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{{About||an episode of ''The Simpsons'' with a segment that puts Homer Simpson in the role of ] in the '']''|Tales from the Public Domain|other uses|Homer's Odyssey}}
:''This article is about an episode of ]. For the epic poem, see ].''
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox Simpsons episode {{Infobox Simpsons episode
| season = 1
| episode_name = Homer's Odyssey
| image = ] | episode = 3
| episode_no = 3 | director = ]
| prod_code = 7G03 | writer = * ]
* ]
| airdate = ], ]
| production = 7G03{{Sfn|Groening|2010|p=29}}
| writer = ]<br>&<br>]
| director = ] | airdate = {{Start date|1990|1|21}}
| guests = * ] as SNPP Employee and Duff Commercial VO
| blackboard = "I will not skateboard in the halls"
* ] as ]
| couch_gag = The family hurries on to the couch which makes it collapse.
| blackboard = "I will not skateboard in the halls"<ref name="bbc">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season1/page3.shtml|title=Homer's Odyssey|access-date=2007-07-30|last1=Martyn|first1=Warren|last2=Wood|first2=Adrian|year=2000|publisher=BBC|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
| season = 1
| couch_gag = The family hurries on to the couch which makes it collapse.
| commentary = * ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
| prev = ]
| next = ]
}} }}
'''''Homer's Odyssey''''' was the third full length ''Simpsons'' episode released on television.


"'''Homer's Odyssey'''" is the third episode of the American animated television series '']''. It originally aired on ] in the United States on January 21, 1990.{{Sfn|Groening|2010|p=29}} In this episode, ] becomes a crusader for safety in ] and is promoted to safety inspector at ]. The episode was written by ] and ] and was the first ''Simpsons'' script to be completed, although it was the third episode produced.<ref name="Kagen">{{cite video | people=Kogen, Jay|date=2001|title=The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Homer's Odyssey"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>
In this episode, Homer becomes a crusader for citizen safety in Springfield.


==Synopsis== ==Plot==
] takes ]'s class on a field trip to the ]. Distracted when Bart waves at him, ] crashes an electric cart into a ] and is fired. Homer searches for a new job without success. Feeling like a failure, he writes a ] to his family and decides to commit ] by tying a ] to himself and jumping off a ].
{{spoiler}}


His family hurries to the bridge to save him, but they are almost run over by a speeding truck. Homer pulls them to safety just in time, and he is suddenly filled with a new reason to live: to place a stop sign at the dangerous intersection. After successfully petitioning the city council, Homer embarks on a public safety crusade that involves placing ] and warning signs throughout ].
] takes the class on a trip to the ]. They see an old animated film on ], and are then taken on a tour of the power plant. While riding through the plant in an electric cart in an effort to find them, ] takes his eyes off his driving and crashes into a radioactive pipe, causing the plant to shut down.


Inspired to use his new safety efforts in order to not give up on finding a new job, Homer takes on the biggest danger in Springfield, the nuclear power plant. After Homer rallies people to his cause, ] decides to end the furor he is creating by offering him a new position as the plant ], along with a higher salary. Homer, torn between his principles and his livelihood, tearfully tells his followers that they must fight their battles on their own from this point on, and takes the job.
Homer is fired for repeated safety violations by his supervisor, (Sherri and Terri's dad). Depressed and unable to find a new job, he writes a good-bye note and leaves to ]. ] finds the note and alerts the family. Rushing across the bridge to stop him, they are almost run down by a speeding truck. Homer pulls them out of the way just in time.


