The Computer Wore Menace Shoes
"The Computer Wore Menace Shoes"
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Episode Information
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"The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" is the fifth episode of the Simpsons twelfth season and the 254th episode overall. In the episode, Homer creates his own website and uses it to spread gossip. However, when Homer starts writing conspiracy theories about flu shots, he gets sent to a weird island where people who know too much are imprisoned.
The episode is written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Mark Kirkland. The episode title is a play on the 1969 movie, "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" and the episode features many references to "The Prisoner". The episode guest stars the star of The Prisoner, Patrick McGoohan reprising his character, Number Six. The episode has received positive reviews from critics with most praising The Prisoner parody.
Contents
Plot
Homer is the only one to show up to work. Everybody received an e-mail letting them know the nuclear plant was closed for the day, but as Homer tells Lenny and Carl, he has never owned a computer. Feeling left behind in the technological dust, Homer decides to purchase a computer, and ends up buying the most expensive one in the store thanks to a slick salesman. He brings it home, but quickly throws it in the trash when it is unable to assassinate Ned Flanders. Eventually Lisa helps Homer become computer literate, and in the following days Homer creates a website... filled only with spam and internet memes borrowed from other sites.
He is upset nobody has visited his site, so Lisa suggests that he should offer something society needs or wants. After Bart dishes some gossip he heard about the pothole repair money being used for Quimby's swimming pool, Homer decides to create a "news" website, calling himself "Mr. X" so that anonymity could protect him from any angry citizens he may write about. Subsequently, Mayor Quimby is exposed and the pothole repair funds are returned. "Mr. X" (Homer) is heralded as a hero. The townspeople want to reward him, but since they don't know who he is, they say they'll give their money to the needy. Not being a charitable person, Homer quickly unveils his identity, winning the Pullitzer Prize ("Finally", he groans). Soon enough, people become more tight lipped around Homer; once he runs out of real news, he begins making up wild stories and accusations.
One of his wild stories states that flu-shots are given only as a form of mind control (it's why there's a big shopping rush just before Christmas), Unbeknownst to Homer, this turns out to be true. A group of people kidnap Homer and keep him on an island as part of a massive cover-up, so nobody finds out about the flu-shots. Other people on the island are being held for other strange secrets or inventions they have discovered, such as turning water into gas or a peanut bag with no bottom.
Meanwhile, Homer is replaced with a man who looks identical to him, except he needs to shave his head and speaks in an Austrian accent. Homer escapes the island on a crudely made boat he stole from one of the island captives, after running into an anti-escape orb (which pops). Once home, Homer defeats his clone and re-unites with his family. However, they are then drugged by Santa's Little Helper, and are all taken back to the island.
Production
The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Mark Kirkland. The chalkboard was written by Don Payne. Originally the episode was titled Homer the Drudge because John was a fan of Matt Drudge and pitched the ideaof Homer becoming Matt Drudge, but was the idea was thrown out for The Prisoner parody. During production, nobody knew what a Pulitzer prize looked like although they got it right. The show's staff created a real website for Mr. X. The wife of The Prisoner said that Patrick McGoohan was proud of this episode. George Meyer and Mike Scully joked that they wanted to shove in as many druggings as possible. When Patrick came to guest-star, the whole staff wanted to meet him and brought things for him to autograph. Mike and the other animators watched most of the Prisoner episodes. George's favorite moment was when Homer eats the obvious drugged ice cream.
Deleted scenes
The DVD Commentary featured many deleted scenes
- Maggie searches random letters and finds porn with the kids running, but are too late when Marge child blocks it.[8]
- Homer wakes up on a bike and jumps off the bike, but gets drugged by flowers.
Reception
The episode has received positive reviews with most praising The Prisoner references. Matt Haigh of Den of Geek said the episode is a fan favorite. The episode got a 3.72 out of 5 ranking 227 out of 373 episodes on The Simpson Crazy Fan Site. Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide gave the episode a positive review saying "With its spoof of Internet idiocy, “Shoes” scores points. Some parts of it feel dated, but the web features even more ill-informed opinions today than it did nine years ago, so much of it remains timeless and on target. Unfortunately, the episode skids when it parodies The Prisoner. The side of the show feels like it was intended to amuse a few fans and it doesn’t show a lot of real cleverness or wit. This remains a decent episode, but it’s inconsistent." Judge Mac McEntire of DVD Verdict said the greatest moments of the episode are the prisoner spoofs. The episode received two reviews from About.com with Nancy Martin giving it a 3/5 and Evil Nick giving it a 4/5.
