Comically Missing the Point examples from The Simpsons.
- In "Homer's Night Out", while Homer comes home from work people keep greeting him and doing hula dances. He isn't aware that the picture of him dancing with a woman has circulated (despite there being a copy of the picture right behind Apu), and just figures that they're on drugs.
- "Goodbye Adil! I'll send you those Civil Defence plans you wanted!" - Homer to foreign exchange student Adil in "The Crepes of Wrath", who is not just clearly a spy, but is, right in front of him, in the process of being deported from the country under espionage charges.
- In "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?", Homer asks the Orphanage where his half-brother Herbert might be. The director tells him that such data is confidential but says that Detroit is a good place to look for him. Homer keeps asking and missing the obvious hints, even bribing the director. The director has to say "He's in Detroit" point-blankly for Homer to get it. As an added bonus, the orphanage director says he, too, has a long-lost twin brother he'd give up anything to find. Homer knows this twin's location (the twin is obviously Dr. Hibbert), but says nothing, likely because he never makes the connection.
- When Homer has to explain to Bart why he got sloppy drunk at a party in "The War of the Simpsons", he tells his son that he hopes Bart hasn't lost any respect for him. Bart wryly points out he has as much respect for him now as he ever did, or ever will. Homer completely takes that at face value.
- In Homer's Land of Chocolate fantasy in "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk", he's excited to see a store with chocolate at half price... in a land made entirely out of chocolate.
- In "Separate Vocations":Homer: Oh, we always have one good kid and one lousy kid. Why can't both our kids be good?Marge: We have three kids, Homer.Homer: Marge, the dog doesn't count as a kid.
- In "A Streetcar Named Marge", after Marge delivers the last line of A Streetcar Named Desire ("I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.") the cast breaks into a musical number about how "You can always depend on the kindness of strangers..."
- In "Marge vs the Monorail", Homer is conducting a monorail that has gone haywire, and Marge brings a scientist from another town that had a monorail with similar problems to Springfield. She tells Homer over the loudspeaker that she has brought someone who can save the monorail, and Homer asks if it's Batman. But when Marge says "No, he's a scientist!" Homer thinks she's telling him that Batman is a scientist.
- In "Last Exit to Springfield", Homer mistook Mr. Burns offer of a bribe as Burns hitting on him. It helped that Mr. Burns was being pretty flamboyant.
- In "Marge in Chains", an epidemic of Osaka flu hits Springfield and a mob of people turn up outside Dr Hibbert's surgery demanding a cure:Dr Hibbert: The only cure is bed-rest. Any medicine I could give you would merely be a placebo.
Panicking Woman: Where can we get these placebos!?
Panicking Man: Maybe there's some in this truck!
(The mob knocks the truck over, revealing that it's transporting a cargo of bees. As the bees swarm and the crowd runs away, one man grabs a bee out of the air and eats it)
Man: I'm cured! I mean... ow! - In "Cape Feare", after almost 5 hours of being stomped on the foot, being referred to as Homer Thompson, the new name the witness protection agents have chosen for the Simpsons as they elude Sideshow Bob to no avail, all Homer can say to one of the agents is, "I think he's talking to you."
- In "The Boy Who Knew Too Much", Chief Wiggum, arriving in a kitchen where a waiter lies on the floor after an apparent beating, is shocked that someone's taken a bite out of the giant Rice Krispie square.
- From "Lisa's Rival":Marge: Homer, the plant called and said if you don't come in tomorrow, don't bother coming in Monday.
Homer: Woohoo, four day weekend! - In "Lisa on Ice", Lisa, having been informed that she is failing phys ed, has a vision of the future in which she is being sworn in as President of the United States, only for it to suddenly be revealed that she failed phys ed in elementary school. The judge immediately stops the swearing-in and instead sentences her to Monster Island instead. Seeing how upset she is, he quietly reassures her that it's just a name. Cut to her being chased through a jungle by monsters. She says to one of her fellow exiles that the judge promised her it was just a name. He explains that what he meant was that "Monster Island is really a peninsula."
- Played with in "Fear of Flying". After Homer enters what is clearly a lesbian bar (it's is even called "She-She Lounge" and is filled with stereotypical lesbians):Homer: Wait a minute... there's something bothering me about this place... I know! This lesbian bar doesn't have a fire exit! Enjoy your death trap, ladies.
