Homer the Smithers

Episode aired Feb 25, 1996
TV-14
30m

IMDb RATING

8.8/10

4.3K

YOUR RATING

Dan Castellaneta and Harry Shearer in The Simpsons (1989)

Adult Animation Satire Animation Comedy

When Smithers is forced to take a vacation, he appoints Homer as his temporary replacement.When Smithers is forced to take a vacation, he appoints Homer as his temporary replacement.When Smithers is forced to take a vacation, he appoints Homer as his temporary replacement.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.8/10

4.3K

YOUR RATING

5User reviews

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos2

Trivia
Josh Weinstein said that this episode was an opportunity for him, Bill Oakley, and John Swartzwelder to "go nuts" with the "Burns-ism". He said that they enjoy writing 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". For example, Burns answers the phone by saying "Ahoy, hoy!", which was suggested by Alexander Graham Bell to be used as the proper telephone answer when the telephone was first invented.

Goofs
It is implied that Mr. Burns doesn't know how to drive, however we've seen Burns behind the wheel in the past, including earlier in the season in Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield (1996).

Quotes
Homer Simpson: Here are your messages: "You have thirty minutes to move your car." "You have ten minutes." "Your car has been impounded." "Your car has been crushed into a cube." "You have thirty minutes to move your cube."
[the phone rings]
Homer Simpson: Y'ello, Mr. Burns' office.
C. Montgomery Burns: Is it about my cube?
Homer Simpson: No, it's Mr. Smithers. He's calling for you.

Connections
Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Mr. Burns Episodes (2018)

Soundtracks
Relax
(uncredited)
Written by Peter Gill, Holly Johnson, Mark O'Toole, and Brian Nash
Performed by Frankie Goes to Hollywood

User reviews5

Featured review

9/10

I told you I don't like ethnic food

Smithers takes a vacation and leaves Homer in charge of wet nursing Mr Burns.

This is a strong episode with great visual humour and character moments.

The writers come up with some ingenious ways to show how lazy and dependent Burns is on others and this hilariously drives Homer to breaking point. Lots of the humour involves great sight gags of servitude.

Smithers has some great character development with the frequent references to his vacation. All the previous hints at his sexuality give way to the more obvious statements here. You would never think it now, but in the 90s this was groundbreaking material.

For me the episode is an 8.5/10 but I round upwards.