# Homer Alone

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Not to be confused with the American Christmas comedy film, [Home Alone](/source/Home_Alone).

15th episode of the 3rd season of The Simpsons

"Homer Alone" The Simpsons episode Episode no. Season 3 Episode 15 Directed by Mark Kirkland Written by David M. Stern Production code 8F14 Original air date February 6, 1992 (1992-02-06) Guest appearance Phil Hartman as Troy McClure Episode features Chalkboard gag "I will not spank others"[1] Couch gag The family forms a pyramid[2] Commentary Matt Groening Al Jean Dan Castellaneta Julie Kavner Mark Kirkland Brad Bird Episode chronology ← Previous "Lisa the Greek" Next → "Bart the Lover" The Simpsons season 3 List of episodes

"**Homer Alone**" is the fifteenth episode of the [third season](/source/The_Simpsons_season_3) of the American animated television series *[The Simpsons](/source/The_Simpsons)*, and the fiftieth episode overall. It originally aired on [Fox](/source/Fox_Broadcasting_Company) in the United States on February 6, 1992. In the episode, stress from household chores and her family's demands causes [Marge](/source/Marge_Simpson) to suffer from a [nervous breakdown](/source/Nervous_breakdown), so she vacations alone at a spa. She leaves [Bart](/source/Bart_Simpson) and [Lisa](/source/Lisa_Simpson) with [Patty and Selma](/source/Patty_and_Selma_Bouvier); [Maggie](/source/Maggie_Simpson) stays at home with [Homer](/source/Homer_Simpson) but leaves home looking for her mother, causing Homer to frantically search for her.

The episode was written by [David M. Stern](/source/David_M._Stern) and directed by [Mark Kirkland](/source/Mark_Kirkland). Stern had noticed that most of the writers were pitching stories about Bart and Homer, and he thought a "deeper vein of comedy" could be reached by having Marge suffer from a nervous breakdown.[3] Originally, Marge's trip was to a distressed mother's institute rather than a spa. However, the plot was not well received at the [table read](/source/Table_read) for the episode and much of it was rewritten. The episode's title references the film *[Home Alone](/source/Home_Alone)*, which starred David Stern's brother [Daniel](/source/Daniel_Stern_(actor)).

"Homer Alone" contains references to the [Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner](/source/Wile_E._Coyote_and_Road_Runner) cartoons, *[Thelma and Louise](/source/Thelma_and_Louise)*, *[Home Alone](/source/Home_Alone)*, *[MacGyver](/source/MacGyver_(1985_TV_series))*, and the song "[Baby Come Back](/source/Baby_Come_Back_(Player_song))" by [Player](/source/Player_(band)). The episode has received generally positive reviews from critics. During its original airing on Fox during [February sweeps](/source/Nielsen_ratings#Sweeps), it acquired a 14.2 [Nielsen rating](/source/Nielsen_ratings).

## Plot

[Marge](/source/Marge_Simpson) is exhausted from cleaning up after her family and running errands. [Bart](/source/Bart_Simpson) and [Lisa](/source/Lisa_Simpson) miss their bus to school, forcing Marge to drive them. They fight on the back seat, putting Marge on edge. After buying groceries and failing to get [Homer's](/source/Homer_Simpson) [bowling ball](/source/Bowling_ball) flushed, Marge hears DJs [Bill and Marty](/source/Bill_and_Marty) make a cruel prank call during their radio show. When Maggie pulls the lid off her baby bottle, splattering milk everywhere, Marge suffers a [nervous breakdown](/source/Nervous_breakdown) and blocks traffic by parking her car across both lanes of a bridge. When the police are unable to convince her to move, Homer persuades her to surrender with the offer of a romantic "[snuggle](/source/Sexual_intercourse)", and she is arrested. Since the town's women sympathize with Marge's plight, [Mayor Quimby](/source/Joe_Quimby) orders her release over [Chief Wiggum](/source/Chief_Wiggum)'s objections.

Marge decides to take a vacation by herself to a health spa called Rancho Relaxo. She leaves Bart and Lisa with [Patty and Selma](/source/Patty_and_Selma); since [Maggie](/source/Maggie_Simpson) is scared of Patty and Selma, she ends up staying at home with Homer. Marge enjoys her much-needed rest while the rest of the family find it hard to adapt to life without her. Homer finds himself lonely and unable to care for Maggie. Bart and Lisa dislike living with Patty and Selma because they snore loudly, watch *[MacGyver](/source/MacGyver_(1985_TV_series))* and *[Divorce Court](/source/Divorce_Court)*, and serve meals of [tongue sandwiches](/source/Beef_tongue), [Clamato](/source/Clamato), [Mr. Pibb](/source/Mr._Pibb) and [soy milk](/source/Soy_milk).

