What is up everybody and welcome back to the mmm donuts podcast I am your host Justin Metcalf might as well just start sharing my name because it's on the RSS feed anyway and I'm not ashamed.
Nobody's gonna come and stalk me I'm just a fat yellow man with two hairs on the top of my head.
I identify as Homer Simpson so sorry it is what it is. It is Wednesday which means there's a new episode. This is my third official episode where I'm doing the reviews of each episode of the Simpsons and today we're doing season one episode three.
I will do them in order because I have OCD1234 and because it's clean that way so you know it is what it is. So thanks very much for listening last week I hope you watch this episode so you can get the trivia questions.
Last week was the Bart the genius episode which is episode two of season one and we had some key moments there that many of us will never forget like the Quijibo scene when the family's playing Scrabble became a very popular scene and will always be one of the best.
Another key moment is when the Simpsons go to the opera.
That was that was interesting it was fun to see them up on in the balcony, which is ironic for a number of reasons.
And then, of course, one of my favorites was Bart's chemistry explosion.
That was, that was a great one for me. So what were some key moments for you what did you like.
You can now tweet me or X me.
It doesn't sound right.
I'm on X.
My Twitter X handle is donuts.
It's at MMM donuts, and it's spelled D o n UTS 742 donuts 742. We all know the Simpsons live at 742 Evergreen Terrace, right.
Well, fun fact in these first two seasons, the the address of the Simpsons gets misquoted. I guess at the time it wasn't misquoted but like Chief Wigam calls it in and it's a different number on Evergreen Terrace.
And there's two or three different ones before they actually stick with 742 Evergreen Terrace.
So just one of the many wonderful things that you will learn on this podcast. So you're welcome.
Homer's Odyssey is today's podcast episode.
And this one's this one's rough.
It's rough for a couple of reasons. I'm here.
You've heard it before. I'm not a huge fan of the really bad animation and there's plenty of that in this episode but it's also tough because of the the subject matter.
And again, keep in mind this was 1990.
Okay, this is 34 years ago when this aired this aired on January 21 1990.
If you've ever seen. It's a Wonderful Life.
Then I think you're, you're going to see some scenes that are reminiscent of that in a way.
And the Simpsons come back and reference it in another episode I think in season six where there's a run on the bank, like Bart does it as a prank and George Bailey, a very George Bailey sounding bankers.
It's in Bill's house.
Anyway, so if you have not seen it's a Wonderful Life.
This Christmas season.
I want you to watch that. It's a black and white movie from 1946 it's two hours and 10 minutes long, and it is arguably one of the greatest films ever made.
It will really really tug at your heartstrings and it's got an amazing message.
And that's why I think that parts of this episode are a little reminiscent of it, particularly Homer's crisis that he faces, and the transformation that he undergoes.
So, more, more to come with that.
This is the, the episode with the first appearances of a few people and keep in mind. When we say first appearances in the first season it's kind of difficult because there is the original lineup.
This episode was supposed to be the first episode that airs, but it actually aired out of order. And it's the third episode that was aired. So, like the first.
It's the first episode where we see Blinky the three eyed fish and then this one he's yellow.
We see Chief Wigam but I don't think that it's Hank Azaria's voice.
I'd have to go back and look at that because I don't remember.
I mean, if it is his voice then it's, it's kind of like Homer.
Dan can't cast Al and Edda who eventually changes the way that it sounds.
And that can be said with others to like auto. This is autos first episode, Sherry and Terry who sound identically the same as they do in season 30 and on.
Those are the twins in Bart's grade and then Jasper Beardsley, the cantankerous old cute that lives in the home with Grandpa Simpson.
Anyway, others, it can be said of others to like last episode, we hear.
We hear Smithers on on the last speaker. But this episode is the first time we see him and Mr. Burns.
Well, the first episode we see him and and we see him and Mr. Burns and Mr. Burns office.
So it's kind of tricky because there's some continuity things there.
And then in future episodes, I'll bring up guest stars. OK, I love talking about guest stars.
I love seeing really awesome cameos. I love seeing like rock bands as guests.
You know, we get Aerosmith and Green Day and the Smashing Pumpkins and lots of really, really cool guest stars.
But. Marsha Wallace is considered a guest star for this episode and for subsequent episodes.
