Homer's Odyssey

Homer's Odyssey is the third episode of The Simpsons. It is about Homer Leading a crusade for safety in Springfield.

Plot
See also: Homer's Odyssey Full Synopsis

While on a field trip to the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, Bart spots Homer at work and calls out to him. As Homer looks up to wave back at Bart he crashes the cart he was driving into a pipe, causing it to leak dangerous gas. Homer gets fired. Just when his family stops him from killing himself, Homer notices there isn't a stop sign on a dangerous intersection. He becomes a public safety advocate and rallies to have speed bumps installed on roads and fights against his old boss. The power eventually goes to his head and becomes a safety lunatic, adding signs everywhere. Eventually, he abandons his cause and gets rehired at the plant with a raise.

Behind the Scenes
The cartoon at the power plant was given an old-time reel footage feel by having the animation cells dragged across a cement floor to scratch it up. This trick was used several times by the animators for the next 10 seasons.

This episode marks the first appearance of Mr. Smithers. His skin color was actually black instead of yellow. According to David Silverman, Gyorgi Peluci, the person who did the color styling randomly decided the ethnicity of various characters, which usually wasn't much of a problem, but it sort of ruined the white sycophant persona for Smithers. Budget constraints precluded recoloring, so they left it the way it was. If it really bothers you, just imagine that he has a Caribbean suntan.

Although Mr. Burns was seen in Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire, this was his first appearance in order of production codes (as well as the first use of his name), hence the dramatic music when the camera pans out on him.

Reception
Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide stated that "the story rather fizzles out at the end, but there are many good moments, especially in the power plant."