Donuts on the Couch: Growing Up on Evergreen Terrace
Former college roommates Thom Partridge and Dr. Andrew Murray revisit every episode of The Simpsons through the eyes of two dads in their 40s, exploring the humor, heart, and surprising depth of Springfield one episode at a time.
Donuts on the Couch: Growing Up on Evergreen Terrace
Simpson and Delilah - S02E02
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Homer discovers a miracle hair-restoration treatment and suddenly finds himself with a full head of hair, newfound confidence, and—because this is Springfield—a promotion to junior executive. Andrew and Thom revisit “Simpson and Delilah,” an episode whose jokes about baldness and vanity hit a little differently in middle age.
They talk about appearance, self-confidence, workplace status, and Homer’s wonderfully supportive new assistant, Karl, voiced by Harvey Fierstein. Along the way: questionable insurance claims, executive bathrooms, singing telegrams, tartar sauce, personal haircut stories, and the remarkable fact that in 1990 The Simpsons gave Homer a gay mentor who is arguably one of the most emotionally intelligent people he ever meets.
What seemed like an episode about magic hair as kids turns out to be a surprisingly thoughtful story about whether confidence comes from how other people see us—or how we see ourselves.
Grab a donut and have a seat on the couch. Welcome to Donuts on the Couch. Growing up on Evergreen Terrace. Yet another Simpsons Rewatch podcast, so I hit the record button.
SPEAKER_01Uh on everybody. Uh we're here back with another episode of Donuts on the Couch, growing up on Evergreen Terrace. And today we're talking about uh season two, episode two. It's deuces. We're ready. Deuces are wild today. Uh Simpson and Delilah. Um we don't always say this, but original air date was October 18th, 1990. So we're still within like 10 months of this whole Simpsons thing starting. That's crazy, isn't it? It is crazy. But I feel like they're really hitting I feel like they're really hitting their stride this season so far. Bart gets an F last week was phenomenal. And uh I thought this episode was great too. It's not one I particularly remembered as a kid much, but that's my same that's my same experience.
SPEAKER_00Like I it like I don't know, I was just it was just lost on me. Like all of this, like I don't know, men's vanity stuff that like I didn't I was unaware of at the time, but but now it's really hits home.
SPEAKER_01Well, you look great today, Andrew, and uh men's vanity. I've got my sweatshirt and my uh I think Dragon Ball Z t-shirt on here. So men's vanity is still uh still a mystery to me.
SPEAKER_00You'll get there. Uh yeah, so uh yeah, October 1990. So I I was nine. Uh you were eight, right? Yes, I was eight. Yes. That's crazy. Okay, so we'll try to make sense of all of this as uh we go through it. And yeah, again, like it it's a it's an episode that I I remember it existing, but like the bits and pieces of it are uh you know, it almost felt new at times. So um, as with all of them, we sort of start going through the opening credits. Um, and the chalkboard gag is Bart writing tar is not a play thing.
SPEAKER_01Um right, yes. Uh, which is um which is funny because as we've seen, you know, in the in the last episode, we saw Bart actually writing on the chalkboard during the episode. So all of these are kind of related to things that he has done in the classroom or whatever. Uh and I was thinking of one of my one of my favorite characters that we haven't met yet is Groundskeeper Willie. And I imagine if there was a tar incident at the school, the Groundskeeper Willie would be involved. And if Bart, you know, was caught red-handed almost with the tar, what could have happened?
SPEAKER_00Either directly or in charge of cleaning up after, right? Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_01So uh yeah, so kind of kind of funny there. Um, and then with the couch gag, this is the first time the the family doesn't immediately go and sit down on the couch.
SPEAKER_00I know, they take a different approach, don't they?
SPEAKER_01Yes, they do a little uh like what is it, the Egyptian yeah, walk like an Egyptian, I think.
SPEAKER_00Um I think that I think it's based off of that, the Bengals song from late 80s, mid 80s, something like that. Um, and and yeah, so they're doing that dance all together in unison, as families do.
SPEAKER_01Which is great, yes, as families do back in the day. I feel like that was that I feel like that was a big deal uh back in the day. Everyone knew how to walk like an Egyptian.
SPEAKER_00It was one of those things, yeah. It was like the Macarena or something like that, where there was a big uh big trend before like memes and things existed on the internet, they existed outside of the internet.
SPEAKER_01So uh so fun. They're showing a little bit of playfulness uh with the couch gag, which I which I like, and we'll see more of that. Um I will I'll let you, as we do every week, I like you're gonna start us off with the first uh first lines of this episode.
SPEAKER_00And yeah, again, the first line here uh comes from a TV announcer, right? Uh so it's kind of funny, they're off screen, you don't actually see them, but you see the family watching TV uh and the TV announcer asking, okay, the capital of North Dakota is named after what German ruler? Uh so Homer shouts out Hitler, like very excited.
SPEAKER_01Right, right. Which, when you think of German rulers, that is usually the first people think of. Um you know, but obviously there's no Hitler, North Dakota.
SPEAKER_00Uh, that I'm aware of, yeah. It's certainly not the capital.
SPEAKER_01No, no. Uh and Marge is the first one to comment, what? Like um, and of course, uh Homer's nemesis is basically uh Patty and Selma immediately say Bismarck. Yes, they they get it right. But I like I like the second question in this uh in this show that we later find out to be called the Grade School Challenge. They're not watching Jeopardy, they're watching Grade School Challenge, um where they you know they asked the colors of the was the Italian flag.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01And yelling all of the colors until he gets it and then he says, I got it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_00So he's also like holding up a chicken wing as he's answering, which I I like the sight gag of that.
SPEAKER_01Yep, yep. Um you watch Jeopardy, Andy?
SPEAKER_00Uh not so much anymore. I used to. Um, you know, I uh the end of the era, I think, was with Alex Trebek for me.