==Cast==
Homer embarks on a public safety crusade to make ] a safer place to live. Speed bumps, warning signs, and public awareness posters are placed throughout the city. One sign is "Sign Ahead". When he becomes bored with traffic safety, Homer takes on the ], rallying the people of Springfield to his cause. To end the furor Homer is creating, ] offers him a position as a safety supervisor with a large pay increase. Homer accepts the job, telling the mob to go home and assuring them that he will make the nuclear power plant safe.
* ] as ], ], Mr. Winfield, City Council #1 and City Council #3
* ] as ]
* ] as ], Lewis and Actor
* ] as Inanimate Carbon Rod #2 and ]
* ] as Otto, ], Smilin' Joe Fission, SNPP Supervisor, Loaftime Announcer, Jasper, City Council #2, City Council #1 (take 2) and Demonstrator
* ] as ]
* ] as ] and ]
* ] as ]
* ] as Wendell
* ] as SNPP Employee and Duff Commercial VO
* ] as Sherri, Terri, Inanimate Carbon Road #1 and Mrs. Winfield<ref>{{cite web |title=The Simpsons: Homer's Odyssey: Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701124/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm |website=] |access-date=24 January 2023}}</ref>


==Trivia== ==Production==
] ]
*The episode marks the first appearance of:
**] the three-eyed fish
**]
**] (heard in ])
**]
**] the bus driver
**]
**Bart's prank calls to ]
*Waylon Smithers was accidentally animated as an ] due to a communication error with Korean animators. The mistake was explained as Smithers having an extreme suntan. A similar mistake was made with Sherri and Terri's father, also drawn as black despite his children both being ghost-white. He hasn't appeared in the show since.
*On their way to Springfield Powerplant the children pass the Springfield Toxic Waste Dump, the Springfield Tire Yard (which is not on fire as of yet), the Springfield State Prison, and Springfield Elementary School.
*Mrs. Krabappel tells the children to keep their arms in the bus and says, "We all know the tragic story of the young man who stuck his arm out the window and had it ripped off by a big truck coming in the other direction." To which Bart says (with his arm in his shirt), "And I was that boy!" Two episodes later, in "]", Bart asks ] whether he lost his arm in the war, to which Herman warns Bart, "Next time your teacher tells you to keep your arm inside the bus window, you do it!"
*Bart is forced to sing "] was a Steel Driving Man" because he was being too loud on the bus.
*A sign at the plant reads, "Our Safety Record: Days Since Last Accident."
*] report card includes an F in Social Studies, an F in Math, a D in Physical Education, a U in Science, a U in Reading, and a U in Writing.
* Homer pens his ] note on "Dumb Things I Gotta Do Today" stationery.
*When Homer reaches the bridge he is almost ran over by who appears to be ], who zooms by in a car.
* El Barto is signed on the steps of city hall when Chief Wiggum talks about the graffiti problem in Springfield. He then passes around an artist sketch of the culprit who looks like an older and tougher Bart Simpson.
*''Springfield Shopper'' headlines: "Simpson Says Safe!," "Dozens Cheer Homer Simpson," "Homer Simpson Strikes Again!," "Watch Out, Here Comes Homer," and "Enough Already, Homer Simpson!"
*Homer gets promoted to his current position as a Safety Inspector for the entire plant.
*In the scene where Homer and another man are making the announcement to everyone, if you look very carefully you can see a man in the background who looks like Brad Goodman from ].
* The man who introduces Homer to the crowd at the Nuclear Power Plant looks similar to ], although with a different hairstyle and clothing.


] makes his first appearance in this episode, although he can be heard over a speaker in the ].<ref> ''BBC.co.uk''. Retrieved on March 2, 2007,</ref> In his first visual appearance, he was mistakenly animated with the wrong color and was made an ] by Györgyi Peluce, the color stylist. ] has claimed that Smithers was always intended to be Mr. Burns's "white sycophant",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hurtwoodmedia.com/mckenzie/pdf/simpsons.pdf |title=Background Guide to The Simpsons |access-date=October 25, 2007 |date=September 2002 |publisher=Hurtwood Media |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050126165556/http://www.hurtwoodmedia.com/mckenzie/pdf/simpsons.pdf |archive-date=January 26, 2005 }}</ref> and the staff thought it "would be a bad idea to have a black subservient character" and so switched him to his intended color for his next episode. Smithers's skin tone was later explained as an "extreme ]".<ref>{{cite news|title=Flash! 24 Simpsons Stars Reveal Themselves|date=October 21, 2000|work=]|first=Joe|last=Rhodes}}</ref>
==Cultural References==


