Homer and Apu

"Homer and Apu"
The Simpsons episode
File:Worldsfirstkwikemart.png
Episode no.	Season 5
Directed by	Mark Kirkland
Written by	Greg Daniels
Original air dates	February 10, 1994
Episode features
Chalkboard gag	"I will not go near the kindergarten turtle"
Couch gag	The family's heads pop out of the couch with Maggie's head popping up last in the middle of the couch.
Commentary	David Mirkin Greg Daniels Mark Kirkland David Silverman

"Homer and Apu" is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons' fifth season, first aired on February 10, 1994.

Plot

Homer goes to the Kwik-E-Mart and buys some very spoiled ham that Apu has just put on the Bargain Table. He eats it, and becomes terribly ill. After recovering, Homer returns to the Kwik-E-Mart to complain angrily, and Apu gives him two five-pound buckets of spoiled shrimp to placate him. Once again, Homer takes it, eats it, and becomes terribly ill. This time, however, as he is recovering, Homer sees the investigative news program Bite Back with Kent Brockman, hosted by Channel 6 journalist Kent Brockman, and Lisa gives him the idea to get the show to investigate the Kwik-E-Mart. Kent gives Homer a giant novelty hat containing a spy camera to expose Apu for selling spoiled food. While inside the store, Apu asks about the hat, commenting on how it sounds like bees are in it. Homer takes the hat off, smashing it on the ground and runs out. Afterwards, the camera catches Apu re-selling a hotdog that recently fell on the ground. Kent Brockman comments how they now have evidence to convict him, but realizes that Homer has gone back into the store to buy the same hotdog. Caught in the act, Apu is immediately fired. He protests that he was simply following company policy with his actions, but company executives explain that policy also calls for some form of scapegoat to place the blame on, should someone get caught. Apu's replacement is actor James Woods, who is doing research for a role in an upcoming film.

After being fired, Apu does chores for Homer because he thinks that he is in debt to Homer for selling him spoiled food, and helping him would pay off his debt of karma. As time goes by, the family begins to love Apu and his traditions. However, Apu begins to miss his job at the Kwik-E-Mart, so Homer decides to help him by accompanying him to the Kwik-E-Mart head office in India, which is also the world's first convenience store — ironically located all the way at the top of the Himalayas. Once they arrive, they meet with the head of the Kwik-E-Mart. He says that they can ask him three questions. Unfortunately, due to his incompetence Homer wastes the three questions and the head of the Kwik-E-Mart does not help Apu with his problems. Apu loses his temper and strangles Homer for his stupidity, causing both to fall off the mountain. Apu and Homer are forced to return home disappointed.

After they get home, Apu decides to return to the Kwik-E-Mart to "face his demons", and a robber bursts in and shoots at James Woods. Apu jumps in front of the bullet saving James Woods. At the hospital Dr. Hibbert says that Apu survived because the bullet ricocheted off another bullet that was lodged in his chest from a previous robbery. The grateful Woods then sees to it that Apu gets his job back at the Kwik-E-Mart, while he goes off to battle aliens on a distant planet. The episode ends with the Simpson family hugging Apu as he recovers in the hospital.

Production

When David Mirkin took over as show runner, he listed actor James Woods as one of the people he would most like to guest star on the show during his tenure. The script for "Homer and Apu" was originally written with Michael Caine as the actor who works at the Kwik-E-Mart. However, Caine rejected the role so the story was rewritten so that Woods got the job instead. Woods was one of animation director David Silverman's favorite guest stars. In addition to his humorous ad-libbing, Silverman noted that Woods' tendency to hesitate while speaking is "great for animation", explaining that it makes the character feel "more real".

Writer Michael Carrington appears as the voice of the comedian on television who tells the joke about black and white drivers.

Cultural references

• Kent Brockman's Bite Back show is a parody of David Horowitz's Fight Back, and features an opening with a cartoon dog who resembles McGruff the Crime Dog.
• The scenes of Homer and Apu traveling are similar to that of Lawrence of Arabia.
• Lisa's line after she eats Apu's spicy food, "I can see through time," is a reference to Dune.
• James Woods becoming a convenience store clerk to prepare from a film is similar to Michael J. Fox becoming a police officer in the film The Hard Way, which Woods also starred in.
• Apu's song is a reference to Ravenal's song "Make Believe" in Kern and Hammerstein's musical Show Boat.
• The scene with many passengers clinging outside of railroad cars resembles Flame Over India or Gandhi.
• The scene with Apu jumping in front of James Woods is a parody of Clint Eastwood jumping in front of the president in In the Line of Fire.
• The CEO of the Kwik-E-Mart resembles Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
• Homer's line "No way, man, get yourself another patsy!" is from Oliver Stone's JFK.

Reception

The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, said "'Are we in India yet?' One of the very best, with the gags coming thick and fast. We particularly like the spy camera concealed in Homer's massive stetson, Apu and Marge's trip to the Monster Mart (Apu's advice on supermarket queue-jumping is worth heeding), and Who Needs the Kwik-E-Mart?, possibly the cleverest song in the series. And the Christians harassing people at the Indian airport, and Homer's wastage of three questions, and James Woods' parting words to the Simpsons, and the footage of Apu doing a hummingbird impression..."

Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide said, "The first episode to focus on Apu, this one works well...Our glimpses of Apu’s sleaziness and culture are entertaining, and the “Who Needs the Kwik-E-Mart?” tune is one of the better musical numbers." He went on to say, "Also count James Woods as one of the all-time best guest stars, which is likely why he gets many more lines than the average cameo voice."

Patrick Bromley of DVD Verdict gave the episode an A+ and said, "Greatness [and] features one of the best musical numbers in the show's history of great musical numbers."

Askmen.com ranked "Homer and Apu" as number six on their top ten The Simpsons episodes.

The episode has become study material for sociology courses at University of California Berkeley, where it is used to "examine issues of the production and reception of cultural objects, in this case, a satirical cartoon show", and to figure out what it is "trying to tell audiences about aspects primarily of American society, and, to a lesser extent, about other societies." Some questions asked in the courses include: "What aspects of American society are being addressed in the episode? What aspects of them are used to make the points? How is the satire conveyed: through language? Drawing? Music? Is the behavior of each character consistent with his/her character as developed over the years? Can we identify elements of the historical/political context that the writers are satirizing? What is the difference between satire and parody?"

External links

• Homer and Apu at SNPP.com