“The Computer Wore Menace Shoes” is the sixth episode of The Simpsons' twelfth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 3, 2000. In the episode, Homer buys a computer and creates his own website to spread gossip. However, when Homer starts writing conspiracy theories about flu shots, he gets sent to an island where people who know too much are imprisoned.
"The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Mark Kirkland. The episode was originally called "Homer the Drudge" and would be about Homer becoming news editor Matt Drudge. The current title of the episode is a reference to the 1969 film The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, but the episode is not related to the film in any other way. The episode's third act features many references to the 1967 science fiction series The Prisoner.
The episode features American-born actor Patrick McGoohan as Number Six, the main character from The Prisoner. In its original broadcast, the episode was seen by approximately 9.1 million viewers, finishing in 28th place in the ratings the week it aired. Following its broadcast, the episode received mixed reviews from critics; commentators were divided over the episode's third act.
Read more about The Computer Wore Menace Shoes: Plot, Production, Cultural References, Release and Reception
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—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
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—Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)