Line #62 Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E9TheLastTemptationOfHomer


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_last_temptation_of_homer_promo_picture.jpg]]
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3	'''Original air date:''' 12/9/1993
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5	'''Production code:''' 1F07
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7	[[Creator/MichellePfeiffer Mindy Simmons]], a sexy new employee at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, proves alarmingly compatible with Homer, who worries that his attraction to her may mean danger for his marriage. Meanwhile, Bart becomes a nerd after being fitted for glasses and prescribed medicated hair salve, orthopedic shoes, and throat spray that makes him sound like Creator/JerryLewis from ''Film/{{The Nutty Professor\|1963}}''.
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9	----
10	!!This episode contains examples of:
11	* AdviceBackfire: Barney advises Homer to get to know Mindy so he'll lose his attraction with the realization that they have nothing in common. Turns out [[DistaffCounterpart they have]] ''[[DistaffCounterpart everything]]'' [[DistaffCounterpart in common]].
12	* AnimationBump: Subtle, but the bellhop's disembodied eyeballs from the final joke exhibit a lot more squash-and-stretch activity. Justified, in that there's a lot less to draw.
13	* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: "Lazy eye", or more technically, amblyopia ''is'' a real condition. Although it's usually permanent unless treated early, and involves the brain mostly ignoring the input from a weak- or lazy- eye. Actual treatments involve patching the good eye or playing ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'' with 3-D glasses, of all things.
14	* BadBoss: Mr. Burns, as usual. After one employee complains about the events listed under NoOSHACompliance, Burns send him to the Middle East via suction tube, then hires a refugee to replace him and pays him a salary of one nickel.
15	* BaitAndSwitch:
16	** On realising they share a hotel room, Mindy tells Homer she has an idea, one which could get her and Homer into a lot of trouble. When Homer gets nervous and says they should fight their temptation, Mindy says (in a breathy voice) that they should "do it"... meaning call room service.
17	** After Bart finishes the medical treatments that made him look like a nerd, the bullies are planning what's now their routine pummeling of Bart when to their astonishment and disappointment he shows up looking completely normal, confidently reminding them that he's one of them. [[NotEvenBotheringWithAnExcuse They beat him up anyway]].
18	** When Mindy and Homer are in his hotel room and she tells him it's up to him to decide what to do, they share a brief kiss. There's a new establishing shot of the building to show that some time has passed and Homer is seen looking up at a lingerie-clad woman visible from the neck down. The woman sits next to him on the bed and her face comes into the frame, revealing herself to be Marge, not Mindy. The way the scene is framed to briefly throw the viewer off pretty much single-handedly led to the more cynical fan theory that Homer really did cheat with Mindy and imagined Marge in her place to cope with the guilt: Marge's lingerie is the same color as the dress Mindy was wearing in the prior scene.
19	* BecomingTheMask: Homer's guardian angel reacts with genuine surprise when Homer tells him Kinch had a radio in the coffee pot, forgetting he isn't really Colonel Klink.
20	* BigEater: Mindy loves to eat just as much as Homer, but she somehow avoids getting fat.
21	* BilingualBonus: When Homer is trying to read the message on his hand which has been smeared by his sweat, he unknowingly [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namu_Myoho_Renge_Kyo chants a Japanese Buddhist mantra]].
22	* BirdsOfAFeather: Homer and Mindy are drawn to each other by similar priorities and interests in contrast to the OppositesAttract dynamic of Homer and Marge.
23	* {{Bizarrchitecture}}: The nuclear plant has an elevator that goes through a cooling tower and a door that leads outside right in the middle of it.
24	* BlanketFort: When Homer goes to Capital City with Mindy to attend an energy convention, the bellhop assumes that Homer & Mindy will be getting it on.
25	-->'''Bellhop:''' TV's there...bathroom's there...and there's your king-size bed for...''[wolf-whistles, makes a cat noise, imitates a bed squeaking, purrs, pants, barks, howls, twiddles his lips]'' Hubba hubba!
26	-->'''Homer:''' Stop that! I love my wife and family. All I'm gonna use this bed for is sleeping, eating, and maybe building a little fort.
27	* BorrowedCatchPhrase: Mindy does Homer's drooling sound.
28	-->'''Homer and Mindy:''' [[SpeakInUnison Mmm...foot-long chili dog]].
