Homer's Triple Bypass
 |
| "Homer's Triple Bypass" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| File:TripleBypass.jpg | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 |
| Directed by | David Silverman |
| Written by | Gary Apple Michael Carrington |
| Original air date | December 17 1992 |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | "Coffee is not for kids." |
| Couch gag | A very small Simpsons family sits on a giant couch. |
| Commentary | Matt Groening Al Jean Mike Reiss Michael Carrington David Silverman |
"Homer's Triple Bypass" is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons' fourth season, which originally aired on December 17 1992. It sees Homer start having heart attacks, and the family having to resort to a discount surgeon for his bypass operation.
Plot
One night, while watching TV, Homer — shortly after Marge warns him against his unhealthy dietary habits — begins feeling chest pains, which return the next morning at breakfast. After refusing Marge's "special surprise" (oatmeal), he eats a cholesterol-laden breakfast of eggs and bacon. While driving to work, Homer's chest pains worsen, but he chalks the irregular thumping to a problem with his car's transmission. The mechanic tells him it is probably his heart, and a relieved Homer drives away.
At work, Mr. Burns calls Homer in to reprimand him for his poor work performance, taunting him with dismissal all the while. Homer's chest pains get worse. Eventually, Burns's taunting causes Homer's heart to stop. When Smithers tells Burns that he thinks Homer is dead, Burns asks him to send a ham to his widow; at that moment, Homer regains consciousness and the ham is cancelled (much to Homer's dismay).
Back at home, Marge gets a phone call from the hospital, telling her Homer has suffered a mild heart attack. When she quickly leaves, a visiting Patty and Selma continue cutting coupons, as though nothing is wrong.
Later, Dr. Hibbert advises Marge that Homer needs triple bypass, but Homer suffers another heart attack when he is told the price — $30,000 (which is upped to $40,000 after his heart stops again) because the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant does not offer health insurance (because they traded it for a pinball machine in the employee lounge), and the family has less than $100 in their savings account. Homer suffers a third heart attack at the health insurance office and is denied because of his poor health.
Left without options, and confident he will die before he gets the much-needed surgery, Homer and Marge acquire a modicum of hope when they see a TV commercial for Dr. Nick Riviera, who performs bargain-basement surgery for $129.95. Despite Dr. Nick's obvious gross incompetence — thanks to not-too-subtle hints such as being called to the morgue (Dr. Nick sarcastically reacts, "The coroner?! I'm so sick of that guy!" before being ambushed by the media) — Homer sees the good doctor as his only chance to have the surgery done an affordable price.
Just before the surgery, a nervous Dr. Nick tries to review the basic procedures of the surgery he is about to perform by renting an instructional video, but the most important part of the procedure is taped over with 'People Who Look like Things'. On the day of the surgery, Dr. Nick proceeds with the surgery, but quickly realizes he does not know what to do. Fortunately, Lisa — who has studied cardiology — is in the operating room amphitheater and guides Dr. Nick through the procedure. Amazingly, the surgery is a success, and Homer makes a full recovery. His heart, with some help, thumps out the Simpsons theme tune in the end.
Episode Features
In this episode, Homer talks to various religious people regarding the money for surgery. The rabbi that Homer talks to about the money for surgery is Krusty's father Rabbi Krustofski from "Like Father, Like Clown". The Hindu guru Homer talks to about the money for surgery is Surdrudinma Baradad, the host of the yoga show Homer and Marge work out to on "Kamp Krusty".
A number of recurring and one-time Simpsons characters appear in the queue at the hospital. They include; Groundskeeper Willie, with his arms in casts; Jacques (the French bowler from Life on the Fast Lane), with his finger caught in a bowling ball; Jasper, with a bike caught in his beard; Akira, with his hand stuck in a plank of wood; Apu, with a gunshot wound; Sideshow Mel, stuck in a cannon; and Chief Wiggum, with a locked jaw after he was about to bite a sub-sandwich. Lou taunts him by putting his hand inside with Wiggum trying to say "Cut it out!"
Homer suggests he own a defibrillator instead of spending $40,000 on the surgery. In the hospital, Homer asks Dr. Hibbert to remember his Hippopotamus oath, referring to the Hippocratic oath. This episode shows another example of Hibbert's unprofessional behavior in certain circumstances. In this episode, Krusty the Klown reveals his face is now permanently altered as a pale clownface. In Dr. Nick Riviera's flashback to college paddles bearing Sigma Chi letters can be seen in the background.
