Gump Roast

"Gump Roast" is the seventeenth episode of season 13. It originally aired on April 21, 2002. The episode was written by Deb Lacusta and Dan Castellaneta and directed by Mark Kirkland.

Plot
A feather floats down from the sky and lands in Springfield town square next to Homer’s feet. Much like, Homer is dressed in a white suit, sitting rigidly on a bench with a box of chocolates in his lap. Chief Wiggum tells Homer about a law preventing citizens from impersonating movie characters. Homer then begins to tell Wiggum his life story. In flashback, Homer chases a young boy with leg braces, but Homer quickly runs out of breath and stops. Back in the present day, Homer recounts some of his other memories, including those involving Marge, and later, the family car. Afterward, Marge and the kids pick up Homer, blindfold him, and drive to an undisclosed location. When the blindfold is removed, Homer finds himself in a banquet hall filled with people from throughout Springfield, most clad in tuxedos.Krusty the Clown then announces that Homer is at the Springfield Friars Club ... and Homer is about to be roasted.

As the roast gets underway, Bart and Lisa recount how they’ve had fun over the years, leading to a variety of clips from episodes past. Mr. Burns then takes the stage and denounces Homer as an incompetent bumbler, leading to clips of Homer's various mishaps at the nuclear power plant. Next, Grampa and Mrs. Skinner take the podium, leading to more clips from other episodes. An inebriated Homer then stands up and addresses the crowd. Soon after, he passes out, his pants down, revealing his backside.

Reverend Lovejoy, holding an acoustic guitar, and Ned Flanders, holding an upright bass, step up to the podium. In a routine similar to the comedy of The Smothers Brothers, the pair begin strumming and plucking…until Flanders objects to the altered lyrics Lovejoy uses for the song "If I Had a Hammer". Moments later, aliens Kang and Kodos appear, dressed in tuxedos and armed with ray guns. They announce that all of humanity is about to be judged ... and the fate of the world rests on Homer Simpson. The aliens probe Homer’s mind, leading to more clips from past episodes. Afterward, Kang and Kodos describe the human race as brutish and primitive. But before Earth can be destroyed, Lisa tells them about Maggie, certain that the innocent soul of a child will redeem mankind. The aliens probe Maggie’s mind and are reduced to tears, but they then reveal that the liquid leaking from their eyes is vomit, produced by Maggie’s treacly memories. But as the baby continues to reminisce, images of many celebrities appear. (Many of the celebrities Maggie remembers are ironic since she wasn't even there.) Kang and Kodos are impressed. The aliens agree to spare Earth—under one condition. Later, they happily appear at the People’s Choice Awards, where they hobnob with celebrities in evening attire.

Production
Gump Roast