29	** "Can't talk. Eating."
30	* BrickJoke: The turkey behind the Capitol City hotel room bed and the creepy bellhop return in the final scene.
31	* BuffySpeak: When Dr. Hibbert turns Bart into a nerd:
32	-->'''Bart:''' ''[In a Jerry Lewis-esque voice]'' Ay! I feel so much better, Mr. Medical-Science-Type-Person.
33	* TheBurlesqueOfVenus: Homer briefly fantasizes Mindy as this, clamshell and all, with Carl and Lenny as a pair of cherubs accompanying her.
34	-->'''Cherub Lenny:''' Homer, what's the matter?
35	-->'''Cherub Carl:''' Ain't you never seen [[StealthPun a naked chick riding a clam]] before?
36	* BusinessTripAdultery: Homer and Mindy are asked to represent Springfield at an energy convention in Capital City. They receive a fully funded night in a hotel and a romantic dinner. When they return to the room, and he's almost about to give into the temptation, he notices the T-shirt with a comically stretched picture of Marge he had made earlier that he's wearing jiggling and what sounds like her disapproving grunting coming somewhere nearby, he yells "It's a sign! AAAAH!" and runs from the hotel room, revealing that the grunting sound and the jiggling were both caused by a janitor running a floor polisher outside their room. After explaining the situation to her when he returns, Mindy understands, and they share a kiss. We then see Homer and Marge together in the same hotel room sometime later, happy together and confident in their marriage.
37	* ButtMonkey: Bart when he is forced to become a nerd. Even after returning to normal, he still gets beaten up.
38	* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes: The final scene has this when Marge finds the turkey behind the bed and Homer turns the light off. Homer sings to Marge while only their eyes are visible in the pitch black, then the eyes of the bellhop appear and he starts making the same sex and animal noises he made earlier when showing Homer the room for the first time. Homer's eyes go angry and he punches the bellhop in the face, causing one of his eyes to disappear.
39	* CaligulasHorse: Aside from hiring an illegal Iranian immigrant worker and forcing a missing Brazilian soccer team to work at the plant, Burns also hired a duck named "Stewart" as a low level employee who tows nuclear waste (he also berates it to "get back to work!" when it briefly stops to catch its breath). This may be less outright insanity and more Mr. Burns's cheapness combined with a callous disregard for life. Later in the episode, Burns is scanning the security monitors trying to find a pair of employees who are ''not'' currently fighting with each other to send as his representatives to a convention, not only is the duck seen fighting another employee, he's ''winning''.
40	* CaptainObvious: Bart sees his reflection in Milhouse's glasses and is shocked to discover he is a nerd. Milhouse sees ''his'' reflection in ''Bart's'' glasses and is shocked to discover the same thing.
41	* ColdTurkeysAreEverywhere: The universe itself seems to be conspiring against Homer in his effort to keep his distance from Mindy: Mr. Burns sends them on a business trip together, where they're improbably crowned king and queen of an energy convention, an honor for which the prize is a mandatory romantic evening out. The bellhop at the hotel points out the sexual use of his king-sized hotel bed, and a fortune cookie at the restaurant tells him "You will find happiness with a new love" ([[CutawayGag the last such fortune cookie the restaurant had, after which they break open the "Stick with your wife" barrel]]).
42	* CompressedVice: When Homer tries to enjoy time with his family in order to stop thinking about Mindy, they're all in a particularly off-putting state; most notably, Marge has a bad cold (which she's over before the end of the episode) and Bart, per the B-plot, is undergoing several simultaneous medical treatments that make him look like a nerd.
43	* ContrivedCoincidence:
44	** The doctors keep finding things wrong with Bart in an amusingly short time of each other. Then again, it could be chalked up to Bart's [[ButtMonkey bad luck]] in this episode, or the doctors simply prescribing a bunch of remedies even if they're not something he actually needs.
45	** Every teacher at Springfield Elementary parks their car within seconds of one another, causing all of them to be stuck in their cars thanks to Bart's prank.
46	* CouchGag: The family sits and realizes the couch is on the set of ''Series/TheLateShowWithDavidLetterman''. David spins in his chair to face forward at his desk.