SPEAKER_01Um I like um who's the new guy? Jennings or Jennings, yeah. Yeah, I like him. He's all right. Um I do like to watch Jeopardy. Um I don't watch it nearly as much as I used to, but I always had a house rule that you get you got like half credit if you guessed um a wrong answer that someone on the show also guessed. Oh, I like that. Yeah. Like, ah, well, I might not be smart, but I'm as smart as these smart people.
SPEAKER_00So people that were smart enough to actually get on the show, right? Yes, yes. They got that bar. Uh yeah, in uh let's see, after college, uh I was living in Boston for a while, and uh I had some friends that had gone to Dartmouth, and they used to all get together every night during the week and they would watch Jeopardy as like a drinking game. Um and it got really intense. Like I go over and like try to compete sometimes, but like there at times I felt in over my head because they were just like real trivia guys, like that was their thing.
SPEAKER_01Um yeah, no, I mean trivia is trivia is fun. I you know, I played trivia with some friends at um a bar here in town, and you know, it was just fun, you know. I didn't well I did I did trivia on a trip to Europe one time. We were in Germany for a Patriots game, and we did trivia there and they translated it for us. It was great. Well, that's helpful, yeah. And uh the host would come over and it would, you know, there was a one category where it was questions about like the history of their town that we were in, and she was just like, You won't know this. I'm like, okay. I'm gonna try. Right. I you know, I think we came in like fifth place out of seven, you know. It's like, oh hey, that's not bad.
SPEAKER_00That's something to walk away with.
SPEAKER_01He did because the NFL was in, they had a bunch of NFL questions and uh and American questions, so we aced all those, uh, which was good.
SPEAKER_00The American flag is red, white, and what color?
SPEAKER_01Uh yellow, green, blue, blue!
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. Uh so it transitions into a uh commercial here for Demoxanil, right? The the is it a breakthrough or new uh news story or commercial?
SPEAKER_01I guess it's a commercial, right? I think yeah, it's a it's a commercial.
SPEAKER_00This is uh you know the new miracle breakthrough and hair regrowth, right?
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes. And Homer's very eager to see this. He hops right off right up off the couch and crawls on the floor with the kid who's like close to the TV. Yeah. Um and immediately enamored with it. He wants it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I I like the uh the whole setup to like the I don't know, the headquarters for Demoxanil at 485 Hare Place in Hare City, Utah.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yeah, you know, I mean that's what other place in this country would know about hair growth than Hare City, Utah.
SPEAKER_00Hair City, Utah. Um Yeah, so um it it sort of transitions into the episode. We see that Homer's got a cabinet full of these like different hair regrowth things, and he throws them all away, goes to the hair clinic in the mall, and uh meets with the doctor there, right?
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes, and of course, uh what is it, Damoxinil? Demoxenil, yeah. Demoxenil is not cheap. It's not it's not a thousand dollars. He does offer him a 1995 like gallon jar of some other growing hair product that he flat out says will not help you prepare.
SPEAKER_00Yes, any hair growth is purely coincidental. It says right on the bottle end, which is hilarious. Um, I I also like that the doctor himself is bald. They don't they don't really acknowledge that. Um but yeah, that so to get the demoxinil action set, that's a thousand dollars, you get a six-month supply for that much, as well as gravity boots and a scalp massager. So that there's a lot that goes into this.
SPEAKER_01Well, yeah, and you see, you know, not to fast forward too far ahead, but uh Homer does end up with it and he uses scalp massager and he uses the gravity boots, you know, you know, which is probably great for his back as well.
SPEAKER_00Um maybe, maybe that's where the benefit actually comes from, right?
SPEAKER_01So, but yeah, so Homer can't pay the thousand.
SPEAKER_00He can't. So under uh current purchasing power, thousand dollars in nineteen ninety to now is about twenty five hundred dollars now. So just sort of thinking about like the inflation there, it's hundred and fifty-two percent higher since then.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, all right, yeah. I mean, that's a that's a big purchase for uh you know a household of five with that's yeah, that that with one car back then, with one person working, yeah. Um but yeah, so um I do like the transition with how how he says no to this person, you know, it's to the bacteria. Yeah, he's very upset and oh crying, forget you, pal. Thanks for nothing, and he walks off very, you know, all very sad. And then they go, they flip forward to him at lunch at work with Lenny and Carl, and he's like, and I told I said, forget you, pal, and I stormed out of there.
SPEAKER_00Who hasn't done that though? Right, right.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. I mean, just just phenomenal. Um, we hear more from we had talked about Lenny and Carl recently. Have we heard had we heard heard Carl yet, or is this the first speaking role for Carl?
SPEAKER_00He talks in one episode in in the first season, um, but doesn't really like say much. It's more of like a background banter thing.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I like how his first like full-on direct line is uh quit complaining, chrome dome, um, referring to referring to Homer and his bald head, um, which is which is funny. But they basically, you know, they Lenny gives him a plan and Carl as well, they give him a plan to kind of fudge it through insurance.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, work is workplace insurance and uh sort of fudge the forms a little bit. Uh he brings up the idea to the doctor who is immediately like, no, no, no, we can't do this, and then he turns up the radio.
SPEAKER_01He's meeting in the alley in five minutes, come alone. And then he's got the you know, he's got the hat on and the trench coat and in the alleyway, and he's like, This is what you do.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, in in reality, that that doesn't happen much. I mean, uh I've never done it myself as a prescriber. Um, but but maybe there are people that do that.
SPEAKER_01You're not into fraud, Andy. Come on. I'm not into fraud, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Oh man, declaring publicly here, I'm not into fraud.
SPEAKER_01I will declare publicly I'm all for no and that's fine. Just grease the wheels a little bit and get that hair, you know.
SPEAKER_00I mean, he's he's got a goal here, he knows what he needs, right? Um he's like humming happily, gets the gets the treatment, brings it home, prays, goes to bed, um wakes up, gargles. He's had he had a like a shower cap on during the overnight, and does the big reveal there, and he's got this full head of hair.
SPEAKER_01I have hair, I have hair, he's screaming, and he runs out of the house. Um and we see the two old folk that we saw in the first. Mr.