- In "And Maggie Makes Three", a Flashback shows that when Marge got pregnant with Maggie, practically everyone congratulated Homer, and he interpreted all of it to be kudos for landing his dream job at the bowling alley... up to and including Moe's "Hey Homer! Way to get Marge pregnant!" When he gets home, he observes that Marge's friends are throwing her a party, where they're showering her with baby-sized gifts, which he casually shrugs off. At that point, Maude Flanders congratulates Homer on his new job, prompting him to say "New job? MARGE IS PREGNANT?!" and run to the bedroom in a panic.
- "I loved Young Frankenstein. Scared the hell out of me!" - Homer to Mel Brooks in "Homer vs. Patty and Selma".
- Mr. Burns got a good one in "A Star Is Burns" when he was trying to get a biopic of himself made:Burns: Listen, Señor Spielbergo, I want you to do for me what Spielberg did for Oskar Schindler.
Señor Spielbergo: But, Schindler es bueno! Señor Burns es el diablo!
Burns: Listen, Spielbergo, Schindler and I are like two peas in a pod! We're both factory owners, we both made [artillery] shells for the Nazis - but mine worked, dammit! - In "The PTA Disbands", when Bart triggers a bank run as a prank, a man resembling Jimmy Stewart stands up and says "Don't you understand? The money isn't here. It's in Bill's house, or Fred's house." Before he can explain how bank loans and mortgages work, Moe decides he's saying Bill and Fred stole the money, and a fight breaks out.
- In the imaginatively titled "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" Clip Show, Troy McClure reads (likely false) fan mail. In it, a fan asks, "What's the deal with Waylon Smithers? You know what I mean." McClure agrees he knows exactly what they mean, then shows several clips where Waylon fantasizes about his male boss. However, when it cuts back to McClure, he states matter of factly that Waylon is Mr. Burns' assistant, is in his early forties, is unmarried, and currently lives in Springfield.
- In "Much Apu About Nothing" a bear roams the streets. It is caught and Homer immediately demands more protection against bears, even though it was the first time the town ever encountered this problem. After a special "bear patrol" is installed Homer tells Lisa he feels much safer now.Homer: Not a bear in sight. The Bear Patrol must be working like a charm.
Lisa: That's specious reasoning, Dad.
Homer: Thank you, dear.
Lisa: By your logic, I could claim that this rock keeps tigers away.
Homer: Oh, how does it work?
Lisa: It doesn't work.
Homer: Uh-huh.
Lisa: It's just a stupid rock.
Homer: Uh-huh.
Lisa: But I don't see any tigers around, do you?
[Homer thinks of this, then pulls out some money]
Homer: Lisa, I want to buy your rock.
[Lisa is about to explain again, but gives up and accepts the money instead] - In "Bart After Dark", the news reports a terrible oil spill in Alaska. Lisa is clearly horrified at the environmental devastation, but Homer thinks her concerns lie elsewhere:Homer: Don't worry honey, there'll be lots more oil.
- In "Hurricane Neddy", when Ned Flanders viciously lashes out at the Springfielders who did a really lousy job rebuilding his house, he finishes with Homer:Flanders: (quietly) Homer... you are the worst human being I have ever met. (walks away)
Homer: Hey, I got off easy... - In "Mountain of Madness," Homer is the first one to exit the power plant after Mr. Burns plays a prank with the fire alarm (even though when he does, he suddenly treats it like a fun footrace). It's followed by this exchange:Homer: (exhausted but excited) I think I won, Mr. Burns.
Mr. Burns: (sinisterly) Yes, you won, all right. You've won more than you bargained for.
Homer: (as cheerfully as ever) Woohoo! - In "Homer's Phobia" Homer is blissfully unaware that John is gay. Marge attempts to point out this fact when Homer suggests John and his wife come over for dinner, with Homer Comically Missing the Point until she tells him point blank:Marge: Homer, didn't John seem a little "festive" to you?
Homer: Couldn't agree more, happy as a clam.
Marge: He prefers the company of men!
Homer: Who doesn't?
Marge: Homer, listen carefully. John is a Ho - mo...
Homer: Right.
Marge: ...Sexual!
Homer: AAAAHHH! - In "My Sister, My Sitter" Bart makes a series of prank calls to mess with Lisa, who is babysitting him. She angrily shouts at everyone who showed up (a sandwich delivery guy, Krusty the Klown, and a chauffeur for the ambassador from Ghana, among others) that they had all been tricked, the chauffeur wonders aloud, "Why would the ambassador do such a thing?"
- In "Grade School Confidential":Lisa: I was in the library at the time, but Janey told me Principal Skinner and... what's her name? Bart's teacher?
Marge: Mrs. Krabappel?