47	* CuttingCorners: The RunningGag concerning the lack of safety at Springfield Nuclear Power Plant continues, with Homer and some of his friends discovering the hard way that the emergency exit doors are ''painted onto the walls''. Burns also mentions that the uranium shields don't contain real lead!
48	* DeusExMachina: No satisfactory explanation is given for how Carl, Lenny, Charlie, and Homer managed to escape the toxic gases; the scene simply {{Smash Cut}}s from the danger scene to Burns's office.
49	-->'''Charlie''': Well, sir, I won't bore you with the details of our miraculous escape...
50	* DelayedDiagnosis: Bart, with lazy eye, which gets corrected. When he confesses that he's struggling to see the writing on the blackboard, Edna throws out the possibility that ''all'' of his academic problems and acting out up to this point may have been caused by a "simple vision disorder." ([[StatusQuoIsGod It's never brought up again]], so presumably she was wrong.)
51	* DisproportionateRetribution:
52	** Mr. Burns's response to someone charging room service to the company? Unleash the winged monkeys! Fortunately for Homer and Mindy, [[FlawedPrototype they can't fly.]]
53	--->'''Mr. Burns:''' Continue the research.
54	** There's also his act of sending Charlie to somewhere in North Africa simply for requesting a ''genuine'' emergency exit. Dr. Hibbert also almost does this to Marge when asking her if she has insurance, making the tube go away when she says she does.
55	** There's also his keeping a missing Brazilian soccer team as slave labor simply because their plane had the misfortune to crash on his property.
56	* DistaffCounterpart: Mindy '''Simmons''' is a female Homer, except attractive. She likes cheeseburgers, a quick nap before lunch, foot-long chili dogs, whipped cream straight from the can, raspberry swirl doughnuts with a double glaze, drinking Duff beer, watching TV, and roasted anything. Mindy also has a tendency to drool like Homer when thinking about food and even uses his "Mmm..." catchphrase.
57	* EvenNerdsHaveStandards: Even Martin Prince gets in his two cents on Bart's new look.
58	-->'''Martin:''' Your appearance is comical to me!
59	* EveryoneHasStandards: Lenny and Carl lament that with a woman around the office now, they'll no longer be able to pull off any fun pranks. Homer chimes in that he'll no longer be able to "pee in the drinking fountain." Lenny and Carl's disappointment quickly turns to shock and disgust.
60	* FanDisservice: {{Invoked}} when Homer tries to ThinkUnsexyThoughts and imagines Patty and Selma in towels shaving their legs as well as Barney Gumble in a bikini. It then becomes {{fanservice}} when he starts thinking of Mindy in a bikini and being blown a kiss.
61	* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: Homer's guardian angel appears to him in the form of UsefulNotes/IsaacNewton, "a man you would recognize and revere." When he realizes Homer has no idea who Newton is, he instead takes the form of [[Series/HogansHeroes Colonel Klink]] -- which he ''really'' didn't want to do.
62	-->"COLONEL KLINK, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?"
63	* FreudianSlipperySlope: Homer and Mindy have an awkward moment with each other in an elevator:
64	-->'''Mindy:''' I guess we'll be going down together. I mean, getting off togeth-- I mean...\
65	'''Homer:''' That's OK, I'll just push the button for the stimulator. I mean, elevator.
66	* FromBadToWorse: Homer tries to get to know Mindy to prove his attraction to her is simply physical. Unfortunately, he learns she's basically his DistaffCounterpart (albeit a gorgeous one) and the two are perfect for each other.
67	* FunWithAcronyms: H.M.O. - Hibbert Moneymaking Organization.
68	* GracefulLoser: When Homer confesses his feelings for Mindy but also says that he does truly love Marge as well, Mindy urges him to think about what he really wants. When he decides to remain with Marge, Mindy is shown as being okay with this, and she and Homer part as JustFriends.
69	* HumanNotepad: Homer writes what he wants to say to Mindy on his hand ("Mindy, because of our uncontrollable attraction, I think we should avoid each other from now on") but when he actually meets her, his nervous sweating renders the writing illegible.
70	-->'''Homer:''' Mu- Murphy! Yous... you are a elf... uncontrollably... I think...
71	** Another coworker with a giant hand passes Homer writing down [[IResembleThatRemark a long essay complaining of jokes about his hand]].
