Homer Simpson, This is Your Wife

Season 17, Episode 15, Aired
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Episode Summary

Homer is stoked for a party, where Lenny shows off his new plasma screen HD TV. Three days later and Homer still hasn't left Lenny's apartment. Lenny eventually gets him to leave and Marge enters them in a contest where they can win a plasma TV of their own. They don't win, but 3rd place gets them a tour of the FOX studios, where Homer learns about a wife-swapping show where he can win enough money to buy his own plasma TV. Marge agrees to appear and they exchange wives with the Heathbar family. Charles Heathbar winds up falling in love with Marge (who is giving him what he needs), while his real wife Verity finds Homer detestable.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (37)

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  • If you ask me, the episode was slow-moving and NOT very good either

    5.0
    "Mediocre"
    By tigerdude22, Jan 23, 2012 Report Abuse
    Homer is stoked for a party, where Lenny shows off his new plasma screen HD TV. Three days later and Homer still hasn't left Lenny's apartment. Lenny eventually gets him to leave and Marge enters them in a contest where they can win a plasma TV of their own. They don't win, but 3rd place gets them a tour of the FOX studios, where Homer learns about a wife-swapping show where he can win enough money to buy his own plasma TV. Marge agrees to appear and they exchange wives with the Heathbar family. Charles Heathbar winds up falling in love with Marge (who is giving him what he needs), while his real wife Verity finds Homer detestable.more. This was a mediocre episode of "The Simpsons". It's not the worst episode I've seen but the whole premise to this episode was just slow-moving (a.k.a. boring) and it just didn't live up to what I expected when I watched this episode for the first time a few years ago. The episode did have its funny or pretty good moments such as Homer watching Linny's plasma screen television at his house and won't leave, Bart and Lisa getting distracted with the plasma screen television, Ricky Gervais guest starring in this episode as the voice of Charles, Homer saying "What is that smell?" and then Charles' wife burns Homer's underwear, Patty (or Selma) and Charles' wife having an agreement that they both hate Homer, and a few more. But yeah, not that the episode was terrible which was isn't but it was just so boring and very slow-moving and had a few filler scenes such as when Charles tries to tell his joke to Marge about the genie and all that which made it feel like it took forever and I just didn't really like the Charles' character for the most part. Ricky Gervais did a good job voicing his character though but yeah.... disappointing if you ask me. Overall, a slow-moving, weak, and mediocre episode of "The Simpsons". 5/10moreless

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    0 0

  • My two fav shows, The Office and The Simpsons...here's why it didn't work....

    3.6
    "Bad"
    By GemBuffyfan, Apr 23, 2011 Report Abuse
    As an English native, who adores The Office(British version), Ricky Gervais and the Simpsons...I was soooo looking forward to this episode. The fact that the Simpsons hasn't been good for years...in it's prime it's simply one of the best comedies ever screened, didn't put me off. Boy was I upset with this episode.


    Ricky Gervais is an extreme fan of The Simpsons, to say the least. He was given the ultimate priviledge, to write and star in an episode.

    The Office is one of the greatest British comedies in history. With only two series, each containing the usual British (and by American standards, meesly) 6 episodes and a Christmas Special consisting of a further 2 episodes, The Office went out on top.

    The prospect of "mixing" these two historic, classic and excellent shows is the stuff t.v. dreams are made of...so what went wrong???

    For a start, Ricky Gervais is famed for his, uncomfortable silent scenes. This works wonderfully in The Office, the camera lingering on one of his cringe-worthy situations, painfully funny for the viewer. If Gervais ever thought that this would work in a cartoon, he was very much proven wrong.

    The slo-mo scene with Homer leaping onto the couch, astronaut style was okay. But we are well aware and far too familiar with Homer's ideologies of the modern world. Seeing donuts as the second coming, not being able to live without t.v. and beer. Don't get me wrong. This is why we love him, this is what makes him one of televisions greatest creations. But Gervais simply covered what writers had done hundreds of episodes before him.

    The comment by Homer that, "You take forever to say nothing" was one of the funniest moments of this episode. Very apt, considering this is a direct comment on exactly what gervais was doing wrong, by trying to duplicate his own "only-works-in-a-live-action-show" style onto cartoon celluloid.

    The Princess Di inspired song is quite funny. But very British isn't it? Can we brits not make any jokes for American viewers that don't involve the Royal Family?

    Overall, this episode probably isn't as bad in terms of recent Simpson episodes. However it was the promise of t.v. gold that it offered and didn't deliver that is its biggest let-down.

