Homer the Smithers
Encyclopedia
"Homer the Smithers" is the 17th episode of The Simpsons
' seventh season
. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 25, 1996. In this episode, Smithers
takes a vacation and hires Homer
to take over as Mr. Burns' assistant. Homer proves so incompetent that Burns berates constantly; Homer eventually snaps and punches him, which forces Burns to learn to look after himself. No longer needed by Burns, Smithers is fired. Feeling guilty, Homer helps Smithers get his job back, but their plan backfires, and they engage in a fight within Burns' office. The tussle leads to Burns being thrown out of a window. His resulting injuries leave him dependent on Smithers once again.
The episode was written by John Swartzwelder
and directed by Steven Dean Moore
. The story came from another writer on the show, Mike Scully
. The episode features cultural references to The Little Rascals, a series of comedy short films from the 1930s, and the 1971 film A Clockwork Orange
. Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from fans and television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 8.8, and was the fifth highest-rated show on the Fox network the week it aired.
, Smithers
fails to protect Mr. Burns from being pestered by a drunken Lenny. Though he tries to make amends the next day, Smithers again bungles his duties and attempts to drown himself in the water cooler
out of guilt, so Burns suggests he takes a vacation. Seeking a replacement who will not outshine him, Smithers purposely selects Homer
for the job. Assisting Burns proves too demanding for Homer, and Burns continually berates him for his incompetence. Homer finally snaps and punches Burns in the face, and runs home in panic.
Homer returns to apologize, but is turned away by a fearful Burns. With no one around, Burns learns to do things himself, such as making coffee and operating the telephone. Burns soon becomes completely self-reliant, and fires Smithers when he returns from his vacation. Smithers tries to find other employment, but eventually decides he can only be happy working for Mr. Burns. He enlists Homer in a scheme to get his job back by getting Burns to handle a call from his mother (the one task that Burns still cannot do), but it backfires when Homer hangs up the phone by accident, and Smithers and Homer engage in a fight within Burns' office which ends when Homer accidentally knocks Burns out of the window. Burns is badly injured, and becomes dependent on Smithers once again. In gratitude, Smithers sends Homer a fruit basket.
, who got the story from another member of the writing staff, Mike Scully
. When the show runner
s of this season, Bill Oakley
and Josh Weinstein
, took over the job from David Mirkin
, they wanted to "take the show back" to the Simpson family. Their goal was to have at least 15 episodes per season that revolved around the family or a member of the family, but they still wanted to do the annual Halloween episode, a Sideshow Bob
episode, an Itchy and Scratchy episode, and a "format bending" episode, which in this season was "22 Short Films About Springfield
". They wanted the family episodes to be realistic, and Oakley thought "Homer the Smithers" was a good example. When Scully pitched the idea to the writers, Oakley was surprised that it had not been done earlier on the show. He thought the story sounded like something that would have been done by the third season
because it was "simple" and "organic".
Weinstein said that this episode was an opportunity for him, Oakley, and Swartzwelder to "go nuts" with the "Burns-ism". He said that they enjoy to write for characters such as Burns and Abe Simpson because of their "out-datedness", and because they get to use thesauruses for looking up "old time slang
". Burns answers the phone by saying "Ahoy, hoy!", for example, which was suggested by Alexander Graham Bell
to be used as the proper telephone answer when the telephone was first invented. Burns' kitchen is full of "crazy old-time" devices and contraptions. For inspiration, Weinstein brought in "a bunch" of old books with designs of old kitchen devices. Oakley commented that the stuffed polar bear had always been in Burns' office, and they were excited to "finally" have a use for it.
in bed. She says: "Homie, it's 4:30 in the morning. Little Rascals isn't until 6", referencing The Little Rascals, a series of comedy short films from the 1930s. Smithers uses a Macintosh computer with the Mac OS
operating system
to search for his replacement. Burns tells Homer to make him Postum
for breakfast, a hot drink designed to rival tea and coffee. At the end of the episode, Burns is lying in bed in a body cast, chewing loudly and pausing his speech for Smithers to spoon-feed him, as in A Clockwork Orange
when a bedridden Alex
is spoonfed steak. The manner in which Burns becomes injured is also similar to Alex: they both take a potentially life-threatening fall from a top story window.
of 8.8. The episode was the fifth highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following The X-Files
, Beverly Hills, 90210
, Melrose Place and Married... With Children
.
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. Dave Foster of DVD Times said that in "Homer the Smithers" we see "just how dependent upon Smithers Mr. Burns is". He added that the staging and animation of the scene in which Homer tries to apologize to Burns "will remain engraved in your memory in the same way as some of the series finest dialogue can." DVD Movie Guides Colin Jacobson enjoyed the episode and commented that "any doubts about Smithers' sexuality will not last long when we see his vacation." Jacobson would have liked to see more scenes from Smithers' vacation, but he still thought the episode offered "nice exposition" for the character. He added: "It’s fun to see more about his pampering of Burns, and it’s amusing to watch Homer take over for him." Jennifer Malkowski of DVD Verdict considered the best part of the episode to be the scenes of Smithers on vacation. She concluded her review by giving the episode a grade of A−. The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, called it a "very good episode, and an unusually straightforward one for this surreal season."