SPEAKER_00and Mrs. Winfield, yes.
SPEAKER_01Yes, we see them, and and their response is get a haircut, hippie. Hippie, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Just which is which is pretty clever after um just getting hair. Yeah. I mean, do they I I wonder if they recognize who he was, if they remember who Homer is, or if they're just seeing a guy with a lot of hair. I think they're just seeing a guy with a lot of hair early in the morning running down the street, you know. As as hippies do. As hippies do. He also goes to by Moe's and he yells in the window, which is funny because it's first thing in the morning, it's like before 8 a.m. Uh Barney's in his seat, and Barney mistakes it for the president.
SPEAKER_01Yes, it's the must be the president.
SPEAKER_00Yes, the president at the time was uh George Herbert Walker Bush, uh, who did not have an impressive head of hair.
SPEAKER_01No, no, but again, we see a lot of this stuff uh you know from Matt Groening growing up in the 60s. So maybe maybe the idea here was that it was JFK, you know, or someone someone that did have an impressive head of hair.
SPEAKER_00And he did have an impressive head of hair.
SPEAKER_01So I don't know. Yes, yes. Uh he goes by a funeral happening and again a 7 30 a.m. funeral, and they all wave hello.
SPEAKER_00They they wave back to him. They're like just as cheery as he is.
SPEAKER_01Um and then finally he gets to the town square the town square with the what is it, Jedediah Springfield's. Yeah, the statues there. The statues there, and a and like almost an exact replica of Homer comes running in too, and they both realize that they both went to bed last night with the same hair cap on, and they're like, Demoxanil!
SPEAKER_00Demoxidil, and they started jumping together, yes. That's great, just utter elation for having hair. I again like thinking about like uh this episode not really mattering to me as a kid, like we've already gotten this far into the episode without really the kids involved at all, and I think that was part of it, yeah.
SPEAKER_01True, true. Yeah, the kids are not in this um almost in this episode, really, at all. At the end, they're just kind of thrown in there. There's not much, you know. Um, but uh so yeah, but so the first thing that you know Homer does with with his newfound hair and his you know his long kind of crazy hair is yeah, he heads to he heads to Jake's Unisex Hair Palace.
SPEAKER_00Yes, that's that is where he goes.
SPEAKER_01And uh and it's an old bar, you know, it's an old shopkeeper sweeping up the hair, um, and he's just and he remembers Homer. He instantly recognizes Homer orders the usual. The usual, yeah. He hasn't had a haircut in 20 years, but he wants the usual.
SPEAKER_00I would like to think that if I lost my hair today, I could come back to the woman that's been cutting my hair for the last five years and she she would remember. I don't think she would. Oh, come on, give Jody some credit. She's all right, Jody. Well, uh who knows? Who knows? I I think she would. I don't know. Uh anyway. Um, I think the like the progression of the different hairstyles Homer has throughout this episode is very funny. And I again a sort of thing that like I wouldn't have picked up on, but they like are distinct hairstyles throughout the show.
SPEAKER_01Yes, he like he um he very much changes it, changes the look of it all the time. Almost every day, yeah. Almost as if he hasn't had hair in a while and he doesn't know what he's doing. Oh he's trying out some new things, but it but it is funny, it's uh it's definitely a fun sight gag for the adults that are watching watching this one.
SPEAKER_00When's the last time you got like a different haircut?
SPEAKER_01Um, I don't know.
SPEAKER_00Uh that that's the Tom I've always known.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, this is kind of what I what I go for. Sometimes I'll have it down the middle, um more centered, and then sometimes it'll be off more to the side. Um lately I've just been going with the I don't care. Yeah. Um so you know. At that phase, yeah. Yeah, yeah. I mean, who do I have to impress in this world? No, nobody. So I just, you know, just throw a hat on. I like to keep it short. I can't handle it on my hanging down.
SPEAKER_00You, you know, you've always had longer-ish short hair. Yeah, I've kept longer hair for a lot of my adult life. Like in my twenties, like I would just get it cut like once or twice a year. Um, and it would be pretty dramatic. I would just get it like all cut off, like almost just shave it. Uh, so to the point where like people would not recognize me if I came in from one day to the next. Um, but I would get stopped by like middle-aged women all the time that would tell me how jealous they were of my hair when it was like really long and full. It's not quite as full anymore, it's still got some length to it, not quite balding. I still got the same hairline I've always had. Um but not not quite, I can't wear it quite the same way that I did back then. Jealousy of the middle-aged women. That has to be that has to be a little a little weird. I would think to myself, oh, why is this woman looking at me? And now she's approaching me. Oh, she's telling me she likes my hair. She would like it for herself. Yes, yes. Would you ever do that? Would you ever shave it for a wig? I never had, but uh, you know, I I I don't think I'd be against it. We got a million views, you're doing it. Let's go.
SPEAKER_01I'll do it too. Um then we have to find somebody to wear them. And then we're gonna actually have to do this, uh, or just go into hiding.
SPEAKER_00We'll shave our heads to these wigs, we'll swap hairs and do the rest of the season with each other's eyes. That's that's that's weird. That's weird, but I like but I like I like it. I don't know if the technology is available for that anyway. Yeah, so so getting back, uh Marge is at home talking to uh her sisters again, talking about how Homer really hasn't been this frisky in years. Um, and when Homer then they're like, ew, ew, but then when Homer comes home, he's like so pleasant to them, and they're like, Oh my. Yeah, wow. He was this this is a nice, nice new man.
SPEAKER_01They're uh drooling almost. It is interesting how it feels like you know, just being bald was the only thing holding Homer back. You know, really if only he had hair, you know.
SPEAKER_00That poor guy, I mean, he's he went bald at such a young age. Um, I think it was all relative to the kids they explain later, right?
SPEAKER_01He did, he did. Well, so how old is Homer? 36? Something like that, yeah. And the and the haircut guy says he hasn't seen him in uh 20 years. Now we know as a late teen from later episodes, Homer has longer hair, so maybe um but that's kind of confusion, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um well actually, um I like they go back to uh the workplace, the co-workers can't figure out what's different about them. They're they're asking, like, did he get a new tie?
