Line #12 Recap/TheSimpsonsS12E15HungryHungryHomer


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hungryhomer.jpg]]
2
3	'''Original air date:''' 3/4/2001 ''(produced in 2000)''
4
5	'''Production code:''' CABF-09
6
7	Homer, who has been on a Good Samaritan kick lately, goes on a hunger strike to protest the Springfield Isotopes being moved.
8
9	----
10	!! Tropes:
11
12	* AffablyEvil: The Springfield Isotopes executives.
13	-->'''Marge:''' It's been a whole week. Why are you letting my husband die? What does that have to do with baseball?
14	-->'''First executive:''' ''[Cheerfully]'' Death is a part of baseball!
15	-->'''Second executive:''' Oh yes, the main part.
16	* AudienceSurrogate: Homer ends up being one during a point when, having gone days without eating, he witnesses and hears the thousands of attendees in the stadium eating their food. Loudly. ''[[HellIsThatNoise All at the same, exact time.]]'' Which drives him to ask, "Must they all chew so loudly?!"
17	* BaitAndSwitchComment:
18	** When the Blockoland souvenir guy refuses to give Lisa the missing piece of her Eiffel Tower kit, Homer [[AngryFistShake angrily shakes his fists]] and tells the clerk he'll give him something to make him remember Homer. Homer then opens his hand and shows a snow globe with his name and face.
19	** Homer threatens the hair salon after they claim they'd be finanically ruined by honoring Marge's coupon with "We'll see about that!" only to smash cut to Homer going over their finances and commenting on their razor thin margins.
20	** When Homer confronts Mr. Duff over the latter's plan to move the Springfield Isotopes to Albuquerque, the latter shows a vial with what he claims to be a new additive to make Duff beer extra malty. Unlike what Homer (understandably) suspects, the memory-erasing drug comes from Duffman injecting him with a syringe. Mr. Duff then happily drinks the malty Duff.
21	* BittersweetEnding: Homer finally exposes the plan to move the Isotopes to Albuquerque, and the Mayor of Albuquerque decides to give up trying to buy the team ...in favour of acquiring the Dallas Cowboys and ''making'' them play baseball.
22	-->'''Mayor of Albuquerque:''' Looks like we'll have to steal some other baseball team. ''(To his aide)'' See what Dallas wants for the Cowboys.
23	-->'''Aide:''' Uh, [[FridgeLogic that's a football team, sir.]][[invoked]]
24	-->'''Mayor of Albuquerque:''' They'll play what I tell 'em to play. ''[Walks to a window; menacingly]'' '''For I am the mayor of Albuquerque!'''
25	* BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord: When Sherri says that Bart is "a smelly, ugly dork", Homer retorts by saying "Ugly is such a smelly word."
26	* BlatantLies: According to Duff Stadium's announcer, Homer's on a hunger strike until the Isotopes win the Pennant, ''not'' because of the plans to move the team to Albuquerque.
27	* BrattyHalfPint: Lisa makes fun of Bart for having a crush and then a problem.
28	* BuiltWithLEGO: [[{{Expy}} Or "Blocko", rather]], regarding the theme park the family visits. Incidentally, [[ExpyCoexistence Bart]] ''[[ExpyCoexistence does]]'' [[ExpyCoexistence actually say the word "LEGO"]] on the way home.
29	-->'''Marge:''' Don't you mean ''Blocko'' shirt?
30	-->'''Bart:''' Right, right. Blocko shirt.
31	* TheCassandra: Nobody believes Homer's claims about the Springfield Isotopes moving to Albuquerque until he points out that the hotdogs that are being served at the stadium are topped with popular ''southwestern'' ingredients. It also [[NotHelpingYourCase doesn't help the Isotopes' case]] that the napkins have the name "Albuquerque Isotopes" printed on them.
32	* ContinuityNod: Duffman asks Homer if he was [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E1StarkRavingDad once in a loony bin]].
33	* ConvictionByContradiction: Spoofed; when Homer points out that the Isotopes serve Southwestern-style hot dogs, everyone suddenly believes him. Apparently only sports arenas in the Southwest are allowed to do that.
34	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: The Isotopes have not won even one game while Howard K. Duff VIII has owned it; he's clearly [[SpringtimeForHitler trying to turn them into a disgrace on purpose to justify moving the team.]] Lenny recounts that when he wanted a ticket refunded and asked for his money back, "they said ''they'' wanted it".