And I'll do some research on that and find out what exactly is the reason she's she's always listed as as a guest star, because there's guest stars who play themselves like.
Like these famous people and famous musicians and actors who who play their own themselves. And then there's guest stars that we all kind of consider as regulars like Marsha Wallace.
But she voices Mrs. Krabappel. So.
But again, she was in. Episode two, so it's not her first appearance, but the continuity is just kind of it's goofy.
But she's listed as a guest star, so I'll point that out. But for future episodes, I doubt I will mention her as a guest star.
But then, of course, pay proper homage and reverence to to her, the episode that was dedicated to her much, much later when she passed away.
So anyway, lots and lots more to come on Mrs. Krabappel. She enjoys a very well done character over decades of these episodes.
So more to come. So now with these new first appearances of these characters, we've got these going.
There's.
This is the first episode, I believe, where Maggie sucks on her pacifier.
And I looked this up, Matt Groening actually does the sound of pacifier.
And it's fun to think that because I think what he did is he recorded the sound just once and it's it's like on a on a synthesizer and then they just push it when they want to go.
Sometimes it's like really fast repetition, the sound of the pacifier.
And sometimes it's just the standard, you know, token metronome type.
And then it's just the standard spacing. But, you know, we'll have more to discuss on that.
And yeah, why don't we get into it?
All right. So the episode starts with what we are now used to.
Second episode in a row, the two gags. And then, of course, for years and years to come, we we expect them in every episode.
The the chalkboard gag starts off and Bart is writing, I will not skateboard in the halls.
And believe me, in 1990, that was funny.
You know, we got a kick out of it.
And the joke may not have withstood the test of time. I'm not sure it's very funny in 2024, but you know, it is what it is.
The couch gag is is a classic one. The family sits and the couch falls apart under their weight, leaving them to just sit on cushions on the floor.
Oh, before we really get into it, I did the gags. Sorry. A little out of order.
I forgot to do the trivia. Let's do the trivia real quick. I try to have at least three questions that I think are fun.
So if you if you watch the episode, you probably will know these. I do try to make them a little obscure and hard to get because I think that's fun.
And if you don't, that's fine. You just you're wrong. But here we go.
So the trivia questions are first, the the safety record at the plant before Homer's blunder.
There's a big sign that says there's their safety record has been X amount of days. How many days since their last incident?
All right. So the safety record at the plant is how many days.
Number two, when Marge and Homer talking about jobs and Marge compliments Homer and says, you've always been a great provider.
And she mentions she could go back to the job she had before they got married.
What is that job that she had before they got married?
OK. Number three, as I talked about this episode gets deep.
And so Homer ends up wanting to end his life. So he writes a note on a stationary.
So on that note, there's there's like those of you don't know, a stationary like is a pad of paper that has the same something like at the top of it.
So I could say from the desk of Homer Simpson or, you know, flowery patterns. And this did have flowery patterns.
But back in those days, it was it was common to get like custom stationary.
So this stationary had a phrase at the top of it.
What was the phrase on the top of stationary that Homer uses to write his end his life note?
All right. Sorry about that. Let's jump into the episode summary.
It's pretty it's pretty quick, pretty easy.
It's there's not too much going on in the episode, aside from the major things that we're going to discuss.
So it starts with Bart taking a field trip to the nuclear power plant where Homer works.
And through a series of mishaps, there's a blender that I talked about.
And Homer is fired from his job after Bart distracts him and he causes an accident.
And it's Terry and Sherry's dad who fires him.
And I don't think there's ever another reference again to Terry and Sherry's dad working at a plant and being Homer's boss.
I mean, he doesn't come back to the plant in that job.
But still, I don't know if there's ever a reference back to him.
So anyway, Homer struggles to find a new job and becomes increasingly depressed.
And he eventually decides to end his life.
But fortunately, his family finds out and runs to stop him.
And he takes forever because he's carrying a boulder tied to a rope.
And so on his way to the bridge where he's going to jump in and sink himself, he almost gets hit by a car.
Then his family almost gets hit by another car.
So Homer realizes that intersection needs a stop sign.
So he fully commits and he says, I will not rest until this street has a stop sign.
And that's when we really start getting into the crux of the episode.
