Original air date: 1/28/1990
Production code: 7G04
After being humiliated at a company picnic, Homer forces Marge and the kids to be more well-behaved, but after nearly getting caught spying on the neighbors, Homer decides to pawn the TV and pay for a session with Dr. Marvin Monroe.
This episode contains examples of:
- Accidental Misnaming: When Mr. Burns is greeting the Simpsons, he mispronouces Bart's name, and when an annoyed Bart corrects him, Homer berates Bart by calling him what Burns pronounced, only to avoid getting into Mr. Burns' wrath (as Burns hates being corrected).Mr. Burns: And this must be, uh... (glances at flash card given by Smithers) Brat.Bart: (annoyed) Bart!Homer: Don't correct the man, Brat!
- Bad Boss: Mr. Burns seems to have designed his company picnic as more of a means to weed out employees he doesn't like rather than host a pleasant evening for them. He fires a man just on the suspicion that he doesn't have a happy family, forces every father and son to take part in a potato sack race that is arranged for him to win, and threatens to release the hounds on everyone once the event is over.
- Big Blackout: The family members apply so many electric shocks at each other at Dr. Marvin Monroe's therapy that they take the power from the city.
- Blatant Lies: Homer signs the family up for shock-aversion therapy. It doesn't begin well.Marge: Bart, how could you shock your sister?
Bart: My finger slipped. [Bart gets shocked.]
Lisa: So did mine! [Lisa gets shocked again.] - Borrowed Catchphrase: This episode marks the first time someone other than Homer says "D'oh!" Most notably, Mr. Burns of all characters delivers it when he sees each of the Simpsons bringing him a gelatin mold.
- Brick Joke: Homer insists on Marge making gelatin deserts for the picnic after they earned him his one earnest compliment from Burns last year. When he proudly shows Burns his gift of five gelatin desserts, Burns reacts in exasperation, noting every employee bought him the same.Mr. Burns: Some damn fool went around telling everyone that I love that slimy goop!
- The happy family leaving Burns' picnic to whom Homer compares his own is in Dr. Monroe's waiting room seething with anger.
- Can't Hold Her Liquor: At the company picnic, Marge—who admits she's "not much of a drinker"—joins the other wives for a glass of punch. Intoxication Ensues.
- Character Catchphrase: This episode is the first time Bart says "Don't have a cow."
- Characterization Marches On:
- Homer's most popular characterization as a crude, clumsy, lazy, ignorant man with alcoholic tendencies, makes this an extremely odd episode to watch, especially for those who have never seen the show in its early days. He is embarrassed by his family's boorish behavior, including Marge getting drunk at his boss's party, and takes them to family therapy. If this was written after the first season, the roles would undoubtedly be reversed. Adding to this, Homer sells the TV in order to pay for the therapy; again, something he'd never even contemplate doing post-season one. It should also be noted that Lisa is an uncontrollable brat like Bart in this episode, as opposed to the Only Sane Man (well, little girl) she would soon become. Really, the only Simpson to act in-character by later season standards in this episode is Bart.
- Homer's brief quotation of his mother made her out to be just as bitter and verbally abusive as his father (who hadn't even completely settled into that characterization yet). Later seasons (particularly the season seven episode "Mother Simpson") had Homer's mother as a loving, caring woman who abandoned him because she got swept up in the 1960s counterculture (which, to her, was worlds better than being tied down to someone like Grandpa Simpson, who's more traditional and conservative).
- Comically Missing the Point:
- When Homer says he fears that they're the worst family in town, Marge suggests moving to a larger community.
- Dr. Monroe's initial attempt to lead the family in a therapy exercise involves letting them take out their aggression on each other with padded bats. After some thwacking Homer wonders what the "point" of the exercise is if the bats are padded.Bart: They'd work much better without the padding, doc.Dr. Monroe: N-no, that's not true.Bart: (kneecapping him with the bare bat) See?
- Contrived Clumsiness: Bart shocks Lisa and claims that "My finger slipped". Lisa shocks him back and says "So did mine".
- Couch Gag: The family sits on the couch and Homer gets squashed off onto the ground.