SPEAKER_01New tie, oh I know, yeah. Um when he has this like big poofy, like great ball of hair, um, which is funny. Splinking around. And I like I like how it starts with uh with Mr. Burns here because he's just watching his employees on the cameras in the office, and he's just like morons, pathetic morons. And you know, and Smithers is reminding him that he has to make one internal promotion per year with a union contract. Which isn't this union contract the contract that Homer helped negotiate uh long ago?
SPEAKER_00Uh I I I suppose they get different contracts, but maybe it all uh you know they're following along within this world. Yeah, I think that's uh part of it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and uh so they, you know, Mr. Burns immediately knows his Homer and his young go-getter. Young go-getter with a nice, nice head of hair. Uh, and they call to him on the loudspeaker to come come up to what, room 503 or something for a better life.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and say say goodbye to his former friends. Uh so there's like sort of a commercial break there, and it cuts to Homer interviewing secretaries. Like all of a sudden he's in the executive position.
SPEAKER_01Yes, he's got this pistachio-colored suit on. He's in a weird little closet, you know, it doesn't look like a great office, but it's his own office, you know, that's better than nothing. Yeah. So um, you know, and the and the the woman interviewing with him is saying how great she is at giving massages and everything.
SPEAKER_00So hairied executives or something, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. So um it but Homer, to his credit, immediately is uncomfortable and you know, tells her, you know, sent sends her on her way. It says, okay, we'll get back to you.
SPEAKER_00And Marge calls on the phone, right?
SPEAKER_01And he immediately exposes what's happening to his uh wife, which is you know, I think that shows some good honesty and good loyalty. That is, yeah. Good transparency. That's important. He says every woman I interview for the secretary position is making kissy faces at me. Uh-huh. Uh and we get him, we get a we we get one of the uh patented Marge. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I guess it's an early version of that, isn't it? Yeah. She's like, mm-hmm. And then uh Carl walks in, uh new character that we don't know.
SPEAKER_00Um, and you know, we hear the deep voice of Harvey Firesteen, right? Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_01And and uh Marge goes, Marge goes, he sounds nice, hire him.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. Which I you know, understand. Of course. He's a handsome gentleman, and he immediately calls out Homer that he doesn't belong there. He's a fraud and a phony.
SPEAKER_01Yes, which which uh Homer is kind of like, well, how do you know? Um, you know, who told you? Yeah, exactly. Um, but you know, Carl in a way is building him up, you know, telling him, you know, he's gotta believe in himself, he's gotta stand up for himself.
SPEAKER_00He's all these uh emotional, motivational speeches, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, he he is. He's uh he's almost the perfect assistant, one one might say. You know, he's there to really support uh Homer and get him, you know. Yep. I think I think that happens with a lot, a lot of personal assistance because the the better your person goes, the hopefully the better you do as well.
SPEAKER_00So go along for the ride, yeah, of course. Have you ever done that sort of work or uh received that sort of work?
SPEAKER_01Um I mean I've been an assistant before, you know, and um you know there are some good people to work for and be an assistant for, and then there aren't. There are some that aren't as well or aren't as good either. So let's name and shame them now. Uh well.
SPEAKER_00Um checking your tattoos.
SPEAKER_01Yes, list of names up your arm. Yes. But you know, I mean, it's one of those things where I, you know, I'm kind of a I'm kind of a person where it's like you treat me with respect, I'll treat you with respect. It's mutual both ways. Um, you know that's where I've been going wrong all these years. Yeah. Um but then it's also on the other side, if you're treated with disrespect, you know, I think it's a a bigger important thing to kind of just rise above that and yeah, and either find something new for yourself or you know, remove yourself. Um so you know. I love that. I don't know. What about you? How many how many times have you been a Carl-like figure in your life?
SPEAKER_00Uh I'm an assistant t-ball coach right now, so uh maybe that's nice. That might be part of it. Um, you know, but I've done all sorts of uh jobs when I was younger in particular, or sort of helping helping a more seasoned person out, uh, with whatever it was. And uh in my you know, recent employed positions as a physician, I'd have like a staff that would be sort of supporting the work that I was doing. And I never really thought of any of them as assistants. I thought of them more as like co-workers and we're all sort of part of that together. And I think I think people appreciate that sort of frame to it.
SPEAKER_01Of course, yeah. And like in in a lot of those structures, you you know, you need a team to work. Like you can't do it all yourself. You need you need everyone to be involved and everyone to be, you know, uh taken care of.
SPEAKER_00So people seem to like it when you give them right, right.
SPEAKER_01Which kind of kind of leads us to, you know, um, you know, how you know it kind of leads us later in this episode when Homer starts giving advice to uh Monty Barons. That's right. But let's not jump too far ahead. We've got uh we have to go get uh some clothes for Homer and Carl's. That's right.
SPEAKER_00So Carl gets hired, they go shopping at the where do they go?
SPEAKER_01No, they go to the Royal Majesty for the obese or or gangly gentleman.
SPEAKER_00Do you ever shop at like a big and tall store? Because you're you're a taller gentleman.
SPEAKER_01Uh yeah, I I you know sometimes I do. Um, but you usually I I fit in the sizes that I don't because I'm not overly tall. I mean I'm 6'3, but uh that's usually usually most stores have you know clothing for 6'3. Um, you know, pretty pretty tall. So Yeah.
SPEAKER_00I I'm on I'm I'm more in like the middle, like you know, somewhere between 5'8 and 5'9. And uh when I go to clothing stores around here in in the northwoods of uh Wisconsin, they never have anything my size. Everything everybody here is is much bigger than me. So um yeah, so I I usually have to order things from from other places.
