Season 3 summary

Stark Raving Dad

Upon noticing an employee wearing pink, Burns tells Smithers to zoom in the security camera footage. Smithers informs him of who this employee is and calls security on him, as Mr. Burns sees him as "some sort of free-thinking anarchist."

Upon being taken in, Homer (the "free-thinking anarchist") tries to explain that Bart simply left his red hat in with the white laundry, thus turning the whites pink, but Mr. Burns refuses to accept this explanation. Smithers tries to reason with Mr. Burns, saying that none of their many searches and X-rays of him revealed anything. However, this causes Burns to briefly accuse Smithers of being "in cahoots" with Homer, as he "had a penchant for" bell-bottoms back in 1979. Smithers then clarifies that that was just his costume for the plant production of H.M.S. Pinafore, which causes Mr. Burns to drop his accusations.

Regardless of this, he still believes Homer to be a "free-wheeling fop" and asks psychiatrist Marvin Monroe what they should do about him. Dr. Monroe decides to test Homer's sanity with a 20-question questionnaire, which he gives Homer to fill out at home.

Later on, Burns, Smithers, and Monroe all check out the results. Having gave the test to Bart to fill out, Homer completely failed it, thus leaving him to be forcibly instituationalized.

Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington

While watching Homer read over the security feed, Burns asks Smithers who this is. After he's answered, Mr. Burns states that his job description said he was illiterate.

When Flanders Failed

Homer feels that there are too many apples in the vending machine and expresses his concerns in the suggestion box. As soon as he puts it in, however, Smithers opens the door to Mr. Burns' office (to which the suggestion box is attached to) and tells Homer to put it on his desk. Homer does so and Mr. Burns checks the suggestions.

There are only two suggestions, one of which is Homer's. The other suggests they "keep that handsome owner out of sight," as he's allegedly distracting the female employees. Burns correctly guesses Smithers as the submitter, which he admits to. However, Homer's suggestion isn't as well-received, with Mr. Burns mocking his suggestion and even offering him a free apple for his troubles.

After spending all of his time since (and likely before) the earlier scene struggling to open a can of cat food (due to his left-handedness and resulting incompatibility with his right-handed can opener), Burns finally hands Smithers the can to open. However, just before Smithers can open the can for him, Mr. Burns insists that he'll open the can, before grabbing Smithers and heading off to the mall. They go to the Leftorium, where Mr. Burns is finally able to open his can upon finding a left-handed can opener.

He purchases the opener, and the two are seen singing and celebrating Ned Flanders, owner of the Leftorium, along with the rest of his customers. Though Smithers doesn't speak in the Leftorium (excluding singing, in which his voice isn't even particularly distinguished from the rest of the crowd), he is visible in various shots from 20:25 onward.

Bart the Murderer

Smithers tells Burns about a story in the newspaper about Bart potentially facing 180 years in prison for murder.

Homer Defined

Burns and Smithers discuss how they spent their weekends. Smithers caught up on his laundry, wrote a letter to his mother, and (in what is apparently "the kicker") took his dog Hercules out to be clipped. The dog's name is a joke, as he's actually "kind of tiny." He asks Mr. Burns how he spent his weekend; apparently, he saw a film featuring a woman who "[strolled] around as naked as a jaybird." He deemed this to be "appalling," but knew that most people would be left "oink[ing] for more" if you just give them "a pair of oversized breasts and a happy ending."

As Mr. Burns continues to rant about the sexualized portrayal, an alarm goes off signalling to trouble in Sector 7-G. He asks Smithers who the safety inspector is and reminded of Homer's role. Burns initially assumes Homer is a good, intelligent man, but Smithers informs him that he was actually hired under Project Bootstrap.

Mr. Burns talks about the meltdown on the news (though he prefers to call it an "unrequested fission surplus") and attempts to downplay the seriousness of the situation; during this, Mr. Burns has put on a radiation suit, causing Smithers to ask where his own is. Mr. Burns dismisses this, rhetorically asking him "how the hell [he] should know."

After presumably Mr. Burns presumably gets off the line with the newsman, Smithers takes the opportunity to confess his love to him, though Mr. Burns clearly doesn't reciprocate, instead viewing the moment as socially awkward. He remarks that "there's nothing left to do but kiss [his] sorry ass goodbye," to which Smithers asks if he could quite literally do just that. Mr. Burns reacts to this with disgust. Once Homer successfully prevents the meltdown and Mr. Burns convinces the newsman that it was simply a false alarm, he remarks that Homer will be the plant's next employee of the month, much to Smithers' shock.

Smithers tries to talk Mr. Burns out of making Homer employee of the month, believing the he instead deserves the accolade due to his own past contributions to the plant. This doesn't convince Mr. Burns, however, who's set on giving the honor to Homer. At the ceremony, Smithers hangs Homer's image up on the wall, going alongside a very long line of Smithers as employee of the month. He's also the one that holds the (push-button) phone for Homer as he takes a call from Magic Johnson.