- Deliberately Jumping the Gun: At the potato sack race during the company picnic, Smithers calls out "On your marks, get set..." and then whispers "Go!" on Mr. Burns' ear so he would start first and win.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Mr. Burns fires a man because his son remarked that he had to miss ball practice.
- Drunken Song: A completely intoxicated Marge joins the women in a rousing rendition of Dean Martin's "Hey, Brother, Pour the Wine".note
- Early-Installment Weirdness
- As noted in the commentary, everything about the episode is wrong compared to what the show soon became, with Homer being the one embarrassed by his family's antics being the most glaring (as usually, this is a characteristic more appropriate for Marge or Lisa). Bart and Maggie (and maybe some of the ancillary characters, like Moe, Mr. Burns, Dr. Monroe, and the two cops, Eddie and Lou) are the only ones whose personalities aren't altered.
- Homer casually admits that his mother always considered him a disappointment, which is a far cry from the Mona Simpson we actually meet in the series later on.
- Homer Simpson sells the family's TV to pay for the session with Dr. Monroe, something he'd never do in later seasons.
- Homer's Imagine Spot right before he and his family leave Burns' party was drawn before the show received its stringent style guide. It explicitly rules out demonic faces on the Simpsons for anything but Treehouse of Horror episodes, as the family isn't ever supposed to be seen as malicious.
- Electric Torture: As a last resort, Dr. Monroe hooks up the Simpsons to electrical devices that enable each member to shock the other. Monroe meant it as a form of aversion therapy, but the Simpsons just keep shocking each other indiscriminately.
- Escalating War: What the shock therapy ultimately degrades into. Bart at first shocks Homer for the fun of it, then Lisa, with both retaliating in kind. Quickly the whole family just start frantically shocking one another in a petty fight.
- Establishing Series Moment: The shock therapy scene showcases what sort of absurdist humor the show would indulge in over time.
- Exact Words: When Dr. Monroe gives up on the Simpsons, Homer forces him to make good on his "Problem solved or we'll refund you twice what you paid" claim.
- Hypocritical Humor: Many gags in the episode expose how some of Homer's woes about his family are caused by himself, unbeknownst to him. Whenever Bart and Lisa act up during the party, his unsuccessful attempts to discipline them are belligerent and hamfisted. And during his exit, he expresses his embarrassment over having to act like a healthy family to a fellow father who actually has one. The other father briefly chides him for it, but the rest of the scene implies that Homer still pins all the blame on the other Simpsons.[After Burns' party concludes, the attendants hurry to their cars. Homer spots the father of the 'perfect' family he saw earlier and strikes up a conversation.]
Homer: Boy, I'm glad that's over. Now we can go home and act normal again!
Father: What do you mean?
Homer: Aw, come on...
[Homer mockingly blows several fake kisses.]
Homer: [facetiously] ... That cornball routine? 'I love you, Daddy.' Give me a break.
Father: I pity you... [He frowns and continues toward his car.]
Homer: Why?
[Homer directs his attention to the other father's family. The son politely offers a seat to his sister...]
Son: After you!
Daughter: Well, thank you so much!
[... Meanwhile, Bart and Lisa are bickering over who gets to sit in the car first.]
Bart: Me first! No, me! Me! Me!
Lisa: No, me! No, me! Me! Me!
[Back to the other family's car, Homer sees the father's wife consoling him as he prepares to drive...]
Wife: Honey, you look so tired. Would you like me to drive?
[... But when Homer turns to Marge, he sees that she's still woozy from the spiked punch.]
Marge: Oh, Homie, I think I'm gonna be sick...
[Homer hears the other family singing merrily and imagines them driving off to Heaven... And when he looks back at his own family, Homer sees them as demons. They all chant for him to climb inside their car, and after he obliges, he imagines driving deeper into his personal Hell, whereas the other family continues ascending and singing. Homer sighs...] - Identical Stranger: A whole family of identical strangers to the Simpsons (only much more kempt) are seen exiting Marvin Monroe's office, with the Homer lookalike even spouting Homer's old catchphrase ("Let's all go out for some frosty chocolate milkshakes"). Homer takes this as a sign that Monroe knows his stuff. Earlier in the episode, they can briefly be seen in the background at Mr. Burns' company picnic.
