Homer the Great
| "Homer the Great" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| File:Homer The GreatCap.jpg | |
| Episode no. | Season 6 |
| Directed by | Jim Reardon |
| Written by | John Swartzwelder |
| Original air dates | January 8, 1995 |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | Adding "just kidding" doesn’t make it okay to insult the principal |
| Couch gag | The family runs into a parody of M. C. Escher's Relativity |
| Commentary | Matt Groening David Mirkin Dan Castellaneta Yeardley Smith |
"Homer the Great" is the 12th episode of The Simpsons’ sixth season. It features the Stonecutters, a fictional secret society which is an overt parody of the Freemasons.
Plot
When Homer notices that Lenny and Carl are enjoying unexplainable privileges at the nuclear plant, he investigates and discovers that they are part of an ancient secret society known as the Stonecutters. When he tries to join, he learns that in order to gain membership, one must either be the son of a Stonecutter or save the life of a Stonecutter. While extolling the Stonecutters at the dinner table, he discovers that his father is a member, and is admitted.
After joining the Stonecutters, Homer takes great pleasure in the Society's secret privileges, such as an underground byway past Springfield's traffic jams and the Society's drinking bouts. Unfortunately, during a celebratory rib dinner with his fellow Stonecutters, he unwittingly uses the society’s Hallowed Sacred Parchment as a napkin, tissue and Q-tip, destroying it. He is stripped of his Stonecutter robes, which include official underwear, as part of his punishment. It is discovered that Homer has a birthmark in the shape of the Stonecutter emblem, identifying him as "The Chosen One" who, it was foretold, would lead the Stonecutters to greatness.
Homer is crowned in a scene that parodies The Last Emperor and is, perhaps quite fittingly, reminiscent of the film adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s "The Man Who Would Be King". Homer eventually becomes bored with power and, under advice from Lisa, begins forcing the Stonecutters to do volunteer work to help the community. This angers and drives away the other Stonecutters, who break off and form a new society The Ancient Mystic Society of No Homers, headquartered in an abandoned Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlor. As one might expect, Homer is not allowed to join. (In a recurring gag from earlier in the episode, another man named Homer—Homer Glumplich—does join, but note that the society's name refers to Homers [plural]; as such, they are allowed one.)
Homer becomes despondent about losing his secret club, and Marge consoles him by telling him he's a member of a "very exclusive club": The Family Simpson, which has just five members. The family then subjects him to some hazing and paddling. "This club better be worth it!" Homer cries out while being paddled.
Production
In the DVD commetary, Matt Groening said that the original ending idea was for to Homer to quit the Stonecutters himself when everyone turns against him, but Sam Simon wanted a much crueler ending for Homer, as he loves cruel endings. He says "That's what the Simpsons is all about, folks!" during the commentary.
Cultural references
- The term "Stonecutters" as well as the symbol of the organization are a references to the Freemasonry.
- The Stonecutters are in possession of the Ark of the Covenant and when they burn Homer’s underwear, souls escape, à la Raiders of the Lost Ark.
- The scene where Homer is dancing under an orange sheet, as well as the costume he wears, is a reference to the film The Last Emperor.
- Mr. T briefly appears as a member of the Stonecutters when they scheme to kill Homer, and again at the creation of The Ancient Mystic Society of No Homers. His only line is "Kill the foo!"
See also
External links
