Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
- This article is about The Simpsons episode. For the Coen brothers movie, see O Brother, Where Art Thou?
| "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| File:Oh Brother Where Art Thou.png | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 |
| Directed by | W.M. "Bud" Archer |
| Written by | Jeff Martin |
| Original air dates | February 21, 1991 |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | "I will not sell land in Florida" |
| Couch gag | Maggie is in Marge's hair. |
"Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons' second season.
Synopsis
Template:Spoiler After watching the latest McBain movie, Grampa Simpson suffers a heart attack. This prompts him to confess a long-hidden secret: Homer has a half-brother.
As Grampa explains, he had met a carnival floozy and prostitute a year before marrying Homer's mother. They had a son, and left him at the Shelbyville Orphanage. Determined to find his brother, Homer and his family go to the orphanage and find out that Abe's son was adopted by a Mr. and Mrs. Powell and named Herbert.
Herb Powell (who looks just like Homer, except with more hair and less gut) is the head of Powell Motors car company (in danger of being taken over by the Japanese because of otherwise poor management). He is very rich, but is quite unhappy not knowing who he is and where he comes from. He is overjoyed upon hearing of his half-brother and invites the entire Simpson family to stay at his mansion in Detroit.
Bart, Lisa, and Maggie are enthralled by Herb's wealthy lifestyle (though Marge constantly worries about spoiling her kids), and Herb decides that Homer, being an "average" American, is the perfect person to design a new car for his company. Homer is given entirely free rein in the design, too late for Herb to realize that his brother is somewhat "unaverage." Homer adds all sorts of weird effects-like bubble domes, fins and a horn that plays "La Cucaracha."
At the unveiling of "The Homer", Herb is horrified to discover that the car is a monstrosity that costs $82,000. Herb's company folds (apparently taken over by the fictional Kumatsu Motors, perhaps a play on Japanese heavy-equipment manufacturer Komatsu), his mansion is sold off and he leaves regretting that he ever met his brother. Lisa laments, "His life was an unbridled success... until he found out, he was a Simpson."
Herb returns, and his plight is resolved, in the later episode "Brother Can You Spare Two Dimes?"
Quotes
- Herb: Homer, You're the richest man I know.
Homer: I feel the same way about you. audio clip
- Lisa: His life was an unbridled success. Until he found out...he was a Simpson.
Trivia
- The title of this episode is also the name of the non-existent book "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" in the Preston Sturges film Sullivan's Travels. The film is where the Coen Brothers got the name for their movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?.
- In the video game The Simpsons Hit & Run, the Homer is a drivable vehicle, complete with ridiculous horn.
External links
