We've reached the point now where there really isn't too much preamble before we get into the episode proper. The Simpsons is now officially on the air at this point and is already proving a success for Fox. The show is doing well in the ratings as America is starting to slowly love the wacky misadventures of the yellow skinned weirdos of Springfield. And as we all know, nothing is more fun than attempted suicide. Homer's Odyssey is the next episode up, first airing on January 21st, 1990. Outside of the Christmas Special, this is technically the first episode to focus on Homer, and what will be the first of literally hundreds of stories involving Homer looking for a new job.
CHALKBOARD GAG: "I will not skateboard in the halls."
COUCH GAG: The family all jump on to the couch, causing it to collapse under them.
We open this episode with Bart's class on a field trip to the Springfield Nuclear Plant. A pretty good gag about the last trip to the state prison going awry because Bart may or may not have unlocked a cell door. We get our first appearance of bus driver Otto, who in the first couple seasons was one of the people Bart looked up to, Mainly because he comes off as a bad influence. Bart admires Otto's tattoo (likely what spawned his interest later in the Christmas Special) as he enters the bus. Luck for Bart on the bus doesn't fare well as not only does he have to sit with Wendell that nauseous kid, but behind him are Sherri and Terri, who in the early seasons were antagonists to Bart before like a lot of characters, just blended into the scenery, only occasionally returning to be friends/foes to Lisa.
Bart on the bus is, as expected, being a nuisance for the most part. They make a reference to a kid who lost their arm sticking it out of a bus and having it get ripped off by a truck (I think they refer to it again in "Bart the General), as Bart mockingly claims it was him. Bart's other concern is Wendell's possible puking, but since he's in hot water, his next outburst could cause him to be forced to sing "John Henry was a Steel Drivin' Man". And thanks to Sherri and Terri, that's exactly what happened. The class finally makes it to the Nuclear Plant, where we get our first appearance of Waylon Smithers.
Except probably not how you remember him as. Much like a lot of season 1 animation errors...
especially in this episode..
"Black Smithers" for lack of a better term was a mistake due to a mistake from the show's color stylist.
Smithers shows the kids a film strip that promotes nuclear energy, hosted by Smilin' Joe Fission. A great little throwback to the classic and cheesy as hell 50's film strips that have since been lovingly ripped on by Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Rifftrax.
So after about a whole first act of an episode called "Homer's Odyssey", we finally have Homer involved in the episode. Homer sees Bart on his field trip and waves to him, accidenally losing control of his vehicle and crashing into a pipe. This action alone is enough to get Homer fired as we finally enter the meat of the story. Something The Simpsons was known more in later seasons is the first act is usually inconsequential to most of the main story, and this is definitely the earliest example of that.
Homer. is already in a state of depression, believing that he's not good at anything and won't find another job. He gets some encouragement from the family, but he ultimately gets nothing. He goes to Moe's Tavern, but Moe has to deal with a prank call from Bart, the first in what will be a running gag for the first four seasons. But Homer's money problems now means he can't even afford a beer. We get a bit of a joke where Marge talks about going to her old job, and it almost feels like the dialogue makes it sound like prostitution, but it's a waitress at a drive-in.
And now we enter Homer's moment of reaching rock bottom. He thinks a beer will help get his mind off his employment woes, but there's none in the house and he's still broke. So, he decides to break Bart's piggy bank to make enough for it. It's there where he finally realizes how low he's sunk, and his only decision is to literally throw himself off a bridge. Boy, with how bland the first season is in the minds of people, you often forget how dark this season gets. It's why I look at it as a season where character took higher precedent over comedic timing. And this is the biggest example.
Homer makes it to the bridge with his boulder. The family, who learned shortly before of Homer's plan, go to stop him. They almost get hit by a truck, but Homer manages to save them in time. Homer complains about the street's lack of a stop sign, which finally gives him his epiphany. His destiny is to work to make Springfield safer.
Line of the Episode:
"Kill myself? Killing myself is the last thing I'd ever do. Now I have a purpose. A reason to live. I don't care who I have to face, I don't care who I have to fight, I will not rest until this street gets a Stop sign!" - Homer Simpson
We go to town hall where Homer's suggestion of a stop sign is easily accepted. In this scene is our first appearance of Chief Wiggum, who is on the hunt for the mysterious graffiti artist El Barto. with the stop sign passed, Homer begins his odyssey (hence the title) to continue to fix Springfield. However, despite all his efforts, there's still one unsafe place that Homer hasn't stopped, and that's the nuclear plant. Homer leads a group of people to protest, which catches the eye of his former boss, Mr. Burns.
Burns invites Homer into his offer with a deal that he can be brought back to the plant as the safety inspector, but only if Homer tells his supporters that the plant is safe. Homer almost does so, but since he has earned so much respect (even Bart's respect), he can't bring himself to do it. While Burns is an evil man, he can show enough empathy and allows Homer to have the job anyway. Homer gives a tearful goodbye to his supporters and is cheered for his new safety inspector gig as we end this episode.
"Homer's Odyssey" is a decent episode. It's definitely a far different Homer than the more idiotic jerkass that we know him to be nowadays. He's just a good natured dope in this one. And his quest to save the town, though rushed overall, is a fun one. But therein lies many of the problem's with this episode. Homer's safety quest only begins as the episode is winding down in its last act. We spend a whole first act mostly with Bart before we get to Homer being fired, and spend act two with him wallowing in self pity before we get to him trying to kill himself between the end of act two and the beginning of act three. It feels like there was room for a more fun episode, but it never gets off the ground.
I said that this episode feels like the worst animated of season one, and I stand by it. this is a rough one to look at in a lot of places. From major errors, awful color schemes and a host of other things. But it's hard to be that angry at it when you realize that this is still very early in the series. It's not the funniest and lacks any really memorable lines, and as previously mentioned suffers from a horrible case of bad pacing. It's not one I'd come back to, but I still enjoyed this rewatch.
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FIRST APPEARANCES:
OTTO MANN
WENDELL
SHERRI & TERRI
WAYLON SMITHERS
BLINKY THE THREE EYED FISH
CHIEF WIGGUM
JASPER BEARDLY
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Next time on 'Round Springfield:
"There's No Disgrace Like Home"
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