A Hero Sits Next Door (The Simpsons Guy)

A Hero Sits Next Door is the tenth episode in the first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons Guy. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 30th, 1999. The episode features the introduction of Joe Swanson, who would become a main character in the series. Homer must find a replacement player for an upcoming softball game. Homer eventually convinces Joe to play for the team after learning that he played baseball in college. When Joe shows up the following morning, Homer realizes that Joe is in a wheelchair. Joe turns out to be a great player, and the team wins the game. Homer becomes jealous of Joe and tries to become a hero. In a subplot, Lisa tries to get Joe's son Kevin to notice her.

Plot
At the Quahog Nuclear Power Plant, safety inspector Homer Simpson is working when his boss Mr. Burns introduces Guillermo, a ringer who will attempt to assist the company in winning the annual softball game. At home, Homer's wife Marge informs him of their new neighbors, the Swanson family, and wishes for him to make friends with them; however, Homer is not interested and leaves with Brian for softball practice. The regular pitcher is absent, so Homer fills in. He injures Guillermo with a wild pitch during practice and must find a new player to replace him or else he will be fired.

Meanwhile, Marge goes with her youngest son, Stewie, to meet the new neighbors. She is greeted by Bonnie Swanson and soon after meets her husband, Joe, while Lisa falls in love with Joe and Bonnie's son, Kevin, despite he being much older. When Homer comes home he is rude to the Swansons. Later that night, Homer thinks about who can replace Guillermo, and Marge, hearing her husband's dilemma, reveals that Bonnie told her that Joe played baseball in college. Hearing this, Homer goes to Joe and apologizes for his earlier behavior towards him, and convinces him to play on his company softball team. However, while Homer and Mr. Burns are waiting for Joe at the ballpark, they're horrified when Joe shows up in a wheelchair, as Homer hadn't realized at first that Joe's wheelchair-bound. However, despite his disability, Joe proves to be an excellent ballplayer and leads Homer's company's team to victory. That night, Joe has a celebratory party in his house, where he reveals that he is a police officer who was crippled after fighting The Grinch on the roof of an orphanage and soon becomes very popular with the neighbors, including the Simpsons.

Joe's popularity makes Homer jealous, so Homer wants to be a hero too. He attempts to stop a bank robbery to compete with Joe's heroism. Homer and Brian are taken hostage in the process, but Joe convinces the robbers to surrender. An applauding crowd hoists Joe away in praise, leaving his wheel chair empty. Stewie tries to unlock the "power of the wheelchair," but Marge manages to remove him and puts a pacifier in his mouth, so he quickly falls asleep. After the hostage situation, Homer is disappointed, but his family consoles him by telling him that he is their hero.

Cast

 * Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson, Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers
 * Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson
 * Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson
 * Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson
 * Seth MacFarlane as Stewie Simpson, Brian Simpson, Glenn Quagmire
 * Patrick Warburton as Joe Swanson
 * Jennifer Tilly as Bonnie Swanson
 * Jon Cryer as Kevin Swanson
 * Mike Henry as Cleveland Brown, Cleveland Brown, Jr.
 * Alex Borstein as Loretta Brown
 * Harry Shearer as Ned Flanders
 * Maggie Rosswell as Maude Flanders
 * Hank Azaria as Moe Szyslak, The Grinch
 * Michelle Kwan as Herself

Source

 * 1