35	* DidntThinkThisThrough: The stadium uses napkins with "Albuquerque Isotopes" printed on them before the team has officially moved. This allows Homer to expose their plan to move the team.
36	* TheDogBitesBack: With Homer's incentive, Duffman turns against Howard and throws him out of the stadium.
37	* TheExitIsThatWay: Homer finds out about the plans to move the Springfield Isotopes when he tries to leave Mr. Duff's office but opens the wrong door.
38	* ExplainExplainOhCrap: After finding the room with the "Albuquerque Isotopes" merchandise, Homer is understandably confused... until he isn't.
39	-->'''Homer:''' There's no "Albuquerque Isotopes", it's the "''Springfield''-" ...''Oh''.
40	-->'''Mr. Duff:''' [quickly] No, no! There's no "''Oh''"!
41	* FailedASpotCheck: The concession stands in the stadium were already using "Albuquerque Isotopes"-branded wrappers on their hot dogs, but nobody noticed until Homer pointed it out to them.
42	* FoodPorn: This episode is full of this, especially during the scene where Homer is put on display by H.K. Duff at the Isotopes Stadium, where the former is forced to view all the attendees gorging on the stadium snacks.
43	* ForceFeeding: At this point in her life, Marge has gotten so used to feeding her gluttonous husband that when he leaves to go on a hunger strike (which ultimately stretches to nearly ''two weeks''), she basically forces all three of the kids to help her eat Homer's share of the meals instead of just making less food (which Lisa points out to Marge). When Bart complains about being too full to eat any more, Marge pressures the kids to keep eating.
44	* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: Parodied -- UsefulNotes/CesarChavez appears before Homer looking like Creator/CesarRomero since Homer doesn't know what Cesar Chavez looks like.
45	* GoodSamaritan: [[TookALevelInKindness Homer, during the entire episode]], the hunger strike being his [[invoked]]SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome as one.
46	* HypocriticalHumor: Lenny denounces the "cheap, heartless" Duff Corporation for its mismanagement of the Isotopes and then asks Moe for his regular Duff beer (which is promptly provided).
47	-->'''Lenny''': ''[Sighs]'' Sweet Duff.
48	* KickTheDog:
49	** Howard K Duff has Homer drugged and then publicly discredits him for trying to bring to light that he's moving the Isotopes to Albuquerque, then uses Homer as an entertainment gimmick when he's on a hunger strike and doesn't care if he dies or not.
50	** Marge initially mocks Homer for going on a hunger strike and later on, once he actually goes through it, basically forces their kids to eat his share of meals instead of just making less food (which Lisa points out).
51	* LampshadeHanging: Homer saying he's on a Good Samaritan kick "this week".
52	* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Subverted; Howard K. Duff's injecting Homer with a knockout drug didn't quite work as well as he hoped it would.
53	--> '''Homer''': You know me, occasionally I'll be quirky. Wait a minute, "I'll be quirky"... Albuquerque!
54	* LiteralMetaphor: When asked if he's calling Homer a liar, the head of Duff Brewery says he has footage of Homer with his pants on fire. [[ManOnFire He's being literal]].
55	* LosingHorns: Homer returns to the Albuquerque Isotopes room with a group of reporters, only to discover that Mr. Duff has already removed the incriminating evidence. The only thing in there is a beatnik playing a mocking tune.
56	* MockingSingSong:
57	-->'''Bart:''' A girl at school won't go to the dance with me.\
58	'''Lisa:''' ''(sing-song)'' Bart's got a girlfriend!\
59	'''Bart:''' No I don't, that's the problem.\
60	'''Lisa:''' ''(sing-song)'' Bart's got a problem!
61	* NiceJobFixingItVillain: By giving Homer a hot dog made with southwestern ingredients (''and'' by [[DidntThinkThisThrough using "Albuquerque Isotopes" wrappers]]), the plan to move the team ''finally'' gets exposed.
62	* NoodleIncident: The episode begins with [[RunningGag Homer strangling Bart]] in front of the TV. We're never told what caused this before the Blockoland commercial comes on and Homer forgets all about it.
63	* NotHyperbole: The salon owner wasn't lying when he said he couldn't afford to streak Marge's hair. Homer goes over his books and finds out that the salon's profit margins are "razor thin."
64	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Averted at first. When Homer declares that he'll go on a hunger strike to expose the truth, Marge immediately laughs, not believing he'll go through with it. She points out that he's literally eating a giant sausage while making the declaration. It's not until Homer proves that he's serious that the atmosphere follows suit.
