HOMR

"HOMR"
The Simpsons episode
File:Happiness-intelligence-lisasimpson.jpg
Episode no.	Season 12
Directed by	Mike B. Anderson
Written by	Al Jean
Original air dates	January 7, 2001
Episode features
Chalkboard gag	"Network TV is not dead"
Couch gag	There are five pneumatic tubes over the couch, which spit out Homer, Marge, Maggie, Lisa, and Fry (from Futurama). Fry is sucked back up, and Bart replaces him.

"HOMЯ" is the ninth episode of the twelfth season of The Simpsons. It aired on January 7, 2001, and won an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program. This episode is similar to the novel Flowers for Algernon. The title is a reference to the film adaptation Charly.

Synopsis

Template:Spoiler The family visits the Sick, Twisted, and Totally F***ed Up Animation FestivalTemplate:Fn, Homer discovers Animotion: A motion capture technology that allows a cartoon character to mimic a human's movements. He likes it so much that he invests the family's life savings in Animotion. However, just after making the investment, the company goes into super-duper bankruptcy. To earn the family's life savings money back, Homer finds a job at a medical testing center. During one experiment, the doctors find what appears to be a crayon lodged in Homer's brain from when he was a child.

After the crayon is removed, Homer's IQ goes up to 105 points (that is, to 5 points above average intelligence), which allows him to form a bond with Lisa. Homer then writes a report on the nuclear plant's (lack of) safety, which results in the plant's shutting down, and the laying off of all employees. Homer's friends, initially thrilled to have a smarter Homer around, quickly reject him, and Homer is even burned in effigy at Moe's Tavern. Lisa tries to explain that as you get smarter, happiness decreases. Homer decides to put a crayon back in his brain, with the aid of Moe—who says he is an unlicensed surgeon—. He arrives home his old self, which initially disappoints Lisa. However, she finds a letter written before the surgery in which Homer explains that he now understands what it is like to be smart like her, and how much he appreciates her. Instead of being mad at her father, the episode ends with Lisa embracing Homer.

Cultural References

• Template:Fnb The Sick, Twisted, and Totally F***ed Up Animation Festival may be modelled after Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation.
• The faux old footage of Itchy & Scratchy advertising for Laramie Cigarettes is likely a reference to the first season of The Flintstones, when commercials aired featuring Fred and Barney enjoying Winston Cigarettes.

Quotes

• Phone Announcer: For automated stock prices, please state the company name.
  Homer: Animotion.
  Phone Announcer: Animotion: up one and one-half.
  Homer: (excitedly) Yahoo!
  Phone Announcer: Yahoo!: up six and a quarter.
  Homer: Huh, what is this crap?
  Phone Announcer: Fox Broadcasting: down eight
  (Homer smiles slyly towards the camera).
• Homer: Now, who's up for a trip to the library tomorrow? Notice I no longer say "liberry" or "tomorry".
• Nelson: Question!
  Homer: Yes, Nelson?
  Nelson: (into his hand) A moron says, "What?"
  Homer: Not being a moron, I wouldn't know. However...(he mumbles inaudibly)
  Nelson: What?
  Homer: Ladies and gentlemen, I give you your moron.
  Nelson: Huh?
  Students: (pointing their fingers at Nelson) Haw-haw!
  
• Homer: Nothing burns like an effigy.
• Homer: (in a backstage bathroom, still wearing a motion capture suit and microphone) Urinal cake eroding...eroding...GONE!(Audience Cheers, Family in slight embarrassment).
• Moe: ...and I was a lot happier before I knew Dame Edna was a man! A lot happier!
• 6-year old Homer: (couting the crayons he puts in his nose)...14...15...16. Woo-hoo! I don't feel so good. (sneezes, and all the crayons but one fall out of his nose). I think that's all of them.
• Lisa: Dad, as intelligence goes up, happiness often goes down. In fact, I made a graph. I make a lot of graphs.
• Carl: Homer's the guy who rigged up my pants with this special cod piece.
  Homer: Comfy, isn't it?
  Carl: Oh, yeah. It provides the freedom and protection I so sorely need.
• Scientist: We could remove the crayon for you! It could vastly increase your brain power! Or it could possibly kill you.
  Homer: Hmm... increase my killing power eh? Let's do it!
  
• Homer: Come on Marge, we're a team! It's uterUS, not uterYOU.
  
• Lisa: Dad, did you read all those books today?
  Homer: Everything from Hop on Pop to Death Be Not Proud. It's so tragic the way they hopped on pop.
• Homer: Is there no place for a man with a 105 IQ?

Trivia

Moe is revealed to be an unlicensed surgeon in his spare time.