History Recap / TheSimpsonsS1E3HomersOdyssey

* EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignWeirdness: Smithers is black in this episode due to a coloring mistake that couldn't be fixed. The animators wanted to keep him that way, but saw that a black man being hired as a servile assistant to his white boss wouldn't go over well with American audiences, so they made sure that Smithers was yellow (which is Caucasian in the Simpson world) so this mistake wouldn't happen again. Smithers' skin color was [[HandWave hand-waved]] by saying he was ''really'' tan from being on vacation.

* DerangedAnimation: Due to the show still figuring out its look. Check out some of the weird background characters in the crowd when Homer is giving his speech at the power plant (which is currently on the front page of this episode's page). Particularly eye catching is the guy with a bulging head and the left side of his face and mouth jutting out to the side. And the guy who seems to be wearing a bright red bandit mask for some reason. Also, see the guy in the "El Barto" scene with the spiky hair and slack jawed look. Matt Groening eventually made it a rule that background characters shouldn't be strange looking or distract from the action in the scene.

** Smithers is black in this episode due to a coloring mistake that couldn't be fixed. The animators wanted to keep him that way, but saw that a black man being hired as a servile assistant to his white boss wouldn't go over well with American audiences, so they made sure that Smithers was yellow (which is Caucasian in the Simpson world) so this mistake wouldn't happen again. Smithers' skin color was [[HandWave hand-waved]] by saying he was ''really'' tan from being on vacation.

-->'''Bart''': Oh, okay. I thought you where putting me down.

* OffModel: Smithers is black. Sherri and Terri are also (briefly) drawn without bodies.

* UnbuiltTrope: This episode marks the first time Homer would be laid off from his job. But instead, we see man forced into the pain of unemployment.

* AccidentallyAccurate: "Kill myself? Killing myself is the ''last'' thing I'd ever do!"

* ClassTrip: Bart's class goes on a trip to the nuclear power plant, where Sherri and Terri simultaneously kiss Bart.

* FiringDay: The plot is started when Homer's carelessness causes an accident at the power plant, costing him his job.

* HeroicBSOD: Homer's depression at being fired leaves him lethargic, expressionless, and unresponsive. When he finds that his family had a cake with encouraging words that they were planning to surprise him with, [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness his mind doesn't even process it]].

** The episode's tone is [[DarkerAndEdgier much darker]] than the [[LighterAndSofter following seasons]]: for one, Homer ''attempts suicide'' and it's {{played for drama}}, while a later episode would have it {{played for laughs}}.

Episode - 7G03\\
First Aired - 1/21/1990

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Homer gets fired from his job for crashing a forklift. He goes into such a deep depression at losing the identity of household breadwinner that he ''actually attempts suicide'' so he wouldn't feel like a failure around his wife and children. At the end of the episode, he becomes the power plant's safety inspector because he's very concerned that the plant isn't being run safely and wants to make a difference. In later episodes, [[UltimateJobSecurity his on-the-job negligence is legendary, with him personally committing safety violations that would not only get him canned]], but probably sent to prison for a long time, [[RuleOfFunny if the show cared about realism]]. He would regularly be sacked for gross incompetence and show little-to-no concern, or casually ditch work for the sake of whatever zany adventure he's going on in the episode. Also, even though his title of safety inspector continues to be mentioned, [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything his job rarely seems to involve any safety inspecting]]. Admittedly, the plant itself, even without Homer's incompetence, is terribly run and would be shut down in an instant if Burns ever ran into [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney someone he couldn't bribe]]. [[FridgeBrilliance Which is probably why Homer has his job security (outside of Burns saying he's here forever after Homer had to beg for the job back when Maggie was conceived); anyone competent would have gotten the place shut down.]]

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness and OffModel: Smithers is black in this episode due to a coloring mistake that couldn't be fixed. The animators wanted to keep him that way, but saw that a black man being hired as a servile assistant to his white boss wouldn't go over well with American audiences, so they made sure that Smithers was yellow (which is Caucasian in the Simpson world) so this mistake wouldn't happen again. Smithers' skin color was [[HandWave hand-waved]] by saying he was ''really'' tan from being on vacation.

* WorstNewsJudgmentEver: The Springfield Shopper repeatedly headlines Homer's safety advocating, culminating with, "Enough Already Homer Simpson!"
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: This is the one and only time when we see Sherri and Terri'S father.

* LimitedAnimation: Done deliberately for the Smilin'joe Fission cartoon shown at the power plant.

-->'''Mrs. Krabappel:''' I hope we don't have a repeat of our trip to Springfield Prison, ''Bart''.
-->'''Bart:''' Mrs. Krabappel, I ''did not'' open that door.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness and OffModel: Smithers is black in this episode due to a coloring mistake that couldn't be fixed. The animators wanted to keep him that way, but saw that a black man being hired as a servile assistant to his white boss wouldn't go over well with American audiences, so they made sure that Smithers was yellow (which is Caucasian in the Simpson world) so this mistake wouldn't happen again.