Go Big or Go Homer

General

References/Trivia

Appearances

Credits

Quotes

	Season 31 Episode
← 663 "The Winter of Our Monetized Content"	664 "Go Big or Go Homer"	"The Fat Blue Line" 665 →

"Well, now that I'm a mentor, everything's changed. For the first time, another human being is dependent on me to guide them through life."

―Homer Simpson

"Go Big or Go Homer"

Episode Information Episode number: 664 Season number: S31 E2 Production code: YABF21 Original airdate: October 6, 2019 Guest star(s): Joe Mantegna as Fat Tony Michael Rapaport as Mike Wegman Showrunner: Matt Selman Written by: John Frink Directed by: Matthew Faughnan

"Go Big or Go Homer" is the second episode of season 31 of The Simpsons and the six hundred sixty-fourth episode overall. It originally aired on October 6, 2019. The episode was written by John Frink and directed by Matthew Faughnan. It guest stars Joe Mantegna as Fat Tony, and Michael Rapaport as Mike Wegman.

Synopsis

"Homer is demoted to supervising interns, among whom is go-getter millennial Mike, a 35-year-old who asks Homer to be his mentor. However, when Homer inspires Mike to start a business of his own, the two find themselves being chased by the mob."

Plot

At the Power Plant, it's Lenny's birthday. The workers prepare a surprise party, chipping in $5 each, but Mr. Burns enters just before Lenny, signs the birthday card in giant text, and doesn't chip in. He gives Lenny the birthday greeting himself, ruining the surprise and making Homer angry for the rest of the party.

The family later removes snow from their front yard, and Homer keeps complaining to them too. When Marge consoles him and helps him calm down, he has a vision of Burns' signature impaling Marge's chest—just before waking up from what is actually a nightmare.

The next day, he confronts Burns about the birthday incident, and Burns easily chips in. However, when Smithers finds out, he informs Homer that the skin-thickening medication Burns is using makes him uncontrollably decent. As a result, Homer is demoted to supervisor of the interns.

When the interns start mocking Homer, Mike Wegman stands up for him, demands they show respect, and asks Homer to be his mentor. The family goes to Costington's to dress Homer for his new role as a mentor, and Homer feels proud, though his weight causes people to laugh when his pants fall down.

Homer takes Mike to his work station, and Mike reveals he's 35. When Homer asks why he's taking a job meant for a 20-year-old, Mike says he wants to follow in the steps of his hero. Homer invites him to dinner to show off his new pupil and how much he admires him.

Mike brings his pregnant wife, Maurine, to dinner. When Bart disrespects Homer, Mike insults him so severely that everyone at the table is left speechless—except Lisa, who laughs hard while Bart chokes and cries. Marge then kicks Mike and Maurine out of the house. In bed, Marge suggests that Homer help Mike grow up.

Homer pushes Mike to pursue his idea of "Mike's Slices", a new way of making pizza, and asks Burns to invest. When Burns insults Homer, Mike loses control again and gets shot by Burns with his old shotgun.

At home, Homer admits to Mike that he's not the mentor Mike thinks he is and that the accidents were his fault. But this only motivates Mike further, and he returns with a Mike's Slices food truck, which he bought with money loaned from Fat Tony.

After losing a bet he makes to repay Fat Tony, they flee to the Auto Yard, the food truck graveyard, but Tony finds them. When Tony smells the slices, he takes them for his crew, and Mike suggests taking bets on the truck too. The food truck is eventually parked outside the Power Plant for various purposes, including selling weed. In the end, Tony congratulates Homer on being a great mentor.

Production

The idea for the episode came after the producers heard Michael Rapaport on the I AM RAPAPORT: STEREO PODCAST. A scene where Marge says about Mike Wegman "He called the cat 'this jerk-off over here' was cut by Fox. In a deleted scene, Louie and Johnny Tightlips, while searching for Homer and Mike, shoot the Sauce-a-Lito food truck. Johnny samples the blood coming out of it saying "marinara", then opens the door to find the owner, Tony Marinara, in it, dead from the shot.

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Reception

"Go Big or Go Homer" was nominated for a 2020 Writers Guild of America award in Animation, but it lost to "Thanksgiving of Horror".

International airdates

Country Date Channel Note Asia December 22, 2019 Fox Asia Latin America August 30, 2020 Fox Channel Latin America

Gallery

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Promo videos

• Homer Meets Mike Wegman at YouTube
• The Family Goes Shopping For Homer at YouTube
• Homer Gives Mike A Tour Of The Power Plant at YouTube

Wikisimpsons has a collection of images related to "Go Big or Go Homer".

← Season 30 Season 31 Episodes Season 32 →

The Winter of Our Monetized Content • Go Big or Go Homer • The Fat Blue Line • Treehouse of Horror XXX • Gorillas on the Mast • Marge the Lumberjill • Livin La Pura Vida • Thanksgiving of Horror • Todd, Todd, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me? • Bobby, It's Cold Outside • Hail to the Teeth • The Miseducation of Lisa Simpson • Frinkcoin • Bart the Bad Guy • Screenless • Better Off Ned • Highway to Well • The Incredible Lightness of Being a Baby • Warrin' Priests: Part One • Warrin' Priests: Part Two • The Hateful Eight-Year-Olds • The Way of the Dog

← Season XABF Production season YABF Episodes Season ZABF →

Daddicus Finch • 'Tis the 30th Season • Mad About the Toy • The Girl on the Bus • The Clown Stays in the Picture • I'm Dancing as Fat as I Can • 101 Mitigations • I Want You (She's So Heavy) • E My Sports • Bart vs. Itchy & Scratchy • Girl's in the Band • I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say D'oh • The Incredible Lightness of Being a Baby • D'oh Canada • Woo-Hoo Dunnit? • Crystal Blue-Haired Persuasion • Thanksgiving of Horror • Treehouse of Horror XXX • The Winter of Our Monetized Content • Gorillas on the Mast • Go Big or Go Homer • The Fat Blue Line