"The Simpsons" Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? (TV Episode 1992) Poster

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8/10
Herb makes an eventually triumphant return
athomed2 January 2012
Homer's half-brother, Herb, shows up after he learns of Homer 'winning' $2,000. Herb wants to invest that money in his new invention which he needs Maggie to help create. Homer didn't actually win the $2,000. It's a settlement from the power plant because he's sterile from working there. The Simpson family will never know that though, not with Mr. Burns ingenious award!

Danny DeVito reprises his role as Herb. This episode was produced because of fan reaction to the season 2 episode, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, which I've also reviewed on this site. Fans felt like the ending to that episode was too sad. The Simpsons answered with this episode.

I don't think it's anywhere near as good as the 2nd season episode I mentioned above. It still has a lot of charm and some good jokes, particularly with Herb and Maggie and Homer's reaction to Herb's example of an invention. Mr. Burns is great in this episode as well.

You have to see it if you've seen the 2nd season episode, if not, then you should still check it out. The Simpsons was unequivocally must-watch television in the 3rd season and this is the last episode of the season.
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9/10
Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?
MrFilmAndTelevisionShow29 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I've seen the original Herb Powell episode a hundred times on TV, this episode, though I have seen it before, never seems to be shown, perhaps TV stations are hesitant to show what is essentially Part 2 without first showing Part 1, this theory breaks down given I've never seen this come on after Part 1.

The episode itself is really great, I love the return of Homer's brother, Simpson extended-family episodes are frequently some of the best. I love the Homer-Herb forgiveness part at the end, and how Homer got his chair.
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9/10
Wraps up a solid season
CubsandCulture27 August 2021
This episode provides a nice coda to the lost half-brother story; it also has more than its fair share of laughs. I wish Herb would have come back more often as I like the comedic foil for Homer to bounce off of.

Season 3 is the first truly solid season from start to finish and it would set the baseline for competent Simpsons for the next 10 years or so.
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10/10
Herb Powell is back!
MrsLoudboxCharge17 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
"Broke again, eh Herb? Just like in real life. I guess you're just not much of a businessman", Homer tells Herb after he goes bust in a game of Monopoly. (Ouch)!

Herb is living on the streets because due to the failure Powell motors. (Homer's car design bankrupted Powell Motors). Funny bit that another person living on the streets is the inventor of "New Coke".

Herb notices a woman struggling to understand her baby. A light bulb goes off in Herb's head and has the idea people could use a 'baby translator'. Only thing is Herb is broke and needs capital for his idea. Now how to raise the capital?

Herb picks up a newspaper and notices Homer came into some money winning the (fake) 'Burns Award'.

Herb decides to pay The Simpson's a visit and convince Homer his idea is a winner and try to make his fortune back.

I won't spoil anymore......but it's a solid episode from beginning to end. Another excellent episode with Danny DeVito. Highly recommended.
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9/10
A Triumphant Return For Herb!
g-bodyl22 August 2014
This is the twenty-fourth and final episode of the third season of the Simpsons. It's funny, heart-warming, and a fitting conclusion for a great season. Plus we get to see Herb again after his disastrous happenings last season thanks to Homer. Danny DeVito returns and once again, did a good job in voicing Herb.

In this episode, "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" Mr. Burns discovers that Homer is sterile thanks to the radiation at the plant, so Homer is celebrated with an awards ceremony and a hefty sum of money. Herb, now homeless, reads about Homer in the paper and he grudgingly returns into Homer's life as he asks to borrow the money so he can patent a device that interprets the babbling of babies into speech.

Overall, this is a good episode that unlike the last episode featuring Herb, it has a happy ending. Herb is one of my favorite characters so I was happy to see him return. I rate this episode 9/10.
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8/10
Good episode
sonoftom2 September 2015
Really cool episode lot of funny moments in it and i really did appreciate seen homers long lost brother again all together 8 out of ten for me a lot of funny moments including seen Herb a one time successful businessman and multimillionaire living under a bridge with other one time successful businessmen and inventors. Also the vibrating chair gag was pretty funny all the way through and the bird drinking the water toy. The hands across America and who shot JR references where pretty funny takes you back to a time not so long ago. Early 90's Simpsons in my opinion are the best new age Simpsons not so good but that is just my opinion and i know a lot of people still like the newer ones but i don't think they hold water compared to what the Simpsons was once upon a time
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9/10
Satisfying
Hitchcoc24 April 2022
This show marks the return of Herb, Homer's twin brother, whom he ruined in a previous episode. Homer receives a ridiculous award as payoff for signing an no lawsuit paper. Homer's checkup indicates Homer is sterile and Mr. Burns wants to avoid culpability. The conclusion is kind of nice for a change.
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9/10
... a rat for a pillow
snoozejonc31 July 2022
Homer's brother is homeless and looking for an idea to reinvent himself.

This is a strong episode with good comedy and memorable cameos.

The character of Herb needed to come back after how it ended during his original appearance. Danny DeVito makes a triumphant return and has great material to showcase his performance.

I also like Joe Frazier's brief appearance, especially the scene in Moe's Tavern. Plus the movie tributes to '2001: A Space Odyssey' and 'The Wizard of Oz' are nicely done.
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Season 3: Strong season that takes a second to warm up but is soon another overall step up for the show
bob the moo13 May 2013
I was surprised by how dramatic the step up in quality was between the first and second season of this show and in a way it was a little disappointing to find that the third season started out a little show. The first group of episodes included some that were not quite as good as the general quality of the previous season; they were still enjoyable but didn't quite have the spark and wit to them that I had assumed the show had achieved. I was only a little disappointed and this was offset as some classic episodes (Flaming Moe's for example) starting coming in.

From this point on I was surprised by how many "classic" episodes kept coming and how good generally the show was. Lots of smart references, laugh out loud moments, risky moments and generally very smart and enjoyable episodes. There are almost no weaker episodes and to be honest I'm not sure if I disliked the odd one here and there because I was over familiar with them rather than anything else. The animation isn't quite where it will be and some characters still seem a bit variable (Chief Wiggum for example) but I liked the way that side characters started to come more and more to the foreground, with some getting episodes focusing very much on them, while everyone else gets their parts fleshed out a little bit (Frink, Skinner, Willie and so on).

The voice work and delivery is great and rewards the great dialogue with great delivery. The guest stars become more common but are well used and are never once pandering or desperate (in the way it can often be with shows trying to get ratings), instead they add to the show and never overshadow the actual characters themselves. Although I do feel it started a little bit slowly, this was a great season and I really enjoyed how the classic episodes just kept coming. Very much looking to season 4 if it can keep the standard that the majority of this season set.
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10/10
Redemption of Herb Powell
safenoe15 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? Was the first episode where Danny DeVito makes his first guest voice appearance as Herb Powell, the half-brother of Homer. Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? Is the follow-up episode where Herb gets his redemption thanks to Homer, and DeVito makes his second guest appearance as Herb of course.

This is a redemptive episode and it shows how one get back up on one's feet after corporate failure on the scale experienced by Herb in Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? For me, in my humble opinion, it's the first 10 seasons that's the golden era of The Simpsons, with some episodes after that worth watching.
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