Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

"Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons' second season.

Synopsis

After watching the latest McBain movie, Grampa Simpson suffers a heart attack. This prompts him to confess a long-hidden secret: Homer has a half-brother.

As Grampa explains, he had met a carnival floozy and prostitute before marrying Homer's mother. They had a son, and left him at the Shelbyville Orphanage. Determined to find his brother, Homer and his family go to the orphanage and find out that Abe's son was adopted by a Mr. and Mrs. Powell and named Herbert.

Herb Powell (who looks just like Homer, except with more hair and a little less gut) is the head of Powell Motors car company (in danger of being taken over by the Japanese because of otherwise poor management). He is very rich, but is quite unhappy not knowing who he is and where he comes from. He is overjoyed upon hearing of his half-brother and invites the entire Simpson family to stay at his mansion in Detroit.

Bart, Lisa, and Maggie are enthralled by Herb's wealthy lifestyle (though Marge constantly worries about spoiling her kids), and Herb decides that Homer, being an "average" American, is the perfect person to design a new car for his company. Homer is given entirely free rein in the design, too late for Herb to realize that his brother is somewhat "unaverage". Homer adds all sorts of weird effects-like bubble domes, fins and several horns that play "La Cucaracha".

At the unveiling of "The Homer", Herb is horrified to discover that the car is a monstrosity that costs $82,000 (significantly more when inflation adjusted for today). Herb's company folds, his mansion is sold off and he leaves regretting that he ever met his brother. As he departs on the bus he angrily remarks to Homer that he "has no brother". Lisa laments, "His life was an unbridled success... until he found out he was a Simpson." In the end of this episode, while Homer drives the family home, Bart tells him that the car he built was great. Homer became relieved that only one person seems to like it.