El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer
"El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer"
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Episode Information
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"El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)" (a.k.a. The Mysterious Voyage of Our Homer) is the ninth episode in the eighth season of The Simpsons, and features surreal animation in depicting an elaborate hallucination. In Spanish, the title, more accurately means "The Mysterious Trip of Our 'Jomer'". (Jomer is a Spanish pronunciation wordplay of 'Homer')."
Contents
Plot
Marge and Homer head over to a Springfield Chili Cook-Off, Homer having promised to not drink any beer. While there, Homer demonstrates an extraordinary ability to withstand hot foods, until he falls victim to Chief Wiggum's chili spiked with "The Merciless Peppers of Quetzlzacatenango." The peppers bring on a mescaline-esque hallucination in a bizarre world wherein Homer encounters a snake, a tortoise and even destroys the sun. He meets his spirit guide, a coyote voiced by Johnny Cash. The coyote advises Homer to find his soulmate, and questions Homer's assumption that he has already found her in Marge.
When Homer regains his senses, he rationalises his dream, for example comparing the desert he wandered in to the real life location, a golf course sand pit. After returning home, he finds Marge (who thinks that he got drunk, thus breaking his promise) angry with him for odd behaviour at the cook-off, and Homer also makes note lighthouse is operated by a machine (E.A.R.L. - Electronic Automatic Robotic Lighthouse). Homer destroys the lighthouse's light in a bout of recklessness, but Marge arrives and they fix it, saving a ship. They decide they really are soulmates, and Homer mocks what he calls the “space coyote.” Unfortunately the ship still grounds anyway, spilling its precious cargo of hot pants.
Trivia
- The episode was originally pitched by long time writer George Meyer during season 3. The staff felt it was too odd for the show, but showrunners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein decided to use it.
- This is the second episode to have its English title in another language, the first being "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk".
- Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan were the writers' two choices to play the coyote. Bob Dylan had turned the show down many times, so Johnny Cash was given the part.
- The coyote was intentionally drawn in a more boxy way so that it looked unlike the other Simpsons characters. It was also done that way to resemble the representations of coyotes in American Southwestern art.
- Most of the chili pepper sequence was animated completely by David Silverman, who wanted it to look just right and didn't want to risk sending it to Korea.
- The shot of real life clouds is only the second time live-action footage was used in The Simpsons. The first time was in "Treehouse of Horror VI". Afterwards there was also live-action footage in "Treehouse of Horror IX".
- Some 3D computer animation is used in this episode for the giant butterfly seen during Homer's hallucination. Also, during the same hallucination, Ned Flanders' line ("What can I do-diddily-doodily-diddly-hobbily-hibbily-gobbily-gobbily-gobble-gabba-gabba-hey!") was also treated on an Macintosh computer so that it increased and decreased pitch. A sample of Flanders saying this can be heard on the track "The Nebbish Route" on the album Nothing Lasts...But Nothing Is Lost by Ambient Techno group Shpongle.
- This episode's commentary on the season 8 DVD set was the first commentary to include children.
- The FOX censors sent a note to the writers about the part where Homer coats his mouth with hot wax so he can eat Chief Wiggum's super-spicy chili pepper. The actual note reads as follows: "To discourage imitation by young and foolish viewers, when Homer begins to pour hot wax into his mouth, please have him scream in pain so kids will understand that doing this would actually burn their mouths.")
- This episode mentions that Springfield slopes westward to the sea, indicating that it is either on the West Coast or western Florida.
Quotes
- Homer: (After being reminded of his drunk behavior at last Springfield Chili Cook-Off) Oh well, of course everything looks bad when you remember it.
Music
- "The Good The Bad And The Ugly" theme by Ennio Morricone is briefly used as Homer approaches Chief Wiggum at Springfield Chili Cook-Off.
- "At Seventeen" by Janis Ian plays in the background as Homer walks through the town of Springfield looking for his soul-mate after we wakes up from his vision.
- "Short Shorts" by The Royal Teens plays at the end of the episode (including credits) after Lenny (while holding a pair of hot pants), yells into the crowd: "Hey, who like short shorts?"
Cultural references
- There are many similarities in the appearance of the dog guide to the coyote from Carlos Castaneda's "Teachings of Don Juan" - wherein after Carlos ingests peyote he plays in the desert with a wild coyote which is (or isn't?) an hallucination.
- There are also allusions in the episode to the works of Richard Bach, whose works often focus on the concept of "soulmates" and typically involve quests led by spirit guides. At the end of the episode, the Sea Captain, refers directly to Bach's most famous book, by exclaiming, "Arr! Jonathan Livingston Seagull!"
- When Homer begins to hallucinate Jasper says "Goo goo gajoob?" which is a line from The Beatles song I Am The Walrus.
- During Homer's hallucination, Ned Flanders' non-sensical talk includes the words "Gabba Gabba Hey" which is a reference to The Ramones.
- When Homer hallucinates, Ms. Krabappel sounds like Miss Othmar from the television and film adaptations of the comic strip Peanuts.
- When they are in the lighthouse discussing about their similarities, the line "It's like you're (Marge) from Venus...and you're (Homer) from Mars" is used.