SPEAKER_01You know, you you have to go and get what you have to get, right? I have to stay dressed regularly, yes. Yes, yes. Um so yeah, it's uh it's kind of interesting. So this part reminded me of because I've I vision Carl as being much younger than Homer here. Yeah. Maybe not much younger, you know, maybe maybe Homer's 36, you know, and maybe Carl's like 30. Um, but but I don't know. But it reminded me of the movie Crazy Stupid Love. Do you have you ever you ever seen that movie? Is that with Steve Carrell? Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling, where uh Carell's going through the divorce and he meets Ryan Gosling, and Gosling is just like, dude, you're you're the man. Like, what are you doing? Like, yeah, let's clean you up here, act like a act like an adult here uh while Steve Carrell's going through a tough time. Um I found that relationship to be kind of similar to what they're trying to present here. I like that, yeah. You know, so but yes, uh, I do I did like one of the signs uh in the Royal Majesty for the obese and gangly gentlemen store. You rip it, you buy it. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00You would think at a place where they're tailoring like that, they they could be a little bit more accommodating, but oh no, you rip it, you buy it.
SPEAKER_01Um and Homer's up there, like in his underwear, like trying to like suck in all his gut and everything. And Carl brilliantly says, Sting them naturally, Mr. Simpson. Let it all hang out. And then he points to the tailor and says, You conceal it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I mean, there is nothing like a good fitting suit. Yes, agreed, agreed. Um, but I I thought that part was was really funny. Um the the transition out of here, uh, if you if you're done with the suit store, uh is back at home and Marge is uh humming. She's clearly happy, contented, making breakfast, um, acknowledging uh it's their anniversary, but it's okay that Homer forgot because of his new job and also maybe for some other reasons.
SPEAKER_01Like yes, yes. You know, we had she mentioned that um he'd been quite frisky and she looks quite content in the morning. So draw your own conclusions there again. Yeah, something I don't think eight-year-old Tom and nine-year-old Andy would have picked up on, but um Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00No, I would have had a new idea at that point. A few years later, maybe it'd have a hint of it, but um, and so then there's a knock at the door, and it's a singing telegram that comes in singing, You are so beautiful.
SPEAKER_01I do like the over-exaggerated uh singing. It's like you know, uh so no very emotional with the roses, very emotional, and you can see Marge welling up, she's all oh homie.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and then the phone rings, it's Carl confirming that you know the the telegram made it there.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_00Um but yeah, the part the part that he's sitting there eating breakfast in bed, Carl. Um, I don't understand that completely. I was wondering like, does he make his own breakfast then bring it back to bed? Does he have a partner that makes this for him?
SPEAKER_01I was I was very curious about that as well because it didn't um it didn't seem to line up like I I thought he was in a hotel. Yeah, he's in a he's in this grand, grand bedroom. Um, so Carl is doing quite well in life, um, even though he's applying for this personal assistant to a junior executive role at the power plant. Um it's it's strange. I don't really know.
SPEAKER_00Well, it the the just the like other thing in this whole episode seems to be that like Carl doesn't actually need this job, right? He's doing it for the love of the game.
SPEAKER_01Yes, I think for sure. He's uh you know, he's probably hit it big somehow and somewhere and he's slumming it. Maybe it's like an undercover boss type situation. I don't know.
SPEAKER_00It's something like that. It's uh yeah, he's he's eating eggs in bed.
SPEAKER_01As he pays for and gets a you know uh singing telegram for his boss's wife.
SPEAKER_00Uh you know, that's the sort of assistant I would want, but well, of of course, right?
SPEAKER_01Then you never forget anything. Yes. Um I think that's the problem with me being an assistant, is I forget those things. I don't think not very helpful with ever with things like that.
SPEAKER_00But I don't know. You have you have your things that you're helpful with, Tom. Don't don't cut yourself short. I do, I do. Oh, awesome. I can't think of them now, but uh, you know, by the end I'll think of something. Uh so transitioning to another board meeting, right? Uh, or maybe this is the first board meeting of this episode, but um Burns is asking uh how to fix morale, and then he asked Homer how to fix morale because he's sort of the new one to the to the crowd, right?
SPEAKER_01Um yes, because in and he says, Um, you people don't think you regurgitate what I say. That's why I brought someone in um with with like touch with a modern worker, you know. So that's why he, you know, and I like how the guy next to Homer is like, I think he means you, like, you know, and then he Homer goes on this this uh long-winded talk about tartar sauce, which which was the joke from earlier when they figure out the insurance scheme. He's all upset because his fish sticks, like he runs out of tartar sauce so so quickly uh with the small little packet that they give at in the cafeteria. Valid. Valid. And Smithers Smithers hates this. He's like, you're wasting our time, you know, stop this. Like um, and then and Mr. Burns is like, shut up, Smithers, don't you get it? Like a happy worker is a productive worker.
SPEAKER_00Uh yeah, there's a lot of tension building up between Burns and Smithers here, at least on Smithers' end of it all.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes. Well, and and and Burns says it too, like, are you jealous? You know, do I send some jealousy here? Um so yeah, so Burns, you know, says let them have their tartar sauce.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and then it spins to the company newsletter, right? Shows that work accidents reach record low and output is up 15%.
SPEAKER_01Which which Smithers hilariously uh refers to that the accidents are down because uh Homer's amount of accidents on the floor have been removed. Yeah, and it's a direct correlation, and then productivity is up 15% to its highest point since Homer was last on vacation. Yes, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Uh so really seeing like the vortex that Homer is uh in the work floor.
SPEAKER_01But but to be honest, you know, this is you know, uh as an assistant t-ball coach, you know you need to position your fielders in the right way uh to make the team productive. And that's all Mr. Burns is doing here. A little more tartar sauce, and let's remove this guy and put him over here, and we've got a more productive power plant. Look at that, yes. Although I'm sure t ball is t-ball is more they're just running after the ball altogether.
SPEAKER_00Uh there's a there's a fair amount of that, but we're we're pretty good. We run a pretty tight ship on the hooks. Oh, all right, all right. Maybe you'll have to live stream some games for us to check out. Maybe I will, maybe I will, Tom. Uh so um the next sort of uh reveal in this like uh promotion that's going on is that uh Burns gives Homer the key to the executive bathroom.
