[9.0/10] Oh my dear sweet lord is this episode funny. Even if “Homie the Clown” didn’t have anything else to offer, the sheer hilarity of this one make it a winner. The consumerist commentary on Homer’s excitement for and blind obedience to “new billboard day” and the way his clown college obsession slowly creeps in is brilliant. The depths of Krusty’s depravity in sating himself, his shamelessness in merchandising, and his idiocy in gambling all define the hardscrabble clown we know and love in a very amusing fashion. The trials and travails of Homer as a workaday clown and then as a lookalike mooch get better and better (with the Krusty Burger scene in particular being an all-timer). And his misadventures in clown college and run-ins with the mob (“four Krusty’s”) have Swartzwelder’s trademark absurdist air.
Whatever else this episode may have to offer, it consistently brings the laughs and the smiles, which is almost enough on its own.
But despite the outsized bent of this particular story, it’s actually really well structured! As silly and caricatured as Homer and Krusty are in this episode, both of their motivations are clear. Krusty is a degenerate gambler with ridiculous habits who needs cash, and Homer is a mindless dupe who’s swayed by bog standard advertising. The paths that leads both of them on intersect at just the right time, and support, rather than detract from, the comedy.
Homer going from billboard hypnosis, to beleaguered clowning, to trading in on Krusty’s (sort of) good name is a great progression. The fact that it leads him to Krusty’s mafioso creditors and not just a free bucket of house point is a superb turn in the story, and gives him and Krusty another chance to interact. (The mistaken identity is also a nice inside reference to the fact that the show originally meant for Homer to be Krusty in his spare time.)
Plus, the episode sets up and knocks down the bicycle-eating bit beautifully. From Krusty pulling it off in the very first scene, to Homer’s utter failure to perform it in clown college, to the initial misfire but eventual success with the mobsters, “Homie the Clown” takes something ridiculous and makes it dramatically interesting, which is no small feat.
Overall, this is one of John Swartzwelder’s finest comic hours, which is really saying something. The episode is loony, but never loses its clear story thread, and brings laugh upon laugh upon laugh. Fantastic!
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2019-11-27T03:35:30Z
[9.0/10] Oh my dear sweet lord is this episode funny. Even if “Homie the Clown” didn’t have anything else to offer, the sheer hilarity of this one make it a winner. The consumerist commentary on Homer’s excitement for and blind obedience to “new billboard day” and the way his clown college obsession slowly creeps in is brilliant. The depths of Krusty’s depravity in sating himself, his shamelessness in merchandising, and his idiocy in gambling all define the hardscrabble clown we know and love in a very amusing fashion. The trials and travails of Homer as a workaday clown and then as a lookalike mooch get better and better (with the Krusty Burger scene in particular being an all-timer). And his misadventures in clown college and run-ins with the mob (“four Krusty’s”) have Swartzwelder’s trademark absurdist air.
Whatever else this episode may have to offer, it consistently brings the laughs and the smiles, which is almost enough on its own.
But despite the outsized bent of this particular story, it’s actually really well structured! As silly and caricatured as Homer and Krusty are in this episode, both of their motivations are clear. Krusty is a degenerate gambler with ridiculous habits who needs cash, and Homer is a mindless dupe who’s swayed by bog standard advertising. The paths that leads both of them on intersect at just the right time, and support, rather than detract from, the comedy.
Homer going from billboard hypnosis, to beleaguered clowning, to trading in on Krusty’s (sort of) good name is a great progression. The fact that it leads him to Krusty’s mafioso creditors and not just a free bucket of house point is a superb turn in the story, and gives him and Krusty another chance to interact. (The mistaken identity is also a nice inside reference to the fact that the show originally meant for Homer to be Krusty in his spare time.)
Plus, the episode sets up and knocks down the bicycle-eating bit beautifully. From Krusty pulling it off in the very first scene, to Homer’s utter failure to perform it in clown college, to the initial misfire but eventual success with the mobsters, “Homie the Clown” takes something ridiculous and makes it dramatically interesting, which is no small feat.
Overall, this is one of John Swartzwelder’s finest comic hours, which is really saying something. The episode is loony, but never loses its clear story thread, and brings laugh upon laugh upon laugh. Fantastic!