Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
"Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on February 21, 1991. In the episode, Grampa confesses that Homer has a half-brother named Herbert Powell, a car manufacturer. Homer finds Herbert, who permits Homer to design his company's new car, which is an overpriced monstrosity that bankrupts Herb.
This article is about an episode of The Simpsons. For the unrelated film, see O Brother, Where Art Thou? For the season-21 Simpsons episode, see O Brother, Where Bart Thou?"Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?"
Season 2
Episode 15
7F16
February 21, 1991
"I will not sell land in Florida"
The episode was written by Jeff Martin and directed by Wes Archer. Danny DeVito provided the voice of Herb. The episode features cultural references to cars such as the Edsel, the Tucker Torpedo, the Ford Mustang, and the Lamborghini Cheetah.
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 15.4, and was the highest-rated show on Fox the week it aired. Some fans were upset with the sad ending of the episode, so the producers decided to write a sequel, "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" with a positive ending.
Plot[edit]
Grampa suffers a mild heart attack while arguing with a cinema clerk. Realizing he may not have much time left, he confesses a long-hidden secret: Homer has a half-brother. Before Grampa married Homer's mother, he and a carnival prostitute had a son whom they left at the Shelbyville Orphanage. Determined to find his brother, Homer visits the orphanage and learns that his half-brother Herb Powell now lives in Detroit.
Herb owns Powell Motors, a Detroit automobile manufacturer. Herb is overjoyed to learn Homer is his half-brother and invites the Simpsons to stay at his mansion. Bart, Lisa, and Maggie are enthralled by Herb's wealthy lifestyle and outgoing personality, but Marge worries wealth will spoil her children. Herb decides that Homer, an average American, is the perfect person to design his company's new car, and gives him free rein on the project. When Herb's design team ignores Homer's outlandish suggestions, Herb encourages Homer to take command and incorporate his own ideas into the final design.
The new car is unveiled with great fanfare, but Herb is horrified to find that it looks ridiculous, has various outdated features and the unaffordable price of $82,000.[note 1] Powell Motors is forced into bankruptcy. The bank forecloses on Herb's mansion and he loses everything he worked for. As Herb leaves Detroit on a bus, he angrily disowns Homer as a brother. Grampa arrives and scolds Homer for ruining Herb's life. While Homer drives the family home, Bart tells him his car is great. Homer is relieved to learn at least one person likes it.