- Ill-Fated Flowerbed: Homer does this, with a twist, while taking his family on a peeking tour of the neighborhood's houses.Bart: Whoa, look at this place. What a dump.Homer: That's what you think. I just trampled this poor sap's flower bed. (laughs)Marge: Homer, this is our house.Homer: D'oh!
- Imagine Spot: Homer pictures his family as a bunch of devils and a happier family as a bunch of angels, complete with their road home going up into Heaven and his road home going through Hell.Devil Simpsons: There's room in this car for one more! (chanting) One of us! One of us! One of us!
- Irony: The "perfect" family that Homer idolizes at the beginning of the episode is later seen at Dr. Marvin Monroe's center all angrily looking away from each other. Looks like they weren't as good a family as Homer thought they were.
- Let Us Never Speak of This Again: Dr. Monroe, after Homer forces him to honor his "family bliss or double your money back" slogan.Dr. Monroe: Just go, and never tell anyone you were here!
- Mad Libs Catchphrase: This episode marks the first time Homer says "Mmm, [food item]...".
- Malaproper: While saying grace, Homer complains to God about his kids' behavior:Homer: Did you see them at the picnic?! Oh right, of course you did, you're everywhere. You're omnivorous.
- Missed Him by That Much: Eddie and Lou were searching for "a family of peeping toms" (the Simpsons looking at other house windows). Their search dog was growling at Homer, who says he had wieners on him. So they leave, dragging their dog with them.
- Not So Above It All: Despite his insistence that he's the Only Sane Man in his family, Homer frequently displays his own failings. He reacts with angered violence towards his children's quips, fails to pay attention to the counseling he forced the rest of the family to go through, and abuses the shock therapy with the rest of his family.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: We can call it Early-Installment Weirdness if it makes more sense, but still, it's pretty sure that the Simpsons have hit rock bottom when the one that feels shame for their behavior is Homer.
- Out-of-Character Moment: Marge gets drunk and actually embarrasses Homer, who wants their family to be normal and appreciated by the rest of society. Though this was because what she was drinking that she thought was punch actually had alcohol in it.
- Papa Wolf: While Homer was embarrassed by his family, he will not let anyone insult them. A drunken Barney did so, causing a barfight between them.
- Running Gag:
- This is the first time Mr. Burns mentions releasing "the hounds" and the first time that he has to consult Smithers on who Homer is. Though the latter is probably justified since Burns doesn't seem to care to know the names of ALL his employees.
- This episode is notably the last proper appearance of Homer's catchphrase "Let's all go out for some frosty chocolate milkshakes", a Running Gag from the Tracey Ullman era. Every time the show has referenced the line since, it has been a Call-Back to how old and weird it is.
- Shout-Out:
- The family chanting "One of us" is a reference to Freaks.
- Homer refers to Burns' mansion as "Stately Burns Manor", in the same way that Bruce Wayne's mansion was always referred to as "Stately Wayne Manor" in Batman (1966).
- Therapy Backfire: The episode has Homer insist the family go to a therapy session. They all blame him (although this might have been annoyance at him having sold their TV to pay for it). Even escalating to electroconvulsive aversion therapy can't stop the family from feuding with each other (if anything, they end up blowing out the clinic lights and several surrounding blocks' lights in the ensuing electroshock fight). Dr. Monroe gives up, refunds Homer's money, and begs them to never tell anybody that they visited the clinic.
- They Have the Scent!: Eddie and Lou take a bloodhound named Bobo into Moe's; Bobo quickly starts to bark at Homer (seeing as he's the criminal they're looking for) but Eddie and Lou are too dumb to get the point, and take him out.
- Wheel of Feet: Bart and Lisa do this
when running away from a house with the rest of their family. - Window Watcher: Homer takes the whole family out on a Window Watching escapade in order to demonstrate to them that their family's personal interactions aren't normal.
- Would Hurt a Child: At least one member of the family targeted one year old Maggie in the shock therapy session. She becomes less sympathetic when you notice she's shocking everyone and seems to have an idea of what she's doing.