SPEAKER_01Yes, and this executive bathroom, um first off, is like the size of a mansion. It's you know, it's like this big entryway, it's marble everywhere. There's a band, a string band playing. There's a string band playing music. Um and yeah, it almost looks like a museum or like a mansion, a mansion you'd go visit um in like Newport, Rhode Island, like walking in, you know.
SPEAKER_00Um and there's exotic birds and the fountain and all of that. And Burns walks out of the bathroom basically.
SPEAKER_01Yes, and here's our here's our second reference to kind of the World War II era where um uh Burns pops out and says, I was watching the Dumont last night, um, and you know, he was watching a documentary on Rommel, the desert fox. Yes, and uh then saying that man could get things done. Which you know, Rommel obviously was a Nazi. Uh yeah and sure he could get things done. The Dumont Network, I looked the Dumont Network up, was a T T V network from like the late 40s to early 50s.
SPEAKER_02It was around for 10 years, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01And I did look up to see why they referred to him as the Arctic Fox, and it was because he had cunning, unpredictable, fast-paced tactical maneuvers um in war, you know. Yeah, um, you know, not saying, you know, obviously, I think I think we can all agree that being being a Nazi in Germany was a bad thing. Sure, Tom, we hear what you're saying. No, no, no. Well, no, that's why you what why he was called that. But I did want to mention, so he he did he did a lot of those maneuvers and stuff in North Africa against the against the British. Um, have you ever seen the television show Rogue Heroes? I've not, no. Rogue Heroes is great. It's got uh Alfie Allen is um one of the actors, and it it's all it's all about the the Brits uh fighting in North Africa. I think it's on it's on a weird streaming service. I've had to there's been two seasons, I believe. Um the first one was on Amazon, I think, for like a short period of time. I watched it. I haven't seen the second second season. I'll have to pay for it, but just a gritty band of brothers-esque, um, a little bit more a little bit grittier than Band of Brothers, a little bit more brusque. Um but about um they did uh they did some paratrooping before kind of the band of brothers in North Africa as tactics, but a lot of it went horribly wrong. They didn't have the calculations right on a lot of the the paratroopers and stuff, and then there were there's an there's an episode where they drop and there's a sandstorm, and I mean it was just a it was awful. That sounds unpleasant, yeah. Yes, yes, it was very unpleasant. Um, but overall, great uh great show to watch, you know, fun. Um for for non-World War II enthusiasts? Um, I would say you could you you you'd enjoy it, yeah. I think I think I think you'd enjoy it. Um but uh but yeah, but it's it's rough. I mean, there's it's gruesome at times. Not not overly, you know, just I'd say properly. Um but uh but yeah, because you don't hear a lot, you know, we hear a lot about the American side of you know of of the of the world wars, but you don't hear uh a lot about the uh you know British and German in Africa, you know. So it's kind of kind of a cool different look. So that was kind of an interesting little tidbit. I I love I love World War II history and World War I history. Um so but yes, Rommel, the desert fox. I didn't realize that that was his nickname, you know. But now you know you learned something.
SPEAKER_00And you probably didn't remember that when you were a kid, but yes, no, no, I I would have glossed right over that.
SPEAKER_01Who is that? What are they talking about?
SPEAKER_00You know. Uh while all this is going on, Smithers is getting more mad about about his uh almost being replaced here, right?
SPEAKER_01He's yes, he uh, you know, because he in the in the bathroom when they're done uh washing their hands, Smithers goes to give Burns the paper towel and he's like, no, no, Simpson. Yeah. Are you sure? And he's like, Oh, here you go, Mr. Burns.
SPEAKER_00It's a big moment, yes.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Uh but go on, go on, because Smithers figures a way out of this.
SPEAKER_00Sherry breaks into the personnel office uh after hours and looks through Homer's file and sees an insurance form uh filled out. Maybe not completely honestly, he's getting demoxinil to keep brain from freezing.
SPEAKER_01Well, to be honest, Andrew, we don't want our brains to freeze. I'm no doctor.
SPEAKER_00We don't we don't. That is true. Uh I don't know if it's a medical indication for uh hair hair replacement, uh, you know, in the early early 90s, yeah. I'm not sure.
unknownRight.
SPEAKER_01But uh but yeah, no. Um but yeah, so Smithers figures this out, and and then they cut back to they cut back to the Simpson home. Yeah, and basically Homer is kind of saying that nothing can go wrong.
SPEAKER_00His feet are up, he's living it up.
SPEAKER_01Marge is worried. Marge is like, shouldn't we put be saving some of this money? And he's like, What do you mean? Life is good now, we don't need to save, you know. Um, and here is where we get the first kind of kid comment in the episode where um, you know, what does my Homer says to Lisa, what does my little girl want? And she says, an absence of mood swings and some stability in my life. Yikes, yeah, which which is like, oh god.
SPEAKER_00Um and yeah, yeah, don't we all want to all want that? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01He's like, well, that's too hard to get.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. So he does a pony. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And she's like, okay. Okay. Um as we know from the Christmas special, that's all she wants.
SPEAKER_00So that is all she wants. I don't I mean, it's a few more seasons before she actually gets a pony, right?
SPEAKER_01That's yes, yes. I don't I think this was kind of a promise that um, you know, you don't like to make promises to your kids that you can't keep, obviously. It's not it's not good parenting, but sometimes it happens, you know, like you know, you have to say, Oh, I know that was the plan, we're gonna do that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, things change. Things change, you know.
SPEAKER_01So I'm sure they had to have that conversation with Lisa.
SPEAKER_00So but again, her it goes back to her original want for some stability in her life. That's right. And and that's a good assessment for a second grader to say that. Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_01She's she's very astute. She's she's a she she knows how to uh tell it like it is and make her feelings known. So that's right.
SPEAKER_00We've always seen that from Lisa. And she continues in that. So but again, just sort of a glimpse of her. She's the she's a side character in this episode, clearly. Um Smithers is then sort of telling Burns that there's an employee that's charging the insurance plan for you know this treatment and and and it gets Burns all riled up and says, you know, make an example of him, go make an example of him.