] makes a brief ] in this episode; he later becomes of importance in episode four of the second season, "]". Also notable is that Marge was originally called Juliette in this script as a homage to '']''.<ref name="Wolodarsky">{{cite video | people=Wolodarsky, Wallace|date=2001|title=The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Homer's Odyssey"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>
*'']'': The powerplant doors that open up in different forms.
Homer's middle initial, J, is mentioned for the first time in this episode. According to ], it was a reference to ].<ref name="Groening">{{cite video | people=Groening, Matt|date=2001|title=The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Homer's Odyssey"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Additionally, the following characters made their first appearances in this episode: ], ], ], ], ] and ].<ref name="bbc"/>
*'']'': The episode title comes from the ] epic.
*]: Burns says: “I haven't seen anything like it since Jolson.”
*]: Steel Driving Man


The episode's title comes from the ] epic poem '']'', traditionally attributed to the legendary poet ]. On the bus, Bart sings "] was a Steel Driving Man", an American ] about a 19th-century ] of the working-class, building railroads across the West Virginia mountains.<ref name=BBC>{{cite news |title=The Simpsons get postage stamps |work=BBC News Online |date=April 1, 2009 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7975925.stm |access-date=April 1, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090402012152/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7975925.stm |archive-date=April 2, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Quotes==


==Reception==
*'''Mr. Burns''': (to Homer) You're not as stupid as you look, or sound, or our best testing indicates.
In its original broadcast, "Homer's Odyssey" finished twenty-eight in ratings for the week of January 15–21, 1990, with a ] of 14.9, equivalent to approximately 13.7 million viewing households. It was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, beating '']''.<ref>{{cite news |title=New sitcom's 'Grand' start helps NBC win again|work=The Orange County Register|page=L12|date=January 24, 1990 }}</ref>


Since airing, the episode has received mixed reviews from television critics. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, authors of the book ''I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide'', said that "the story rather fizzles out at the end, but there are many good moments, especially in the power plant".<ref name="bbc" />
==Goofs==
*When Bart's class is walking down the hallway at the nuclear power plant, one of the twins (either ]), is animated as just a floating head.
*When Homer goes out of the house after writing his suicide note and picks up the stone, his lips move but no words are spoken.


Colin Jacobson at DVD Movie Guide said in a review that the episode is "possibly the best of the shows" and that it "suffers a little from an odd tone, as the characters hadn't become settled. Still, it seems surprisingly clever and witty."<ref name="dvdmg">{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonone.shtml |title=The Simpsons: The Complete First Season (1990) |access-date=August 29, 2008|first=Colin|last=Jacobson|publisher=DVD Movie Guide}}</ref>


In September 2001, in a DVD review of the first season, David B. Grelck rated the episode {{frac|1|1|2}} (of 5) and called it "the first season at its worst", continuing that it was "notable for introducing Mr. Burns and (a strangely African-American) Smithers, but otherwise boring and preachy".<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202012353/http://www.wdbgproductions.com/cinerama/reviews/simpsonsseason1.htm|url=http://www.wdbgproductions.com/cinerama/reviews/simpsonsseason1.htm|title=The Complete First Season|access-date=September 15, 2011|archive-date=February 2, 2009|date=September 25, 2001|author=Grelck, David B.|publisher=WDBGProductions}}</ref>
==External Links==
{{wikiquote}}
*
*{{imdb episode|id=0701124|episode=Homer's Odyssey}}
* ]


