Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Homer became a hairdresser? If so, this episode was made for you. If not, then “Homer Scissorhands” probably doesn’t have enough to keep you interested.
As stated above, Homer becomes a hairdresser. He learns of his talent accidently, and realizes he can style hair effortlessly. Homer then quickly finds a way to make money off of talents. He opens his own salon, but quickly loses interest after experiencing his customers’ conversations. They all deal with trivial matters, and give Homer new (and unwanted) information about his male friends.
The other story this week dealt with Milhouse. After striking out again with Lisa, another girl catches his eye, Taffy, a fifth grader. Milhouse seems happy, but Lisa thinks its odd that anyone, let alone a fifth grader , would want to spend time with Milhouse. Lisa stalks the couple, and eventually Taffy has enough of the relationship, feeling Milhouse only has feelings for Lisa, and Lisa is unusually interested in Milhouse. The story ends with both Lisa and Milhouse learning something new and my favorite Milhouse quote: “Everything’s coming up Milhouse.”
The episode was decent, with just enough laughs to keep the show going. A lot of the laughs came from visual gags, like Duff Beer’s new advertisements (emphasizing words like KILL and MURDER in their ads). Another funny part of the episode was Milhouse watching the first part of Finding Nemo, a part of the movie his mother had kept hidden on him. It was funny to see Milhouse in horror, huddled behind sofa cushions, watching the gruesome tale of Nemo’s mother.
I found Milhouse’s plot a lot more interesting than Homer’s, and would have loved to have seen it developed more. I think Milhouse doesn’t get enough airtime, and this week’s episode was a missed opportunity to see this happen. Homer’s story was standard Simpson fare, with Homer getting a new job, and played itself out predictably.
I mentioned last week that I hoped the episode would utilize Kristen Schaal for some laughs, but she was just another guest that the show has misused this year. She had a relatively small part, with little comedic material to work with.
This week’s episode was a middle of the pack episode that didn’t do anything new, telling a similar story (Homer in a new job) while missing out on the opportunity to put Milhouse in the spotlight. To watch clips of this episode and others, or to learn about upcoming episodes, go to thesimpsons.com.