72	* IHaveThisFriend: Homer realizes that he has a crush on Mindy. He brings it up at Moe's by mentioning his fictional "friend", Joey-Joe-Joe-Junior Shabadoo. Of course, the ''real'' Joey-Joe-Joe is in the bar at the time, and [[InelegantBlubbering runs out in tears]] when Moe says that it's "the worst name I ever heard". Then Homer just admits his problem.
73	-->'''Homer:''' You see, I have this friend called Joey... Jo-Jo... Junior... Shabadoo.
74	-->'''Moe:''' That's the worst name I ever heard.
75	-->''(A man at the end of the bar gets up and runs out of the bar, crying)''
76	-->'''Barney:''' Hey, Joey Jo-Jo!
77	-->'''Homer:''' Oh what the hell, it's me!
78	* ImpossibleHourglassFigure: Mindy has one. You could speculate she must exercise a lot, given the amount of junk food she eats.
79	* InconvenientAttraction: Homer falls in love with Mindy, much to his chagrin. It is heavily implied that Mindy doesn't want to be attracted to Homer either. In the end, Homer ultimately chooses to stay faithful to Marge, which Mindy accepts—she leaves after sharing a kiss with Homer, and Marge later shows up to share a romantic evening with Homer.
80	* InstantlyProvenWrong: Burns caves into pressure to hire a woman, but he insists he stands by his hiring policy. Then a duck in a hard hat pulling a cart waddles by, only stopping to groom himself.
81	-->'''Burns:''' Get back to work, Stuart!
82	* IResembleThatRemark: When Homer writes something he wants to remember to say to someone (Mindy) on his hand, we see a couple of other power plant employees who have done the same thing, including a guy who's prepping to finally tell people off for making jokes about his giant hand. He's written what appears to be a full-fledged essay on the subject.
83	* ItsAWonderfulPlot: Hilariously subverted. Homer is visited by his guardian angel, who initially appears to him as Sir UsefulNotes/IsaacNewton. When Homer fails to recognize him, he instead shows himself as Colonel Klink of ''Series/HogansHeroes'', and shows Homer what the world would be like if he had never married Marge; Homer is a millionaire and is HappilyMarried to Mindy from the plant, and Marge is President of the United States (and her approval rating is soaring). Oddly enough, the angel seems to consider this state of events ''worse'' than the "real world" -- probably because the angel's remit is to make sure that Homer doesn't cheat on Marge now, and this example doesn't really help his case. Homer doesn't get the message and instead spends his time asking "Klink" if he knew about the tunnels under the camp and the radio in the coffee pot. But he manages to stay faithful to Marge on his own.
84	* KickTheDog:
85	** Burns tells Smithers to throw a notepad at Charlie for suggesting a real emergency exit.
86	** The bullies beat up Bart for "learning on his own" skateboarding, implying they were taught. And again even though he's no longer a nerd, they just want to beat him up.
87	* KleptomaniacHero: Homer, on arriving at the hotel in Capitol City, starts stealing stuff from the hotel. Echoed by Mindy a moment later. He also steals a pack of pens a day from work.
88	-->'''Homer:''' Free mouthwash! Free shampoo! Free shower curtain!
89	* LackOfEmpathy: Everyone in the opening scene, starting with Homer apparently killing a man as a prank, and then with everyone else showing no real concern as the man beats desperately against the safety glass....until the glass fails and they realise the only emergency exit is painted on. Charlie is admonished by Burns for being an EntitledBastard when he meekly asks to tend to this health hazard.
90	* TheLadette: Mindy is essentially a female version of Homer (except she's slim and attractive). She loves drinking beer, watching TV, and eating junk food. She also drives a motorbike.
91	* LameComeback:
92	** During the opening scene, where Bart repainting the parking spaces at Springfield Elementary leaves the teachers trapped in their cars, Principal Skinner comes out with one of these:
93	--->'''Principal Skinner''': Blast it, woman, you parked too close! Move your car!
94	--->'''Mrs. Krabappel''': I'm in the line! You got a problem, [[MommasBoy go tell your mama!]]
95	--->'''Principal Skinner''': [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Oh don't worry, she'll hear about this!]]
96	** More of a lame addition to a pile-on, but has the same effect:
97	--->'''Sherri and Terri:''' ''(to Bart)'' Nice glasses, four-eyes!
