"
Homer Defined" is the fifth episode of
The Simpsons<nowiki>'</nowiki>
third season. It originally aired on the
Fox network in the United States on October 17, 1991. In the episode,
Homer accidentally saves the
Springfield Nuclear Power Plant from
meltdown by choosing a button to a
counting rhyme. He is honored as a hero and receives praise from his daughter
Lisa, but he starts to feel unworthy because he knows that his so-called heroism was just luck. Meanwhile,
Bart is downhearted after learning that
Milhouse's mother has forbidden him to spend time with Bart anymore.
The episode was written by freelance writer
Howard Gewirtz and directed by
Mark Kirkland. Basketball player
Magic Johnson of the
Los Angeles Lakers made a guest appearance in the episode as himself, becoming the first professional athlete to do so on the show. He appears in two sequences, one of which sees him calling Homer to congratulate him on saving the plant. The second appearance comes later in the episode in a basketball game sequence that Lakers sportscaster
Chick Hearn also guest stars in.
The episode has received generally positive reviews from critics, particularly Johnson's appearance. In its original airing on the Fox network, "Homer Defined" acquired a 12.7
Nielsen rating—the equivalent of being watched in approximately 11.69 million homes—and finished the week ranked 36th.
Plot
At the
Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, employee
Homer is eating jelly doughnuts...
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