In his last appearance in the episode, Smithers is seen grumbling incoherently at Homer's place in the employee of the month parking space, which is right by the building and directly next to Mr. Burns' space. Having been displaced from his employee of the month positioning, he now has to use regular parking, which places him extremely far away from the plant.

Meanwhile, Burns and Aristotle Amadopolis, owner of the Shelbyville nuclear power plant, tell Homer he has to give the Shelbyville workers a pep talk to reinvigorate their work ethic. During this conversation, Smithers walks into the room, exhausted and panting. He tells them that the parking was terrible, thus delaying his arrival. Because of this, Aristotle accuses him of having "no love for his power plant," and Mr. Burns tells him to get out of his sight, which Smither does without protest, albeit pitifully.

Treehouse of Horror II

Smithers only appears in the last segment, If Only I Had a Brain. This segment starts with Burns complaining to Smithers about the poor quality of his workforce, though he remarks that their days "suckling at [his] teat" are soon to be numbered. Smithers suggests a random firing to "throw the fear of God into them," and Mr. Burns decides to fire Homer as a result, who is currently sleeping on the job. Over the intercom, Smithers wakes him up and informs him of his termination.

Afterwards, Burns and Smithers head down to the laboratory, and Mr. Burns explains that he plans to build a better employee by inserting a human brain into a mechanical body.

Upon being fired, Homer takes up a job as a gravedigger. He once again falls asleep on the job. Unfortunately for him, however, Burns and Smithers are searching the graveyard for a brain. Upon seeing that Homer's "grave" is open, Mr. Burns picks him as their subject. Smithers tries to inform him of Homer's poor work performance, though he quickly drops his complaints once Mr. Burns turns to him as an alternative subject in Homer's place.

After putting Homer's "corpse" in a bag and dragging it across the ground, Smithers notices that he's grunting, signalling that he's likely still alive. Mr. Burns proceeds to beat Homer unconscious, telling him to "stop scaring Smithers," which the latter thanks him for, afterwards.

Later, the two remove the brain from his body and place it inside the robot. The transplant is successful, with Homer now living on through his robotic form.

Unfortunately, inheriting Homer's brain also meant inheriting his tendency to slack off. Mr. Burns laments this fact before instructing Smithers to flush his brain down the toilet. He tells Mr. Burns that his family would likely appreciate if they returned his brain to his body. Mr. Burns goes to object to this, but is quickly convinced by Smithers' puppy-dog eyes.

While stitching Homer's head back up after reinserting his brain, he repeatedly makes noise during the process. This shows that Homer actually is still alive, which apparently means Burns owes Smithers a coke.

Still upset by the failure of his project, Mr. Burns insults and kicks the large, empty robot, causing it to collapse onto and gravely injure him. Smithers asks if there's anything he can do for him, and Mr. Burns instructs him to go to his office, grab some surgical tools, and attach his head to Homer's body.

Lisa's Pony

Homer has to get a loan to pay for a pony for Lisa. He goes to the employee credit union and asks to borrow $5,000. The woman he's talking to says she can't approve a loan that size on her own and calls in Burns (and Smithers) to do so for her.

Burns asks Homer if he's familiar with the state's usury laws, though he claims that he accidentally made up a word when Homer doesn't know what usury laws are. He asks Homer what the loan is for, to which he explains that he needs it to help his daughter love him again. Smithers quickly tells him to shut up, asking him if he has any collateral. Mr. Burns tells him not to be so harsh, claiming that Homer's spirit is his collateral.

Once Homer signs the form, Mr. Burns begins to laugh diabolically, but he says this was only due to him recalling something amusing Smithers did earlier that day. Not understanding the subtext, Smithers says he didn't do anything funny that day, and Mr. Burns tells him to shut up.

Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk

The episode opens with Smithers shampooing Burns' hair. He tells him about how it's a breakthrough product, but Mr. Burns doesn't seem all that interested, only making slight remarks in a dejected tone and shedding a tear. Smithers notices this and offers to listen to his troubles, particularly through Mr. Burns' puppet friend, Snappy the Alligator. Burns coyly accepts this and proceeds to explain his troubles to Snappy. He tells him that he feels like he doesn't have much spare time to do what he'd like due to having to run the power plant, concluding that it may be time to sell it off, much to the shock of both Snappy and Smithers himself.

Afterwards, the two pass Homer in the hall. Mr. Burns decides to take a nap, with Smithers offering to get out his whale song cassette to help. He notices Homer crying and assumes that he's also upset for Mr. Burns, though he's actually just struggling with a vending machine.