Homer successfully campaigns in a council meeting with council members and Chief Wiggum.
And I'll talk about this more in a few minutes.
But he campaigns for the stop sign and becomes a local hero for promoting safety, which becomes ironic, you know, based on what we know now as Homer's ability to maintain safety of the nuclear plant.
He then protests the lack of safety at the nuclear power plant, which leads him to being offered a job as a safety inspector.
And this is how he gets his job that he's known for throughout the series.
He initially accepts, but he refuses Mr. Burns' requirement to lie to the public about the plant's safety.
And more irony, impressed by his integrity, Mr. Burns hires him anyway.
It's only ironic because the characters developed so much that this is far from who they are now.
Like Mr. Burns having any ounce of integrity, which is funny.
So a key moment in this, in my opinion, and one that deserves some thought and recognition is Homer's despair and his attempt to end his life.
But more, more importantly, his newfound passion for safety and then the heartwarming reunion with his family, which were which were great.
So, like I said, this episode is not quite as funny.
There's not as many jokes, but there's a great message.
And it was a really well done episode in a lot of ways.
Cut to me complaining about animation.
So, yeah, aside from the animation.
And here we go. So Chief Wiggum is at the podium back at that council meeting.
He's talking about the town being held hostage or under siege is what I think what he says to El Bartow.
And it's Bart, one of his spray paint graffiti that he'd done.
And it is hard to watch.
The animation is just awful. And that's saying something because the animation for the season is rough.
But his scene, like there's there's almost no continuity with what what you see and what you hear.
And it is rough, in my opinion.
But what do you think? Oh, that's right.
I can't hear your answer. Remember to tweet me or ask me.
I really don't. I don't like that. Or you can email me at chart in pants at Gmail dot com.
I really do want to know your answers. I'm I'm interested.
So another another thing that we want to discuss and analyze is Homer's character development.
I think this was very, very important for us to see in the time.
I don't remember specifically having any profound thoughts from this episode as a as a child.
But as an adult, I can certainly appreciate how this episode can deepen one's understanding of Homer's character,
especially how it reveals his vulnerability and his capacity for growth, which was very, very nice, very endearing.
And one of the reasons that it got so much great review from the public back in the time,
which I always think is kind of funny because then, you know, shortly after everything changes.
So, yeah, it got great reviews. And then they, you know, the show just pivots quite a bit.
So it's it's fun. It's interesting. And and yeah, fun to talk about.
There's a theme of redemption, which I think is extraordinary that the theme of redemption and like having second chances,
specifically Homer's journey from despair and wanting to end his life to finding a new meaning in life
and then eventually getting his old job back.
Because when when he's successful with all these signs that he puts up, including the sign that says sign ahead,
which was, I think, my favorite joke of the episode. No, I lied.
There was a different one. That's a good one, though. That's a good joke.
You see him. He's not satisfied.
He said there's there's still a bigger enemy and it's right there and it's you know, he points to the plant.
So his drive is is definitely something to point out there, too. But of course, like I said, the theme of redemption.
So it's got it's got humor, the episode, but it's also got a lot of heart, which was great.
And I think this episode, there was a there was a really good balance.
There was a bit more emotional moments than there were humor.
But I still I liked the balance because it's still you blended some comedy with, you know, heartfelt themes.
So there we go. OK, so let's talk about some obscure stuff, some obscure trivia facts.
I think the we've we've probably talked about Homer's attempt at ending his life fairly well. I think we've covered that.
Let's let's talk about Mr. Smithers, Waylon Smithers.
His it's his first appearance. Like I said, I'm pretty sure his voice is on the loudspeaker in episode two.
But this is where we see him and his his skin color is black instead of yellow and his hair is blue.
And and there's some commentary on this, because according to David Silverman,
the person who did the color styling just randomly decided the ethnicity of various characters, which usually wasn't much of a problem.
But again, the words of David Silverman, David Silverman, it sort of ruined the white sycophant personality that they wanted to establish for Smithers.
So very interesting. And in his next appearance, he does have the the yellow skin, but his hair is still blue.
So then, of course, further on it adjusts and he's got gray hair. But but yeah, that's his that's that Smithers transition through the artistic debacles.
Animation debacles, rather. So there's there's also a setup of an early use of flashbacks.
