Inspired by consumers’ frustrations with “tip creep,” The Simpsons mines a semi-recent annoyance in the 17th episode of Season 35, titled “The Tipping Point.” This episode is Homer-centric, and also feels timely with a musical tribute to Eurovision, which concluded this weekend (Mother’s Day has not been forgotten with the Disney+ short “May the 12th Be With You”). Without further delay, sit carefully on your orange couch and enjoy this episode recap/review.
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Season 35, Episode 17 – “The Tipping Point” – Written by J. Stewart Burns
Bart (Nancy Cartwright) and Lisa (Yeardley Smith) eat their Krusty-O's for breakfast as Marge (Julie Kavner) and Homer (Dan Castellaneta) try to hurry them up. Marge has told the kids that this will be a bad day full of doctor’s appointments, but Bart tells Lisa it’s a trick. He thinks their parents are trying to make a viral bait-and-switch video, showing Lisa a few examples on his phone – A girl thinks she’s getting braces but finds out she’s going to Krustyland; Kids on their way to spread a relative’s ashes are told they’re actually going to Krustyland; Ned Flanders (Harry Shearer) tells Rod (Pamela Hayden) and Todd (also Nancy Cartwright) that they’re not going to Krustyland, they’re going to church. Lisa gets her hopes up, and she and Bart are both giddy during the car ride. As soon as Homer parks, they jump out of the car and peel off their jackets to reveal they are wearing Krustland shirts. Bart starts recording a video of their arrival, and we see their disappointment as they find out they’re actually at the Springfield Medical Center.
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Marge reveals that they just hit their deductible thanks to Homer’s kidney stones and that their insurance plan starts over tomorrow, so they’re cramming a year’s worth of medical services into one day. Following a montage of medical gags, Lisa asks Homer to take them out for treats.
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The first stop is the Boba Fette Tea Shop, where Jeremy Freedman (also Dan Castellaneta) serves Lisa, and Homer is asked for a tip when he pays. At the frozen yogurt shop, Raphael (Hank Azaria) also expects a tip. Once everyone else has been treated, Homer says it’s his turn, taking the family to the Springfield Pub & Brewery (formerly the Springfield Public Library with some minor changes to the signage out front). When the bill comes, Homer is angry about having to do the math to figure out the tip. But then the waitress, Sandee (Tress MacNeille), points out that there’s an automatic service fee included. Homer is both angry and relieved by its presence, particularly that he doesn’t need to tip now. Sandee points out that he can still tip on the line at the bottom below where she pre-thanked him. Homer is furious. “No, thank you,” he grunts as he writes, “Here’s $1.00, OK?”
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Outside of the restaurant, Sandee comes running after the Simpsons. She hugs Homer and thanks him. The entire staff of the restaurant comes out and surrounds them because he just tipped “$1OK.” Marge is angry, and Homer asks for the receipt back. He tears it up, and the restaurant staff begins to beat him up… Rewind, that’s what Homer expected to happen. In reality, he just underlined the amount to confirm it. Marge lets out an annoyed grunt.
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Homer’s tip goes viral around Springfield. Marge is upset. Not only can they not afford the $10,000 tip, but she thinks they’ll be expected to tip big forever. Homer’s plan is to call the credit card company, say the card was stolen, shave their heads, and join a cult. Marge counters, asking Homer to go back to the restaurant to explain the mistake.
Homer doesn’t make it back to the restaurant because his ego is inflated everywhere he goes. He even made the front page of the newspaper. He suddenly becomes addicted to tipping. He dances around town to “Soul Bossa Nova” by Quincy Jones, tipping any frontline employee he encounters. When his wallet is emptied out, he goes to an ATM and after the transactions, he slips a bill back in as a tip.
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Homer returns home elated, but Marge is furious as she shows him all of the overdraft notices on her phone. Bart enters the living room and asks where his bike is, learning that Homer tipped it to his barber. Homer tries to calm Bart by tipping him Lisa’s saxophone, much to Lisa’s dismay. Homer is accused of being addicted to tipping. Homer says he can quit cold turkey.
At Moe’s Tavern, Moe (also Hank Azaria) enables Homer, encouraging him to take money out of his wallet and just hold it there. “Everything but the tip,” Moe calls it. But, of course, as bills come out of Homer’s wallet, they wander into Moe’s waiting hand. “Oh God,” Moe climaxes as Homer fills up his hand with bills. Further down the bar, Barney, Lenny, and Carl watch in horror. Homer runs out of the bar and Moe chases after him. “No one service worker can satisfy my needs,” Homer complains as he ventures into the night to find more people to tip. Everywhere is closed, and Homer ends up breaking into a pharmacy to put a bill in an empty tip jar. When he returns home, he sees Marge through the window, crying over a pile of bills. “They’re 20%… no, 22% better off without me,” he says as he runs away.
Homer goes to Sandee’s houseboat by the docs and knocks on her door. “My real family are the people I tip,” he tells her, opening his arms for a hug. She hugs him back… Rewind, that’s what Homer expected to happen. In reality, he takes pepper spray to the face, falls backward off the dock, and disappears beneath the waves.
Homer awakens in a crab cage on a fishing boat, complaining to Claus about what’s happened to him. Claus tells Homer that tipping doesn’t exist where he’s from – Little Europe. The vista shown is a Universal Studios Hollywood reference, which has a section of the backlot called Little Europe. A tram drives by the scene.
Marge seeks the help of her sisters, Patty and Selma (also Julie Kavner), to find Homer. They ask for a recent photo, but when Marge submits one of Homer, they say they meant of her. They create a Tender dating profile for Marge, discussing how she should avoid mentioning that she has kids until the third date. Bart has been eavesdropping, taking that information to Lisa, who says wherever Homer is, he’s made some online purchases. Based on the items ordered (a universal charger and cologne without soap), Bart figures out exactly where Homer is.
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Bart and Lisa ride their bikes to Little Europe, finding Homer on his way to five shops to buy ingredients for one sandwich. As Homer buys mustard, we see the screen presents him with several tip options, but all of the buttons are for $0. Homer begins to perform an autotuned Eurovision-style song with assistance from some of Little Europe’s service workers, including DJ Crazy Times (Kyle Gordon) and Ms. Biljana Electronica (Chrissi Poland). Bart and Lisa also get in on the act.
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Homer wishes that Springfield could be more like Little Europe. Lisa encourages him to return home with a goal to inspire Springfield to adopt fair wages for service workers, so tipping won’t be necessary. Cut to the Servers of America Guild S.A.G. Awards where Homer interrupts the festivities to pitch this idea. The crowd cheers and agrees that tipping should be abolished… Rewind, that’s what Homer expected to happen. In reality, he is booed off the stage.
Marge consoles Homer afterward, no longer mad at him since he tried to fix things. And being at the S.A.G. Awards gave her an idea of how Homer can make money to pay off their debt. Cut to Homer as a server, asking a table if they’d like still or sparkling water. “Just tap, and more free bread,” replies Agnes Skinner (also Tress MacNeille) on a date with her son.
Review:
I love musical moments on The Simpsons, so the highlights of this episode for me were the Eurovision homage and the Austin Powers dance through Springfield. Structurally, I was surprised to get an episode with no subplot, which felt like a bit of a throwback to the show’s earlier years. Homer-centric episodes like this are also a bit of a rarity these days, making “The Tipping Point” stand out as one of this season’s best.
Next Episode:
The Simpsons returns next Sunday, May 19th, at 8/7c on FOX with this season’s finale, “Bart’s Brain," with recurring guest stars Kerry Washington and Megan Mullaly.
Season 35 of The Simpsons is currently streaming on Hulu.