He tells Homer that many people assume that Mr. Burns doesn't have actual feelings, even though he really does. Not only that, but he doesn't think Mr. Burns would sell the plant for even $100,000,000. Homer asks Smithers if he has change for a dollar, which he gives to him, telling Homer to "try to eat something."

After Homer meets two wealthy Germans looking to buy the plant and tells them about Mr. Burns' supposed condition of $100,000,000, they set up to meet with Mr. Burns and discuss the deal. Brockman asks Burns about this for the local news, and Mr. Burns tells him that he's only meeting up with them to strictly deny their offer. Once inside, Mr. Burns and the two talk to each other in German. Smithers praises him on this, which Mr. Burns relays to the Germans in their native language. Once he realizes how much they're willing to pay, he starts loudly cheering before accepting the offer.

Once the Germans acquire the plant, Smithers is listening to a set of tapes that teach "sycophantic German." This is then interrupted by Mr. Burns calling him to his office. Once he arrives, Mr. Burns gives him a photo of himself and Elvis as something to remember him by, knowing how much he liked that photo of them. Mr. Burns begins to mock Elvis' voice by doing an impression of him, which Smithers finds incredibly amusing. He asks him what he'll do next. Mr. Burns names some potential ideas of his before bidding his now-former assistant farewell.

Later on, Smithers is on the phone with Mr. Burns, telling him how the plant has gone downhill since his departure. Though he's too busy to remain on the line for long, he does invite Smithers out for a drink later that night, which he enthusiastically accepts. That evening, Smithers meets up with Mr. Burns for their night out. As he's taken up beekeeping, he introduces Smithers to his bees. He even named one after him, the queen. Though he's flattered by this, he thinks they should go, as he's being stung by several bees as they speak.

They decide to go to Moe's Tavern, where they end up encountering Homer. Homer—who was recently fired—reacts with contempt to Mr. Burns' attempt to pass himself off as a friend of his. He asks him if his money ever hugs him or tells him it loves him. Upon receiving a "no" to both questions, he begins to mock Mr. Burns, chanting that "nobody loves [him]." He's intimidated by the fact that nobody at the tavern is afraid of him anymore.

As he remarks about this to Smithers, Bart approaches Burns and asks if he received his letter, then telling him that the reason he didn't was because he "forgot to stamp it," stomping on his foot at the same time. Feeling even more threatened, Burns and Smithers leave the bar, with the former deciding that he has to get the power plant back, to the other's delight.

Mr. Burns pleads for the plant back. Luckily for him, the new owners are desperate to sell it, as repairs would cost just as much as they bought it for. Upon realizing this, Mr. Burns takes advantage and offers them only half of what they paid him. They accept the offer but warn him that they "aren't all smiles and sunshine." He proceeds to sarcastically act fearful of them, hiding behind Smithers and mockingly pleading with him to protect him from the Germans. He continues the act for a while, to Smithers' clear amusement, until the Germans strictly tell him to stop.

Mr. Burns returns to his office and gives Smithers a set of orders, including rehiring Homer. He asks why, and Mr. Burns explains that he plans to keep him close and allow him to build a false sense of security, only to eventually stab him in the back.

I Married Marge

Ten years ago, Homer applied for a job at the nuclear plant. Before the group interview began, Smithers let the candidates know that there were only two openings, meaning that one of the three wouldn't make the cut. However, he follows this up by saying that it wouldn't be his "old frat buddy," Lou Collier, one of the interviewees. As Homer watches on, he and Lou perform a secret handshake. An unnamed man joins them, saying he's from the Alabama chapter. While the three whoop it up, Homer has to remind them of the interview at hand. Once it begins, Smithers asks them what their worst qualities are and how they'd handle a problem with the reactor. Homer responds poorly to both of these questions, while the other two excel. Homer even goes as far as to panic at the latter question, assuming that there's literally a problem with the reactor.

After failing the aptitude test and subsequently struggling with employment, Homer charges into Burns' office and forcefully pleads for a job. Though Smithers initially goes to call security on him, Mr. Burns stops him. He tries to explain to him that in addition to failing the aptitude test, he even somehow got trapped in a closet on his way out, but Mr. Burns doesn't care, saying he hadn't been this impressed by a person's bootlicking since he met Smithers himself. He hires Homer on the spot, who runs out celebrating.

Burns asks Smithers who the man was, and vows he'll remember his name upon being answered.

Homer at the Bat

Smithers' first appearance in the episode shows him informing Mr. Burns that the plant softball team has scored another win, which means that if they manage to beat Shelbyville, they'll capture the pennant. Mr. Burns discusses this with the owner of the Shelbyville nuclear plant, Aristotle Amadopolis, and the two agree to bet $1,000,000 on the outcome of their upcoming game.