Upset by her mother's absence, Maggie leaves the house to find Marge. When Homer and [Barney](/source/Barney_Gumble) are unable to find her, Homer calls a missing baby hotline. Maggie is found atop the roof of an ice cream shop (whose mascot resembled Marge) and returned to Homer as Marge leaves the spa. Marge finds her forlorn and disheveled family waiting for her on a train platform when she arrives home. While Homer and the kids are sleeping next to her that night, Marge tells them she needs their help around the house; they assure her she has nothing to worry about.

## Production

[David M. Stern](/source/David_M._Stern) wrote the episode.

"Homer Alone" was written by David M. Stern. He had noticed that most of the writers were pitching stories about Bart and Homer, and he thought a "deeper vein of comedy" could be reached by having Marge suffer from a nervous breakdown.[3] Executive producer [James L. Brooks](/source/James_L._Brooks) immediately approved the idea.[4] Originally, Marge's trip was to a distressed mother's institute so they could show "what made Marge tick". However, the plot was not well received at the [table read](/source/Table_read) for the episode. The writers then re-wrote much of the episode, switching the institute to a spa.[3] They also added a video appearance from [Troy McClure](/source/Troy_McClure) ([Phil Hartman](/source/Phil_Hartman)). According to executive producer [Al Jean](/source/Al_Jean), the writers often used McClure as a "panic button" when they felt an episode needed more humor.[4]

The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland. The scene at the train station where Marge leaves for Rancho Relaxo includes a brief cameo appearance of a character modeled after *Simpsons* director [Jim Reardon](/source/Jim_Reardon). Reardon dislikes flying, and took trains whenever possible, so the animators always tried to include him in scenes at a train station.[5] [Susie Dietter](/source/Susie_Dietter) served as assistant director for the episode and animated several of the scenes for the subplot with Bart, Lisa, Patty and Selma.[5] In a scene where Homer sings a song to Maggie, he was designed to look disheveled because the writers had wanted him to look drunk, although no attention was called to it.[5]

## Cultural references

The title is a play on *[Home Alone](/source/Home_Alone)* (1990); David Stern's brother [Daniel](/source/Daniel_Stern_(actor)) had starred in the movie as one of the main antagonists. A scene in the episode where Homer screams with his hands on his cheeks is also a reference to *Home Alone* where the eight year old Kevin McCallister ([Macaulay Culkin](/source/Macaulay_Culkin)) screams with his hands on his cheeks.[4] The opening where Homer chases Bart is a reference to the [Warner Bros.](/source/Warner_Bros.)/[Chuck Jones](/source/Chuck_Jones) [Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner](/source/Wile_E._Coyote_and_Road_Runner) cartoons. The scene freezes, during which Bart and Homer's [scientific names](/source/Binomial_nomenclature) are given as Brat'us Don'thaveacow'us and Homo Neanderthal'us respectively.[2] The background in the sequence references the [Hanna–Barbera](/source/Hanna%E2%80%93Barbera) tradition of using backgrounds over and over and making it look like there is an "endless living room".[6] The scene where Marge is booked in prison references the [Coen brothers](/source/Coen_brothers) film *[Raising Arizona](/source/Raising_Arizona)*.[3]

The song that plays while Homer is on hold on the missing child hotline is "[Baby Come Back](/source/Baby_Come_Back_(Player_song))" by [Player](/source/Player_(band)).[2] One of the films available at Rancho Relaxo is *[Thelma and Louise](/source/Thelma_and_Louise)*, which Marge watches.[2] "Homer Alone" is the first episode of *The Simpsons* that shows Patty's and Selma's fondness for *[MacGyver](/source/MacGyver_(1985_TV_series))*, and Selma says "[Richard Dean Anderson](/source/Richard_Dean_Anderson) will be in my dreams tonight."[2]

## Reception

In its original airing on February 6, 1992, on Fox during [February sweeps](/source/Nielsen_ratings#Sweeps), the episode acquired a 14.2 [Nielsen rating](/source/Nielsen_ratings) and was viewed in approximately 13.08 million homes. It finished 25th in the ratings for the week of February 3–9, 1992, up from the season's average rank of 37th.[7] *The Simpsons* was the highest rated show on Fox that week.[8]

Since airing, the episode has received generally positive reviews from critics. The authors of the book *I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide*, [Gary Russell](/source/Gary_Russell) and [Gareth Roberts](/source/Gareth_Roberts_(writer)),[9] wrote, "After the first few minutes, this episode becomes less about Marge than the family's reliance on her. Bart and Lisa's torturous time at Patty and Selma's is wonderful ... but it's Homer losing Maggie, and working out what to tell Marge upon her return, that provides the best jokes."[2]

DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson felt that the episode "comes close to finding the series in a rut, as it sort of offers another iteration of the 'Homer's a bad father' theme. However, the emphasis on Marge's issues makes it different, and it's also fun to see life at Patty and Selma's place. It's another solid show."[10] Nate Meyers of Digitally Obsessed rated the episode a 3 (of 5), writing "The episode serves only to demonstrate what is already obvious: that Marge holds the family together. It's entertaining to see Homer struggle with the most basic of parenting skills, but this happens at the expense of all the other episodes this season that show him to be a good father (albeit flawed). Still, it's nice to see Marge get her own show."[11]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Groening, Matt](/source/Matt_Groening) (1997). [Richmond, Ray](/source/Ray_Richmond); Coffman, Antonia (eds.). *[The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family](/source/The_Simpsons_episode_guides#The_Simpsons:_A_Complete_Guide_to_Our_Favorite_Family)* (1st ed.). New York: [HarperPerennial](/source/HarperPerennial). p. [79](https://archive.org/details/simpsonscomplete00groe/page/79). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-06-095252-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-06-095252-5). [LCCN](/source/LCCN_(identifier)) [98141857](https://lccn.loc.gov/98141857). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [37796735](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/37796735). [OL](/source/OL_(identifier)) [433519M](https://openlibrary.org/books/OL433519M)..

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-BBC_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-BBC_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-BBC_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-BBC_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-BBC_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-BBC_2-5) [Martyn, Warren](/source/Gary_Russell); [Wood, Adrian](/source/Gareth_Roberts_(writer)) (2000). ["Homer Alone"](https://web.archive.org/web/20031223190603/https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season3/page15.shtml). BBC. Archived from [the original](https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season3/page15.shtml) on December 23, 2003. Retrieved March 21, 2010.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Castellaneta_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Castellaneta_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Castellaneta_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Castellaneta_3-3) Castellaneta, Dan. (2003). Commentary for "Homer Alone", in *The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season* [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Jean_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Jean_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Jean_4-2) Jean, Al. (2003). Commentary for "Homer Alone", in *The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season* [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Kirkland_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Kirkland_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Kirkland_5-2) Kirkland, Mark. (2003). Commentary for "Homer Alone", in *The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season* [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Bird_6-0)** Bird, Brad. (2003). Commentary for "Homer Alone", in *The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season* [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Nielsen_7-0)** "Nielsen Ratings/Feb. 3–9". *[Long Beach Press-Telegram](/source/Long_Beach_Press-Telegram)*. Associated Press. February 20, 1992.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** "CBS brings home ratings Gold with Olympics, '60 Minutes'". *[Daily News of Los Angeles](/source/Daily_News_of_Los_Angeles)*. Associated Press. February 12, 1992.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Preddle, Jon (June 1997). ["Gary Russell: From Peladon to Placebos"](https://doctorwho.org.nz/archive/tsv51/garyrussell.html). *Time Space Visualiser*. No. 51. The New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club. Retrieved August 20, 2020. I've just done my first non-fiction book, Oh No It's A Completely Unofficial Simpsons Guide for Virgin, co-authored with Gareth Roberts which has, to be frank, been more of a nightmare than it needed to be [the book was published as I Can't Believe It's An Unofficial Simpsons Guide, with Gary and Gareth writing under the pseudonyms Warren Martyn & Adrian Wood].

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Jacobson, Colin (August 21, 2003). ["The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season (1991)"](http://dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonthree.shtml). DVD Movie Guide. Retrieved March 29, 2010.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Meyers, Nate (June 23, 2004). ["The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160313103432/http://digitallyobsessed.com/displaylegacy.php?id=6129). Digitally Obsessed. Archived from [the original](http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/displaylegacy.php?ID=6129) on March 13, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2010.

## External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to ***[Homer Alone](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Simpsons/Season_3#Homer_Alone)***.

- [The Simpsons portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:The_Simpsons)

- ["Homer Alone episode capsule"](http://www.simpsonsarchive.com/episodes/8F14.html). *[The Simpsons Archive](/source/The_Simpsons_Archive)*.

- ["Homer Alone"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0768555/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

v t e The Simpsons episodes Seasons 1–20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Season 21–present 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 Season 3 "Stark Raving Dad" "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington" "When Flanders Failed" "Bart the Murderer" "Homer Defined" "Like Father, Like Clown" "Treehouse of Horror II" "Lisa's Pony" "Saturdays of Thunder" "Flaming Moe's" "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" "I Married Marge" "Radio Bart" "Lisa the Greek" "Homer Alone" "Bart the Lover" "Homer at the Bat" "Separate Vocations" "Dog of Death" "Colonel Homer" "Black Widower" "The Otto Show" "Bart's Friend Falls in Love" "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" See also Treehouse of Horror list The Simpsons episode guides "The Simpsons Guy" Category

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Homer Alone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer_Alone) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer_Alone?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.