The Simpsons 50 through 54

Homer Alone

This episode premiered on February 6th 1992. It was followed by Drexell's class and ran opposite Columbo 91, The 1992 Winter Olympics and The Cosby Show.

The chalkboard gag is "I will not spank others" and the couch gag is a repeat of the pyramid stunt.

The show starts with the classic Roadrunner opening featuring Homer chasing Bart. They break a lamp and Marge says she's not cleaning it up, which she does. She then feeds and changes Maggie while making lunches for the family. Everyone talks at her at once and she gets mad at them. Homer needs her to take his ball to Nicks to get a bottle cap out. The kids screw around and miss the bus so she also has to drop them off at school. They fight in the back seat and she yells at them. Neither of the Nicks Bowling shops knows how to get a bottle cap out of the ball. When Bill and Marty, the radio guys, call a guy to tell him that his wife is dead as a joke, and then Maggie spills milk all over the car Marge freaks out and comes to a stop in the middle of The Springfield Memorial Bridge. Homer, Carl and Lenny are watching at the power plant so Homer rushes to the bridge. After he talks her out they arrest and book her but Mayor Quimby orders the police to release her and declares it Marge Simpson day. Homer considers the whole thing over but then Marge sees commercial for Rancho Relaxo (You can't spell Relaxo without Relax) Marge wants to go on vacation even though Homer points out that they just came back from a vacation to Mystic Caverns (There is a photo of Homer holding Bart over Bottomless Pit). Marge tells Homer she wants to go on her own vacation, he's worried she won't come back but she promises she will. The kids go to stay with Patty and Selma but Maggie refuses to leave the house. Barney comes over to help Homer. Bart digs through Patty and Selma's closet and finds a zit gun. Homer falls asleep and Maggie escapes in search of Marge. Barney offers to make a two cheese omelette, pulls pipe out from under front step. After doing all the activities available at the resort Marge order a hot fudge sundae and tequila, she has it in the tub while watching Thelma and Louise. Marge calls Homer to tell him she's coming home in an hour. The police find Maggie at the ice cream parlor, they are going to charge Homer with criminal neglect but decide to give him a warning. At the trains station the family is exhausted and glad to see Marge, they agree to help out more in the future. 

Roadrunner opening, Bart: (Brat'us Don'thaveacow'us) Homer (Homo Neanderthal'us)

Arnie Pye in the sky. First called Bill Pye in the Bart Gets An "F" episode. First time calling Krusty's monkey "Mr. Genie"

First time we see the power struggle between Mayor Quimby and Police Chief Wiggums.

Around Springfield:

Mall Stores: Sari's Rutalillini, TKO, Nick's Bowling Shop, La Pamperie Hair Salon, The Family Jewel

Buckingham Palace Quick Lube

Phineas Q. Butterfat's Ice Cream Parlor, The sign dropped the "5600 flavors". 

Train stops: Shelbyville, Backwater, Kettlestone Testing Ground and Rancho Relaxo.

Patty and Selma have tongue sandwiches for lunch they offer Clamato, Mr. Pibb and Soy milk to drink. They watch Divorce Court and MacGyver "Harry Dean Anderson will be in my dreams tonight"

Troy McClure is on the information channel for Rancho Relaxo, He does his famous catch line You might remember we from such films as Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Die and Gladys The Groovy Mule. Later he mentions he starred with Delores Montenegro (first time) in Calling All Quakers.

Radio station at Rancho Relaxo is coma, WKOMA There really is a KOMA radio station in Oklahoma City featuring classic rock. The first set of songs is about clouds. 

Rancho Relaxo Film choices

Thelma And Louise

The Happy Little Elves Meet Fuzzy Snuggleduck

The Erotic Awakening of S

Rancho Relaxo Activities List

Bungee Jumping

Kayaking

Calligraphy

Cigar Making

Hula Dancing

Homer watches Shakespeare Fried Chicken commercial while lying on Maggie. 

In the Simpson's basement we see the Aztec head from Blood Feud.

Missing Babies hold line, Baby Come Back by The Equals.

Bart The Lover

This episode premiered on February 13th 1992 and ran opposite the previous week's programming. 

