Zabon Review of Homer Badman

The Simpsons: Homer Badman (1994) Season 6, Episode 9

"Homer Badman" is the Definition of Awesomeness... and why the news can't be trusted.

[10/10 · 5 June 2011]

This is definitely one of my all-time favorite episodes. Homer is shunned and hated after being accused of sexual harassment by the babysitter after driving her home. She accused him of trying to grab her buttocks... this was of course not what he intended at all. In fact, he tried to grab for a gummy candy that was stuck to her behind after she got up to leave the car. The whole town... and pretty much everyone in it... ends up hating Homer and making accusations against him (as well as spying on his house with news cameras). He is made a mockery of and a documentary is made to show how he acted like a sexual perverted lunatic who craved sex acts. This was insanely wrong but hilarious due to his reaction. The episode also shows how much of the American public will believe just about anything that is shown on television and will automatically assume the worst about anyone. It also shows how news will try to come up with worse things about a guy once they get a hold of him by any chance. For example, in one scene, Homer comes out of the shower and is caught nude by a chopper spying on him as he falls to the ground. Of course, the news portrays him as having sexual perversions in his shower. This is greatly falsified information but people believe it regardless due to the fact that it's on the news. In the end, with a very clever writing twist, Groundskeeper Willie comes to the rescue with a tape recording of how Homer grabbed the gummy (saving him). This damns Willie in the process as he is shown on television as a spy and stalker. However, even after Willie saved Homer's life, Homer still puts him down due to the fact that television stated it. This episode also proved that no matter what happens in real life... people will always be deceived by television... and that Homer is definitely an idiot. This episode is pretty much the depiction of how a perfect episode should be written.