Homer's Odyssey (The Simpsons): Difference between revisions
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== Plot == |
== Plot == |
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[[Bart Simpson|Bart]] is forced to sit next to [[List of recurring characters from The Simpsons|Wendell]] on a field trip to the [[Springfield Nuclear Power Plant]]. Bart, knowing that Wendell vomits on every field trip, attempts to get [[Edna Krabappel|Mrs. Krabappel]]'s attention, but is punished for creating a disruption by being made to sing [[John Henry (folklore)|John Henry Was a Steel Driving Man]]. As the class arrives at the power plant, Bart congratulates Wendell for not vomiting with a pat on the back, causing him to finally vomit. After watching an "educational" video about nuclear power, the class is taken on a tour of the plant. Bart sees [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] and tries to get his attention, distracting Homer and causing him to crash his cart into a pipe. Homer is fired in front of an humiliated Bart and his class. |
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Homer attempts to find a new job, but is repeatedly turned down. [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] is forced to go back to her old job at a [[diner]]. Homer falls into a deep depression and begins spending most of his time on the couch watching TV. After seeing a commercial for [[Duff beer]], Homer laments the fact that he has no money to buy some. Desperate, he steals Bart's piggy bank and smashes it, only to find that it doesn't contain enough for a single beer. Homer decides to commit [[suicide]], leaves a note for his family, and leaves to throw himself off of a bridge. |
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When he first sees him, Bart tries to attract attention from his father, [[Homer Simpson|Homer]], and since he is not looking, Homer crashes into a radioactive pipe, causing Homer to be fired by (ironically) [[List of recurring characters from The Simpsons|Sherri and Terri]]'s father. |
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[[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] finds Homer's note and alerts Marge. The family catches up with Homer before he jumps, but they inadvertently step in the path of an oncoming car. Homer pulls them to safety and remarks that someone should put a stop sign at the dangerous intersection. Homer takes his concern to a town meeting, where a new stop sign is approved. Homer finds a new purpose in life, and begins campaigning for public safety in [[Springfield (The Simpsons)|Springfield]]. When he takes on the unsafe nuclear plant, [[Mr. Burns]] calls him into his office to offer Homer his job back, but only on the condition that he declare the plant safe. Homer is unable to bring himself to do it, so Burns offers him the position of safety inspector of the plant, with a raise. Homer happily takes the job and announces to his fans that he will ensure that the plant is safe. The crowd's enthusiasm is not diminished when Homer tumbles from the high ledge he is standing on. They chant his name and carry him away from the plant. |
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Since he was fired, the [[Simpson family|family]] tries to convince him to find a job, but sadly, he cannot find one. [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] thinks that Homer was good provider for awhile, and that she can go back to her old job at a [[diner]]. However, when she has to serve unruly customers, she quits again. |
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Trying to find a beer, but having none, Homer decides to buy a pack, but unfortunately he has no money. Going to a last resort, he breaks Bart's [[piggy bank]]. Homer then bursts into tears, screaming, "What have I done...I smashed my boy's piggy bank only to find thirty-three cents! That's not enough for one lousy, stinking beer!" |
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After about ten minutes of crying over having no beer for the night, he realizes what he did was wrong, he decides he will commit [[suicide]] due to being so desperate for money, he breaks his son's piggy bank. He leaves his family his note at his home, and decides to carry a heavy [[Rock (geology)|rock]] to the Springfield Bridge in hopes of drowning himself. [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] and Bart wake up and find Bart's piggy bank smashed, and Lisa then finds Homer's suicide note, showing it to Marge. Finding him at the Springfield Bridge, the family tries to stop Homer from committing suicide. When they try to cross the road, they are almost ran over by the cars, due to no stop sign whatsoever. Homer then realizes that he will not rest until that street gets a stop sign. |
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Taking his story to the Springfield City Hall, it is approved and the stop sign is taken to the Springfield Bridge. He then puts dozens of signs all over Springfield, helping the community be safer. However, he realizes that there is a danger in [[Springfield (The Simpsons)|Springfield]] that is bigger than all of the dips in the road together. Homer then goes on a crusade to stop the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant from releasing radiation and harmful chemicals. Homer is approached by [[Waylon Smithers|Smithers]], who says that [[Mr. Burns]] would like to speak to him. Mr. Burns tells Homer that he should tell them the Nuclear Power Plant is safe, and he will be able to get his job back, this time as a safety inspector and with a raise. However, Homer cannot find it in him to take the job, as he still thinks the Plant is unsafe. He then takes the job after he convinces Mr. Burns to give him the job, without him saying the Plant is safe. Homer goes out onto Mr. Burns' balcony, to tell the crowd that he is no longer going to crusade for safety around the town, but take the job as a safety inspector at the Plant. The crowd is pleased and honor Homer with a [[crowd surfing|crowd ride]] after Homer falls from the balcony. |
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== Production == |
== Production == |
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Revision as of 09:47, 4 August 2010
| "Homer's Odyssey" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| File:SimpsonsMPG 7G03.jpg | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 |
| Directed by | Wesley Archer |
| Written by | Jay Kogen & Wallace Wolodarsky |
| Original air date | January 21, 1990 |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | "I will not skateboard in the halls"[1] |
| Couch gag | The family hurries on to the couch which makes it collapse. |
| Commentary | Matt Groening Wes Archer Jay Kogen Wallace Wolodarsky |
"Homer's Odyssey" is the third full length episode of The Simpsons, that originally aired on the Fox network on January 21, 1990. In this episode Homer becomes a crusader for citizen safety in Springfield, and is promoted to his current position as Nuclear Safety Inspector for the entire power plant. It was written by Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky and was the first Simpsons script to be completed, although it was the third episode produced.[2]
Plot
Bart is forced to sit next to Wendell on a field trip to the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Bart, knowing that Wendell vomits on every field trip, attempts to get Mrs. Krabappel's attention, but is punished for creating a disruption by being made to sing John Henry Was a Steel Driving Man. As the class arrives at the power plant, Bart congratulates Wendell for not vomiting with a pat on the back, causing him to finally vomit. After watching an "educational" video about nuclear power, the class is taken on a tour of the plant. Bart sees Homer and tries to get his attention, distracting Homer and causing him to crash his cart into a pipe. Homer is fired in front of an humiliated Bart and his class.
