# Homer the Smithers

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17th episode of the 7th season of The Simpsons

"Homer the Smithers" The Simpsons episode Episode no. Season 7 Episode 17 Directed by Steven Dean Moore Written by John Swartzwelder Production code 3F14 Original air date February 25, 1996 (1996-02-25) Episode features Couch gag The Simpsons are wearing fezzes and drive to the couch in minicars.[1] Commentary Bill Oakley Josh Weinstein Steven Dean Moore Episode chronology ← Previous "Lisa the Iconoclast" Next → "The Day the Violence Died" The Simpsons season 7 List of episodes

"**Homer the Smithers**" is the seventeenth episode of the [seventh season](/source/The_Simpsons_season_7) of the American animated television series *[The Simpsons](/source/The_Simpsons)*. It originally aired on [Fox](/source/Fox_Broadcasting_Company) in the United States on February 25, 1996.[1] In the episode, [Smithers](/source/Waylon_Smithers) takes a vacation and hires [Homer](/source/Homer_Simpson) to temporarily replace him as [Mr. Burns](/source/Mr._Burns)' assistant, reasoning he will do such a poor job as to not risk Smithers being replaced, only for this to lead to Mr. Burns becoming so self-reliant that Smithers is fired on his return.

The episode was written by [John Swartzwelder](/source/John_Swartzwelder) and directed by [Steven Dean Moore](/source/Steven_Dean_Moore).[2] The plot came from another writer on the show, [Mike Scully](/source/Mike_Scully). The episode features cultural references to *[The Little Rascals](/source/The_Little_Rascals)*, a series of comedy [short films](/source/Short_film) from the 1930s, and the 1971 film *[A Clockwork Orange](/source/A_Clockwork_Orange_(film))*.

Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a [Nielsen rating](/source/Nielsen_rating) of 8.8, and was the fifth-highest-rated show on the Fox network the week it aired.

## Plot

As employee night at the Springfield [drag races](/source/Drag_racing) ends, [Smithers](/source/Waylon_Smithers) fails to protect [Mr. Burns](/source/Mr._Burns) from being harassed by a drunken [Lenny](/source/Lenny_and_Carl#Lenny_Leonard) (although he was only thanking him). Smithers tries to make amends the next day but again bungles his duties. When he attempts to drown himself in a [water cooler](/source/Water_cooler), Burns demands he take a vacation once a suitable replacement can be found. Seeking a substitute who will not outshine him, Smithers selects [Homer](/source/Homer_Simpson).

Homer is scolded for being unable to perform any of his duties to Burns' satisfaction. He is soon exhausted after waking up at 4:30 a.m. to prepare Burns' breakfast, assist him at the office all day, and cater to his every whim late at night in his mansion. After enduring Burns' constant abuse for several days, Homer loses his temper and knocks him unconscious with a punch. Fearing he has killed his boss, Homer flees to his house in panic. At [Marge](/source/Marge_Simpson)'s urging, he returns to the plant to apologize, but a frightened Burns turns him away. Stranded in his office, Burns gradually learns how to complete all of his tasks single-handedly, and soon embraces his newfound self reliance. After thanking Homer for helping him acquire a more independent lifestyle, Burns fires a now-obsolete Smithers upon his return.

Unable to find another job, Smithers enlists Homer's help in a scheme to get his job back: he plans to save Burns from a phone call from his abusive 122-year-old mother, the one task he still cannot handle alone. Homer accidentally disconnects Burns' mother and tries to impersonate her voice. He is caught by Burns, who berates him and Smithers. A furious Smithers attacks Homer in Burns' office. During the tussle, Burns is accidentally pushed from a third-story window and seriously injured, forcing him to rely on Smithers completely again. In gratitude, Smithers sends Homer a fruit basket with a thank-you note.

## Production

The episode was written by [John Swartzwelder](/source/John_Swartzwelder).