98	--->'''Nelson:''' ''(also to Bart)'' Yeah, nice shoes...uh, two-feet!
99	* LaserGuidedKarma:
100	** For interrupting Homer and Marge at the end of the episode, Homer punches the bellhop in the eye.
101	** Homer and his co-workers play a possibly lethal prank on another plant worker, voicing apathy to him suffocating since they're at least behind the safety glass. Then said "safety glass" fails to hold the chemical gas and they discover their emergency exit is just a painting.
102	* TheLastTitle: The name of the episode.
103	* LookBehindYou: Homer does this to Lisa. She initially doesn't fall for it, until Homer tells her he's "100% completely serious".
104	* LoveAtFirstSight: Homer ends up hallucinating upon meeting Mindy for the first time.
105	* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Homer hallucinates upon seeing Mindy, and later drives backwards.
106	* MisfortuneCookie: While Homer and Mindy are having dinner at a Chinese restaurant, Homer gets a fortune cookie that says "You will find happiness with a new love". Then it turns out he would have gotten another that says "Stick with your wife" as all the fortune cookies come in one barrel.
107	* MistakenForGay: Lisa, on hearing Homer singing about Mindy, suggests as an alternative that he's singing about a man named Andy.
108	* NegativeContinuity: The episode states that the plant has no women working at it [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain due to Burns refusing to hire any]]. Except, while the majority of the workers shown are male, women ''have'' been shown working there before; indeed, [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E7MargeGetsAJob an episode just the previous season]] was about Marge getting a job there.
109	* NeverGetsFat: If Mindy has eating habits like Homer (as she’s seen eating a donut), she would have been as fat as him. Surprisingly, she’s [[MsFanservice not]].
110	* NiceGirl: Mindy is a sweet woman. She very clearly likes Homer and respects his decision to stay with Marge despite her obvious heartache.
111	* NoodleIncident: Homer and his buddies are in a situation where they are trapped in a room with toxic gases coming at them from all sides. We then cut to Mr. Burns' office with Charlie saying, "Well, sir, I won't bore you with the details of our miraculous escape..." It's subverted as we know how the men got in that mess (In fact, they caused it!).
112	* NoOSHACompliance: It's an episode focusing on the nuclear power plant, and that means at least a few gags along these lines. This includes the revelation that glass meant to keep out poisonous gas doesn't work, and the emergency exits are painted onto the walls. Burns alludes to the idea that the plant's radiation shield doesn't use real lead, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking the toilets don't have any urinal cakes]].
113	* NotEvenBotheringWithAnExcuse: The bullies add Bart to their roster of victims during the two weeks that he's a "nerd." After his medical treatments wrap up, he stuns them by showing up looking normal again, confident in his immunity.
114	-->'''Bart:''' Gentlemen, [[ThatManIsDead the nerd you knew is dead]]. Beat me and you will be beating one of your own.
115	-->''({{Beat}})''
116	-->'''Nelson:''' Whatever. ''(They attack him.)''
117	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: The usually somewhat selfish and very short-sighted Homer actually deals with his attraction to Mindy in a surprisingly mature way, doing everything in his power to avoid her so that he can maintain his loyalty to Marge.
118	* OhCrap: Homer's expression when he sees Mindy trying to 'think unsexy thoughts' just like he was and realizing his beautiful new coworker is just as attracted to him as he is to her.
119	* OhGodWithTheVerbing: When Bart gets his throat sprayed, he begins to talk like Creator/JerryLewis in ''Film/TheNuttyProfessor1963''.
120	--> '''Bart''': Hoy! Thanks, nice lady, my voice is crazy with the spraying already!
121	* OverlyLongGag: The bellhop's numerous sound effect euphemisms for Homer and Mindy having sex. He (or at least his eyes) appears later when Homer and Marge are getting frisky to make the same sound effects, but Homer punches him.
122	* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Mr. Burns abducts Brazilian football teams that crash land on his property and makes them work on his plant, he'll hire ''ducks'' to haul nuclear waste, but he won't hire women.
123	* RealJokeName: When asking Moe for advice, Homer claims it's [[IHaveThisFriend on behalf of a friend of his]] named Joey Jo-Jo Junior Shabadoo. After Moe insults the name, a man runs out of the tavern crying, with Barney calling after him "Hey! Joey Jo-Jo!"
