The Simpsons Season 7 Episode 12: Team Homer

Homer and Moe, Apu, and Otto want to form a bowling team to win a trophy, but they need $500 for the entry fee. Asking Mr. Burns to sponsor them, Homer goes to Burns' office, where he finds an "drunk" Burns. He takes this opportunity to get Burns to sign the check. Back at the bowling alley, Homer and his friends enter the bowling league competition, calling themselves the Pin Pals. They are good as they beat teams and move up into second place in their league.


However, Burns discovers the check he wrote to Homer. He wants to join the team,(replacing Otto) but Burns is a horrible bowler (he's old). Apu and Moe want Burns off the team, but before the championship game begins, Burns gives the team new shirts as a sign of friendship. In the game, on the last frame, two pins away from victory, Burns takes his turn, and during his roll, the ball hits bobbles two pins. With the game on the line, Otto tips over a vending machine and the vibration help the Pin Pals win the trophy.


As the team celebrates their win, Burns takes the trophy and keeps it for himself. That night, Homer breaks into the mansion, finds and recovers the trophy. However, this ends disastrously when the hounds are released and catch Homer a few feet from the gate, and they beat him up.

Elsewhere, at school, Bart's "Down with homework" T-shirt starts a student riot, and Principal Skinner has all students to wear uniforms for good behavior. Skinner's dress code works, until a rainstorm soaks through the uniforms, causing the grey color to be washed out, revealing tie-dyecolors that make the playful spirit of the children return. 

My thoughts:

How many times have I watched it: 5 times. This was one of the first episodes I watched back when Global showed episodes on Sunday afternoons (around 2013?).

Chalkboard Gag: I am not certified to remove Asbestos. I had to search up what Asbestos is (it's a mineral), and I don't get the joke. (C)

Couch Gag: The Simpsons sit on the couch as normal. In the mousehole, the mice are also running to their couch. Mice in The Simpsons have made scenes from time to time, and I enjoy it. (A-)

My thoughts: There were lots stuff to point out in this episode. The early Burns stuff, with his hallucinations of Homer as the Pillsbury Dough Boy was funny, and later when he expresses shock over his bowling payment, then finds it was for his boweling (what is boweling? It's a made-up word made by Burns). Then he expresses shock over the bowling payment.






In the other story, the Skinner/Chalmers stuff is so rich. Chalmers is slowly about to give the school a perfect 10 (“I’ll just write the zero first, now, a vertical line to indicate the one…”) Then of course he’s trampled by the out-of-control kids. Then when the rain comes falling down, joke of the story of Skinner realizing his mother’s dress will react similarly, running off, with Chalmers following, interestingly commenting, “Now this I gotta see, was brilliant.


The plotting of the bowling story is solid, as the team had obstacles to get through. Then of course there had to be a twist (Burns steals the trophy). The uniform plot was great, I liked the small fashion show with the uniforms at school. Overall, an excellent episode.

My grade: A