Back in his office, Burns asks Smithers if it's wrong to cheat to win a million dollars. After Smithers answers "yes" to this, Mr. Burns rephrases, instead asking if it's wrong if he did so, to which Smithers not only answers "no," but also asks who he'd like killed. However, Mr. Burns has a much lighter idea, instead wanting to bring on professional baseball players to work at his plant and play on the team. The problem with this plan, though, is that all of the players he has in mind have long been deceased. Mr. Burns tells him to find some living players in the next 24 hours.

He manages to bring on several players: Jose Canseco, who he approaches at a meet-and-greet; Mike Scioscia, who he meets after accidentally being shot at by, having been mistaken for a deer; Ozzie Smith, who he meets at an Elvis exhibit; Don Mattingly, who he approaches at his home; and Steve Sax, who he approaches while he's performing on-stage in his band, The Steve Sax Trio.

Off-screen, multiple other players are brought onto the team, as well.

When Mr. Burns tells the plant workers about these new additions, he tells the baseball players that they can sign up for the company softball team at a nearby bulletin board. Smithers is shown gesturing towards this board at 8:52. However, he doesn't speak in this scene.

Mr. Burns tells his players that no one is guaranteed a spot in the starting line-up. He names a couple of good, professional players before asking Smithers who a bad one is, to which he answers with Homer Simpson, who's name is resultingly used as an example. After continuing to speak to the softball players, he begins their training, telling Smithers to bring out the medicine balls.

Several short scenes are shown afterwards, some of which Smithers is present in. First, the camera pans across a scene of the players exercising, and Smithers is seen weighing one of the players; he becomes visible here at 10:39. Second, he asks Mr. Burns what he plans to do with the million dollars, to which Mr. Burns just says he'll "throw it in the pile." Third, a hyponotist tells the players they'll do their best and win; Burns and Smithers both watch this and are visible at 10:58.

After this sequence, Mr. Burns tells his team that tomorrow is the day of the big game. He goes to put the list of who made the team and Smithers gives him a tack to hang it up with. He doesn't speak here, but he's visible at 12:59.

Later, Mr. Burns is seen telling Smithers that there's no way they can lose, unless nine misfortunes happen to the players. However, he's confident that nine misfortunes is practically impossible, though a few are possible. Smithers is visible the entire time, starting at 13:33.

It's the day of the game, and Mr. Burns is wondering where his ringers are. Unfortunately, several misfortunes did occur, which Smithers tells him about. Later on in the same scene, Mr. Burns asks him to massage his brain, which his obliges to. This gives him the idea to tell Darryl Strawberry—his only remaining professional player—to hit a home run. After he does so, Burns tells Smithers that he told him to do that, which the latter compliments as a "brilliant strategy."

Outside of when he speaks here, Smithers appears visually at several points in this scene: at 16:52, 18:20 (sniffing and shedding a tear), a few shots between 19:53 and 20:11, and 21:31 (in a group photo).

As the end credits play, clips from the episode are shown while a song plays over them. Smithers appears at 21:45, 22:07, and 22:38.

Dog of Death

Homer goes and asks Mr. Burns for money for Santa's Little Helper's life-saving operation but is swiftly kicked from his office. He asks Smithers why someone would willingly endanger themself by asking him for money, and Smithers simply tells him that people like dogs. Not understanding this, Mr. Burns asks Smithers how he'd feel if he "started sniffing at [his] crotch and slobbering all over [his] face." Smithers only responds with "if you did it, sir?", though Mr. Burns simply assumes that he'd be infuriated by this.

Later, Ned is seen at Burns Manor trying to encourage recycling. Burns tells Smithers to release the hounds on him. One of the hounds is clearly struggling, which Smithers explains is likely due to his age, having been around since the late '60s. Mr. Burns recalls the first time he attacked a hippie, which the two laugh about. Going to the pound, they search for a new hound, and come across Santa's Little Helper, who had recently run away from the Simpson family. He gets chosen, as he reminds Mr. Burns of himself.

As an attack dog, he's now expected to neutralize intruders, such as Girl Scouts. Smithers comes out dressed as a Girl Scout, but Santa's Little Helper only excitedly jumps on him, not attacking in any way. Mr. Burns shows him a montage of violent footage (especially towards animals) to turn him into a "vicious, soulless killer," with Smithers administering eye drops, as his eyes are pried open.

Looking for his dog, Bart ends up ringing at Mr. Burns' door. Smithers goes and tells Mr. Burns, who just instructs him to release the hounds.

Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?

Smithers informs Burns that Homer is sterile. After reminding him who he is, he shows him his sperm sample before comparing it to a healthy sample, his own. The plant's radiation is most likely what made him sterile, meaning that he could sue them for millions.

In another scene, Smithers calls Homer to Burns' office over the intercom.