124	* RecognitionFailure: Homer's guardian angel appears to him [[AFormYouAreComfortableWith in the guise of Newton]], assuming that Homer would recognize him. Homer does not, so he transforms himself to Colonel Klink from ''Series/HogansHeroes''.
125	* RetargetedLust: Homer makes a point of trying to get in some quality time with Marge after his UncomfortableElevatorMoment with Mindy, but she has a bad cold and fails to pick up on his advances. He's more successful at the end.
126	* RiddleForTheAges: How did the employees escape the gas that was threatening to kill them?
127	-->'''Charlie:''' Well, sir, I won't bore you with the details of [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome our miraculous escape]]...
128	* RuleOfFunny: The end of the elevator scene, in so many ways.
129	* SarcasticClapping: Homer hears this in his head when he lies to Lisa upon being caught singing about Mindy, telling her that he's in a Broadway musical.
130	* SelfFulfillingProphecy: It's only Homer's sincere effort to take the MundaneSolution by suggesting he and Mindy keep their distance that gets him sent to the energy convention with her. The short speech he wrote on his hand gets smudged so badly he can't read it, and as he's trying to sound it out Burns catches him and Mindy together on the monitor and decides that this "camaraderie" is just what the convention needs, since literally every other employee is currently engaged in beating each other senseless.
131	* SexSells: [[ColdTurkeysAreEverywhere One ad]] Homer sees while trying to distract himself with TV features female athletes running [[MaleGaze with a series of close-up shots on their breasts and thighs]], while a breathy female voice says "Just ''do'' it!" He runs out of the room and leaves a confused Marge to watch the rest of the ad, which turns out to be a PSA about ringworm self-examination.
132	* ShipperOnDeck: Several characters seem to approve of Homer and Mindy as a possible couple despite Homer’s marital status. It's partially because of this that Homer feels like he has to have sex with Mindy.
133	* ShoutOut:
134	** Mr. Burns has [[Film/TheWizardOfOz winged monkeys]]. They can't fly.
135	--->''(Sighs)'' [[FlawedPrototype Continue the research.]]
136	** Homer imagines Mindy as Venus in the painting ''''Art/{{The Birth of Venus\|Botticelli}}'''' by Creator/SandroBotticelli.
137	** The angel showing Homer what life would be like if he would marry Mindy and leave Marge is a shout-out to a similar scene in ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife''.
138	** In the vision the angel shows, Homer is rich and has a butler named [[Literature/JeevesAndWooster named Jeeves]].
139	** The hidden den of nerds welcomes Bart as one of them with a cry of [[Creator/StanLee "Excelsior!"]]
140	* SimpleMindedWisdom: Barney gives Homer some very thoughtful and sensible advice for dealing with his attraction to Mindy, surprising even Homer. Then it's {{Subverted}} when it turns out he just got it word-for-word off [[WisdomFromTheGutter a bar napkin]] [[ContrivedCoincidence that happened to apply to the situation with absurd specificity]].
141	-->Your infatuation is based on a physical attraction. Talk to the woman and you'll realize you have nothing in common.
142	* SpaghettiKiss: Homer and Mindy eat two ends of a hot dog and end up kissing each other, much like ''WesternAnimation/LadyAndTheTramp''.
143	* SpecialGuest: Creator/PhilHartman as Lionel Hutz; Creator/MichellePfeiffer as Mindy Simmons; Werner Klemperer as Colonel Klink.
144	* SpiritAdvisor: Homer is faced with being attracted to another woman. A guardian angel of sorts tries to advise and first takes the form of Isaac Newton. As Homer has no idea who that is, his advisor then takes the form of Colonel Klink.
145	* StealingFromTheHotel: Homer excitedly tears down the shower curtain in his hotel room, [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike then overhears Mindy doing the same thing in the adjoining suite]].
146	* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: Both Mr. Burns and Dr. Hibbert use a suction tube on hapless victims (Marge is spared because she has insurance). Also, Homer and Mindy try to not react upon the attraction by thinking the same thing.
147	* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: When Homer, Lenny, and Carl were moaning about the things they couldn't do at work with a woman around, Homer mentioned peeing on the drinking fountain. Noticing their reactions, he lamely tries to deny he ever did that.
