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Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em
Treehouse of Horror XVII
G.I. D'oh
Treehouse of Horror XVI
Treehouse of Horror XVII
Treehouse of Horror XVIII
Donut Homer This episode is considered non-canon, and the events featured are not part of the timeline of the series' continuity.

For the continuing series of Halloween specials, see Treehouse of Horror series.

Must eat more fat people, thank God I'm in America.
Homer Simpson[src]

"Treehouse of Horror XVII" is the seventeenth Treehouse of Horror episode and the fourth episode of Season 18 (originally going to be an episode of Season 17).

Synopsis[]

In "Married to the Blob", Homer eats green extraterrestrial goo and morphs into a rampaging blob with an insatiable appetite; in "You Gotta Know When to Golem", Bart finds a golem (a clay man from Jewish mythology that does whatever is told of it through written scrolls inserted in its mouth) and uses it to play pranks and be destructive; and in "The Day the Earth Looked Stupid," the residents of early-1930s Springfield refuse to believe news of an actual alien invasion after being duped by Orson Welles's "War of the Worlds" broadcast.

Full Story[]

Intro[]

Treehouse of Horror XVII - Title Card

The logo for this episode.

The opening parodies the intro to the show Tales From the Crypt, with the camera zooming into a dungeon located in the basement of Burns' mansion. A disgusting coffin opens, and the Crypt Keeper (portrayed by Mr. Burns) pops out, proclaiming himself to be the master of "scare-amonies," much to the delight of zombie Smithers. Moe, in a nearby iron maiden, interrupts in protest, but Smithers slams the spiked door on him. Moe's blood spills onto the floor and reveals the title of the episode — "Treehouse of Horror XVII."

Married to the Blob[]

Married to the Blob - Title Card

"Married to the Blob" title card.

Married to the Blob - Promo Card 1

"Married to the Blob" promo card.

In a parody of The Blob, Homer and Marge snuggle on the hammock, where a meteorite falls nearby, burning off the top of Marge's hair. Cracking open, it reveals a green goo resembling a glowing melted marshmallow.

Despite his family's objections, Homer puts the goo on a stick and eats it (although the goo tries many times to get away, and is clearly alive). That night, Homer is awakened by his grumbling stomach and proceeds to eat all the food in the house. He almost eats Bart too, but Marge catches him in the act.

Roaming the streets of Springfield, Homer notices some teens partying on the beach, who break into an impromptu barbecue sauce fight. The squeaky-voiced teen falls into a bonfire, making himself even more delicious, and Homer swallows him whole.

Next, Homer storms an Oktoberfest, chowing down on some fat Germans. Having developed a taste for fat people, a musical sequence follows, parodying "Baby Got Back" ("Baby Likes Fat"), in which Homer — having swelled into grotesque bloblike creature — wanders around Springfield hunting down fatties at their favorite haunts.

Married to the Blob - Promo Card 2

"Married to the Blob" promo card.

As Homer samples bus passengers like candies, Dr. Phil McGraw shows up with the Simpson family in tow. The no-nonsense therapist gives Homer a stern lecture, demanding he cease his murderous rampage for their sake. Homer eats Dr. Phil anyway, but realizing Marge is indeed troubled by what he's become, he agrees to use his insatiable appetite for more constructive purposes.

In the final scene, Mayor Quimby dedicates a new homeless shelter. A number of grateful hobos happily enter, but the door simply leads to Homer's gaping mouth.

You Gotta Know When to Golem[]

You Gotta Know When to Golem - Title Card

"You Gotta Know When to Golem" title card.

At the end of an episode of Krusty's show, Bart goes backstage to complain about an acid-spraying Krusty brand alarm clock. Amid Krusty's various props, he notices the Golem of Prague, an ancient creature from Jewish mythology.

Krusty tells Bart that the Golem was sculpted from clay in the seventeenth century by a powerful rabbi, and will obey any order written on a scroll and placed in his mouth. Bart steals the Golem by writing a command for him to come to his house at midnight, while Krusty is distracted preparing for a pathetic "Desperate Houseflies" sketch.

