blackboard = "I will not call my teacher 'hot cakes'"cite book|last=Richmond |first=Ray|coauthors=Antonia Coffman|title= |year=1997 |publisher=Harper Collins Publishers|id=ISBN 0-00063-8898-1|pages=pp. 26]
couch_gag = The family sits and the sides of the couch give in, leaving the family sitting on cushions on the floor.
guest_star =
Sam McMurray as Gulliver Dark


image_caption = Homer dancing with Princess Kashmir.
commentary = Matt Groening
Rich Moore
Jon Vitti
season = 1

"Homer's Night Out" is the tenth episode of "The Simpsons"' first season, and originally aired on 25 March 1990. [http://www.thesimpsons.com/episode_guide/0110.htm "Homer's Night Out"] "The Simpsons.com". Retrieved on 1 September 2008] It was written by Jon Vitti and directed by Rich Moore. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season1/page10.shtml Homer's Night Out] "BBC.co.uk". Retrieved on 29 August 2008] In the episode, Bart orders a mail-order spy camera, which he uses to secretly take a photograph of Homer dancing with an exotic belly dancer. Marge makes Homer apologize to the exotic dancer to teach Bart that women are not objects. Sam McMurray guest stars in the episode as Gulliver Dark, the guy that introduces Homer to the crowd at the burlesque show.

The episode was well received by critics and it was the second highest rated show on the Fox Network the week it aired. This episode, along with three other episodes of the show, is featured on the "The Simpsons" Gone Wild DVD released in 2004. [cite web|url=http://www.amazon.com/Simpsons-Gone-Wild-Neil-Affleck/dp/B0002IQK7M|title=The Simpsons - Gone Wild|author=|publisher=Amazon.com|date=|accessdate=2008-09-02]

Plot

Bart purchases a miniature spy camera from a mail-order catalog and uses it to take candid photos around the house. Later, Homer tells Marge he is going to a bachelor party for a co-worker, Eugene Fisk. While Homer is gone, Marge decides to take the children to the Rusty Barnacle, a seafood restaurant where (unknown to her) the bachelor party is well under way.

A sexy belly dancer named Princess Kashmir arrives at the party and invites Homer on stage to dance with her. On the way to the restaurant bathroom, Bart wanders into the bachelor party room and eagerly snaps a picture of Homer and Kashmir. Bart brings the picture to school and gives a copy of it to Milhouse, who promptly gets requests from other students for a copy of the picture. It is not long before everyone in Springfield has one. Marge sees a copy of the picture at her aerobics class and furiously rips it from the bulletin board. When Homer gets home that day, Marge immediately shoves the picture in his face and demands an explanation. After scolding Homer, she shoves a hastily half-packed suitcase his way and kicks him out of the house.

The next day Homer goes home to apologize to Marge. To his surprise, he learns that what upset her was not what he did, but that Bart saw it and will one day misconstrue it as a sign that it is okay to treat women like sex objects. She insists that he take Bart to meet Princess Kashmir so that Bart can see for himself that she is more than just a stripper. Left with no alternative, Homer and Bart scour the strip clubs of Springfield to find Princess Kashmir. Eventually, they track her down at the Sapphire Lounge.

Homer introduces himself and Bart to Kashmir, who is preoccupied with getting on stage for her performance. Without knowing it, Homer accidentally finds himself on stage at the burlesque show. Homer is about to be thrown offstage when the audience recognize him as the guy from the picture. The audience applaud and Homer gets caught up in the fanfare and starts dancing with the showgirls, until he sees Bart and realizes what he was supposed to do. Homer stops the show and successfully manages to make a plea to the audience to treat women with respect. Marge, who is in the audience, accepts Homer's apology and the two make up.

Production

, made his first appearances on "The Simpsons" in this episode.

Reception

In its original American broadcast, "Homer's Night Out" finished fourteenth place in the weekly ratings for the week of 19-25 March 1990 with a Nielsen rating of 16.9. It was the second highest rated show on the Fox Network that week.cite news|title=`Old Man and the Sea' sinks NBC's competition|date=1990-03-28|accessdate=2008-09-02|page=L12|publisher=The Orange County Register|author=Richmond, Ray]

"Homer's Night Out" received generally positive reviews from critics. In a DVD review of the first season, David B. Grelck gave the episode a rating of 4/5 and named it one of his two favorite episodes of the season. He then added that "this episode allows us to see that Homer really does love Marge a lot without having to blatantly stamp sentimentality all over it. The episode is strange, goofy and fun." [cite web|url=http://www.wdbgproductions.com/cinerama/reviews/simpsonsseason1.htm|title=The Complete First Season|accessdate=2008-08-08|date=2001-09-25|author=Grelck, David B.|publisher=WDBGProductions] Colin Jacobson at DVD Movie Guide said in a review that "the concept of Marge’s anger at Homer got old, but this episode managed to offer a reasonably entertaining affair. It was fun to see Homer treated like a party god, and this offered a few nice moments. The overall level of quality remained good throughout the show, but it didn’t rise to any great heights."cite web|url=http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonone.shtml |title=The Simpsons: The Complete First Season (1990) |date=|accessdate=2008-08-29|author=Colin Jacobson|publisher=DVD Movie Guide] Judge David Packard at DVD Verdict said in a review of the "The Simpsons" Gone Wild DVD that "this episode sports some of the awkward animation and voice work that is prevalent in episodes from the first season. That aspect isn't an issue to me; in fact, I quite enjoy season one as it shows the early efforts of the series getting its legs in making the transition from its origin on The Tracey Ullman Show. The problem I have with this episode is that it's not particularly funny. I chuckled a few times, but the episode doesn't have the rollicking gags and sly humor of the two episodes to follow." [cite web|url=http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/simpsonsgonewild.php|title=DVD Verdict Review - The Simpsons Gone Wild|author=Judge David Packard|publisher=DVD Verdict|date=2004-12-08|accessdate=2008-08-31]

References

External links

* [http://www.thesimpsons.com/episode_guide/0110.htm "Homer's Night Out"] at The Simpsons.com
*snpp capsule|7G10
*imdb episode|id=0701123|episode=Homer's Night Out
* [http://www.tv.com/the-simpsons/homers-night-out/episode/1295/summary.html?tag=ep_list;ep_title;9 "Homer's Night Out"] at TV.com