Homer to the Max (S10, E13-216)

I like how 'dumb' TV Homer keeps the jacket and scarf of 'cool' TV Homer.

Plot Summary
Its Mid-Season Premiere week for TV, and the Simpson family is more than ready to watch it all.  A show that catches their eye is Police Cops.  One character in it is the suave, cool, badass cop that takes care of business, named Homer Simpson.  This coincidence boosts Homer's popularity a ton, making him a celebrity of sorts just from having the same name as the cool TV character.  Next week, Homer has a viewing party at Moe's bar for the show.  However, the character of Homer Simpson has changed drastically.  Instead of what he was in the pilot episode, the new Homer Simpson is a bumbling oaf of a cop, just like the real Homer Simpson (minus the cop part).  Homer's newfound fame becomes a sort of notoriety, as he can no longer stand people waiting for him to muck it up like TV Homer.

Needing to put a stop to this, Homer pays a visit to the show's producers in hopes of restoring TV Homer's original characterization, but that plan fails.  An attempt to sue the producers fizzles as well, leaving Homer with one other option: legally changing his name to Max Power.

'Max' is brimming with confidence with his new name, and displays his confidence confidently.  It gains the attention of a socialite - Trent Steel - who invites Hom- er, Max to a party, who quickly accepts.  Max brings Marge along and the two have decent fun at the social event, however Trent uses the party as a means to bring up the rainforests, and convinces the other socialites there to take up the cause to save some trees, with Max and Marge forced along for the ride.  Literally chaining themselves to trees about to be cut down, the group is met by Chief Wiggum and the police.  After Max laughs when Wiggum says "treehuggers", Wiggum has Eddie try to mace Max, forcing Max to run around the tree still chained up.  The chain cuts into the tree, eventually bringing it down but also starting a chain reaction where one tree takes down another and another, and soon the entire forest is destroyed.  Max loses his newfound socialite friends, and decides to change his name back to Homer, though he legally changes Marge's name to Chesty LaRue somehow.

Quick Review
The early part of this episode was excellent, as Homer's claim to fame followed by his desire to escape infamy from the TV show provided plenty of laughs.  The episode's hilarity slows to a crawl once the socialites come into play, but the early portions of the episode do more than enough to carry the rest.

Final Score: 9.0