Homer's averting of a nuclear meltdown earns him employee-of-the-month honors--and a call from Magic Johnson; Milhouse's parents prohibit him from playing with Bart.
Homer's nuclear meltdown averages 3 jokes per minute—Season 3's densest episode yet.
Directed by Mark Kirkland · Written by Howard Gewirtz
WAR
67.9
Wins Above Replacement
“Homer Defined” ranks #9 of 226 The Simpsons episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 88.6 — Elite. The episode packs 55 scored jokes at 3.0 per minute, averaging 7.3 on craft and 7.1 on impact, with Homer landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Eeny, meeny, miney, moe. Catch a tiger by the toe. If he hollers, let him go. Eeny, meeny, miney... ...moe.
Homer Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Do you even know what button you pushed?! Sure-- moe.
Yes, it seems the chief pulled a Homer Simpson of his own
Reporter Callback Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch There may never be another time to say... I love you, sir. Oh, hot dog. Thank you for making my last few moments socially awkward.
I guess there's nothing left... but to kiss my sorry ass good-bye. May I, sir?
All Jokes — 55 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ S.A.T. scores are declining at a slower rate
Marge Irony/Sarcasm Observational ★ Rewatch This paper is a flimsy hodgepodge of pie graphs, factoids and Larry King
Homer Observational Absurdist ★ Rewatch This is the only paper in America not afraid to tell the truth--that everything is just fine
Homer Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Eww. Come on. Open it! Open it!
Milhouse Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Whenever you want to talk to me... call me on the phone... and tell me to turn on my walkie-talkie
Bart Absurdist Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Hey, look at that dog. Isn't that something? Wow! Brown.
Otto Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Don't learn anything... I wouldn't learn
Otto Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Time to pay... for your two days of debauchery... you hung-over drones
Who the devil is Hercules? My Yorkshire terrier. He's tiny. You know, it's a joke.
Well, don't you know how to paint the town red
Give the great unwashed... a pair of oversized breasts and a happy ending... and they'll oink for more
Mr. Burns Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch What a movie! And that blonde-- does she have assets! Heh-heh-heh!
Mr. Burns Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Callback Eww! Lemon. Ugh! Cherry. Ooh... custard. Mmm... purple!
Homer Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Got a bad case of the munchies, man. Time for a heat-lamp dog
Otto Character Comedy Observational Did you know there's a child in your bus? Good thing you warned me. I was heading to Mexico.
Apu Otto Setup/Punchline Absurdist ★ Rewatch Actually, he was hired under 'Project Bootstrap.' Thank you, President Ford.
Smithers Setup/Punchline Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Whosever problem this is, I'm sure they can handle it
Homer Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy It's my problem! We're doomed!
Homer Escalation Character Comedy Callback My old lady ran off and married my brother. It hurt, but it's a month later, and I'm sleeping on their couch
Otto Setup/Punchline Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Mr. Devereaux, I can't work under these conditions. Have it your way, baby. You're fired. Oh, Avery. Call me Mr. Devereaux.
We prefer to call it an 'unrequested fission surplus'
Mr. Burns Setup/Punchline Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch It's as fat as a phone book!
Homer Character Comedy Observational Who'd have thought a nuclear reactor would be so complicated?
Homer Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy There may never be another time to say... I love you, sir. Oh, hot dog. Thank you for making my last few moments socially awkward.
When they look up 'stupid' in a dictionary... there will be a picture of me
Homer Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Oh, the next time there's a canned food drive... I'll give the poor something they'd actually like... instead of old lima beans and pumpkin mix
This button controls the emergency override. In a meltdown, push this button, and only this button. Ooh, a side. - Simpson! - What? You see which button? Yeah, yeah, push the button. Got it.
One potato, two potato-- No, wait. Bubble gum, bubble gum, in a dish. How many pieces do you wish?
Homer Escalation Character Comedy ★ Rewatch I guess there's nothing left... but to kiss my sorry ass good-bye. May I, sir?
Eeny, meeny, miney, moe. Catch a tiger by the toe. If he hollers, let him go. Eeny, meeny, miney... ...moe.
Homer Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Three loins in the fountain
It seems a single wayward crow... flew into our warning system
Now we're even for your party
Bart Callback Escalation Callback A nuclear reactor is a lot like a woman-- you just read the manual and press the right button
Homer Setup/Punchline Character Comedy A congratulatory phone call from Earvin 'Magic' Johnson?
Magic, what if people think a guy's a hero... but he was just lucky? Sooner or later people like that are exposed as frauds.
Tastes so bitter, it's like ashes. It's actually more of a honey glaze. Maybe you ate a clove.
Looking at you with quiet awe. As long as it's quiet.
Help them find their eanae-eharatou-nah-duleve. Their eanae-haratou-doola what? We want you to give them a pep talk... that turns them from donut-eating goof-offs... into Homer Simpsons.
Let's go throw rocks at that hornets' nest
Bart Character Comedy Absurdist He must have gotten that from your little boy... because they certainly don't say that word on TV
In the Christmas pageant, they're always sheep
Marge Observational Character Comedy I pictured everyone in their underwear-- the judge, the jury, my lawyer-- everybody. Did it work? I'm a free man.
Barney Setup/Punchline Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch You are not workers. You are a pack... of mangy, cud-chewing, ugly goats
Eeny, meeny, miney, moe. Catch a tiger by toe. If he hollers, let him go. Eeny, meeny, miney... moe.
Homer Callback Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Do you even know what button you pushed?! Sure-- moe.
Is Homer a hero? The answer is no. I'm Kent Brockman and that was 'My Two Cents.'
It seems the chief had gone to the bank... to cash in his penny jar. ...48, 49, 50. What the-- ? Good work, Chief. Just doing my job.
Yes, it seems the chief pulled a Homer Simpson of his own
Reporter Callback Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Looks like I pulled a Homer
Looks like I pulled a Homer
Looks like I pulled a Homer.
Our dad! Now he belongs to the ages
Bart Lisa Setup/Punchline Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Top Episodes — The Simpsons