There is no chalkboard gag and the couch gag is a repeat of the alien

In a school video Jimmy wants to live in a world without zinc, he can't start his car, call his girlfriend or shoot himself in the head. It was all a dream. Mrs. Krabappal drives home alone. Her car breaks down and the mechanic tells her there is sugar in the gas tank. She puts an ad in the lonely hearts section of Springfield Magazine. Ted Carpenter comes to Springfield Elementary to sell YoYos. Mrs. Krabappal tries to read about the Pilgrims but everyone wants to know if they had yo-yos. When Bart tries a new trick he breaks the aquarium and kills the fish stinky and wrinkles, he gets detention and his yo-yo is confiscated. Kabappel's first date is with Jasper. While she's out of the room Bart finds her personal ad, decides to send her a letter from Woodrow. When it's cold out Marge wants Homer to get a dog house, she says they cost $50, Homer offers to build one instead. Krabappel writes backhand includes racy photo. Todd curse at the dinner table, Ned tries to find out why. Bart asks Lisa to help write a letter, she teases him. Bart asks Marge about any love letters from Homer, borrows the line "yours is a butt that won't quit". Ned learns that Rod's cursing coming from Homer. Bart steals lines from an old movie. Krabappal wants a photo of Woodrow so he take a photo of Gordie Howe and sends it to her. Marge has Homer create a swear jar. Bart writes to Edna and invites her to the Guided Truffle to stand her up, he goes to see Ernest needs a Kidney. When he comes out he sees her crying and feels bad. Homer puts a lot of money in the curse jar. Bart asks why Edna won't go out with the other men at the school, she tells him all their secrets. Homer hurts himself multiple times and doesn't swear but destroys crappy dog house, Marge took the money from the swear jar and bought a dog house. Bart confesses what he did and asks his parents for help writing a break up letter. They write that Woodrow is going away. The show ends with Bart and Edna having detention outside, and Gordie Howe's stats. 

Chef Lonelyheart's Soup For One. chicken noodle

Springfeld Magazine: Krusty Picks Springfield's Best Chili, We Talk With J.D. Salinger (famous reclusive) Springfield On One Dollar A Day by Greg Lovello (image of a wino) Looking For Love Call Klondike 5-3457

Twirl Kings Yo Yo performers: Mr. Amazing, Sparkles, Zero Gravity, The Cobra. Perform tricks to the song Age of Aquarius. Homer thinks he'll get rich off Bart's Yo Yo tricks Marge challenges him to name one person who got rich he thinks of Donald Trump, Arnold Palmer, Bill Cosby

Ned's list of Possible Bad Influences

Bumper Stickers 

Comic Books

Grandma

Television

Rod

Todd stopped watching Davey and Goliath because a talking dog is blasphemous.

Homer sent Marge a drunken post card from the Duff Brewery in Capitol City sent in 1978, Home of the worlds biggest pull tab. Since cans no long use pull tabs it's a Dated Reference.

Bart watches Two for Tunisia on Colorization Theater, actors are blue.

Marge's father was in the navy. 

Dated reference: Earnest Needs A Kidney movie. Earnest P. Worrell was a character created by Jim Varney back in the 80's. There was a series of 10 Earnest movies.

Homer At The Bat

This episode premiered on February 20th, 1992. It ran in it's usual time slot and opposite the same programs as the previous week. 

The chalkboard gag is "I will not aim for the head" (a reference to how the episode ends) and the couch gag is the family goes to jump on the couch but smack their heads together and are knocked out, with only Maggie conscious. 

Homer chokes on a donut, as Lenny is trying to find the Heimlich maneuver poster he discovers a softball signup sheet. Homer builds his own bat from a tree branch that was struck by lightning using it he hits a home run and wins the game. As the team wins Burns makes a bet on the final game so he recruits professional players to be wringers. Clemens busts Homer's Wonderbat. The ringers, except for Darryl Strawberry, all miss the game but at the bottom of the tied final inning Burns replaces Strawberry with Homer. Homer gets hit by a bad pitch and all the players advance so Springfield wins the game. The closing credit song replace by Talking Softball, a version of Taking Baseball by Terry Cashman, who sings both versions. 

The title of the episode is taking from the classic poem Casey at the Bat by Ernest Thayer and the plot is from The Natural.

When Homer says he has a Secret Softball weapon the other workers visualize what it could be: A huge glove, spring shoes, laser gun killing the other team. 

Homer calls his bat Wonderbat, this is in reference to the bat in The Natural, Wonderboy

The first game is between the nuclear plant and the police department. 

Springfield Millionaires Club "You must have more than this to enter $1,000,000

Burns bets Million against owner of Shelbyville power plant owner. We were introduced to Aristotle Amadopolis in Defining Homer. 

