Homer to the Max

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The Simpsons episode
"Homer to the Max"

Episode no.	216
Prod. code	AABF09
Orig. Airdate	February 7, 1999
Show Runner(s)	Mike Scully
Written by	John Swartzwelder
Directed by	Pete Michels
Chalkboard	"No one cares about my sciatica"
Couch gag	Marge, carrying a laundry basket, hangs the rest of the family to dry on a clothes line.
Guest star	Ed Begley Jr. as himself
SNPP capsule
Season 10 August 23, 1998 – May 16, 1999
Lard of the Dance The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace Bart the Mother Treehouse of Horror IX When You Dish upon a Star D'oh-in in the Wind Lisa Gets an "A" Homer Simpson in: "Kidney Trouble" Mayored to the Mob Viva Ned Flanders Wild Barts Can't Be Broken Sunday, Cruddy Sunday Homer to the Max I'm with Cupid Marge Simpson in: "Screaming Yellow Honkers" Make Room for Lisa Maximum Homerdrive Simpsons Bible Stories Mom and Pop Art The Old Man and the "C" Student Monty Can't Buy Me Love They Saved Lisa's Brain Thirty Minutes over Tokyo
List of all Simpsons episodes...

Homer to the Max is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons' tenth season. It aired on February 7, 1999.

1 Synopsis
2 Cultural references
3 External links

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The Simpson family surfs through new Midseason TV shows, such as "America's Funniest Tornadoes", "All in the Family 1999", "Admiral Baby" and finally decide to settle on "Police Cops". The show has a suave detective and his partner, who manage to knock off all the villains, without breaking a sweat. Homer finds the show very interesting and gets even more interested when he finds that the suave detective (who gets the girls and is rich as a king) is named... Homer Simpson.

Homer is excited knowing that a cool guy (on TV) is named after him and that his "personality has been captured perfectly". Marge and Lisa tell him that it's just a coincidence that they share the same name, but Homer is not convinced. That night, he gets many congratulatory phone calls from people, including once from the Homecoming Queen at his high school (although Marge puts paid to any chance of him dating her). He starts wearing a scarf like his namesake does on TV, occasionally tossing it back over his shoulder. Carl even asks for his autograph, although he only get his own name written on a piece of paper.

At Moe's, the barflies get ready to watch the new episode of "Police Cops". The episode now features Homer Simpson as a fat, bumbling detective, who destroys the Police Chief's insulin, mistaking it for drugs. Homer is mortified to see that his namesake is now no longer handsome and cool, however, the barflies are enjoying every moment of it and poke fun at Homer, asking him to do something dumb. Homer unwittingly and unwillingly obliges, as he throws back his scarf over his shoulder right into the blades of the overhead fan and gets whirled around the room, much to the amusement of the onlookers. He is thrown outside and is hit by a car. Moe laughs at his pain wittingly.

Homer dejectedly wonders why the character was changed. Lisa tells him that the first episode was just a Pilot, which the producers have fiddled with and changed. At work, all his colleagues prepare to watch him do something stupid and he doesn't disappoint, by spilling a fondue pot all over the control panel, shorting out the circuitry, and blacking out Albany. At the Mall, people laugh at him and tease him as he walks by. To escape from all the humiliation, he tries hiding in the attic.

Later, he makes an impassioned plea to the producers of "Police Cops" to change the character's personality or his name. After getting a satisfactory response, he steps into a cactus on his way out. The next episode has "Homer Simpson" making the same impassioned plea to the Chief (while hanging from a flagpole). It ends with him dropping down crotch-first into a cactus. Homer tries to sue the producers, but the case is immediately dismissed. So, as a back-up plan, Homer decides to change his name. The judge allows him to change his name to "Max Power" (which Homer got off a hair dryer and was the only name he spelled correctly). The family is surprised to learn of his name-change, but "Max" starts speaking of his new personality — dynamic, decisive, uncompromising and rude.

At work, Mr. Burns is impressed by the name and compliments Max, who decides to shop at Costington's to further improve his image. There, he meets Trent Steele and after a small chat, they go out to lunch, where Trent invites Max and family to a garden party. Despite Marge's reservations, the two of them go to the party, where they meet a lot of famous people, like Woody Harrelson (who wears pants made entirely out of hemp), Bill Clinton, Lorne Michaels, and Ed Begley Jr.. (It is significant to note that Lindsey Neagle also makes an appearance here, albeit with red colored hair) Max finds out that the garden party is nothing more than an excuse to save a redwood forest from wanton destruction. All the guests (pushing a reluctant Max and Marge) board a "protest bus" and leave for the forest.

In the forest, Max, Marge, and the rest of the party-goers are chained to trees, to prevent the bulldozers from going to work on them. Chief Wiggum arrives and decides to get rough with this bunch of tree-huggers. The cops start chasing Max around his tree, trying to "swab" him with mace. However, as he runs round and round the tree, the chain around him starts cutting into the tree and finally, the huge redwood falls, knocking down the other redwoods. Max, happy at being free, tosses his chain in the air, knocking a bald eagle out of the sky.

After the dust clears up, Springfield's elite angrily ditch Mr. Power and his wife. That night at home, Marge is happy that Homer's changed his name back to Homer Simpson. However, he informs Marge that, while at the courthouse, he changed her name to "Chesty La Rue". If she doesn't like it, she can change it to "Busty St. Claire" or "Hootie McBoob".

[edit] Cultural references

Homer Simpson chief's cry: "Simp-SON!!!" is very similar to Mr. Spacely's cry "Jet-SON!!!" from the Jetsons.
The TV show Police Cops is clearly a homage to Miami Vice. Also "Homer Simpson" and his partner resemble Sonny Crockett and Rico Tubbs.
Homer sings the Max Power theme to the tune of the theme song from the 1964 film Goldfinger.
The name Homer picks out for Marge, "Chesty LaRue," was also a name used for Elaine by Jerry on Seinfeld when a button on her shirt fell off, exposing cleavage.
When Homer complains that the once-heroic character sharing his name was suddenly changed, Marge points out that the character is simply comic relief now, much like Marlon Brando's character in Apocalypse Now.