Ep 14. Brother From the Same Planet

Bart and Homer are paired up in a Father-Son rafting competition, but Homer’s nerve-deadened hand ruins things when he is unable to steer. Disgusted, Bart tells Homer that he wishes he had a “better” dad. Meanwhile, Lisa is impressed when she meets a young musician named Diggs, who happens to be homeless. She decides to help Diggs by giving him shelter in the family’s garage. When Homer sees Diggs coming out of the garage in the morning, he accuses Lisa of having a “bandit” who’s been stealing items from the family. While Lisa tries to make her dad understand that she’s merely helping someone with no place to stay, Bart is given the opportunity to participate in a new “Big Brother” program. It turns out to be more than he bargained for when his “Bigger Brother” Tom turns out to be disappointment who spends all of their time together doing things such as placing bumper stickers on Porsches and dining in a cheap diner.

Over time, Homer and Bart continue to butt heads. Eventually, Bart returns Tom to the program. To make matters worse, Diggs is arrested and Lisa feels responsible for not helping him enough. Marge comes up with a solution to all of their problems: Homer should sign up to be a Big Brother. Coincidentally, it turns out that the young boy he is matched with, a boy named Pepi, is also a bit of a difficult case. Pepi is an illegal immigrant who struggles to make a life in the US. Homer takes a shine to the boy, however, and becomes a father figure – teaching him how to play baseball and taking him to the batting cage. Meanwhile, Lisa continues to wonder about Diggs’ whereabouts. She eventually discovers that he has a job DJing at a rave. She brings Homer along to see him, with the hope that they can convince the police to release him. The night turns out to be a bit too surreal for Homer and he ends up getting into a fight with a “rave fighter” while Lisa helps Diggs escape the police. In the end, they all go out to eat and Homer takes Pepi under his wing, happy to have found a new sense of purpose in his life.