The episode was written by [John Swartzwelder](/source/John_Swartzwelder),[2] who got the story from another member of the writing staff, [Mike Scully](/source/Mike_Scully). When the [show runners](/source/Show_runner) of this season, [Bill Oakley](/source/Bill_Oakley) and [Josh Weinstein](/source/Josh_Weinstein), took over the job from [David Mirkin](/source/David_Mirkin), they wanted to "take the show back" to the Simpson family. Their goal was to have at least fifteen episodes per season that revolved around the family or a member of the family, but they still wanted to do the annual [Halloween episode](/source/Treehouse_of_Horror_(series)), a [Sideshow Bob](/source/Sideshow_Bob) episode, an [Itchy and Scratchy](/source/Itchy_and_Scratchy) episode, and a "format bending" episode, which in this season was "[22 Short Films About Springfield](/source/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](/source/The_Simpsons_season_3) because it was "simple" and "organic".[3]

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 writing for characters such as Burns and [Abe Simpson](/source/Abe_Simpson) because of their "out-datedness", and because they get to use thesauruses for looking up "old time [slang](/source/Slang)". For example, Burns answers the phone by saying "Ahoy, hoy!", which was suggested by [Alexander Graham Bell](/source/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.[4] Oakley commented that the stuffed polar bear had always been in Burns' office, and they were excited to "finally" have a use for it.[3]

[Matt Groening](/source/Matt_Groening) has noted the challenges of sound mixing with this episode, the results of which influenced future episodes of the show and Groening's other series *[Futurama](/source/Futurama)*.[5] When the animation for the episode returned, the production staff found the scene of Homer fighting Smithers "horrifying", as the sounds of character exertion made it seem too violent.[6] After experimenting with the sound, they were eventually able to make the scene humorous by only leaving in sounds of the characters' agony.[6]

## Cultural references

When Homer gets up early to make Mr. Burns breakfast, he wakes up [Marge](/source/Marge_Simpson) in bed. She says: "Homie, it's 4:30 in the morning. *Little Rascals* isn't on until 6", referencing *[The Little Rascals](/source/The_Little_Rascals)*, a series of comedy [short films](/source/Short_film) from the 1930s.[1] Smithers uses a [Macintosh computer](/source/Macintosh_computer) with the [Mac OS](/source/Classic_Mac_OS) [operating system](/source/Operating_system) to search for his replacement.[2] 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](/source/Spoon-feed) him, as in the film *[A Clockwork Orange](/source/A_Clockwork_Orange_(film))* when a bedridden [Alex](/source/Alex_(A_Clockwork_Orange)) is spooned steak. The manner in which Burns becomes injured is also similar to Alex: they both take a potentially life-threatening fall.[1]

## Reception

In its original broadcast, "Homer the Smithers" finished 60th in the ratings for the week of February 19 to February 25, 1996, with a [Nielsen rating](/source/Nielsen_ratings) of 8.8.[7] The episode was the fifth-highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following *[The X-Files](/source/The_X-Files)*, *[Beverly Hills, 90210](/source/Beverly_Hills%2C_90210)*, *[Melrose Place](/source/Melrose_Place)*, and *[Married... with Children](/source/Married..._with_Children)*.[7]

Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics.

Dave Foster of *DVD Times* said that "Homer the Smithers" shows "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".[8]

*DVD Movie Guide*'s 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."[9]

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−.[10]

The authors of the book *I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide*, [Gary Russell](/source/Gary_Russell) and [Gareth Roberts](/source/Gareth_Roberts_(writer)),[11] called it a "very good episode, and an unusually straightforward one for this surreal season".[1]

Gwen Inhat writes "Balancing a heavy dose of hilarity with an equal amount of heart, 'Homer The Smithers' winds up being a perfect fit in sentimental season seven, with a momentarily ambitious Homer and the fitting reunion of one of *The Simpsons*’ most enduring duos."[12]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-BBC_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-BBC_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-BBC_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-BBC_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-BBC_1-4) [Martyn, Warren](/source/Gary_Russell); [Wood, Adrian](/source/Gareth_Roberts_(writer)) (2000). ["Homer the Smithers"](https://web.archive.org/web/20050309194119/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season7/page17.shtml). BBC. Archived from [the original](https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season7/page17.shtml) on March 9, 2005. Retrieved January 4, 2009.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-book_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-book_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-book_2-2) [Groening, Matt](/source/Matt_Groening) (1997). [Richmond, Ray](/source/Ray_Richmond); Coffman, Antonia (eds.). *[The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family](/source/The_Simpsons_episode_guides#The_Simpsons:_A_Complete_Guide_to_Our_Favorite_Family)* (1st ed.). New York: [HarperPerennial](/source/HarperPerennial). p. [198](https://archive.org/details/simpsonscomplete00groe/page/198). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-06-095252-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-06-095252-5). [LCCN](/source/LCCN_(identifier)) [98141857](https://lccn.loc.gov/98141857). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [37796735](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/37796735). [OL](/source/OL_(identifier)) [433519M](https://openlibrary.org/books/OL433519M)..

