Season 1 summary

Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire

Smithers voice is heard over the intercom while Homer is working at the power plant. He tells the employees to continue working during a following announcement from their "boss and friend," Mr. Burns, who follows him up and announces that he's improved the safety at the plant but that the employees would no longer be getting their upcoming Christmas bonuses.

Homer's Odyssey

As part of a field trip with Bart's class to the nuclear plant, Smithers gives the children a tour of the plant. First off, he shows them an animated short dedicated to dissipating the stigma surrounding nuclear power, featuring the plant's mascot, Smilin' Joe Fission. Afterwards, he walks the class through the plant.

Near the end of the episode, a protest is thrown at the nuclear plant against their poor conditions. Looking down on the crowd from his office, Mr. Burns asks Smithers who the man leading the crowd is, and Smithers states that he's Homer Simpson, a former employee fired for his gross incompetence. Burns orders Smithers to retrieve Homer and bring him to his office, to which he complies.

There's No Disgrace Like Home

Smithers is seen next to Mr. Burns as he welcomes guests to the company picnic, holding a clipboard with the guests' names listed on them. Though he remains mostly silent in this scene, he does assure Mr. Burns an employee will be fired by tug-of-war due to his child's unpleasant behavior, as well as remind Mr. Burns who Homer and his family are.

Later at the picnic, Smithers announces that the father/son sack race will start soon, and that participation is mandatory. At the race, Smithers aids Burns in cheating, asking him if he's ready and set before telling him individually to go, allowing him a few seconds of advantage over the other participants.

At the end of the picnic, Mr. Burns thanks the guests for coming and informs them that the hounds will be released in 10 minutes. Throughout this speech, Smithers is seen handing Mr. Burns cards to read from. While watching the guests leave, Burns points out a particular family for their unity and tells Smithers to get the father's name, as he predicts "big things for him" at the plant. Attempting to gain favor with his boss, Homer has Bart kiss him on the cheek. However, Burns sees through this as an attempt to "curry [his] favor," pointing out the obvious attempt to Smithers, who proceeds to praise him for his "fabulous observation."

Later on in the episode, the Simpson family goes to therapy in an attempt to fix their dysfunctional dynamic. However, this just ends in them incessantly shocking each other, to the point where it begins to mess with the building's power and scare away the other patients. Momentarily, the scene cuts to Burns and Smithers, the latter of which remarks about the way someone's "gobbling up the juice." This satisfies Mr. Burns, who hopes that this indicates that the trend of energy conservation is "as dead as the dodo."

The Telltale Head

The episode opens with an angry mob chasing after Homer and Bart, which multiple members remark about killing. Among the members of this mob is Smithers, who seems to be attending with Mr. Burns. Though he doesn't speak in this scene, he can be seen in multiple shots from 1:41 to 2:53.

Bart tells the mob (and the viewers) the story of how they got where they are now. In this story, Bart decapitates the town's statue of Jebediah Springfield in an attempt to impress a few of his peers. The desecration of this status brings grief to the town. Mr. Burns is seen crying over the statue, to which Smithers attempts to comfort him, holding a tissue up to his nose and telling him to blow.

In the end, the mob is moved by Bart's story. Feeling emotional, Mr. Burns tells Smithers that he loves him, and in response Smithers states that "the feeling is more than mutual;" this acts as the first explicit hint at Smithers' attraction to Burns, as well as the first explicit sign of him being gay.

Life on the Fast Lane

After attempting to have an affair, Marge decides she'd rather stay loyal to Homer. A scene is shown of Marge walking through the nuclear plant to reunite with Homer. At 21:21, both Burns and Smithers can be seen. Though they're initially focused on their work, they turn around and watch Marge walk by.

Homer's Night Out

Near the end of the episode, Homer inadvertently crashes a performance featuring various scantily clad women, who he dances with. Smithers, Mr. Burns, and two identical women sit together at a table watching the show. Mr. Burns asks Smithers how he "[does] it," to which he responds by informing him that Homer's "a love machine."