Homer's Night Out

This is the second episode of the first season penned by one if not the best Simpsons writer Jon Vitti. But this episode doesn't come close to stacking up against the brilliant Bart story of Bart the genius(his first episode) or even the average Crepes of Wrath. Homer's Night Out is my least favorite episode of the first season and it is at least in the bottom three of the classic era. What also makes this episode so lackluster is the fact that it aired right after the brilliant "Life on the Fast Lane" which makes this episode look like a cheesy 1970's sitcom by comparison and in many ways that comparison would be apt.


The first act of this episode actually is pretty well done. Bart asking for his spy camera, Homer and his want to exercise. Even Bart taking the pictures while somewhat cheesy with the way the pictures are put on the screen still works as a decent gag. My one complaint about the first act is how Bart is just so boring and one dimensional of course he was going to get a picture of Homer dancing with Princess Kashmir. It is pretty predictable but it's not that big of a problem. Even the start of the second act with every town person making Homer out to be this big lover boy is somewhat redeeming but the way most of the secondary characters act are very bland. Well just boring is comparison to how they would act later in the series. Although the monologue with Burns is a really nice touch to the episode and showed a human side to Burns which makes his character stronger. Where the episode takes a strong detour is when Marge discovers the photo. For one it's just a photo. There is no nudity no nothing and Marge is extremely out of character in her extreme anger. This part of the episode is just so wrought with sitcom cliches it makes me wretch. I mean Homer gets kicked out and tries desperately to win her back. While he's away the kids eat with Marge alone and the dialogue is pretty boring/cliched "I wonder when dad's coming home?" followed by Marge's face looking sadder. But the worst part about this section of the act is when Homer comes back to the house the kids give him hugs and offer support and him and Marge have a terribly done conversation which ends in Marge telling Homer he has to redeem himself by taking Bart to meet Princess Kashmir. The whole premise of this idea seems ripped right out of a generic CBS sitcom. Most of the cliches shown in this episode would torn to shreds in later episodes.

So Bart and Homer start an adventure to meet this Princess Kashmir. while some might find the gags here to be entertaining I just couldn't. They travel to many different places where she could be working. Maybe this could be an attempt at satire of how the city has so many places from women to be exploited but I do not think it's the case here. So they finally locate Princess Kashmir and Bart talks to her or attempts to but her act is on. Homer of course ends up in the middle of the act and is shown again to be some kind of fluky lover boy. In a shocking turn of events of course Marge is there and sees Homer dancing with all these other women. But the epitome of what is terrible and brutally cliche is Homer's end speech. Just the fact that it moves every single person and makes Marge instantly take him back is terrible. The ending sort of makes me wish they went with some form of parody but no they went straight for the cheesy Happy Days moralistic everyone is loving and happy and the world is perfect end.


Just comparing this episode to Life on the Fast Lane makes you appreciate the brilliance of Fast Lane even more. Just the way they handle Marge's character makes the episode seem light years ahead. Some may excuse the episode because it's from season one and in some ways I do with the animation the voices being off i.e Carl and Lenny. But to have characters this badly out of place is no excuse especially when you can tell the writers already knew how to write great character pieces. Fast Lane and Night Out are very similar in terms of their conflict at the start. Homer does something stupid and Marge gets upset(this is from a very basic standpoint). But where the episodes differ by a mile is the way the plots are executed. Fast Lane skewers sitcom cliches and sends Marge on a journey that tests not only her marriage but her moral will. Homer's Night Out fishes from the bottom of the barrel and takes every easy way out. There is nothing added to Homer's character despite the whole marriage crisis of this episode focusing on him but just relies on a cheesy dumb downed plot and ends in a bland ending. Even just looking at the endings you can really see which is the better episode. Fast Lane has a nice parody and while it does get cheesy the emotional payoff is still there. Homer's Night Out's emotional poignancy is lost the second Bart and Homer go on their search.

Grade:C+