Brother from the Same Planet

Infobox Simpsons episode
episode_name = Brother from the Same Planet
episode_no = 73
prod_code = 9F12
airdate = February 4, 1993
show runner = Al Jean & Mike Reiss
writer = Jon Vitti
director = Jeffrey Lynch
blackboard = "The Principal's toupee is not a frisbee" | couch_gag = The rear wall rotates taking the family to another room and leaving an empty couch behind.
guest_star = Phil Hartman as Tomcite news | last =Deming | first =Mark | title =The Simpsons: Brother From the Same Planet | work =Allmovie | publisher =Macrovision Corporation | date =2008 | url =http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:284902 | accessdate = 2008-09-03 ]


image_caption = Homer in an awkward and presumably painful position, after the fight
commentary = Matt Groening
Al Jean
Mike Reiss
Jon Vitti
Jeffrey Lynch
season = 4

"Brother from the Same Planet" is the fourteenth episode of "The Simpsons" from the fourth season. The episode's title is a play on John Sayles' movie "The Brother from Another Planet". The Simpsons has also spoofed this title with the episode title "Brother from Another Series".

Plot

After soccer practice, Bart waits for Homer to pick him up. At the Simpson residence, Marge reminds Homer to go and get Bart on her way out the door--Homer says "I'm on my way", but unknown to Marge he is saying this because he is watching "Wheel of Fortune" and the exposed letters spell out "I'M ON MY WAY". Homer was so focused on the game show that he didn't hear what Marge said, and he forgets to pick up Bart. Bart is left alone as a storm approaches. Many occurrences at home remind Homer that he was meant to do something, but he cannot recall what. When Homer finally remembers after a dream about seeing Bart's skeleton on a soccer field, he rushes out to pick up Bart. He reasons to an angered Bart that they should just both admit they're wrong and tries to put the issue behind them.

Later that evening, while Bart is watching a painfully unfunny episode of "Tuesday Night Live" hosted by Krusty the Clown, he comes across a commercial for a mentor program called The Bigger Brothers, which pairs up boys without fathers with positive male role models. This gives him an idea and he goes to the Bigger Brothers Agency disguising himself with an accent as a brave young boy whose father left him six years ago. Afterwards, Bart is assigned a big brother called Tom whom Bart first meets when he comes to school to pick Bart up by letting him ride on the back of his motorcycle. Later on, Bart and Tom meet up for Tomato Day at the Springfield Stadium (the purpose of the tomatoes is revealed when a recruiter for the Springfield Communist Party is introduced on the field before the start of the game; he is pelted with tomatoes before he can begin his speech, and remarks that it is at least better than "Dart Day"). Afterwards, they go to lift weights and watch "Ren and Stimpy". Eventually, Homer finds out about Bart's Bigger Brother and angrily confronts him about the issue. Homer decides to go to the Bigger Brothers Agency to get revenge by being assigned a replacement son. There, he is assigned the child Pepe (whom he initially calls Pepsi). Homer shows Pepe the garage door, "a wonder of modern technology" and then the two look at the stars together.

Meanwhile back at the Simpsons household, Marge finds a $378.53 phone bill for calls made to the Corey hotline. Because of this, Marge goes up to talk to Lisa who is hiding in her room, as the entrance is decorated with a Corey poster. Marge tells Lisa that she understands what Lisa is going through and that when she was a girl she had a crush on Bobby Sherman. This revelation causes Lisa to laugh uproariously. Even so, in the end Lisa promises her mother "...you'll never be billed for another call." However, Lisa continues to make calls to the hotline from such places as Doctor Hibbert's office and from a phone at Springfield Elementary. After Principal Skinner catches her calling the hotline, he calls Marge. In Skinner's office, Marge suggests that Lisa try to go until 12 o'clock that evening without calling the hotline; if she can do so, she will have conquered her addiction. For the rest of the day, Lisa finds herself very tempted to reach for the phone. Later on, Marge finds Lisa asleep at the kitchen table, cradling the phone receiver. Marge is disappointed until she picks up the receiver and discovers that Lisa had called the local time service, which announces that the time is now 12 midnight. Lisa has beaten her addiction.

Elsewhere, Homer takes Pepe to Marine World on Big Brothers Day. Tom also takes Bart there. After Homer runs into Bart, Tom tells Bart not to talk to strangers and begins to lead him away from Homer. Homer states that he is Bart's father. As Bart has told Tom many false stories of Homer being a terrible parent, Tom halts and asks Homer with barely-restrained anger "His father, the "drunken gambler?" Homer instinctively and cheerfully replies "That's right, and who might you be?" Tom punches Homer in the face, beginning a brawl between the two men that rages across Springfield. In the end, Homer winds up in a stretcher and Bart--who feels guilty for indirectly causing the fight--gets ready to ride with him to the hospital. Tom is left without a child to take care of and Pepe without a Big Brother. Seeing this, Bart makes an obvious conclusion, telling them that Tom should become Pepe's big brother. Tom and Pepe agree and leave together. Afterwards, Bart and Homer reconcile and the episode ends with them sitting on the couch, Homer teaching Bart how to fight dirty (like he did with Tom).