Lisa: Yeah, Krabappel. They were naked in the closet together!
Marge: GASP! Oh my goodness!
Homer: Wait a minute... Bart's teacher is named Krabappel? I've been calling her Crandall! Why didn't someone tell me? Oh, I've been making an idiot out of myself! - Also the clerk in "Bart Star" is a subversion: at the end, it's revealed that he only wanted to play a crude joke on Marge:Marge: He's going to need, uh… you know, protection.
Guy: Sure… one helmet coming up.
Marge: I was thinking more of… protection… down there.
Guy: Oh, why didn't you say so? Knee pads. You got it.
Marge: (laughs very nervously) I'm talking about his (quietly) personal area.
Guy: Ah ha. Say no more. I read you loud and clear. The old shoulder pads.
Marge: (annoyed) Look, I want a cup
Guy: Cup, could you spell that?
Marge: C - U - P I wanna C - U …oh my god! - In "Bart Carny", Chief Wiggum gives some rather obvious hints that Homer could get off the hook by bribing him, going as far as to ask for "A Mr Bribe, wink wink". Homer does what he does best. Bart is also there and tries to point out the obvious, but Homer tells him to be quiet.
- It happens again when Chief Wiggum makes it clear that he won't help him for not bribing him but sarcastically tells him to wait for "Officer Like-I-give-a-damn". Guess what Homer does?
- When the Carnie is explaining to Homer that his game booth is rigged, Homer takes that as a challenge and takes out money for the game.
- In "Mayored to the Mob", Homer is convinced that he's killed Mayor Quimby after sending him flying out off a window. When he hears the mayor crying for help and sees him dangling from a window ledge, he exclaims, 'His corpse is climbing the building!'
- In "Mom and Pop Art", when a flood hit Springfield Ned builds an ark and takes on two of every animal... but only males because he doesn't want any hanky-panky going on. (But he got anyway) I Need A Drink.
- In "Guess Who's Coming To Criticize Dinner?", when Krusty the Clown played the title role in King Lear, he proceeded to mess around like he always does, as he thought the play was a comedy instead of a tragedy. He's quite surprised when a co-star informs him otherwise. Later, he attempts to salvage things by riffing on Shakespearean works, but upon getting booed, he calls them a tough crowd for booing Shakespeare.
- In "Bye Bye Nerdie", when Marge asks Homer why he hasn't left for work:Homer: They said that if I come in late one more time I'm fired. I can't take that chance!
- At the beginning of "Trilogy of Error", Marge calls Homer and the kids downstairs for breakfast. None of them are psyched to learn that she is serving them a healthy European cereal called Mesliux, which looks like some gooey brown slop. Hearing the doorbell ring, Bart knows it's Milhouse and he has big news, allowing him to escape. Homer and Lisa are still stuck there, but Lisa plans to get her and Homer away from the table without hurting Marge's feelings:Homer: Yugh.Lisa: Yuch. [aside to Homer] I'll get us out of this. Say Dad, wanna go see my project for the school science fair?Homer: No, Lisa. But I sure don't want to eat this crappy breakfast.
- In "Jaws Wired Shut", during the gay pride parade, Marge hears Patty and Smithers, hidden each in their own closets, proclaiming that they're gay and proud of it. Marge then asks, "Wouldn't it be nice if that man and that woman got together [romantically]?"
- In "The Seemingly Never-Ending Story", after Burns comes across Moe's letter. Doubles as Rule of Three.Burns: [narrating] I steamed the letter open with Moe's cappuccino machine.
Moe: If you are reading this, then I am dead. You are about to hear the story of my treasure.
Burns: Treasure?
*zooms out of Burns' story*
Lisa: Treasure?
*zooms out of Lisa's story*
Homer: Moe has a cappuccino machine? - In "24 Minutes", Mr. Burns tells Homer to take his contaminated yogurt away from the plant. Homer saw that as a business travel.
- In "Gorgeous Grampa", an example Marge gives of how much more tolerant society has become is that there was a gay float in the Pride Parade.
- In "Covercraft", Homer's famous explanation of the difference between jealousy and envynote is this in context - Lisa is warning him not to be jealous, but Homer ignores her warning about his negative feelings in favour of being pedantic about what those feelings are. It's an unusual example in that Homer pulls this off by being uncharacteristically smart rather than his usual ignorance.
- And then, of course, there's Homer thinking the Police Academy movies aren't comedies ("The Springfield Connection" and "Marge Be Not Proud"). Though in this case a lot of people might agree...