==Home media==
The episode was released first on home video in the United Kingdom, as part of a VHS release titled ''The Simpsons Collection'', in which it was paired with the sixth episode of the season, "]".<ref name="amazon">{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simpsons-Moaning-Lisa-VHS-Simpsons/dp/B000057TVQ/ref=sr_1_13?s=video&ie=UTF8&qid=1303433096&sr=1-13|title=The Simpsons - Moaning Lisa (1989)|website=Amazon UK |date=November 1991 |access-date=April 21, 2011}}</ref> In the United Kingdom, it was once re-released as part of a VHS boxed set of the complete first season, released in November 1999.<ref name="amazon1">{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simpsons-Season-Box-Set-VHS/dp/B00004D0BK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1303434187&sr=1-2|title=The Simpsons - Season 1 Box Set |website=Amazon UK |date=November 29, 1999 |access-date=April 21, 2011}}</ref>


In the United States, the episode would finally see the home video release as a part of ''The Simpsons'' Season One DVD set, which was released on September 25, 2001. Groening, Archer, Kogen, and Wolodarsky participated in the DVD's ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Simpsons-Complete-1st-Season/311|title=The Simpsons - The Complete 1st Season|publisher=]|access-date=April 21, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525130128/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Simpsons-Complete-1st-Season/311|archive-date=May 25, 2011}}</ref> A digital edition of the series' first season was published December 20, 2010, in the United States containing the episode, through ] and ].<ref name="amazon2">{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GWZF0S|title=The Simpsons Season 1 - Amazon Video|publisher=Amazon.com|access-date=April 21, 2011}}</ref>


==References==
]
{{Reflist}}
'''Bibliography'''
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Groening |first=Matt |author-link=Matt Groening |title=Simpsons World: The Ultimate Episode Guide: Seasons 1–20 |title-link=Simpsons World: The Ultimate Episode Guide: Seasons 1–20 |date=2010-10-28 |publisher=] |isbn=9780061711282 |editor1-last=Richmond |editor1-first=Ray |editor1-link=Ray Richmond |edition=1st |editor2-last=Gimple |editor2-first=Scott M. |editor2-link=Scott M. Gimple |editor-last3=McCann |editor-first3=Jessie L. |editor-last4=Seghers |editor-first4=Christine |editor-last5=Bates |editor-first5=James W.}}
{{Refend}}


==External links==
]
{{Spoken Misplaced Pages|Homer's Odyssey.ogg|date=2009-01-28}}
]
] {{Wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_1#Homer.27s_Odyssey|Homer's Odyssey}}
{{Portal|The Simpsons}}
]
* {{Snpp capsule|7G03|Homer's Odyssey}}
* {{IMDb episode|id=0701124|episode=Homer's Odyssey}}

{{The Simpsons episodes|1}}
{{Good article}}

]
]
]
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Latest revision as of 14:52, 13 December 2024

For an episode of The Simpsons with a segment that puts Homer Simpson in the role of Odysseus in the Odyssey, see Tales from the Public Domain. For other uses, see Homer's Odyssey.

3rd episode of the 1st season of The Simpsons
"Homer's Odyssey"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 3
Directed byWes Archer
Written by
Production code7G03
Original air dateJanuary 21, 1990 (1990-01-21)
Guest appearances
Episode features
Chalkboard gag"I will not skateboard in the halls"
Couch gagThe family hurries on to the couch which makes it collapse.
Commentary
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Bart the Genius" 		Next →
"There's No Disgrace Like Home"
The Simpsons season 1
List of episodes

"Homer's Odyssey" is the third episode of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 21, 1990. In this episode, Homer becomes a crusader for safety in Springfield and is promoted to safety inspector at Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. The episode was written by Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky and was the first Simpsons script to be completed, although it was the third episode produced.

Plot

Mrs. Krabappel takes Bart's class on a field trip to the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Distracted when Bart waves at him, Homer crashes an electric cart into a cooling vent and is fired. Homer searches for a new job without success. Feeling like a failure, he writes a note to his family and decides to commit suicide by tying a boulder to himself and jumping off a bridge.

His family hurries to the bridge to save him, but they are almost run over by a speeding truck. Homer pulls them to safety just in time, and he is suddenly filled with a new reason to live: to place a stop sign at the dangerous intersection. After successfully petitioning the city council, Homer embarks on a public safety crusade that involves placing speed bumps and warning signs throughout the town.

