Episode 3 - Homers Odyssey
27 March 2012
Synopsis: Bart and his class head to the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant on a field trip. Bart accidentally distracts Homer who causes an accident and is fired. Unable to find a new job Homer decides to kill himself. But Marge and the kids track him down and he finds a purpose to live – safety. He gets a sign put up on the dangerous intersection where he was going to jump and soon puts signs up all across town. He finally turns his attention to the Nuclear Power Plant. The owner Mr Burns offers Homer a new job as safety inspector to get rid of the crowd outside.
The Good: This feels like the show flexing its comedy muscles as Homer moves from the power plant to unemployment and back again. The story is a solid one which shows that for all his lack of intellect, Homer can accomplish things once he has enough motivation. It also establishes the formula that change within an episode is usually resolved by episodes end.
The writers take some obvious digs at the dangers of nuclear power and the attempts to ignore it by those who stand to benefit. The film shown to the children is called “Nuclear Energy: Our Misunderstood Friend.” And features “Smilin’ Jo Fission” sweeping nuclear waste under the rug. We then get a three eyed fish swimming outside the window where the plants water supply reconnects with that of the rest of the town.
Then we have Homer watching “Loaftime” the network for the unemployed which cheerfully announces “More tips on how to win the lottery right after this.” We also get an advert for Duff, “the beer that makes the days fly by!” Pouring on the cynicism we have Homer angrily throwing away a cake which was lovingly iced with the words “Don’t Worry Daddy We love You Anyway.” Then in his own suicide note he leaves his family the words of his father “Never give up.” Then the coup de grace as Homer lugs a heavy looking boulder all the way to the bridge he plans to throw himself off only to find an identical rock already there.
We even get a dig at crowd reactions when Homer is introduced to the mob who have turned up to protest at the nuclear plant. They cheer at the list of safety related accomplishments until it is announced that it was Homer who was responsible for “the 15 mile an hour speed limit on Main Street” to which he receives a chorus of boos.
The Bad: I suppose Homer’s decision to kill himself is a little extreme and flippantly forgotten. The way he accepts the job from Mr Burns, then can’t do what he is told but gets the job anyway was a bit messy.
Best Joke: Once handed the megaphone Homer further endears himself to his fans by saying “Unlike most of you, I am not a nut!”
The Bottom Line: Homer begins to establish himself as a likeable character capable of generating more laughs than the other Simpsons. It also shows the writers starting to crack wise about the world we live in and the selfish people who inhabit it.
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