Homer to the Max

"Homer to the Max" is the thirteenth episode of Season 10.
==Synopsis==
When a dashing officer named Homer Simpson becomes a bumbling sidekick on a new cop show, Homer petitions the court to have his name legally changed and takes advantage of the good life that comes with having a new name — until he gets roped into an environmental protest.
== Full Story ==
The family surf through new Midseason TV shows, such as "America's Funniest Tornadoes", "All in the Family 1999", "Admiral Baby" and finally decide to settle on "Police Cops". The show has a suave detective and his partner, who manage to knock off all the villains, without breaking a sweat. Homer finds the show very interesting and gets even more interested when he finds that the suave detective (who gets the girls and is rich as a king, including his own castle) is named... Homer Simpson.
Homer is excited knowing that a cool guy (on TV) is named "like his name" and that his "personality has been captured perfectly". Marge and Lisa tell him that it is just a coincidence that they share the same name, but Homer is convinced that he and the character are exactly alike. That night, he gets many congratulatory phone calls from people, including one from the Homecoming Queen at his high school (although Marge forbids him from dating her). He starts wearing a scarf like his namesake does on TV, occasionally tossing it back over his shoulder, and adopting his "That's the end of that chapter" catchphrase. Carl even asks Homer for his autograph, although he only gets his own name written on a piece of paper.
At Moe's, the barflies get ready to watch the new episode of "Police Cops". The episode now features Homer Simpson as a fat, bumbling, Chris Farley-esque detective, who destroys the Police Chief's insulin, mistaking it for drugs. Detective Homer's new catchphrase is "Uh Oh Spaghetti-O". Homer is mortified to see that his namesake is now no longer handsome and cool, the irony being that this version of the character is now more like Homer than the pilot version. However, the barflies are enjoying every moment of it and poke fun at Homer, asking him to do something dumb. Homer unwittingly and unwillingly obliges, as he throws back his scarf over his shoulder right into the blades of the overhead fan and gets whirled around the room, much to the amusement of the onlookers. He is thrown outside and is hit by a car. Moe laughs at his pain wittingly.
The next morning, Homer dejectedly wonders why the character was changed from his Cool Smooth Persona to the bumbling idiot from last night. Lisa tells him that the first episode was just a pilot, which the producers have fiddled with and changed. At work, all his colleagues prepare to watch him do something stupid and he does not disappoint, by spilling a fondue pot all over the control panel, shorting out the circuitry, and blacking out Albany. At the mall, people laugh at him and tease him as he walks by, even Chief Wiggum (who's cleaning out his ears with a loaded gun). To escape from all the humiliation, he tries hiding in the attic. Marge then approaches homer and told him that he should go to see the producers and convinced them to change his character back to his original pilot design.
Later, he makes an impassioned plea to the producers of "Police Cops" to change the character's personality or his name. After getting a satisfactory response, he steps into a cactus on his way out. The next episode has "Homer Simpson" making the same impassioned plea to the Chief (while hanging from a flagpole). It ends with him dropping down crotch-first into a cactus. Homer tries to sue the producers, but the case is immediately dismissed. So, as a back-up plan, Homer decides to change his name. After reading through a list of ridiculous names Homer gave him, including "Rembrandt Q. Einstein", "Handsome B. Wonderful", and "Hercules Rockefeller", the judge allows him to change his name to "Max Power" (which Homer got off a hair dryer and was the only name he spelled correctly). The family is surprised to learn of his name-change, but "Max" starts speaking of his new personality — dynamic, decisive, uncompromising and rude, which is pointed out as being exactly like his old personality but faster.
Due to Homer's new name as Max, all the negative attention fades away, much to his delight, though Marge is upset that he changed his name without consulting her. At work, Mr. Burns is impressed by the name and compliments Max, who decides to shop at Costington's to further improve his image. There, he meets Trent Steel and after a small chat, they go out to lunch, where Trent invites him and Marge to a garden party. Despite Marge's reservations, the two of them go to the party, where they meet a lot of famous people, like Woody Harrelson (who wears pants made entirely out of hemp), Bill Clinton (who attempts to seduce Marge), Lorne Michaels (whom the Simpsons pointedly ignore), and Ed Begley, Jr. Lindsey Naegle also makes an appearance here, albeit with red colored hair. Max finds out that the garden party is nothing more than an excuse to save a redwood forest from wanton destruction, much to his horror. All the guests (pushing a reluctant Max and Marge) board a "protest bus" and leave for the forest; Ed Begley, Jr. however outraces them in a vehicle powered by his own "sense of self-satisfaction."
In the forest, Max, Marge, and the rest of the party-goers are chained to trees, to prevent the bulldozers from going to work on them. Chief Wiggum arrives and decides to get rough with this bunch of tree-huggers. The cops start chasing Max around his tree, trying to "swab" him with mace. However, as he runs round and round the tree, the chain around him starts cutting into the tree and finally, the huge redwood falls, knocking down the other redwoods. Max, happy at being free, tosses his chain in the air, knocking a bald eagle out of the sky.
After the dust clears up, Springfield's elite angrily ditch Max and Marge. That night at home, Marge is happy that Max has changed his name back to Homer Simpson. However, Homer informs Marge that, while at the courthouse, he changed her name to "Chesty La Rue". If she does not like it, she can change it to "Busty St. Claire" or "Hootie McBoob".
== Citations ==
fr:Max Simpson
pl:Homer to the Max
pt:Homer é o máximo
Category:Episodes on DVD
Category:Homer episodes
Category:Episodes named after Homer
Category:Episodes focusing on Homer
Category:Marge episodes
Category:Lisa episodes
Category:Agnes Skinner episodes
Category:Episodes featuring guest stars
Category:Written by John Swartzwelder
Category:Directed by Pete Michels