SPEAKER_01Yes, and Smithers relishes the opportunity, um, storms right into right into Homer's office where he's in there conversing with Carl about the big speech he's supposed to make soon. Um, and just says, you know, you're fired. And this is where we see Carl just completely fall on the sword. That's right. Yeah. You know, jumps right in, takes the blame. Right, saying that he had no that it was totally his idea, and he, you know, he he pulls out his checkbook and writes Smithers a check for a thousand dollars to cover it. Um batting an eye, yeah. Now, meanwhile, all of this happened before Carl was employed. So I don't know how how he actually takes the fall here, but Smithers is like, oh, okay.
SPEAKER_00Nothing I can do about it. But I guess that's sort of how paperwork is uh processed in a place like that. It might have taken a while before it got signed and whatnot.
SPEAKER_01That is true, that is true. Um, and you know, so basically, you know, Carl Carl has to exit.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, and and Homer's like, why did you why did you do this? And my reasons are my own.
SPEAKER_01Yes, and uh yeah, my my reasons are my own. It's pouring rain. It's been pouring rain since Homer has been outside in the sunny day saying nothing can go wrong. Um the whole entire rest of the episode is just pouring rain, which I think is uh is good little um good little play by the animators there. Yeah. Um and he gets he starts walking out the door, he puts his umbrella up and he looks back to Homer who's inside. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And he's like, Mr. Simpson, did you forget your did you forget your uh bring your umbrella? He's like, no. So he throws it back to him. It's like, oh geez.
SPEAKER_00Uh there's clearly like a glint in uh Carl's eye there. You know, there's something that we're starting to sort of appreciate a little bit about how Carl sees Homer. And you know, yes. He's not he's not necessarily just saying all these things to butter him up. He he really, you know, there's something to Homer that uh appeals to him.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes, he he certainly does. And um, yeah, yeah it's uh I do like how you know again Homer's hair is different in this point. Um and then we see Carl's Carl's hair has always been perfectly straight up and nice looking, uh, but in the rain it you know stags him down and he looks sad, but he does have that twinkle in his eye. That's right.
SPEAKER_00But but so Homer's now panicking, he's got to get this speech, he doesn't have uh Carl, he's driving home. Um, and then it cuts to Bart sort of fiddling in the medicine cabinet, having this uh daydream that he could be at beatnik if he uses the demoxonil on his face.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes, almost with like a French look to him. Yeah, um, you know, they they he daydreams with about having this mustache and this uh um goatee and go goatee, and he's like a painter, and he it looks like he looks like he's French almost. Yeah, you know, and he went to France a few episodes prior at the end of season one. So I thought that was funny how that that kind of looked to me. Um that he was remembering maybe someone he saw in France and was like, oh, I could look like that guy.
SPEAKER_00But it the just this idea that his friends would be so impressed and they would, you know, be bowling on it to see if it's real. Is it real? Yeah, yeah. But you know, it's really the biggest part of the episode that Bart's participating in because he spills the bottle of Minoxidil when when Homer sort of catches him, like, hey, what are you doing? And uh and then it all dumps out on the floor. Right.
SPEAKER_01And Homer again is on the on his hands and knees, just like he was um seeing the commercial for Demoxidal right at the start, but now he's rubbing his hair into the Wet carpet. He doesn't go and stop the bottle from spilling more. He chases Bart down the stairs, you know. So you can strangle him. Yes, yes. Um, yeah, no, I mean, all we knew we knew this had to come to an end with the hair, right?
SPEAKER_00You know? Well, yeah, in retrospect, we definitely knew. Um it would have been a change of the whole series if they just decided to keep his hair.
SPEAKER_01Or for uh for a full six months and then it's starting to go bald again just slowly. That that would have been funny.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, he's uh he's strangling Bart, saying boy must die, and uh Bart counters with I love you, Dad, and you know Elmer sort of ticked off that this is sort of a dirty trick to play. But um by the morning, though, like all his hair's gone. You see it on the floor, uh it's all fallen out, but he still needs to give this big speech at work.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes, and Carl saves the day. Yeah, again, he gets a package or whatever, and Carls. Yeah, he leaves an envelope with a note, and you know, it's got all the cards and says this is all of the uh this is your speech or whatever. And um, I like I like the joke here that they play that they say um because he writes Carl writes that he has written all the big words out phonetically, but Homer reads it as and I've listed all the words out phonetically, implying that phonetically is also a big word. Yes, which I I thought was pretty clever.
SPEAKER_00I like that. Yeah, that's uh and then he's reading the notes so we hear Carl's voice, and then it sort of pans back to show that Carl's actually standing over his shoulder. Um and he again gives him this like motivational speech telling him how special it is, it has nothing to do with his hair, he had it inside of himself all along.
SPEAKER_01Um yes, yes, and uh, you know, and Homer still feels like he's a fool. He just you know doesn't feel like a fool. And then and then Carl says, Well, my mother said to never kiss a fool, you know, and and he plants a kiss right on Homer's lips.
SPEAKER_00I I wonder how this was received in 1990. Uh, because it, you know, it's uh um I I think that like they're trying to dance around a little bit that they're characterizing Carl as a gay character. Um, but then that to have two men kiss on a cartoon in 1990, uh seems like it was well ahead of its time.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it certainly does. Um, you know, you'll you'll see that stuff uh nowadays and it's normal because because it is normal. Because it's normal, yeah. Yeah. And um, but yeah, back then you didn't see the you didn't see it very much. And um and it was quick. I think he also uh when he goes to when he goes to give a speech, I think he also slaps Homer in in the which you know kind of sealed it in case you you weren't paying attention. Um but yeah, I mean, so what? You know, it's perfect. But it but it also is it's interesting because going back to all the all the females that uh Homer was interviewing for the secretary of job, he's like, everyone wants a piece of me. Um, and hire Carl. Um, whereas Carl might have had those same motives.