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
The Simpsons (season 7)
The Simpsons seventh season originally aired on the Fox network between September 17, 1995 and May 19, 1996. The show runners for the seventh production season were Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein who would executive produce 21 episodes this season. David Mirkin executive produced the remaining...
. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 25, 1996. In this episode, Smithers
Waylon Smithers
Waylon Smithers, Jr., usually referred to as Smithers, is a recurring fictional character in the animated series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer. Smithers first appeared in the episode "Homer's Odyssey", although he could be heard in the series premiere "Simpsons Roasting on an Open...
takes a vacation and hires Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
to take over as Mr. Burns' assistant. Homer proves so incompetent that Burns berates constantly; Homer eventually snaps and punches him, which forces Burns to learn to look after himself. No longer needed by Burns, Smithers is fired. Feeling guilty, Homer helps Smithers get his job back, but their plan backfires, and they engage in a fight within Burns' office. The tussle leads to Burns being thrown out of a window. His resulting injuries leave him dependent on Smithers once again.
The episode was written by John Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series The Simpsons, as well as a number of novels. He is credited with writing the largest number of Simpsons episodes by a large margin...
and directed by Steven Dean Moore
Steven Dean Moore
Steven Dean Moore is an animation director who has directed 35 episodes of The Simpsons, in addition to several episodes of the long running Nicktoon programme Rugrats...
. The story came from another writer on the show, Mike Scully
Mike Scully
Mike Scully is an American television writer and producer. He is known for his work as executive producer and showrunner of the animated sitcom The Simpsons from 1997 to 2001. Scully grew up in West Springfield, Massachusetts and long had an interest in writing. He was an underachiever at school...
. The episode features cultural references to The Little Rascals, a series of comedy short films from the 1930s, and the 1971 film A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange (film)
A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 film adaptation of Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel of the same name. It was written, directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick...
. Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from fans and television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 8.8, and was the fifth highest-rated show on the Fox network the week it aired.
Plot
After a company night out to the Springfield drag racesDrag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
, Smithers
Waylon Smithers
Waylon Smithers, Jr., usually referred to as Smithers, is a recurring fictional character in the animated series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer. Smithers first appeared in the episode "Homer's Odyssey", although he could be heard in the series premiere "Simpsons Roasting on an Open...
fails to protect Mr. Burns from being pestered by a drunken Lenny. Though he tries to make amends the next day, Smithers again bungles his duties and attempts to drown himself in the water cooler
Water cooler
A water cooler or water dispenser is a device that cools and dispenses water. They are generally broken up in two categories: bottleless and bottled water coolers...
out of guilt, so Burns suggests he takes a vacation. Seeking a replacement who will not outshine him, Smithers purposely selects Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
for the job. Assisting Burns proves too demanding for Homer, and Burns continually berates him for his incompetence. Homer finally snaps and punches Burns in the face, and runs home in panic.
Homer returns to apologize, but is turned away by a fearful Burns. With no one around, Burns learns to do things himself, such as making coffee and operating the telephone. Burns soon becomes completely self-reliant, and fires Smithers when he returns from his vacation. Smithers tries to find other employment, but eventually decides he can only be happy working for Mr. Burns. He enlists Homer in a scheme to get his job back by getting Burns to handle a call from his mother (the one task that Burns still cannot do), but it backfires when Homer hangs up the phone by accident, and Smithers and Homer engage in a fight within Burns' office which ends when Homer accidentally knocks Burns out of the window. Burns is badly injured, and becomes dependent on Smithers once again. In gratitude, Smithers sends Homer a fruit basket.
Production
The episode was written by John SwartzwelderJohn Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series The Simpsons, as well as a number of novels. He is credited with writing the largest number of Simpsons episodes by a large margin...
, who got the story from another member of the writing staff, Mike Scully
Mike Scully
Mike Scully is an American television writer and producer. He is known for his work as executive producer and showrunner of the animated sitcom The Simpsons from 1997 to 2001. Scully grew up in West Springfield, Massachusetts and long had an interest in writing. He was an underachiever at school...
. When the show runner
Show runner
Showrunner is a term of art originating in the United States and Canadian television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television seriesalthough such persons generally are credited as an executive producer...
s of this season, Bill Oakley
Bill Oakley
Bill Oakley is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Oakley and Josh Weinstein became best friends and writing partners at high school; Oakley then attended Harvard University and was Vice President of the Harvard Lampoon...
and Josh Weinstein
Josh Weinstein
Josh Weinstein is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Weinstein and Bill Oakley became best friends and writing partners at St. Albans High School; Weinstein then attended Stanford University and was editor-in-chief of the...
