The episode begins with Otto driving the school bus while under the influence of drugs, leading him to disappear with the bus. This causes concern among the parents and school officials, who hold a meeting to decide whether children should be forced to be driven to school by their parents or allowed to walk. The decision is made to let the children walk to school. During this meeting, Homer accidentally volunteers to become a school crossing guard.

At the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, Homer discovers that his safety workstation is a fake; his co-workers do not trust his abilities, so the real safety console is operated by Lenny. This realization makes Homer feel powerless and unimportant.

On his first day as a crossing guard, Homer is mocked and laughed at by the children he is supposed to protect. While distracted by their teasing, he notices Ralph Wiggum beginning to cross the street unattended. At the last moment, Homer leaps into the street and saves Ralph from being hit by Barney's car, preventing a serious accident.

Homer's heroic act is reported by Kent Brockman, making Homer popular with the children and the town. Mayor Quimby, impressed by the news, allocates funding to pay Homer and to hire more crossing guards. Homer becomes the chief of the crossing guards and recruits other underdog townspeople to join the team.

With the new power and funding, Homer and his crossing guards begin to control the crosswalks strictly, even preventing Chief Wiggum from crossing the street without their permission. Moe's Tavern becomes a hangout exclusively for crossing guards, and when Principal Skinner arrives to inform Homer about the upcoming science fair, bake sale, and picture day at Springfield Elementary, he is chased out because he is not a crossing guard.

The next day at the school, the simultaneous events cause chaos and gridlock. The crossing guards are overwhelmed and unable to manage the influx of people and cars. During this chaos, a chemical mishap involving the science fair materials causes an explosion of "elephant toothpaste," resulting in significant damage to the town.

At a town meeting convened to address the disaster, Homer defends himself by blaming the lack of sufficient funding for the crossing guards. The townspeople support Homer's claim, and despite Chief Wiggum's protests, Mayor Quimby agrees to increase the crossing guard budget without limit.

Emboldened by the increased funding and power, Homer begins to abuse his authority. He demands free meals at local restaurants, threatening the waitress Francine at Brunchausen by Loxy. He also outfits the crossing guards with weapons and SWAT gear, escalating their presence and intimidating the townspeople.

When Mayor Quimby attempts to reduce the crossing guard budget by 1.5%, Homer retaliates by producing a smear advertisement against Quimby. Marge reads the comments on the ad and notices multiple death threats directed at the mayor, realizing Homer's actions are putting Quimby in danger.

Suddenly, Chief Wiggum throws Homer's chair through a window, signaling the start of a confrontation. Homer and Wiggum agree to settle their conflict at Springfield's most dangerous location, the six-way intersection.

As the confrontation escalates, Otto returns driving the school bus and crashes into Homer, knocking him down. The police choose not to arrest Otto for the incident. Homer is taken to the hospital, where Lisa expresses hope that Homer will learn from the experience.

At the end of "Homer's Crossing," Homer and Chief Wiggum confront each other at Springfield's most dangerous six-way intersection, leading to a chaotic fight between the crossing guards and the police. The conflict escalates until Otto returns and hits Homer with the school bus, sending Homer to the hospital. The episode closes with Homer recovering in the hospital, and Lisa reflecting on the consequences of militarizing the crossing guards.

The ending unfolds as follows:

After Homer becomes the chief of the crossing guards and arms them with weapons and SWAT gear, the crossing guards begin to pose a danger to the townspeople. Mayor Quimby initially funds the crossing guards generously, but when he decides to cut their budget by 1.5%, Homer retaliates by releasing a smear campaign against Quimby. Marge reads the threatening comments the ad has generated and realizes Homer is putting the mayor in danger.

Tensions rise, and Chief Wiggum, upset by Homer's abuse of power, throws Homer's chair through a window, signaling a direct challenge. Homer and Wiggum agree to settle their dispute at the town's most dangerous location: the six-way intersection.

At the intersection, a chaotic battle erupts between Homer's militarized crossing guards and the police force led by Wiggum. The fight escalates with both sides clashing violently in the street, creating turmoil in Springfield.

Just as the conflict reaches its peak, Otto unexpectedly returns driving the Springfield Elementary school bus. In the chaos, Otto hits Homer with the bus, knocking him down and effectively ending the confrontation.

The episode concludes with Homer lying in a hospital bed, recovering from the accident. Lisa visits him and delivers a poignant statement about the dangers of militarizing the crossing guards, encapsulating the episode's message.

Regarding the fates of the main characters involved at the end:

• Homer is hospitalized after being hit by the bus but survives. His role as the militarized crossing guard chief ends with this injury.
• Chief Wiggum remains opposed to Homer's overreach and is instrumental in confronting him, but he does not suffer serious harm.
• Otto returns unexpectedly and inadvertently causes Homer's hospitalization by hitting him with the bus.
• Marge is concerned about Homer's behavior and the consequences of his actions but is not directly involved in the final confrontation.
• Lisa provides the closing reflection on the episode's events from Homer's hospital bedside.

This detailed ending highlights the escalation of power and conflict resulting from Homer's new role, culminating in a physical showdown and a cautionary note about the consequences of militarization and abuse of authority.

The Simpsons Season 35, Episode 1 titled "Homer's Crossing" (2023) does not have a traditional post-credit scene. After the main episode concludes with Homer waking up in the hospital and Lisa hoping he learned a lesson, the episode ends with Homer imagining his family as nails and himself as a hammer, deciding he must "hammer the nails." There is no additional post-credit scene or tag beyond the ending credits.

The episode's ending credits play out normally without any extra scenes or post-credit sequences, as confirmed by available episode summaries and video of the ending credits. Earlier drafts of the episode included a fantasy scene that was cut, but this was not restored as a post-credit scene.

Therefore, "Homer's Crossing" concludes with the final hospital and family metaphor scene, followed by standard credits, with no post-credit scene.

The Simpsons Season 35, Episode 1, "Homer's Crossing" is generally family-friendly but carries a TV-14 rating in the U.S., indicating it may be more suitable for older children and teens rather than very young kids.

Potentially objectionable or upsetting content includes:

• Mild violence: Homer is hit by a school bus during a confrontation, which is portrayed in a comedic but somewhat intense manner.
• Mild profanity: There are a few uses of mild swear words such as "screwed," "ass," "dammit," and mild religious exclamations like "God" in vain and "hell" twice.
• Mild sexual content: Some mild sex jokes and scenes occur, though nothing explicit.
• Mild alcohol, drugs, and smoking references: There are mild references to these themes, including a subplot involving Otto taking drugs.
• Mild frightening or intense scenes: Some scenes may be mildly intense or frightening for sensitive viewers, mostly related to the chaos caused by the crossing guards and the fight sequence.

Overall, the episode contains typical Simpsons humor with some mild adult themes and cartoon violence, making it suitable for family viewing with parental guidance for younger or sensitive children.