Homer attempts to find a new job, but is repeatedly turned down. Marge is forced to go back to her old job at a diner. Homer falls into a deep depression and begins spending most of his time on the couch watching TV. After seeing a commercial for Duff beer, Homer laments the fact that he has no money to buy some. Desperate, he steals Bart's piggy bank and smashes it, only to find that it doesn't contain enough for a single beer. Homer decides to commit suicide, leaves a note for his family, and leaves to throw himself off of a bridge.
Lisa finds Homer's note and alerts Marge. The family catches up with Homer before he jumps, but they inadvertently step in the path of an oncoming car. Homer pulls them to safety and remarks that someone should put a stop sign at the dangerous intersection. Homer takes his concern to a town meeting, where a new stop sign is approved. Homer finds a new purpose in life, and begins campaigning for public safety in Springfield. When he takes on the unsafe nuclear plant, Mr. Burns calls him into his office to offer Homer his job back, but only on the condition that he declare the plant safe. Homer is unable to bring himself to do it, so Burns offers him the position of safety inspector of the plant, with a raise. Homer happily takes the job and announces to his fans that he will ensure that the plant is safe. The crowd's enthusiasm is not diminished when Homer tumbles from the high ledge he is standing on. They chant his name and carry him away from the plant.
Production
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Smithers was mistakenly animated with the wrong color and was made black by Gyorgyi Peluce, the color stylist. David Silverman has claimed that Smithers was always intended to be "Mr Burns' white sycophant",[3] and the staff thought it "would be a bad idea to have a black sub-servient character" and so switched him to his intended color for his next episode. Smithers' skin tone was later explained as an "extreme tan".[4] This is the episode where Homer becomes the Safety Inspector at the plant. His previous job is unclear although he calls himself a "technical supervisor". He was originally hired as part of "Project Bootstrap," a fictional government program implemented by the Ford administration to bring in unskilled workers.
Blinky the Three-Eyed Fish makes a brief cameo in this episode; he later becomes of importance in episode four of the second season, "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish". Also notable is that Marge was originally called Juliette in this script as an homage to Romeo and Juliet.[5] Homer's middle initial, J, is mentioned for the first time in this episode. According to Matt Groening, it was a reference to Bullwinkle J. Moose.[6]
Additionally, the following characters made their first appearances in this episode: Otto Mann, Chief Wiggum, Jasper Beardley, Sam & Larry, Mr. & Mrs. Winfield and Sherri and Terri. Waylon Smithers also appears for the first time, although his voice was heard over the power-plant's PA system in "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire".[1]
Cultural references
The episode's title comes from the Greek epic poem Odyssey, traditionally attributed to the legendary poet Homer. On the bus, Bart sings "John Henry was a Steel Driving Man," an American folk-song about a 19th century hero of the working-class, building railroads across the Western mountains.[1]
Reception
Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide stated that "the story rather fizzles out at the end, but there are many good moments, especially in the power plant." [7]
References
- ^ a b c Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Homer's Odyssey". BBC. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Kogen, Jay (2001). The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Homer's Odyssey" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ "Background Guide to The Simpsons" (PDF). Hurtwood Media. 2002. Retrieved 2007-10-25.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ Joe Rhodes (2000-10-21). "Flash! 24 Simpsons Stars Reveal Themselves". TV Guide.
- ^ Wolodarsky, Wallace (2001). The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Homer's Odyssey" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Groening, Matt (2001). The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Homer's Odyssey" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide Book
External links
- "Homer's Odyssey" at The Simpsons.com
- "Homer's Odyssey episode capsule". The Simpsons Archive.
- Template:Tv.com episode
- "Homer's Odyssey" at IMDb