The ringer players Burns wants are "Honus Wagner, Cap Anson, Mordecai Three Fingers Brown, However when he finds out they are all dead he has Smithers recruits Jose Canseco, Mike Scioscia, Ozzy Smith (at Graceland), Don Mattingly, Steve Sax (playing with The Steve Sax Trio), Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, Ken Griffey Jr. and Darryl Strawberry, Later in the episode Sax arrested by the cops. Scioscia gets radiation poisoning, Ken Griffy Jr. overdoses on nerve tonic, Canseco gets caught at a house fire, Boggs gets into a fight with Barney over British Prime Ministers (Pitt the Elder vs Lord Palmerston) Ozzy Smith falls down the Mystery Spot, Mattingly benched for sideburns. Clemens is hypnotized and thinks he's a chicken. Only Strawberry shows up so Homer is still off the team. 

The writers slipped a dirty joke into the episode when Ken Griffey Jr. drinks the nerve tonic and says "It's like there is a party in my mouth and everyone's invited" 

Mr. Burns wears a Zephyrs uniform, it's a reference to a Twilight Zone episode, The Mighty Casey featuring the Hoboken Zephyrs.

Springfield Mystery Spot "Where logic takes a holiday and all laws of nature are meaningless. First mentioned in the episode Old Money.

First appearance of Sanjay Nahasapeemapetlon, Apu's brother, but not by name.

The power plant team members are wearing a baseball cap with Smilin' Joe Fission on them, the mascot.

Separate Vocations

This episode premiered on February 27th 1992 and was followed by a repeat of The Simpsons (Homer Defined) It ran opposite Columbo 91, Top Cops, and The Cosby Show (The Winter Olympics had ended)

The chalkboard gag is "I will not barf unless I am sick" and the couch gag is a repeat of Bart diving across everyone's lap.

The school is taking an aptitude test. The computer decides Lisa's career should be a homemaker and Bart should be in law enforcement. The school psychologist tells Bart he had him pegged as a drifter, Bart imagines what that would be like. Lisa goes to a music school to see if she could become a professional musician, however the teacher tells her that she has stubby fingers and can never go pro. The Simpsons neighbor Mrs. Windfeld sees Bart going on a ride along with the police and think he's being arrested, she says "well it's about time". While Lisa is giving up on her dreams the cops get into a high speed chase with Snake. Snake gets trapped in parking lot, cops give Bart a gun, Snake tries to run him over but gets stuck in narrow alley. Wiggums makes Bart an honorary cop, gives him Eddy's badge. Bart fingerprints Maggie but doesn't wash her hands which results in handprints all over house. Marge blames SLH for eating the cake until Bart shows her photos of Homer scarfing it down, Bart accidentally includes a photo of his butt. Lisa goes to the Bad Girls bathroom where they are smoking (couldn't show that in the modern world) she convinces the bad girls to egg and toilet paper the school mascot statue. Bart turns in Willie for burning leaves without a permit so Skinner makes him a hall monitor. Bart starts to clean up the school while Lisa slips. Skinner takes Bart to the Seized Property Room and lets him pick out an item, Bart goes for the crossbow. Lisa gets in trouble and decides to steal the Teacher's Edition of all the text books, which she hides in her locker, the teachers panic. Bart finds the books in Lisa's locker and claims he did it. Bart ends up with 600 days detention, Milhouse is the new hall monitor. Bart goes back to writing on the chalkboard, Lisa starts playing the sax again.

When Mrs. Krabappal announces she has a surprise the kids fantasize about what it could be: A Seminole wrestling a crocodile (couldn't do that in the modern world). Elf handing out ice cream, Bart imagines that Mrs Krabappal is really an alien in a mask (5 years before Men In Black) Instead the kids are taking the Career Normalizing Aptitude Test (CANT). Test questions, If you could be any animal which would you choose,  Carpenter Ant, Nurse Shark, Lawyer bird. I prefer the smell of, Gasoline, French Fries, Bank Customers

Between the floors of Springfield Elementary, is a snake coiled on pipe.

Krabappal mentions ex living on beach with marriage councilor 

Poster on classroom wall Give a Hoot, Wash Up. (based on the Give A Hoot, Don't Pollute posters)

Tests flown to Iowa Non-International Airport. Driven to Proctorville Iowa, Home of the National Testing Center. National Testing Center "Controlling Your Destiny Since 1925." The computer stops at Bart's test. Guy with broom says "c'mon Emma" and hits it.

Dr. J. LorenPryor School Psychologist, first seen in Bart The Genius.

Milhouse career, Military Strongman.

Around Springfield:

Li'l Ludwig's Music School.

Who's To Know Motel, owl on sign. Mayor Quimby's car in the parking lot. 

