Homer vs. Patty & Selma
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"Homer vs. Patty & Selma" is the 17th episode of The Simpsons' sixth season. This episode was originally broadcast on February 26, 1995.
[edit] Plot
Homer decides to try his hand in financial investment by investing in Halloween pumpkins. Thinking that they will peak in January, he does not sell them by Halloween and loses his entire investment. Now late on a mortgage payment and short on money, he tries to borrow some, but to no avail. Ashamed of not being able to provide for his family, he keeps this secret from Marge. Meanwhile, Patty and Selma have received a promotion at the DMV and have more disposable income. As a last resort, Homer asks the two if they will lend him the money. They agree, but inform him afterwards that he must become their loyal servant; otherwise, they will tell Marge of their deal. Homer reluctantly agrees to do whatever they tell him rather than allow Marge to discover he needed to borrow money. Patty and Selma make Homer's life miserable and humiliate him in various ways. Not long afterwards, Marge finds out about the loan after she sees the IOU note. Her sisters then smugly tell her what happened and Homer, furious that they broke their promise of keeping his secret, literally throws them out of his house.
Mortified and determined to earn more money, Homer decides to become a chauffeur, but is pulled over when he does not have a chauffeur's license. When he goes to the DMV with Marge to apply for one, Patty and Selma are his evaluators. The two mercilessly fail his driving and written test. Just after stamping his test with a large "Fail" stamp, the two light up cigarettes, but are immediately spotted by their supervisor. Their supervisor tells them that smoking on the job is an offense that could cost them their promotions. While he is initially happy about the situation, Homer sees that Marge is worried about her sisters and acts quickly and claims the cigarettes as his own for Marge's sake. This spares the Bouvier sisters and earns Homer the contempt of their supervisor. The two are grateful and offer to do Homer a favor in return. Homer asks them to clear his debt, which they reluctantly do.
Bart takes up ballet in the subplot. After cutting class, Bart is distressed to discover that students were choosing their physical education classes that day. The only class with available spots left is ballet. At first Bart is embarrassed, as he considers ballet a "girl sport" and is the only male in the class. However, he takes a liking to the class when he discovers that he has a talent for the dance form, and is invited to star in a school ballet performance. Fearful of being taunted by his fellow students he performs while wearing a mask, but takes it off after discovering that his classmates are impressed with his dancing abilities. When several bullies discover that the masked dancer is Bart, they want to beat him up, and he is forced to run from them. He attempts to escape by jumping a trench, but fails to make it and is injured.
[edit] Cultural references
- The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is mentioned by Barney Gumble at the start of the episode.
- Bart talking with his socket-puppet is a reference to Señor Wences show.
- Bart drinks Tab while he dances just like Jennifer Beals did in Flashdance. Also Lenny and Carl drink Zima.
- Mel Brooks's old radio show, the 2000 Year Old Man is briefly mentioned, and incorrectly named as "the 2000-Pound Man thing" and "the 2000-Dollar Man thing". Brooks claims that he hates Carl Reiner.
- When talking to Mel Brooks, Homer mentions that he has seen Young Frankenstein and loved it, and that it "scared the hell out of me!" to which Brooks replies confusedly, "Umm... thanks."
- Lisa is seen wearing hockey gear, a reference to "Lisa on Ice".
[edit] External links
- "Homer vs. Patty & Selma" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