148	* SympatheticAdulterer: Or almost, at any rate. The commentary goes into some detail about how they were very careful to portray Homer and Mindy's attraction to each other as something that neither of them actually wanted, so both could be kept sympathetic.
149	* TakeThat:
150	** A double-sided one where Homer and Mindy holding their own in the energy convention against anti-nuclear hecklers. On the heckler's side, they make it perfectly clear they hate nuclear power for what it's done in the world. Whilst on Homer and Mindy's side, they are just doing their job and refuse to take crap from the hecklers.
151	---> '''Heckler #1:''' Thanks for poisoning the planet, bastards!
152	---> '''Mindy:''' Get bent!
153	---> '''Heckler #2:''' NO MORE CHERNOBYLS!
154	---> '''Homer:''' GO TO HELL! (hits the heckler [[CrazyPrepared with a brick]].)
155	** The brief scene before it (which is often edited in syndication) where a fossil fuel goon beats up Hans Moleman and co-opts his solar energy stand.
156	* TemptingFate:
157	** As they watch another co-worker get overwhelmed by poisonous gas, Carl assures everyone else that they're protected by the safety glass. The gas then effortlessly passes through the window.
158	** Homer says he has no reason to worry about going with Mindy to a convention for as long as the two of them have no moment alone. Cue the two of them being declared "King and Queen of Energy", and given a romantic dinner alone at the sexiest restaurant in town, with no ability to opt out.
159	* ThinkUnsexyThoughts: The TropeNamer. When Homer ends up in an elevator with Mindy, he tells himself to "think unsexy thoughts" and imagines first Patty and Selma wearing towels and shaving their legs in the bathroom, then Barney in a polka dot bikini drunkenly humming the theme to ''Series/IDreamOfJeannie''. It doesn't work, as Barney morphs into Mindy. Homer then snaps out of it and witnesses Mindy telling herself to "think unsexy thoughts".
160	* UncomfortableElevatorMoment: Homer and Mindy get stuck in one of these. Even worse, the elevator is so small that they're jammed together in physical contact. When thinking of unsexy things fails, Homer opts to jump out of the elevator... only to wind up outside sliding down the plant's cooling tower.
161	-->'''Homer:''' Wahhhhhhhhhhhh [[CasualDangerDialogue see you tomorrow!]]
162	* UnwantedGlassesPlot: Bart not only gets thick glasses but also oversized shoes and a spray that makes his voice sound more nasal than usual. He originally went in for just the glasses, but the optometrist noticed something wrong and recommended Marge take him to another specialist. And so on, and so on, dealing with a wide variety of disorders including strep throat, flat feet, and a dry scalp. It's debatable if he really needed any of the extra treatments or if the doctors were faking since the medical practice they worked for was named [=HMO=] Hibbert Moneymaking Organization.
163	* VocalEvolution: When Homer's guardian angel takes the form of Colonel Klink, Werner Klemperer reprises the character. His performance is noticeably different here than in ''Hogan's Heroes'', with a deeper voice and his accent barely audible. This is because Klemperer had forgotten how to perform Klink's voice by this point, and he relied on a voice director trying to imitate the vocalisations of the original.
164	* WhatIf: Homer is shown what would have happened if he married Mindy instead of Marge. Homer and Mindy live in a mansion and are apparently happy and Marge is president!
165	* WolfWhistle: The bellhop does this to Homer twice, along with hubba-hubbas, and lip fingering. The second time Homer punches him in the eye.
166	* WomenAreWiser: [[DistaffCounterpart Mindy]] evinces all of Homer's key traits ''except'' his [[TheDitz stupidity]]. (Well, [[FemalesAreMoreInnocent and his meaner tendencies]], [[SexyDimorphism and his body mass index]].)
167	* YourTelevisionHatesYou: Homer struggles with being tempted by Mindy and then seeing Marge sick as a dog. He tries to distract himself with the TV. He sees Kent Brockman promote a historical special about presidential affairs (''Hail to the Cheat''), a nature documentary about flies that have multiple sex partners with "virtually no guilt", and finally a gorgeous woman working out to the tagline of "Just do it." Homer runs screaming from the room at that one, while we see it was just a commercial for ringworm examinations.

Context Recap / TheSimpsonsS5E9TheLastTemptationOfHomer