Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em: Difference between revisions

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{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}

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{{Infobox Simpsons episode

| image =

| episode_name = Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em...

| episode_nocaption = 381

| season = 18

| prod_code = HABF20

| episode = 3

| airdate = [[September 24]], [[2006]]

| director = [[Mike B. Anderson]]<br and/> [[Ralph Sosa]]

| writer =

| writer = [[Matt Warburton]]

{{ListGenBot-SourceStart|SimpsonsWriters|SimpsonsWritersS18}}

| prod_codeproduction = HABF20

[[Matt Warburton]]

| airdate = {{Start date|2006|09|24}}

{{ListGenBot-SourceEnd}}

| blackboard = "A baby beat me up" (written by Principal Skinner during the episode)

| director =

| couch_gag = The couch is replaced by a vending machine filled with various characters; [[Ralph Wiggum]] selects a [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] figurine and eats his head.<ref name="Futon">{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings.aspx?id=20070329fox16|title=The Simpsons: "Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em"|accessdate=2008-05-25|publisher=[[The Futon Critic]]}}</ref>

{{ListGenBot-SourceStart|SimpsonsDirectors|SimpsonsDirectorsS18}}

| commentary = [[Al Jean]]<br />[[Matt Selman]]<br />[[Michael Price (writer)|Michael Price]]<br />[[Tom Gammill]]<br />[[Max Pross]]<br />[[Mike B. Anderson]]<br />Ralph Sosa<br />[[Rob Oliver]]

[[Mike B. Anderson]] and [[Ralph Sosa]]

| prev = [[Jazzy and the Pussycats]]

{{ListGenBot-SourceEnd}}

| next = [[Treehouse of Horror XVII]]

<!-- Please enter new data between the ListGenBot-SourceStart and ListGenBot-SourceEnd tags, so they can be used for automated list generation -->

| couch_gag =

{{ListGenBot-SourceStart|SimpsonsCouchGags|SimpsonsCouchGagsS18}}

We see a vending machine with the family and several other characters inside of it instead of candy. Ralph walks up and orders Homer, bites off his head and walks away.

{{ListGenBot-SourceEnd}}

| image = [[Image:Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em...jpg|220px]]

| season = 18

}}

"'''Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em...'''"<ref name="Futon"/> is the third episode of the [[The Simpsons (season 18)|eighteenth season]] of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]'',. whichIt originallyfirst aired on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox network]] in the United States on September 24, 2006.<ref name="Futon"/> In this episode, [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] learns [[carpentry]], but uses [[2006Homer Simpson|Homer]] as a front when she wants to make money off her talents since no one in Springfield believes that women can be carpenters. Meanwhile, [[Seymour Skinner|Principal Skinner]] and [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] fight each other when Bart discovers that Skinner is [[allergy|allergic]] to [[peanut]]s and Skinner discovers that Bart is allergic to [[shrimp]].

It was written by [[Matt Warburton]] and directed by [[Mike B. Anderson]] with co-direction by Ralph Sosa.<ref name="Futon"/> In its original broadcast, the episode received 9.72 million viewers.<ref name="Ratings">{{cite web|url=http://www.simpsonschannel.com/news/monthly-archive-9-2006.html|title=Simpsons Channel ratings: "Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em"|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061026160415/https://www.simpsonschannel.com/news/monthly-archive-9-2006.html |archive-date=October 26, 2006|website=Simpsons Channel|access-date=November 22, 2024}}</ref>

==Synopsis==

==Plot==

On a trip to the [[Dead mall|extremely rundown]] Springfield Mall, [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] happens across the [[Time LifeTime–Life]] Carpenter’sCarpenter's Library, and [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] encourages him to buy them. Homer's interest onin thiscarpentry fades, and Marge decides to use them herself to fix up the house. She begins to learn more about [[carpentry]] and [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] suggests to Marge that she try to earn some money as a handymanhandywoman, thus opening up "Simpsons Carpentry". However, potential clients [[Superintendent Chalmers]] and [[Krusty the Clown]] turn her down, dismissing the idea of a womanfemale carpenter. Commenting on how people expect carpenters to be big fat guysmale, Marge develops a plan.: Sheshe uses Homer as a front to the customers, while Marge, hiding in an accompanieda red tool chest, does the work. Meanwhile, a note is sent out from the school, inform parents that someone at the school has a peanut allergy so peanuts will no longer be allowed on school premises. An indignant [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] claims it to be unfair to disclose the identityall of the "kid,"work butas heHomer soonrests discoversin the person is actually [[Principal Skinner]]. With this newfound knowledgetoolbox, and withswitches theback assistancewhen ofthe a peanut on a stick, Bart iscustomers ablecome to abusecheck Skinneron byHomer's making him do a number of humilating activites, such as fire tennis balls at him and make him eat garbagework.