At midnight, the Golem shows up at the Simpson's house. From then on, Bart uses him to carry out his commands: swinging Principal Skinner up and down like a yo-yo until he splits in half, killing the school bullies (Dolph, Jimbo and Kearney), and kicking Homer in the balls.

Lisa is outraged by her brother's antics, and believing that the Golem doesn't like doing the biddings of others, commands him to speak. The Golem — who talks and behaves like a stereotypical Jewish New Yorker — reveals that he does indeed guilty about being used to commit heinous acts.

After the Golem's constant neuroticisms start to get on the Simpsons' nerves, they create a Golem girlfriend for him out of Play-Doh. Voiced by Fran Drescher, she too proceeds to be a comical Jewish stereotype. The two clay beasts are married by Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky.

Chief Wiggum interrupts the wedding vowing to arrest the Golem for his rampage, but Mrs. Golem quickly distracts him with the promise of pan-fried latkes.

The Day the Earth Looked Stupid[]

The Day the Earth Looked Stupid - Title Card

"The Day the Earth Looked Stupid" title card.

It is 1938 and the population of an old-timey version of Springfield is fooled by Orson Welles' infamous War of the Worlds radio broadcast, believing the world has in fact been invaded.

The Day the Earth Looked Stupid - Promo Card

"The Day the Earth Looked Stupid" promo card.

A mass panic breaks out, and the citizens begin rioting and destroying the town. Marge suggests they foil the aliens by cavorting in the mud naked, tricking the aliens into thinking they're animals, not humans. They do this all night and into the next morning, when Lisa, casually passing by the bizarre scene, tells the citizens that it was all a hoax. Outraged at being fooled, the citizens vow to not fall for such a trick again. Kang and Kodos find this to be the perfect opportunity for an actual invasion, and begin destroying what's left of the town.

True to their word, the town does not believe it is a real invasion and ignores it, even after Orson Welles himself shows up and frantically tells them it's not a hoax.

The segment ends "three years later" with Kang and Kodos looking over the ruins, mulling why the humans are still resisting and why they weren't greeted as liberators. In what is clearly intended to be a satire of America's then-ongoing occupation of Iraq, the two aliens talk about having rid Earth of its "weapons of mass disintegration" during "Operation Enduring Occupation."

The camera pans out to the ruins of Springfield as small blasts (we assume set by the human resistance) periodically explode. The Ink Spots' version of "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" plays in the background.

Behind the Laughter[]

Production[]

The song during the opening title credits is "Gloomy Sunday" by Billie Holiday.

Treehouse of Horror XVII - Promo Card (No Logo)

Treehouse of Horror XVII promo card (No Logo/Credits).

"The Day The Earth Looked Stupid" was originally supposed to end with Kang and Kodos making a direct reference to the war in Iraq as they observe the ruined remains of 1938 Springfield. While the Fox censors had no objections over the line, the producers and writers ultimately felt the reference was too obvious and instead rewrote the jokes to be a bit more subtle.

The ending to the episode shares a number of similarities with the video game Fallout and its iconic panning shot of an apocalyptic landscape while an Ink Spots song plays. Although it predates the game by two years, it by chance resembles Fallout 3 the most with the use of Ink Spots' 1941 version of "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire".

Treehouse of Horror series
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Season 17 Season 18 Episodes Season 19
The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her HomerJazzy and the PussycatsPlease Homer, Don't Hammer 'EmTreehouse of Horror XVIIG.I. D'ohMoe'N'a LisaIce Cream of Margie (with the Light Blue Hair)The Haw-Hawed CoupleKill Gil, Volumes I & IIThe Wife AquaticRevenge is a Dish Best Served Three TimesLittle Big GirlSpringfield UpYokel ChordsRome-Old and Julie-EhHomerazziMarge GamerThe Boys of BummerCrook and LadderStop or My Dog Will Shoot!24 MinutesYou Kent Always Say What You Want
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