SPEAKER_00Uh I think I think that's the idea, is like Carl's also attracted to him uh from the beginning, and I think that's sort of what they're they were laying down. But yes I like how they do it, like they they have a gay character, and it's like it's not necessarily like a punchline that he's a gay character, which is actually more common at the time.
SPEAKER_01True, true. Um yeah, and you'll see you would see that over the history of television with all sorts of different um types of people and and the the biases that you see and the roles that they're used to.
SPEAKER_00Rules, yeah, about gay characters where like they either had to like die at the end or like had some sort of like shaming experience. There was like actually rules about this on broadcast television, I think even in as late as the 80s into the early 90s, which is really absurd.
SPEAKER_01Which, yeah, it's in I don't know, it's insane. Um I would always look back, uh, you know, um I know I love Boardwalk Empire, and in Boardwalk Empire they show um, you know, uh whatever the properly term is, but the shorter people uh you know, they would and they were like entertainers, you know. Um and now you you know now it's just nope, they're just actors, they're just regular, you know. Um but yeah, it it's kind of a in 1990 it must have been a weird thing. I I imagine there was a reaction to it. Yeah, I wish, you know, I I'd have to dig deeper to see what it what it was back then.
SPEAKER_00Go to the library to see the microfiche of the newspaper at the time.
SPEAKER_02Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_01We don't we don't have a budget to go to the library in the old card catalog, yeah. Um yeah, no, I mean Carl's a great character. He helped Homer and um and I don't know, I don't believe we see him again. I don't think so, yeah. I think he kind of walks off into the sunset. I have I have his like character bio up here. Um but yeah, it doesn't say what episodes he's been in.
SPEAKER_00So to to finish off the episode though, you know, Homer goes to give his speech, he's gotten all the encouragement, and it's still not well received. It's a good speech. I mean, he's you know saying all the time.
SPEAKER_01Saving the company money, doing all these things, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And so, you know, uh Burns brings him into his office and you know asks him, How old do you think I am?
SPEAKER_02And we've talked about this, yeah.
SPEAKER_00But I didn't realize that they actually say how old he is. Um, because Homer Homer guesses that he's 102 and and Burns scratch the I'm only 81.
SPEAKER_01Yes, only 81, which you know, I wonder if there's other famous people we know that are exactly 81. Um but yeah, but yeah, because we because we we have said that we think that he's somewhere between 80 and 110. 120. Yeah, yeah, like whatever it is. Um so Homer's guess is right right in there. Yeah, it's valid. Yeah, but you like the the guess of over a hundred, though.
SPEAKER_00That's to your boss, yeah. Yeah, really, you're supposed to go the other way.
SPEAKER_01Right, right. Yeah, to your boss, or you know, I don't know. You never first off, guessing someone's age is like that's horrible. I don't know, yeah. But you never go high.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. Whatever you have in your mind, take off 10 years, and that's out at the bar.
SPEAKER_01Out at the bar, and some woman says, How old do you think I am? I don't know, 65.
SPEAKER_00Like, you know, like why would you think you're not winning anything with it? No, no, no.
SPEAKER_01Um but yes, Homer missed by 21 years, which is pretty pretty rough.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, around that age frame. Yeah, yeah. But uh Burns uh explained that he's been bald since his senior year of college. Um, so he sort of understands the struggle there. I like how you know Burns has an infinite uh supply of money, so he could get this miracle cure himself, uh, but he doesn't. He chooses not to. Yeah. Aging aging gracefully. He owns it, yeah. It's okay.
SPEAKER_01And he still has the full back hair.
SPEAKER_00He does, yeah. You know, that is more than Homer to have that horseshoe back there. Quite vibrant, yeah. It's thick, yeah. Um, but you know, Burns sort of offers him that he could have his old job back. He can't be an executive without hair, but um, and then in bed, Homer's Homer's sad, and Marge is consoling him, and she now sings, You Are So Beautiful to Me, in her Marge voice. Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_01Which, you know, which is that's that's a good feeling. Marge uh Homer knows that he's without his hair, he's still uh, you know. I'm a member of this family.
SPEAKER_00And I thought that ending was an allusion to some other show, but I couldn't figure out what it actually was. So I thought I thought there was some other show that sort of ended that way, but I I you know I didn't I didn't have time to dig into it. But anyway.
SPEAKER_01Oh, yeah, I don't know. I don't know.
SPEAKER_00But uh so again, I I thought it was a fun episode as an adult. I could see again that a child probably would not find it that interesting. They don't get into the children's world at all, or at least the kids' perspectives, bear for the s the short daydream of Bart and Lisa getting a pony. But uh again, those are all just like punch lines and not really part of the story. So I think that really probably accounts for why it was the sort of forgotten episode for both of us.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, it certainly was. Um, it rated pretty well on IMDB, 8.2 out of um out of 10. Um, the which I think was the same as Bart gets an F. So we're we're off to a very strong start with uh season two. Both both these episodes would be you know in the top three of season one. Um so we're getting to be pretty good. Next week we have the very first Treehouse of Horror. Oh, what's that? Um, so well, let me tell you, Andrew.
SPEAKER_00The Halloween special, right?
SPEAKER_01Yes, the Halloween special three independent stories. Now we've seen the breakdown of of the episodes, you know, because uh kind of there's like two commercial breaks in every episode. So it's kind of a like any story, a beginning of a minute. We try to try to sort of note where they happen, yeah. Yeah, yeah. So, but we're gonna have three independent quick stories here. Um which is gonna be you know fun to look at and fun to explore. So, yeah, catch us next week. And then after that, we've got some more good episodes coming as well.
SPEAKER_00So we'll keep on going through season two and uh on and on, as uh the series has given us plenty of material to work with. So yes, yes, we're still uh yeah, still going. So still very early in. All right, awesome, Tom. Well, thank you again, and uh thank you everybody for listening. Yes, we'll catch you next time.
SPEAKER_03Thanks for listening to Donuts on the Couch growing up on Evergreen Terrace, yet another Simpsons Rewatch podcast.