WhileThough business is going great, Marge becomes a bit discouraged by [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Helen Lovejoy|Helen Lovejoy]] and [[LindsayList Naegle]]of whenrecurring sheThe isSimpsons outcharacters#Lindsey buyingNaegle|Lindsay suppliesNaegle]], who beratetaunt her for being Homer's "helper.". That night, Marge tells Homer that heshe feels he's is taking too much credit and wishes she would get some recognition for the work. Homer, however, doesn'tdoes not want to be humiliated by revealing his wife didhas done everything. AMarge whilecontinues later,to get angry after Homer mocks Marge's becomescarpentry completelyskills fedwith up[[Lenny and quitsCarl]], leavingand Homerwhen alonehe totells doher hishe biggesthas commissionbeen yet:hired repairingto Springfield’srepair Springfield's old [[wooden roller coaster]], "The Zoominator.", she quits and tells Homer he will have to do the work by himself. Homer tries to fake his way through being a foreman in front of his newly hired construction crew, but they eventually abandon him when he reveals he can'tcannot pay them. Meanwhile, Skinner eventually realizes he could exploit a weakness of Bart's, and searchingdoes throughnot medicialknow records,anything findsabout exactly what he's looking for: something Bart's allergic to. The next day, Skinner counters Bart's peanut stick with his own: a shrimp on a stick. In the style of the final battle in ''[[Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith]]'', Bart and Skinner clash with their respective “sticks,” eventually leading them into into a [[Thai food]] factory in the "Little Bankok" section of town. They battle over a rickety catwalk, until it gives way, plunging them both into a vat of peanut shrimp, setting off both of their allergiesconstruction.

The big reopening day arrives, and Homer stands in front of a crowd, gathered to witness the unveiling of the refurbished rollercoaster.roller coaster; Marge hasshows aup videoto camera at the ready, so she can catchwitness Homer being exposedrevealed as a fraud on tapefirsthand. When revealedunveiled, the crowd is in awe at the seemingly repaired rollercoasterroller coaster, but withwhen aHomer hitpops froma Homer's poppedchampagne cork frominto hisone champagne,of the coaster's dilapidatessegments, becoming asit rundownbegins asto itbreak previouslydown wasrapidly. Still not wanting to admit the truth, Homer provesattempts to prove the coaster is safe by riding it himself, even though there are large gaps in the track. Acting quickquickly, Marge is able to repairrepairs each broken piece just before Homer's cart runs over it. While ridingEventually, Homer announcesfinally reveals to the crowd that Marge didhas done all the handyworkhandiwork. The crowd applauds as the coaster comes to a stop at the beginning, and just as Marge is about to tell Homer that she loves him, the entire rollercoaster structure comes crashing down on top of himHomer. At the hospital, Marge visits with Homer, who is okay but [[Mobility|immobilized]] in a full -body cast. Bart and Skinner rest in their respective hospital beds in the same room as Homer, and thethey two proceed to throw shrimp and peanuts at eachmake otheramends.

Meanwhile, a note is sent out from the Springfield Elementary, informing parents that someone at the school has a "life threatening" [[peanut allergy]] so foods containing peanuts will no longer be allowed on school premises. An indignant Bart claims it to be unfair not to disclose the identity of the "kid", but soon discovers the "kid" is actually [[Seymour Skinner|Principal Skinner]]. With this newfound knowledge, Bart forces Skinner to publicly humiliate and injure himself by threatening him with a peanut on a stick. After being advised by [[Comic Book Guy]] that the only way to stop Bart is to find his "[[kryptonite]]", Skinner breaks into the Springfield General Hospital and searches through medical records of Bart in the night, where he discovers that Bart is allergic to [[shrimp]]. The next day, Skinner counters Bart's peanut stick with his own shrimp on a stick, and Bart and Skinner clash ''[[Star Wars]]'' style with their respective "sticks". They eventually end up in a [[Thai cuisine|Thai food]] factory in the "Little [[Bangkok]]" section of town. They battle over a rickety catwalk, which is right above a vat of shrimp-peanut mixture. Skinner sees this and attempts to end the battle, but Bart defiantly rushes at Skinner, causing both of them to topple into the vat, and putting them in the hospital in the same room as Homer for their allergic reactions. Skinner is outraged to hear that Marge thinks Bart saved Skinner's life, and the two proceed to throw shrimp and peanuts at each other again, while a disgusted Marge decides to head over to the [[maternity ward]] observation room to see the new babies.