Inspired to use his new safety efforts in order to not give up on finding a new job, Homer takes on the biggest danger in Springfield, the nuclear power plant. After Homer rallies people to his cause, Mr. Burns decides to end the furor he is creating by offering him a new position as the plant safety inspector, along with a higher salary. Homer, torn between his principles and his livelihood, tearfully tells his followers that they must fight their battles on their own from this point on, and takes the job.

Cast

Production

"Black Smithers", as seen in this episode

Waylon Smithers makes his first appearance in this episode, although he can be heard over a speaker in the series premiere. In his first visual appearance, he was mistakenly animated with the wrong color and was made an African American by Györgyi Peluce, the color stylist. David Silverman has claimed that Smithers was always intended to be Mr. Burns's "white sycophant", and the staff thought it "would be a bad idea to have a black subservient character" and so switched him to his intended color for his next episode. Smithers's skin tone was later explained as an "extreme tan".

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 a homage to Romeo and Juliet. 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. 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.

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 West Virginia mountains.

Reception

In its original broadcast, "Homer's Odyssey" finished twenty-eight in ratings for the week of January 15–21, 1990, with a Nielsen rating of 14.9, equivalent to approximately 13.7 million viewing households. It was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, beating Married... with Children.

Since airing, the episode has received mixed reviews from television critics. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, said that "the story rather fizzles out at the end, but there are many good moments, especially in the power plant".

Colin Jacobson at DVD Movie Guide said in a review that the episode is "possibly the best of the shows" and that it "suffers a little from an odd tone, as the characters hadn't become settled. Still, it seems surprisingly clever and witty."

In September 2001, in a DVD review of the first season, David B. Grelck rated the episode 1+1⁄2 (of 5) and called it "the first season at its worst", continuing that it was "notable for introducing Mr. Burns and (a strangely African-American) Smithers, but otherwise boring and preachy".

Home media

The episode was released first on home video in the United Kingdom, as part of a VHS release titled The Simpsons Collection, in which it was paired with the sixth episode of the season, "Moaning Lisa". In the United Kingdom, it was once re-released as part of a VHS boxed set of the complete first season, released in November 1999.

In the United States, the episode would finally see the home video release as a part of The Simpsons Season One DVD set, which was released on September 25, 2001. Groening, Archer, Kogen, and Wolodarsky participated in the DVD's audio commentary. A digital edition of the series' first season was published December 20, 2010, in the United States containing the episode, through Amazon Video and iTunes.

References

  1. ^ Groening 2010, p. 29.
  2. ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Homer's Odyssey". BBC. Retrieved July 30, 2007.
  3. Kogen, Jay (2001). The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Homer's Odyssey" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  4. "The Simpsons: Homer's Odyssey: Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  5. Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire BBC.co.uk. Retrieved on March 2, 2007,
  6. "Background Guide to The Simpsons" (PDF). Hurtwood Media. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 26, 2005. Retrieved October 25, 2007.
  7. Rhodes, Joe (October 21, 2000). "Flash! 24 Simpsons Stars Reveal Themselves". TV Guide.
  8. Wolodarsky, Wallace (2001). The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Homer's Odyssey" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  9. Groening, Matt (2001). The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Homer's Odyssey" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  10. "The Simpsons get postage stamps". BBC News Online. April 1, 2009. Archived from the original on April 2, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  11. "New sitcom's 'Grand' start helps NBC win again". The Orange County Register. January 24, 1990. p. L12.
  12. Jacobson, Colin. "The Simpsons: The Complete First Season (1990)". DVD Movie Guide. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
  13. Grelck, David B. (September 25, 2001). "The Complete First Season". WDBGProductions. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  14. "The Simpsons - Moaning Lisa (1989)". Amazon UK. November 1991. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  15. "The Simpsons - Season 1 Box Set [VHS]". Amazon UK. November 29, 1999. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  16. "The Simpsons - The Complete 1st Season". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  17. "The Simpsons Season 1 - Amazon Video". Amazon.com. Retrieved April 21, 2011.

Bibliography

External links

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