Homer's Night Out

Credits
Episode Number 7G10 (#110)
Created by Matt Groening; Developed by James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Sam Simon
Written by Jon Vitti
Directed by Rich Moore
Executive Producers James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Sam Simon
Starring Dan Castellanetta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, and Harry Shearer
Special Guest Voice Sam MacMurray
Also Starring Hank Azaria, Jo Ann Harris, Pamela Hayden, Maggie Roswell

Story
We open with Homer and Marge getting ready for the day. Homer describes the birthday party he went to the night before where his assistant, Eugene Fisk, asks out some girl from valve maintenance. Elsewhere, Bart is thumbing through a magazine where he sees and buys a spy camera. Six months later, Homer is now going to a bachelor party for his former assistant, now-supervisor, Eugene Fisk, who is marrying some girl from valve maintenance. Bart also receives his spy camera and immediately starts taking pictures of his family in embarrassing poses...

Homer trying to touch his toes, Marge shaving her armpits...

...and of roadkill, and of his own butt.

Ugh. Boys.

Marge tells the kids to get ready because they are eating out tonight at the Rusty Barnacle, a seafood joint. The Rusty Barnacle, interestingly enough, is also where Eugene Fisk's bachelor party is being held and it looks like Eugene and his father are having a terrible time the entire party and it's not necessarily clear if it's because they didn't want this type of bachelor party or if they are upset at the prospect of marriage. Either way, Princess Kashmir comes out and starts dancing with Homer. Bart, in an effort to avoid eating the squid platter with extra tentacles he ordered himself, walks in on them and takes a picture with his spy camera.

Bart joins the photography club at school just so he can develop his spy camera film and the kids flip out over the picture of Homer and Princess Kashmir and want their own copy. Milhouse begs Bart for one and gives in after making Milhouse promise not to show the picture to another living soul. Soon, Milhouse is making copies of the picture for his friends and other schoolmates and within a day, the picture is plastered all around Springfield where Marge sees it at her gym. When Homer comes home from work, Marge confronts Homer about the picture and while Homer says that there is nothing between him and Princess Kashmir, Marge kicks him out of the house.

Homer goes to Moe's to wallow for a bit before being invited back to Barney's to spend the night. The next day at work, Homer is called into Burns' office where he is derided for carrying on like a damned fool in public while representing the nuclear plant but also hailed by Burns who asks for dating advice, which Homer is unable to provide except the standard "wine 'em, dine 'em, flowers, and poetry' shtick. Homer returns home where he finds out that Marge wasn't upset about Homer dancing with Princess Kashmir but because Bart saw and is afraid Bart will start objectifying women because of this. Homer offers to take Bart to find Princess Kashmir to show him that she is a normal human being with thoughts and feelings.

They travel to many strip and dance clubs before finding the one she is at. Homer inadvertantly winds up on stage during Gulliver Dark's (MacMurray) performance of "I Could Love a Million Girls" and is celebrated by the audience. Seeing Bart and remembering why he's there, he pleads to the men in the audience that women are not just objects but our friends, family, and lovers which causes several of the men in the audience to begin to reminisce about their daughters or mothers. Marge, who happens to be in the audience, thanks Homer and the two kiss on stage.

Random Observations

• The scale winds up on 239 pounds each time. 239 is Homer's standard weight throughout the series.
• First weighing: "239! Oh, I'm a blimp. Why are all the good things so tasty? That does it. From now on, exercise every morning."

• Second weighing: "239! Oh, I'm a whale. Why do I have this weakness for snack treats? That does it. From now on, exercise every morning."
• The ads for the cheap toys in the back of the comic book are great. Especially the Hyp-No Coin.

• Bart: "Ah, it's the fe-mail man."
  Lisa: "Female carrier, Bart."
• Bart: *opens door for mail carrier* "Hey, lady, where's my spy camera? Where's my spy camera? Where's my spy camera?"
  Mail carrier: "Everyday for the last six months..."
  Both: "Where's my spy camera? Where's my spy camera? Where's my spy camera? Where's my spy camera?"
  Mail carrier: "Here's your stupid spy camera!"
  Bart: "Cool. Thanks, man."
• Lisa: "Ew. Mom, Bart's taking a picture of his butt."
  Bart: *pulling up pants* Yeah, right. Like I'm really going to take a picture of my butt."
• Dan Castellanetta's read of "Oh, this is the most fun I've ever had in my life" is great.
• Bart makes Milhouse promise not to show anyone the picture with "Eat a horse manure pie".
• Back in middle school, I worked in the school library for a quarter or semester or something and there was this book about the 20th Century that I liked to flip through. When talking about 1994's Woodstock festival, it had a picture of a topless girl. I told friends who then wanted copies of it, which I could make on the library copier. For a good week or so, I was a hero.
• Homer: *strangling Bart* "Why you little..."
  Marge: *strangling Homer* "Why you big..."
• Barney has that famous poster of Farrah Fawcett on the wall of his apartment.
• Marge being more upset about the objectification of women is very progressive for 1990. I remember that this episode helped form some of my views of women, the main treatment being respect. The only thing that has changed is the perception of the erotic dancer/stripper occupation. There is a considerable movement today that sex work is just as legitimate as any other job out there and is not just for people who made bad decisions in life.
• I love that Princess Kashmir's (real name: Shauna Tifton) description of herself reads like a Playboy Centerfold. ("Real name, Turn ons, Turn offs...")
• Of course Homer winds up on stage doing kicks in a can-can line.

• Homer: "I would rather feel the sweet breath of my beautiful wife on the back of my neck as I sleep than stuff dollar bills down the front of some stranger's G-string." Same