Homer vs. Dignity

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The Simpsons episode

"Homer vs. Dignity"

Mr. Burns with his new prank monkey, Homer.

Episode no.

253

Prod. code

CABF04

Orig. airdate

Show runner(s)

"I was not the Sixth Beatle"

Couch gag

There’s a ramp leading to the couch. Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie successfully do skateboard tricks off the ramp and onto the couch. Homer, however, falls off the ramp and, adding injury to insult, gets hit on the head with his own skateboard.

Guest star(s)

Leeza Gibbons as herself

Season 12
November 1, 2000 – May 20, 2001

List of all The Simpsons episodes

Seasons
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"Homer vs. Dignity" is the fifth episode of the twelfth season of The Simpsons. It aired on November 26, 2000.

1 Plot
2 Cultural references
3 Reception
4 External links

[edit] Plot

For doing an astronomy quiz, Bart gets his first "A", and goes to the Singing Sirloin restaurant (as seen in "Life on the Fast Lane") for a dinner, but Homer's credit card is rejected. Eventually, he and Marge realize that the family is in financial trouble, so they see Lindsay Naegle, who suggests that Homer ask Mr. Burns for a raise. Homer is promoted to the spot of Executive Assistant in Charge of Hi-jinks, which is, in Burns's words, the "prank monkey" job. Burns pays Homer cash every time Homer entertains Burns, like throwing pudding at Lenny, eating a rare Spider-Man comic in front of Comic Book Guy, and making "boom-boom" in a diaper and asking strangers to change him.

It reaches the extreme point when Homer is asked to don a panda suit and be friends with a real panda at the Springfield Zoo. However, the panda becomes romantically interested with Homer. After all these rough times, Homer, who learns from Lisa that dignity is more important than money, quits his job. In response, Homer becomes an actor portraying Santa, and participates in the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Suddenly, Mr. Burns shows up to tell Homer that he can get $1,000,000 if he pulls another prank. Homer refuses, and Mr. Burns does the prank on his own by pouring fish guts onto the parade spectators.

[edit] Cultural references

The plot of this episode is similar to The Magic Christian.
The scene where the citizens are attacked by seagulls spoofs the 1963 film The Birds.
The parade features a Funky Winkerbean float and another with the Noid.
The Lindy Hop was a popular African American dance of the 1920s.
Homer sings Spanish Eyes by Al Martino.

[edit] Reception

This episode had mixed reception from fans, some of whom were sharply hostile. This criticism stemmed from the scene where Homer was introduced in a costume as a female panda and possibly sexually assaulted by the male, in which Homer replied he still have the stench of "panda love" on him. On nohomers.net, this led to some deeming the episode to be the show's nadir and have put this episode on its "Worst Episodes" list (along with season 11's Kill the Alligator and Run). Conversely, reviews on The Simpsons Archive gave it a C average, with no specific condemnation of that scene, but did criticize the episode for having a weak story that focused on Homer and rehashing old plot points and story ideas (specifically, the many times The Simpsons family has had money issues, the idea of Homer being hired out as Mr. Burns's assistant while Smithers goes on vacation, and the theme about selling one's soul).