65	* PaperThinDisguise: When Homer brings the press to Mr. Duff's office to expose the moving plan, Duffman shows up wearing a press hat and a jacket while holding a notebook, claiming he's "Joel Duffman" of "''The Newsly Times''".
66	* PoliceBrutality: Homer spotted Chief Wiggum and his officers supposedly beating up Snake Jailbird with their batons, so he fends them off with his car. However, it is subverted as it turns out that [[ManOnFire Snake's shirt is caught on fire]] and that he actually asked the officers to put it out with their batons; Snake even calls Homer an idiot for scaring the police away, to which Homer angrily responded by driving away and leaving Snake to deal with his problem on his own.
67	* ShameIfSomethingHappened: When trying to get a beauty parlor to honor his wife's coupon, Homer spies a hairnet and comments, "It would be a shame if it was hurled to the ground." However, it lands gently on the ground no matter how hard he throws it, so he resorts to unscrewing lids.
68	* ShoutOut:
69	** Duffman's TheDogBitesBack moment on Howard K. Duff is one to ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', with him looking between Homer and Duff, much like Vader did with Luke and the Emperor, before grabbing Duff and tossing him over the leftfield wall.
70	** Bart finds Homer passed out on top of the doghouse, to which he says [[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} "Good]] [[BorrowedCatchPhrase grief."]]
71	** The ending, where Homer triumphantly circles the bases while catching food thrown from the stands, is one to ''Film/TheNatural''.
72	%% * SmallNameBigEgo: The Mayor of Albuquerque.
73	* SmartBall: Homer's at his smartest in the Mike Scully era. He helps a hair salon save thousands as part of helping Marge get her hair streaked and realizes quickly that Duff is selling the Springfield Isotopes to Albuquerque.
74	* SmashCut: At one point, Homer is expressing doubt that a hair salon cannot afford to honor Marge's coupon. The next scene is him crunching the salon's numbers with the owner, expressing surprise that the owner was telling the truth.
75	* SoOkayItsAverage: Blockoland has this reputation in-universe, and it's not hard to see why. While there are some neat novelties, an amusement park built entirely out of plastic bricks is as AwesomeButImpractical as it sounds.
76	-->'''Random Child:''' It was alright, I guess.
77	* SpecialGuest: Howard K. Duff is voiced by Creator/StacyKeach (from the first ''Cheech and Chong'' movie and who played Christopher Titus' hard-assed father, Ken, on the sitcom ''Titus'' [which was in production at the time of this episode's premiere]).
78	* StatingTheSimpleSolution: After Homer leaves to go on a hunger strike and Marge continues making as much food as she would if he were still at home--her oldest daughter, Lisa, points out that Marge could just try making less food instead of forcing her, Bart and Maggie to eat Homer's share of the food. Marge refuses to do so out of sheer stubbornness.
79	* StrikeEpisode: Homer goes on a hunger strike after he discovers that the owner of the Springfield Isotopes is trying to move the team to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
80	* TemporaryBulkChange:
81	** A big part of the episode. Homer loses an unhealthy amount of weight over a period of days.
82	** At home, the opposite happens to his kids -- Bart, Lisa, and Maggie all get fat from Marge forcing them to help her eat Homer's share of the food while he's off doing his hunger strike. When Lisa questions, [[StatingTheSimpleSolution "Couldn't you just make]] ''[[StatingTheSimpleSolution less]]'' [[StatingTheSimpleSolution food, Mom?"]], Marge simply replies, "I don't do things that way, Lisa."
83	* TemptingFate: Homer tries to reassure his family the people he's protesting against won't let him starve to death. He's then shown a skeleton sitting next to a sign demanding they clean the ladies' bathroom.
84	* ThatLiarLies: Howard Duff all but feeds the journalists the next day's headline ("Local Man Is Liar") after Homer's first attempt to expose the plan to move the team fizzles out.
85	* ThrowTheDogABone: This is one of the few times where a crazy stunt of Homer's entirely succeeds.
86	* TitleDrop: "Hungry Hungry Homer" is the name given to Homer when the Isotopes adopt him as a new attraction to the stadium.
87	* TooDumbToLive: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Paint-Drinking Pete]] is dumb even by ''this'' show's standards.
88	* WaitingSkeleton: As Homer prepares to go on a hunger strike to protest the Isotopes' planned move to Albuquerque, he sees the skeleton of a previous striker holding a sign reading "CLEAN THE LADIES ROOM."

Context Recap / TheSimpsonsS12E15HungryHungryHomer