    It would have worked a lot better if Gervais had actually just guest starred David Brent so that we could actually see two great t.v. characters come together.

    I did not care much for this episode, when I wanted to care so much.

    Most overhyped t.v. pairing ever.

    I still love you Mr. Gervais and Mr. Simpson. I'm just sorry that it didn't work out between the both of you.moreless

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    2 3

  • Why did they ever let Ricky Gervias write for such a quality show!

    5.0
    "Mediocre"
    By Lost_n_24rule, Sep 21, 2010 Report Abuse
    I know a lot of people find Ricky Gervais' humour funny but I certainly don't and will never understand why anybody does.
    This episode was basically an excuse for him to write his dull, unfunny humour into an animated version of himself. No amount of animation will ever make it funny enough to be laughed at.
    The scences with Charles and Marge were painful to watch with the David Brent style bumblings of Charles all too evident. Marge seemed as bored being there as I did watching.
    Thank God once again for Homer who saves yet again an otherwise lacklustre episode. I mean who wouldn't fall in love with a HDTV and spend three days at a friends house just to watch it. And the way he serenaded his own HDTV at the end was sheer brilliance!
    All in all a disappointing episode which was ruined by the inclusion of the Charles/David Brent character. Gervais' writing shows promise with other characters if only he could leave himself out of it for once!moreless

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    1 6

  • Absolutely awful.

    1.5
    "Abysmal"
    By EdClarke, Sep 21, 2010 Report Abuse
    Absolutely awful. I'm from the England and I'm a great fan of Ricky Gervais in The Office and Extras, but for some reason English celebrities sound so fake and 'reading straight from a script' that it is their characters are unbelievable. It happened with JK Rowling, it happened with Tony Blair and now with Ricky Gervais. I laughed once in the whole episode, and after such a big build up here in England with non stop trailers for the episode, it really disappointed me. Gervais is a great writer and comedian, but he can't write The Simpsons. Let Matt Groening continue, don't cheapen The Simpsons with clear desperation to get ratings.moreless

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    3 3

  • There\'s only 2 words that can describe this show - Absolutely terrible!

    1.0
    "Abysmal"
    By WebPhil, Sep 21, 2010 Report Abuse
    Ricky Gervias isn't funny at all, so you give him an episode of the Simpsons to write, and guess what - it's not funny either.

    The horror is that they've apparently given him another future episode to write - what idiot thought that was a good idea?

    Please, just because he's got an English accent DOES NOT make him funny.

    The regular cast tried their best to salvage a horrible show, but nothing could save it, not even the brilliant work by Dan - please, please, please don't let him write another episode.

    I know that the show hasn't been as good lately, but there's no need to show that by giving it to unfunny people to write.moreless

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    5 5
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • Sign outside Fox Network: NUMBER TWO WITH PRISONERS 18-49 Edit

  • Notes

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    • Ricky Gervais also worked with Harry Shearer in the movie For Your Consideration. Edit
    • In Australia, the live action opening was not used and was instead replaced by the animated opening. Also, when the episode was rerun in the USA, the sofa scene where the family was put on a rotisserie was used. Edit
    • This is the first time a guest star has written an episode of the series. Edit

  • Quotes

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    • Man from network: Here have a Fox sweatshirt. Lisa: This is an ABC sweatshirt. Man from network: Yeah it zips all the way up (zips up the sweater all the way to the top of her head) Edit
    • Homer: (Singing to his new TV) You make me laugh, you make me cry, without you I'd just want to die, for the rest of my life you'll be a fixture, now let me enjoy your picture-in-picture! Edit
    • Cameraman: (About Marge) Oh, I ran out of tape just before that beautiful speech of hers. But I got a great shot of him calling his son a bastard. Edit

  • Allusions

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    • When the man from the network pushes Lisa into a cage there are characters in there whom represent William Hung and Fantasia Barino from American Idol. Edit
    • ABC's Hope and Faith parodied Trading Spouses last season, a format that most acknowledge to have been taken from Fox's own Wife Swap, which in turn is a licensed US version of the original UK Wife Swap. This is the show that "Mother Flippers," the Simpsons spoof Ricky Gervais based it on. The relationship between Trading Spouses and Wife Swap is also roasted on this episode. Edit
    • Charles Heathbar is inspired by David Brent, the main character of the British mockumentary The Office, a character created and played by Ricky Gervais, who also created and stars as Charles Heathbar in this episode. Edit

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