, took over the job from David Mirkin
David Mirkin
David Mirkin is an American feature film and television director, writer and producer. Mirkin grew up in Philadelphia and intended to become an electrical engineer, but abandoned this career path in favor of studying film at Loyola Marymount University. After graduating, he became a stand-up...
, they wanted to "take the show back" to the Simpson family. Their goal was to have at least 15 episodes per season that revolved around the family or a member of the family, but they still wanted to do the annual Halloween episode, a Sideshow Bob
Sideshow Bob
Robert Underdunk Terwilliger, better known as Sideshow Bob, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer and first appeared briefly in the episode "The Telltale Head". Bob is a self-proclaimed genius who is a graduate of Yale, a member of...
episode, an Itchy and Scratchy episode, and a "format bending" episode, which in this season was "22 Short Films About Springfield
22 Short Films about Springfield
"22 Short Films About Springfield" is the twenty-first episode of The Simpsons seventh season, which originally aired on April 14, 1996. It was written by Richard Appel, David S. Cohen, Jonathan Collier, Jennifer Crittenden, Greg Daniels, Brent Forrester, Rachel Pulido, Steve Tompkins, Josh...
". They wanted the family episodes to be realistic, and Oakley thought "Homer the Smithers" was a good example. When Scully pitched the idea to the writers, Oakley was surprised that it had not been done earlier on the show. He thought the story sounded like something that would have been done by the third season
The Simpsons (season 3)
The Simpsons third season originally aired on the Fox network between September 19, 1991 and May 7, 1992. The show runners for the third production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss who executive produced 22 episodes the season, while two other episodes were produced by James L. Brooks, Matt...
because it was "simple" and "organic".
Weinstein said that this episode was an opportunity for him, Oakley, and Swartzwelder to "go nuts" with the "Burns-ism". He said that they enjoy to write for characters such as Burns and Abe Simpson because of their "out-datedness", and because they get to use thesauruses for looking up "old time slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
". Burns answers the phone by saying "Ahoy, hoy!", for example, which was suggested by Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone....
to be used as the proper telephone answer when the telephone was first invented. Burns' kitchen is full of "crazy old-time" devices and contraptions. For inspiration, Weinstein brought in "a bunch" of old books with designs of old kitchen devices. Oakley commented that the stuffed polar bear had always been in Burns' office, and they were excited to "finally" have a use for it.
Cultural references
When Homer gets up early to make Mr. Burns breakfast, he wakes up MargeMarge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
in bed. She says: "Homie, it's 4:30 in the morning. Little Rascals isn't until 6", referencing The Little Rascals, a series of comedy short films from the 1930s. Smithers uses a Macintosh computer with the Mac OS
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
to search for his replacement. Burns tells Homer to make him Postum
Postum
Postum was a powdered roasted grain beverage sold by the Kraft Foods company as a coffee substitute. The caffeine-free beverage mix was created by Postum Cereal Company founder C. W. Post in 1895 and marketed as a healthful alternative to coffee...
for breakfast, a hot drink designed to rival tea and coffee. At the end of the episode, Burns is lying in bed in a body cast, chewing loudly and pausing his speech for Smithers to spoon-feed him, as in A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange (film)
A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 film adaptation of Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel of the same name. It was written, directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick...
when a bedridden Alex
Alex (A Clockwork Orange)
Alex is a fictional character in Anthony Burgess' novel A Clockwork Orange and the film adaptation, in which he is played by Malcolm McDowell. In this film adaption, Alex's surname is DeLarge, in relation to Alex's reference to himself as "Alexander the Large" in the novel. This, in itself, is an...
is spoonfed steak. The manner in which Burns becomes injured is also similar to Alex: they both take a potentially life-threatening fall from a top story window.
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "Homer the Smithers" finished 60th in the ratings for the week of February 19 to February 25, 1996, with a Nielsen ratingNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of 8.8. The episode was the fifth highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
, Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
, Melrose Place and Married... With Children
Married... with Children
Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
.
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. Dave Foster of DVD Times said that in "Homer the Smithers" we see "just how dependent upon Smithers Mr. Burns is". He added that the staging and animation of the scene in which Homer tries to apologize to Burns "will remain engraved in your memory in the same way as some of the series finest dialogue can." DVD Movie Guides Colin Jacobson enjoyed the episode and commented that "any doubts about Smithers' sexuality will not last long when we see his vacation." Jacobson would have liked to see more scenes from Smithers' vacation, but he still thought the episode offered "nice exposition" for the character. He added: "It’s fun to see more about his pampering of Burns, and it’s amusing to watch Homer take over for him." Jennifer Malkowski of DVD Verdict considered the best part of the episode to be the scenes of Smithers on vacation. She concluded her review by giving the episode a grade of A−. The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, called it a "very good episode, and an unusually straightforward one for this surreal season."
External links
- "Homer the Smithers" at The Simpsons.com