Sideshow Mel rollerblading with dog.

Police car One Ocean Tango, 1OT

Snake licence plate, EX CON

1970's car chase scene, guy crashes into milk truck, it explodes in flames. Crash through cardboard boxes in alley. To Be Continued.... Act II, Death Drives A Stick!

First mention of Eddy the cop's name.

School mascot, the Puma.

When Bart imagines being a hall monitor he sees himself as a court witness with a blue dot over his face and his voice altered to sound like Steve Allen, (the real Steve Allen did the voiceover)

When Principal Skinner asks Lisa what she's rebelling against she says "Whatt'a ya got?" A quote from the movie The Wild One.

Larami Jr. Cigarettes

School Paper headlines: Foodfight Foiled Fishsticks Seized. 

Classic Batman TV show scene change with Bart's face.

Second chalkboard gag "I will not expose the ignorance of the faculty. 

Dog Of Death

This episode premiered on March 12th, 1992 in it's regular time slot and opposite the the normal programs, although the last episode of Drexell's class had run the week before and the week's episode was a rerun.

The chalkboard gag is "I saw nothing unusual in the teacher's lounge" and the couch gag is repeat of the family sitting on Homer

The show starts with a commercial for The State Lottery "Where everybody wins" Actual odds of winning: One in Three Hundred Eighty Million. The jackpot is up to $130M so Homer rushes to the Kwik-E-Mart. As Marge and Homer are talking about the lottery SLH walks into the living room and collapses on the carpet. Homer doesn't win but Kent Brockman does. Grandpa tells the family that their dog is dead but he's just really sick. The vet tells the Simpsons that SLH has a twisted stomach but they can't afford the operation. Mr. Burns won't loan Homer the money so he considers doing the operation himself. The family gives up stuff for the dog operation, Beer, Haircuts, Lottery Tickets and Encyclopedia Generica from the supermarket. Homer suggests the family become traveling acrobats. The next week the lottery draws Marge's numbers but she quit buying because of the dog. Lisa's class has to do a report on Copernicus which just happens to be the next encyclopedia she needed. Bart has to go to the barber college for a haircut and Homer sings for money to buy beer at Moe's. Everybody hates on SLH, Homer doesn't close the gate to the yard and the dog runs away. Ned goes to Mr. Burns who turns the hounds on him but one has become too old to chase people so Burns goes to the pound and adopts SLH. SLH is too nice so Burns uses Clockwork Orange film method to toughen him up. Bart goes to Kent Brockman's house and gets told off, then to Burns who releases the hounds. SLH attacks Bart until he says "I love you boy" and then SLH remembers all the good times and saves him from the other dogs. Everybody is happy. Disclaimer at the end of the show, No dog were harmed in the filming of this episode, A cat got sick and somebody shot a duck but that's it. 

Dated reference, Homer calls home on a payphone.

First time seeing Sanjay Nahasapeemapetlon and mentioned by name. This is also the first time we see the vet (although he remains nameless), the character is based on the classic tv show Dr, Kildare. 

People in Springfield, including Homer, read Shirley Jackson's book The Lottery. (It isn't actually a book but a short story.)

Newspaper headline. Lottery Drawing Today, President, Rock Star To Swap Wives.

Homer's lottery fantasy is to become a huge man covered in gold and diamonds.

Winning lottery numbers 17, 3, 26, 41, 36, 49

The winning numbers for the next week's $40K drawing 3, 6, 17, 18, 29 (Marge's numbers)

The dog operation is $750, that would be $1630 in today's money.

Books in the Simpsons fireplace, Canine Surgery, The Lottery, Fatherhood by Bill Cosby (His show was still running opposite The Simpsons and Homer had been given a copy by the Fatherhood Institute in the episode Saturdays Of Thunder) and Fahrenheit 451.

Kent Brockman makes $500,000 a year.

SLH's adventure, riding a log down the Springfield River, fighting a bear, saving a baby from a burning building, chasing a cat, gets caught by the dog catcher. 

When Ned visits Mr. Burns mansion he's wearing his Assassins running shoes.

Burns dog's name, Crippler.

While putting up posters for SLH Bart covers over a missing poster for Skinner, from the episode Bart The Murderer. 

Clockwork Orange images, dog being smacked with rolled up paper, water bowl kicked over, nuclear blast, kitten playing with yarn, Hindenburg crash, tank running over dog house, dog drinking from toilet getting hit with falling seat, LBJ picking his dog up by the ears.

Only 693 more episodes to go.

Note, I did it again, published the episodes out of order.