This this episode features some of the earliest flashbacks that we all know end up being used throughout the series.
That technique really becomes a staple for the show.
And then I think it evolves into Family Guy cutaways.
You know, they reference how the Simpsons already did everything a couple of times. They make that joke often, which is great. But I think that's like their their version, their spin off of of these this technique.
You know, their cutaways, which is I love that shtick. The Family Guy cutaways. Awesome.
So like I said, this continuity is a little rough because these episodes didn't air the way they originally were intended.
So this is the first episode with Wayland Smithers and Mr. Burns. Mr. Burns was technically in Simpsons roasting on an open fire.
But this episode is supposed to come out first. So, you know, that makes sense. But here's another continuity issue in that.
Bart Bart talks about he goes to the mall and he gets a tattoo like we know from last week.
Well, in this episode, he's talking to Otto, the bus driver, and he's he's saying, Otto, I woke up with this tattoo. It's a great joke.
Bart says, Oh, man, I want one.
So seeing the episode out of order changes that continuity. But you should know it was intended that this episode was first. So that that line makes sense.
But again, you know, it didn't happen that way. So here's what it is.
So I want to know.
I want to know what you think about this episode, particularly the the part that Homer plays and and his character development and his despair and then his redemption, so to speak.
I want to know how you feel about that. I want to know what you think about it.
And I want you to think about if you've ever experienced a similar feeling in your own life.
Well, like I said, this was this was 1990 that this was was out. And so people are starting to I mean, people are okay discussing it, you know, it's out there in the media.
But I think we all know now this is something that is is more prevalent in the world today and we it needs to be talked about. So what do you what do you think?
Have you ever had issues like that?
And get on Twitter and share your favorite moments from the episode or favorite lines or favorite jokes and tell me other things like how does this compare to the previous two episodes in your opinion?
Just going on how they aired like this is the third episode in terms of when it was aired. So just compare it to the previous two.
We don't need to get stuck in the quagmire of the fact that this should have been the first episode and blah, blah, blah.
So and tell me what you think. And what do you think makes Homer's transformation believable?
That's a deep question for you. But I'm curious.
Very curious. So you can hit me up on Twitter at Donuts 742 or send me an email at chartonpants at gmail dot com.
And there's there's lots of other ways to like these these podcasts are showing up on on YouTube now.
And they're on Apple, iTunes and bunch of like five or six others. So there's there's lots of ways for you to reach out to me.
But please do let me know what you're thinking. I am really excited for the next episode to the next next episode is there's no disgrace like home.
That's a fun one. It's one of my favorite episodes and scenes in season one where they go to Dr.
Marvin Monroe's office and zap each other in the chairs and during therapy.
I love it. I could watch that scene over and over and over again. It's pretty terrific.
So let's answer those trivia questions and see how you did. Shall we?
OK. The safety record of the plant before Homer's blunder is how many days?
The answer is seven. It was seven days.
What was Marge's job primary prior to marrying Homer Simpson?
She was a car hop.
That's that. Yeah. So well, never mind. So she's a car hop.
If you don't know what that is, you know what? It's not my job to teach you to look it up.
But you should know what it is. I'm not that old.
Third, what's written at the top of the stationery that Homer uses to write his note?
Stationary says dumb things I got to do today, which is another little more subtle but funny joke, my opinion.
And what I think goes down for the best joke of the episode.
I'm realizing now I didn't have a best joke from last episode.
I'll be better about that. But in my opinion, the best joke of the episode is a longtime running gag.
One of the first that we see is Bart calling Moe at the bar and giving him a fake name.
And this one is I.P. Freely. So, you know, Moe goes, Hey, I.P. Freely, everybody. I.P. Freely.
These killed in 1990. I would laugh and laugh and laugh at these jokes.
They were just my favorite grown up. So that goes down as my favorite joke.
What I think is the best joke of the episode. But I would love to hear yours.
Honestly, I really would. I'm not making this up. I set up a Twitter. Lots of ways to let me know. So do it.
All right. And tune in next week. 10 a.m. Eastern. I'll have another episode ready to drop.
And I'm going to keep doing this. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Any changes you think we should make or if you like the flow or, you know, what you what you don't like.
And then then get over it because I'm not going to change anything. OK. Love you. Bye.