==Cultural references==

The episode's title is a reference to [[MC Hammer]]'s album, ''[[Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em]]''. In the "Captain Blip's Zapateria" full of fictitious [[Golden age of arcade video games|arcade classics of the golden age]], features a cabinet marked ''[[Polybius (urban legend)|Polybius]]'' - an [[urban legend]] supposedly constructed as an experimental game-machine unit by the U.S. government<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cracked.com/article_19172_8-creepy-video-game-urban-legends-that-happen-to-be-true_p2.html|work=[[Cracked.com]]|title=8 Creepy Video Game Urban Legends (That Happen to Be True)|accessdate=2011-09-06|date=2011-04-30|first1=Maxwell|last1=Yezpitelok|first2=M. Asher|last2=Cantrell|archive-date=February 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215165115/http://www.cracked.com/article_19172_8-creepy-video-game-urban-legends-that-happen-to-be-true_p2.html|url-status=live}}</ref> - and a game based on [[Remington Steele]], a TV show with the similar premise of a female professional hiring a male front to overcome prejudice. Bart and Skinner's peanut–shrimp fight is a parody of [[lightsaber]] duels from the ''[[Star Wars]]'' film series; it is set to "[[Duel of the Fates]]", a piece from the [[Star Wars#Prequel trilogy|''Star Wars'' prequel trilogy]] by [[John Williams]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://starwars.com/community/news/media/f20070724/index.html?page=3|title=I Bent My Wookiee! Celebrating the Star Wars/Simpsons Connection|accessdate=2015-02-08|date=2007-07-24|first=Scott|last=Chernoff|publisher=[[Lucasfilm]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724223022/http://starwars.com/community/news/media/f20070724/index.html?page=3|archive-date=July 24, 2011}}</ref> The song playing during the montage of Bart threatening Skinner with peanuts is "[[Ramones (album)|Beat on the Brat]]" by [[Ramones|The Ramones]]. At the run-down mall bookstore where Homer spots the carpentry series of books, Marge is shown standing in front of a tome called "Kansas City Royals--Forever World Champions"; at the time this episode aired, the Royals were 21 years removed from their lone World Series title and were the worst team in baseball, but in 2014 they returned to the World Series and narrowly lost in a seven-game battle with the [[San Francisco Giants]] and in 2015 they won their first World Series crown in 30 years. Bart and Skinner falling into a vat of shrimp-peanut mixture is quite similar to the [[Joker (character)|Joker]]'s origin story of falling into a vat of chemicals. The failing state of Springfield Mall, with its crumbling architecture and failed or completely ignored and dated stores, is an early reference to the kind of [[dead mall]] that would become very common in the U.S. over the last 15 years.

*The title of the episode is a play on [[MC Hammer]]'s [[1990]] [[album]] ''[[Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em]]''.

*Springfield Mall's dilapidated condition and the only non-vacant stores being either stuck in the past or discount stores is a reference to the recent phenomenon of the ''[[dead mall]]''.

==Reception==

*The bookstore in the Springfield Mall is named "[[Rock Bottom Remainders]]." This is a reference to the rock band of the same name, made up of famous published writers such as [[Stephen King]], [[Dave Barry]] and ''Simpsons'' creator [[Matt Groening]].

[[File:Mike B. Anderson by Gage Skidmore.jpg|right|thumb|Mike B. Anderson (pictured) directed the episode.]]

*The music played during Bart and Principal Skinner’s stick fight is called "[[Duel of the Fates]]", composed by [[John Williams]]. It is used a number of times in episodes 1-3 of the ''[[Star Wars]]'' franchise. Also, the movements of Bart and Skinner during their duel greatly resemble the Jedi's fighting style in these films.

*Bart and Principal Skinner's fight on top of a bus resembles the setting of the fight in "The Matrix Reloaded" where a fight takes place on top of a truck on the freeway.

In its original run, the episode received 9.72 million viewers.<ref name="Ratings"/>

*Homer, Lenny and Carl sing part of "[[We Will Rock You]]" by [[Queen (band)|Queen]].

*The song that's heard while Bart is torturing Skinner is "Beat on the Brat" of [[The Ramones]].

Dan Iverson of ''[[IGN]]'' calls it a brilliant episode; despite the fact the Simpsons have tunneled down a similar storyline, he quotes they've done better in making this plot unique. He gives it a final rating of 7.5/10, better than the previous episodes.<ref name="IGN">{{cite web|first=Dan|last=Iverson|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/09/25/the-simpsons-please-homer-dont-hammer-em-review|title=The Simpsons: "Please Homer Don't Hammer 'Em" Review|date=September 25, 2006|accessdate=2015-02-08|website=[[IGN]]|archive-date=February 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209060755/http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/09/25/the-simpsons-please-homer-dont-hammer-em-review|url-status=live}}</ref> Adam Finley of [[Weblogs, Inc.#TV Squad|TV Squad]], like Iverson, enjoyed the episode's secondary plot with Bart vs. Skinner.<ref>{{cite web|first=Adam|last=Finley|date=September 25, 2006|url=http://www.aoltv.com/2006/09/25/the-simpsons-please-homer-dont-hammer-em/|title= The Simpsons: Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em|website=[[TV Squad]]|access-date=November 22, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826025950/http://www.aoltv.com/2006/09/25/the-simpsons-please-homer-dont-hammer-em/|archive-date=August 26, 2012}}</ref>

==References==

{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

{{wikiquoteWikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_18#Please_Homer.2C_Don.27t_Hammer_.27Em....22_.5B18.03.5D|"Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em..."}}

{{portalPortal|The Simpsons}}

* {{IMDb episode|0858310}}

{{The Simpsons episodes|18}}

[[Category:The Simpsons episodes, season 18 episodes]]

[[Category:2006 American television episodes]]

[[Category:Television episodes written by Matt Warburton]]

[[Category:Television episodes directed by Mike B. Anderson]]