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Oakley_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Oakley_3-1) Oakley, Bill (2005). *The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Homer the Smithers"* (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Weinstein_4-0)** Weinstein, Josh (2005). *The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Homer the Smithers"* (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FuturamaVol6SimpsonsRef_5-0)** *Futurama Volume 6 "Professor Farnsworth's Science of a Scene* (DVD/Blu-ray Disc). 20th Century Fox. 2011. **David X. Cohen:** Matt Groening really laid the foundation of the sound of *Futurama*. I remember a classic lesson he taught me was when people are having a fight you emphasise the sounds of the person who is getting hurt, rather than the person who is grunting and attacking the other person. He's worked out a lot of the comedy theory of the sound mix.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FuturamaVol6SimpsonsRef2_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FuturamaVol6SimpsonsRef2_6-1) *Futurama Volume 6 Professor Farnsworth's Science of a Scene* (DVD/Blu-ray Disc). 20th Century Fox. 2011. **Matt Groening:** This goes back to an episode of *The Simpsons* in which [Homer](/source/Homer_Simpson) was in a big fistfight— with [Smithers](/source/Waylon_Smithers) of all people— and when we got the animation back it was just horrifying. Because there was all this sound of exertion, and then we took out all the sounds of exertion after many different kinds of experiments, and when we just left in sounds of pain and misery— agony— people started laughing.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ratings_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ratings_7-1) "Nielsen Ratings". *[The Tampa Tribune](/source/The_Tampa_Tribune)*. March 1, 1996. p. 4. Retrieved on January 4, 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Foster, Dave (February 25, 2006). ["The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season"](http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=60554). DVD Times. Retrieved December 1, 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-dvdmovieguide_9-0)** Jacobson, Colin (January 5, 2006). ["The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season (1995)"](http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonseven.shtml). DVD Movie Guide. Retrieved December 1, 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Malkowski, Judge (January 16, 2006). ["The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season"](https://web.archive.org/web/20081204055914/http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/simpsonsseason7.php). DVD Verdict. Archived from [the original](http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/simpsonsseason7.php) on December 4, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Preddle, Jon (June 1997). ["Gary Russell: From Peladon to Placebos"](https://doctorwho.org.nz/archive/tsv51/garyrussell.html). *Time Space Visualiser*. No. 51. The New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club. Retrieved August 20, 2020. I've just done my first non-fiction book, Oh No It's A Completely Unofficial Simpsons Guide for Virgin, co-authored with Gareth Roberts which has, to be frank, been more of a nightmare than it needed to be [the book was published as I Can't Believe It's An Unofficial Simpsons Guide, with Gary and Gareth writing under the pseudonyms Warren Martyn & Adrian Wood].

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Inhat, Gwen (May 18, 2014). ["The Simpsons (Classic): Homer the Smithers"](https://www.avclub.com/the-simpsons-classic-homer-the-smithers-1798180550). *[The A.V. Club](/source/The_A.V._Club)*.

## External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to ***["Homer the Smithers"](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Simpsons/Season_7#Homer_the_Smithers)***.

- [The Simpsons portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:The_Simpsons)

- ["Homer the Smithers episode capsule"](http://www.simpsonsarchive.com/episodes/3F14.html). *[The Simpsons Archive](/source/The_Simpsons_Archive)*.

- ["Homer the Smithers"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0779667/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

v t e The Simpsons episodes Seasons 1–20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Season 21–present 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 Season 7 "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)" "Radioactive Man" "Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily" "Bart Sells His Soul" "Lisa the Vegetarian" "Treehouse of Horror VI" "King-Size Homer" "Mother Simpson" "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" "Marge Be Not Proud" "Team Homer" "Two Bad Neighbors" "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield" "Bart the Fink" "Lisa the Iconoclast" "Homer the Smithers" "The Day the Violence Died" "A Fish Called Selma" "Bart on the Road" "22 Short Films About Springfield" "Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in 'The Curse of the Flying Hellfish'" "Much Apu About Nothing" "Homerpalooza" "Summer of 4 Ft. 2" See also Treehouse of Horror list The Simpsons episode guides "The Simpsons Guy" Category

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