Simpson and Delilah
"Simpson and Delilah" is the second episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 18, 1990. In the episode, Homer uses the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant's medical insurance plan to buy Dimoxinil (a parody of Minoxidil), a miracle hair growth formula. When Homer's bald head sprouts a full mane of hair, he is promoted at work and hires a secretary named Karl. The episode was written by Jon Vitti and directed by Rich Moore, and guest starred Harvey Fierstein as Karl.[2]
"Simpson and Delilah"
Season 2
Episode 2
7F02
October 18, 1990
The family does a little Egyptian dance.[2]
Matt Groening
Jon Vitti
Al Jean
James L. Brooks
Plot[edit]
Homer uses Springfield Nuclear Power Plant's medical insurance plan to pay for a hair restoring drug worth $1,000, although the plan doesn't actually cover the Dimoxinil treatment, because he's sick of being laughed at and overlooked because of his baldness. After applying the drug, he wakes up the next day with a full head of hair. Mr. Burns scans the security monitors to find someone to promote to the "token" position of junior executive. Mistaking Homer for a young, unspoiled go-getter, Mr. Burns promotes him.
When Homer has trouble finding a secretary who is not a seductive young woman, a man named Karl persuades Homer to hire him. Karl soon proves indispensable to Homer. When he forgets his own wedding anniversary, Karl hires a singing telegram service to serenade Marge with "You Are So Beautiful".
At an executive board meeting, Homer comes up with a way to increase worker productivity. After this, workplace safety improves and accidents decrease, and Smithers' correct observation that is due to Homer no longer being in a position to cause problems is mocked and dismissed by Mr. Burns. Homer spends his paycheck on home improvements and plans to give the kids what they always wanted, and when Marge is concerned he should save for a rainy day, Homer dismisses it by telling her that the good times are here to stay.
After Homer receives the key to the executive washroom, Smithers is angry that he is now in Burns's good graces while Smithers's loyal service is forgotten. Smithers attempts to get Homer fired for committing insurance fraud, but Karl takes the blame and is fired instead. Homer is nervous about giving a speech at the plant, and discovers Bart has spilled and ruined the contents of the miracle hair drug. Homer tells his son that he's caused a lot of damage and worst of all that "baldness is hereditary."
The next day, Homer loses all his hair, as he had to keep applying the drug on his head. Before the meeting, Karl appears with a prepared speech for Homer and reassures him that all his accomplishments were due to his will and effort, not his hair. Homer gives his speech, but the audience refuses to take him seriously because he has no hair and walks out on him. Burns gives Homer his old job back, sympathizing with him having male pattern baldness like Burns does.
At home that night, Marge insists that Homer's old "dead end" job as a safety inspector has always provided for the family and the kids will get over having less than their friends. When Homer is worried about his baldness making him ugly to Marge, she sings "You Are So Beautiful" to him.
Cultural references[edit]
The episode's title is a play on the biblical story of Samson, an Israelite judge with superhuman strength. All of his power was lost when his long hair was cut, similar to what happens to Homer when he loses his hair again. In the Bible, Delilah is Samson's lover, who betrays him by ordering a servant to cut his hair in his sleep and turns him over to Philistine lords.
Dimoxinil is an obvious play on Minoxidil, which at the time of this episode was much more costly and not available over the counter.
The scene in which Homer is running through town after he got his hair is a reference to the film It's a Wonderful Life.[2] The scene in which Homer receives the key to the executive washroom is a reference to the movie Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?[2]
When Homer meets Mr. Burns in the executive washroom, Burns shows his admiration for German World War II General Erwin Rommel, saying he watched a documentary on the DuMont Television Network about the 'Desert Fox' the night before. Burns exclaims "now there was a man who could get things done!"
The classical music heard in the executive washroom scene is from French composer Claude Debussy's string quartet in G minor.[8]
Reception[edit]
During the second season, The Simpsons aired Thursdays at 8 p.m. on Fox, the same time as The Cosby Show on NBC.[9] The supposed "Bill vs. Bart" rivalry had been heavily hyped by the media.[10] The first airing of "Simpson and Delilah" had a 16.2 rating and 25% share, while The Cosby Show had an 18.5 rating. However, viewer-wise, The Simpsons won with 29.9 million viewers. It is one of the highest-rated episodes of The Simpsons.[11] "Bart Gets an 'F'", the season premiere and episode that aired the week before, averaged an 18.4 Nielsen rating, had 29% of the audience and was watched by an estimated 33.6 million viewers.[12]
This episode was placed twenty-third on Entertainment Weekly's top 25 The Simpsons episodes list.[13] The Daily Telegraph characterized the episode as one of "The 10 Best Simpsons TV Episodes."[14]
Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer, named it his favorite episode of the show together with "Lisa's Substitute" and "Homer the Heretic".[15]
When The Simpsons began streaming on Disney+ in 2019, former Simpsons writer and executive producer Bill Oakley named this one of the best classic Simpsons episodes to watch on the service.[16]
Harvey Fierstein is number two on TV Guide's "All-time Favorite Guest Voices."[17] Entertainment Weekly named Fierstein's role as Karl as one of the sixteen best guest appearances on The Simpsons.[5] Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, praised Fierstein's performance, saying the episode was "brought to life by the superb character of Karl, helped no doubt by Harvey Fierstein's unique vocal drawl."[2]