Mindy Simmons: Homer's temptation

A redhead who loves beer, donuts and TV: Springfield had never produced a temptation so precisely calibrated for Homer Simpson.

The most surprising part is what he did with it — nothing. A look back at one of the show's subtlest episodes.

Who is Mindy Simmons?

Mindy Simmons is an employee at Springfield's nuclear power plant. Her hiring has a delicious origin: the Department of Labor catches out Mr. Burns, who had never hired a single woman. She really appears in only one episode, "The Last Temptation of Homer" (1993) — whose title parodies The Last Temptation of Christ. Marge had her own temptation a few years earlier, over at the bowling alley, in the shape of a certain Jacques.

🎳 Before Mindy came along for Homer, there was Jacques for Marge, and it happened at the bowling alley: if you ever hit the lanes in rental shoes, slip your feet into our Simpsons socks first.

Homer's female double

What makes Mindy irresistible to Homer is not seduction: it is that she resembles him point for point. She loves beer, donuts and television. A genuine female double. A telling production detail: the showrunner had every scene removed in which Mindy came across as flirtatious. The secret of the episode, in his words, is that Homer and Mindy are simply two good people.

The temptation… and the faithfulness

Sent to a conference together, the two colleagues end up in a hotel room. And contrary to a persistent myth, Homer does not cheat on Marge: he declares his faithfulness to her, the two exchange one small kiss, and Mindy leaves. Another common confusion: the famous romantic scene set to Barry White does take place in that room… but with Marge, who has come to join her husband. The best gag is elsewhere: the fortune cookie tells Homer "you will find happiness with a new love" — but the kitchen had run out of those cookies, and the next one would have advised him to stay with his wife.

💡 The candles at the conference dinner never sparked anything between Homer and Mindy; at your bedside, our Simpsons lamps take over where candlelight leaves off, minus the dripping wax.

What becomes of her?

The character is then written out of the show, in a single line dropped the following year: she is said to have hit the bottle and lost her job. In the original version, Mindy is voiced by Michelle Pfeiffer — her very first animation voice role, for which the entire writing staff came down to the studio.

🔑 A single line the following year was all it took for Mindy to lose her job at the nuclear power plant; your own work keys, though, stay safely hooked onto our Simpsons keychains.

The couple intact

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Summary table

FAQ

• Who is Mindy Simmons?
  An employee at the nuclear power plant, Homer's female double, who becomes his great temptation for the length of a 1993 episode.
• Does Homer cheat on Marge with Mindy?
  No: in the hotel room, he declares his faithfulness to her. The two exchange one small kiss, then Mindy leaves.
• Is the Barry White scene with Mindy?
  No: it is with Marge, who has come to join Homer in the same room. It is a very common confusion.
• What becomes of Mindy?
  The character is written out of the show the following year, in a single line: she is said to have sunk into drink and lost her job.

Conclusion

Endearing, funny and far subtler than it looks, Mindy Simmons gives The Simpsons one of its most adult episodes. Proof that the show can tell a story about faithfulness without an ounce of moralizing.