Trivia
| This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (September 2007) |
- Krusty says that he is not wearing makeup, rather his face is pale due to a side-effect of heart surgery; apparently he contracted this condition following Krusty Gets Busted, where he is seen without makeup in court. This condition endures at least until Bart the Fink, where Krusty wears makeup to simulate the "normal" yellow skin tone of the Simpsons universe.
- At the beginning of the episode, Chief Wiggum tries to bust Snake from what is supposed to be 742 Evergreen Terrace, before 742 Evergreen Terrace is established as the Simpsons address, not Snake's.
- Homer was told not to pray in Springfield Hospital, however Ned wasn't told not to pray.
- Freeze-framing Homer having the largest heart attack (in Mr. Burns's office) in the heart box cam be seem all four suits of cards - diamonds, hearts, spades and clubs.
Deleted scenes
During production, a number of scenes were cut. They can be viewed as a bonus feature, on the DVD:
Before Marge warns Homer about eating, there was one scene where Chief Wiggum and his friends appear at a diner. The waitress bills them for the "coffee and donuts" they ate. Instead, Wiggum rips the bills and places it in her front pocket. A brief scene of the driver telling Homer he needs to stop at the Kwik-E-Mart to get cat food. Homer responds by telling him to get beef jerky for himself. In the hospital, Krusty has a line after they try to blast Sideshow Mel out of the cannon, "You know who I feel sorry for? Sideshow Phil. Mel is standing on his shoulders."
Originally, the episode was going to end with Homer eating a pizza in his hospital bed after the operation, before Marge asks a nurse where he got the pizza from. This would reflect the earlier scene where Grampa watches him as an infant chewing on a slice of pizza in the hospital. The scene was deleted and replaced with the scene where Homer's family cheer him on while he is in intensive care.
Cultural references
The puppets Homer uses to describe his upcoming heart surgery to Bart and Lisa are Akbar and Jeff (minus their fezes), from Matt Groening's comic strip Life in Hell.
Homer's fantasy of eating a roast pig, which speaks and recommends the rump, is inspired by a similar moment in Douglas Adams' novel The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, with a cow that's been raised to want to be eaten. In the hospital, Flanders thanks God for the Ziggy comic strip, and "volumes one, two and four" of the Richard Simmons exercise video Sweatin' to the Oldies.
In his quest to obtain the money required for the operation, Homer beseeches a number of clerics, including a Priest (Reverend Lovejoy), Rabbi (Krusty's estranged father from Like Father, Like Clown, and a Sikh (the host of the yoga show from Kamp Krusty).
COPS! in Springfield
The opening gag, "COPS: In Springfield" spoofs FOX's police-reality series. Instead of highlighting police officers' work, this parody showcases the incompetence of the Springfield police force.
Opening montage
The "COPS: In Springfield" title card is shown. The rest of the montage is set to a parody of the tune "Bad Boys" entitled "Bad Cops." Wiggum fails to prevent a suicidal man from jumping; after the man plummets to his death, Wiggum makes a cuckoo sign with his finger. A scene where a cop pursues a crook by jumping across buildings is shown. It then zooms back to reveal Wiggum, Lou and Eddie watching TV. The officers then attempt — without success — to shoot a mummy; Wiggum throws his gun at the creature. Eddie and Lou pull various weapons (a knife, a hand grenade, a pair of brass knuckles, and a gun) from Jasper's beard. Wiggum and his officers watch the Itchy & Scratchy cartoon "Field of Screams." The officers then use a helicopter to sneak into a local drive-in, which is playing "Space Mutants."
Story
Chief Wiggum calls himself "Papa Bear," an allusion to Huggy Bear on the 1970s police drama Starsky and Hutch. Chief Wiggum investigates a cattle rustler and uses a tank to knock down the suspect's door, only to find he has the wrong house. The occupant, Rev. Lovejoy, is very angry, especially since the cattle are clearly in his neighbor's yard, not his own. Snake, the suspect that Wiggum is after, is able to make a clean getaway. Wiggum is unable to give a coherent description of the car; he describes the vehicle as "a car of some sort" and "heading in the direction of that place that sells chili." However, he does point out that the "Suspect is hatless! Repeat, hatless!". Snake's getaway car is a 1969 Dodge Charger.
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