Simpson Says Safe

Homer’s Odyssey

I will not skateboard in the halls

Couch gag: the couch collapses when the family sits on it.

Director: Wesley Archer

Synopsis: Bart’s class is on a field trip to the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, where Homer has his first accident of the series and is fired. After being rejected for new positions, Homer considers suicide before finding his calling with placing safety signs all over town.

First appearance of:
Otto
Wendall
Sherri and Terri
Duff Beer
Chief Wiggum

This episode is quite dark, and I’m not just talking about Smithers being African-American. As mentioned previously, The Simpsons was deliberately written as the antithesis of the All-American Family seen in the 1980s. Homer losing his job and considering suicide is not only dark subject matter for prime-time animation, it is also quite dark for a sitcom. It wasn’t well received by critics, however I think it’s the best episode of the season so far; I like that Homer finds passion in keeping his community safe and goes back to his crummy job to pay the bills (much like the rest of us plebs). The episode also contains Bart’s first prank call to Moe- “Hello, is Mr Freely there? Initials I.P.”