• Wikisimpsons needs more Featured Article, Picture, Quote, Episode and Comprehensive article nominations!
  • Wikisimpsons has a Discord server! Click here for your invite! Join to talk about the wiki, Simpsons and Tapped Out news, or just to talk to other users.
  • Make an account! It's easy, free, and your work on the wiki can be attributed to you.
TwitterFacebookDiscord

Friends and Family

Wikisimpsons - The Simpsons Wiki
Season 28 Episode
597 "Monty Burns' Fleeing Circus"
598
"Friends and Family"
"The Town" 599
"Friends and Family"
Friends and Family promo 1.png
Episode Information
Episode number: 598
Season number: S28 E2
Production code: VABF18
Original airdate: October 2, 2016
Title screen: Witch Marge, Patty and Selma fly across on their brooms.
Billboard gag: Dr. Nick Riviera Tell me what, and I'll cut
Chalkboard gag: I will stop losing 50% of my NFL lead-in
Couch gag: Someone is transforming the Simpsons family in emoji for their myPhone, but Homer doesn't fit because he's too fat. Switching to the myPad doesn't help either, so the mysterious character hits Homer with a hammer till he's unconscious.
Guest star(s): Allison Janney as Julia
Showrunner: Al Jean
Written by: J. Stewart Burns
Directed by: Lance Kramer


"Friends and Family" is the second episode of season 28 of The Simpsons and the five-hundred and ninety-eighth episode overall. It originally aired on October 2, 2016. The episode was written by J. Stewart Burns and directed by Lance Kramer. It guest stars Allison Janney as Julia.

Synopsis[edit]

"Mr. Burns hires the Simpsons to play his live-in virtual reality family, but excludes Homer so that he may play dad. Now alone, Homer finds a new best friend in girl-next-door Julia, who eats, drinks and thinks like him."


Plot[edit]

To deal with anger issues, Mr. Burns goes to his psychiatrist where, due to his anger, Dr. Nussbaum tells him that he'll never have a family, giving up on his case after seven years. After Burns leaves, the doctor dies. At his funeral, the Simpsons start arguing, also remembering their last family therapy, in which Maggie talked but no one payed attention. Meanwhile, Burns shows the tombstone funded by him for the doctor. However, the writing on it says "Paid for by C. Montgomery Burns", which gets everyone angry and, as a result, Burns and Smithers flee.

On their car, Smithers runs over Professor Frink, who was wearing a Frink Oculus, attending his Nobel Prize ceremony. After trying the Oculus on the ambulance, Burns takes it home and has some fun, with the VR being programmed by Smithers. Smithers reminds him that the doctor told him he needs a family, something that Burns denies. Smithers then suggests creating a family by programming it on Virtual Reality.

At the auditions for the family, the Simpsons stand out the most, so they all get hired except for Homer, due to the fact that Burns wants to be the father, and he's sent home. During the recordings, Burns likes the family so much that hires them for ten years and gives them a shack in the garden of his mansion.

Home alone, Homer misses his family at first, but then realizes he can do what he wants. Laying naked on the roof of the house at night, he meets Julia, his neighbor, which shares what he loves and hates, like beer and Ned Flanders, and they become friends.

Meanwhile at the mansion, the family gets tired of the job and starts hating Burns. The old man realizes that having a family doesn't suit him and gives up, firing them. When Marge gets back home, she finds Homer hanging up the phone on Julia and finds out what has happened with Julia during her absence. She then gets really mad, and even more when Julia enters the house. However, Julia's words make her realize they were just friends.

At the end of the episode, most Springfieldians are shown wearing Oculus, including Homer and Marge.

Production[edit]

Reception[edit]

The episode was watched by 6.00 million viewers.[1]

International airdates[edit]

Country Date Channel Note
Hispanic America.gif Latin America February 26, 2017 Fox Latin America
Ukraine flag.png Ukraine November 20, 2016 NLO TV [2]

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]


Promo videos[edit]


The Saga of Carl - title screen.png Wikisimpsons has a collection of images related to "Friends and Family".
Season 28 Episodes
Monty Burns' Fleeing Circus Friends and Family The Town Treehouse of Horror XXVII Trust but Clarify There Will Be Buds Havana Wild Weekend Dad Behavior The Last Traction Hero The Nightmare After Krustmas Pork and Burns The Great Phatsby: Part One The Great Phatsby: Part Two Fatzcarraldo The Cad and the Hat Kamp Krustier 22 for 30 A Father's Watch The Caper Chase Looking for Mr. Goodbart Moho House Dogtown