Production

According to the DVD commentary for this episode, the role of Tom was written with Tom Cruise in mind. However, after they were repeatedly turned down by Cruise, the producers went with Phil Hartman.Reiss, Mike; Al Jean. (2004). DVD Commentary for "Brother from the Same Planet", in "The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season" [DVD] . 20th Century Fox.]

Cultural references

The point in the episode where Milhouse writes "Trab pu kcip! "Trab pu kcip!" on the wall after Homer forgets to pick up Bart at the soccer field is a reference to "red rum" from Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film "The Shining". [cite news | last =Rogers | first =Nicole E. | title =Latest Book Feeds Mania | work =Wisconsin State Journal | page =D1 | publisher =Madison Newspapers, Inc. | date =October 22, 2002 ] [cite news | last =Star-Ledger Staff | title =Readers point out more evidence of `Simpsons'-Kubrick connection | work =The Star-Ledger | page =43 | date =March 13, 1999 ]

Reception

In their section on the episode in the book "I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide", Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood comment: "We love Homer sitting at home trying to remember to pick up Bart - he's watching a TV show about a baseball star called Bart, with pictures of Bart on all sides, and even Maggie seems to be calling her brother's name."cite book | last =Martyn | first =Warren | coauthors =Adrian Wood | title =I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide | publisher =Virgin Books | date =February 10, 2000 | pages = | url =http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season4/page15.shtml | isbn = 0753504952] Writing in the compilation work "The Psychology of The Simpsons", Robert M. Arkin and Philip J. Mazzocco reference a scene from the episode where Homer "argues with his own brain about a desired course of action" to illustrate self-discrepancy theory - the idea that "humans will go to great lengths to attain and preserve self-esteem". [cite book | last =Brown | first =Alan | authorlink = | coauthors =Chris Logan | title =The Psychology of The Simpsons | publisher =Benbella Books | date =March 1, 2006 | pages =127 | isbn =1932100709 ]

The writers of the FOX program "King of the Hill" put "Brother from the Same Planet" among the five best episodes of "The Simpsons", including "Homer the Heretic", "Lisa's Wedding", "Lisa's Substitute", and "Behind the Laughter".cite news | last =Staff | title ='King' scribes chime in with best bets | work =Variety | page =A8 | publisher =Reed Elsevier Inc. | date =February 13, 2003] Mikey Cahill of the "Herald Sun" highlighted the quote ""PickupBart? What the hell is PickupBart?" by Homer in his list of "Fab Fives" related to "The Simpsons". [cite news | last =Cahill | first =Mikey | title =Fab Five | work =Herald Sun | page =I10 | date =July 26, 2007 ] When asked to pick his favorite season out of "The Simpsons" seasons one through twenty, Paul Lane of the "Niagara Gazette" picked season four and highlighted "Brother from the Same Planet" and "Mr. Plow" which he called "excellent", along with "the sweetly funny" "Lisa's First Word", and "Homer the Heretic". [cite news | last =Dzikiy | first =Phil | coauthors =Paul Lane | title =TELEVISION: 20 years - A 'Simpsons' extravaganza | work =Niagara Gazette | date =September 25, 2008 ] In a review of "The Simpsons" season four, Lyndsey Shinoda of "Video Store" cited "Brother from the Same Planet" and "I Love Lisa" among her "personal favorites" from the season. [cite news | last =Shinoda | first =Lyndsey | title =The Simpsons: the Complete Fourth Season | work =Video Store | publisher =Advanstar Communications | date =June 13, 2004 ]

References

Further reading

*cite book | last = Brown | first = Alan S. | coauthors = Chris Logan | title = | publisher = BenBella Books, Inc. |date=2006 | pages = Page 127 | id = | isbn = 1932100709
*cite book | last =Irwin | first =William | coauthors =Mark T. Conard, Aeon J. Skoble | title = | publisher =Open Court | date =2001 | pages =241| isbn =0812694333

External links

*snpp capsule|9F12
*cite web|url=http://www.thesimpsons.com/episode_guide/0414.htm|title="Brother from the Same Planet"|work=The Simpsons.com|publisher=FOX.com
*imdb title|id=0764185|title=Brother from the Same Planet
*amg movie|1:284902
* [http://www.tv.com/the-simpsons/brother-from-the-same-planet/episode/1358/summary.html Brother from the Same Planet] , at TV.com