R&R Homer's Enemy

[Mr.]

MY FAVORITE EPISODE!!!!

First of all it's very, very, very funny! Every single joke works and you don't see coming sow many of them it's unpredictable enough to enjoy multiply viewings. The ending made me almost cry from laughing the after the first time I saw it. I just enjoy this sort of black comedy.

Second of all – I actually find it to be very relatable. In fact I relate way more to Homer then I relate to Frank in this one. To me the reason Grimes hated Homer wasn’t because he had a better house ect. (those things didn’t came up until 2/3 of the episode) but because un-like Frank Homer never cared about his problem and while Grimes spent every second of his life hard-working, Homer spent his time enjoying life and yet he got just as much as Frank if not more. I actually know people who’s lives are reflected by this episode – I know plenty of people who hate somebody, just because that person has the same problems but is “Hakunna-Mattata” all the time. Sad to say there where some points in my life, when I found out somebody hated me just for having a bit better life and not worrying about the same problems that person had, so I know how Homer feels, and to be honest it is a very difficult thing to comprehend. I also knows how it is to try be friends with somebody, but that person spite you for reasons you can’t control. You can’t force your self and change the way you are, just because there is somebody out there for having a happy life. The best you can do is not to brag about your luck when you are among those people but if a person hate you out of envy it won’t help too much.

I don’t find his behavior annoying at all (or out-off character for that matter) since he just trying to be friends with Grimes and acts very sympathetic for most of the episode. I read some people seeing that Homer who is aware of having a great life isn’t Homer to them any more (like the article on blog abut so-called “Zombie Simpson”) but to be honest… I LOVE THIS HOMER A WAY MORE!

Ow, and the sub-plot was lot of fun as well.

By far most memorable and quoted episode for me! LOVE-IT!

[AdrenalinDragon]

My favourite episode of all-time! So many memorable quotes and jokes, as well as an awesome subplot, and Frank Grimes getting annoyed by Homer and finally going insane at the end is still the funniest moment in the entire run of The Simpsons for me. I don't think any episode will ever top this one. It's pretty much as close to perfection as you can get.

5/5

[leprechaun_dan]

Truly remarkable episode from my favourite season. 4.5/5 rounded to a 5. Homer at his best, and I don't care if the haters disagree. I just don't.

[Toomanygrandmas]

Here's 'Homer's Enemy', an episode that some fans really didn't like when it was first broadcast. I can see why, but...

...personally, I really liked it. It was a funny episode throughout, and Frank Grimes was an interesting one-time character. Normally I dislike it when characters act out of character, or act exceptionally in one way. In this case, Homer acts incredibly stupid. Yet I don't mind it, as I think it is necessary for Homer to act in this way, to highlight why Grimes, a man who has worked hard all of his life resents him. Homer's stupidity is also necessary for the episode, as it is one of Season 8's 'meta' episodes, similar to 'The Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie Show'. In this case, the episode is showing how unrealistic Homer's life is, considering his incompetence, and the episode shows how an outsider to the Simpsons world would react to Homer. Besides, I'd rather have Homer be too stupid, than be too much of a jerk.

The ending of the episode is pretty dark, but I found it to be a perfect ending, and one of the funniest in the entire series. As I said before, this episode is very funny, highlights being Homer's misguided attempts to win over Grimes, and how everyone else finds Homer's ignorance charming, whilst Grimes is infuriated by it. My only issues with this episode is the subplot that didn't really go anywhere, and sometimes Homer's stupidity (whilst necessary) got a little irritating. Other than that though, I loved this episode.

5/5 A

[The Governor]

Here's 'Homer's Enemy', an episode that some fans really didn't like when it was first broadcast. I can see why, but...

No, you can't. Unless you've seen the show IN ORDER without the later day episodes to dilute you viewing experience, this episode was the episode that Flanderized Homer's stupidity, IMO. (The jerkass theory people here are wrong, as he isn't a jerk, but his stupidity was put on a pedestal to contrast Grimes's real worldness.)

[The Governor]

haha what?

fuck the opening Flintstones parody of Marge vs. the Monorail, it brought about the decline of the show!!!!

Which in his moment of gleeful ignorance, winds up hitting a chestnut tree.

So, his life STILL sucked.

EDIT: Here come the replies. (ducks out of the way)

[Nebuchanezzar]

i've always thought that both the complaints about homer's stupidity, and the inevitable lowering of grades, were problematic. if a criteria for writing a good simpsons episode were to exist then i think it would contain the following principle:

*ensure that any extreme is backed up by the context which surrounds it.

in other words, don't go to an extreme unless its justified within the story or series. the question about homer's enemy ought not to be whether homer's stupidity is problematic in and of itself; it ought to be whether homer's stupidity is justified by the surrounding episode, and to some extent, the series.

i strongly feel that virtually no subject ought to be off limits for a show like the simpsons. any rule which specifies otherwise would be incredibly limiting and harmful. this rule is not arbitrary, for the flexibility of the show has both been consistently applied and defended by the show's producers (groening and mirkin in particular). i say virtually because there are some subjects which the simpsons ought to steer clear of. those off-limits subjects are off-limits, not because of any arbitrary rule, but because they wouldn't be consistent within the show. an example:

1. "masturbate sixty times a day" (the father...holy guest star)
2. "i can't even say titmouse without giggling like a school girl." (homer badman)

i stole that particular example from jafar (in the holy guest star r&r thread). the point i'm making is that the former is only problematic because it's inconsistent with the latter. things are only problematic in the simpsons when they're inconsistent with what's already been developed in the series. obviously, an episode which develops consistent with an already problematic episode inherits a problematic nature.

next, an episode becomes problematic when it deviates from the trajectory specified by its own developments. a good episode will feature a plot which flows from what's already known within the plot, and a bad episode will do the opposite. in other words, developments in an episode ought to be consistent with what's already happened in that episode. an example:

"let's all try to get some rest. [falls asleep]" (kill the alligator and run)

this line is (somewhat) problematic because the reason homer was in florida was because of his insomnia. george meyer (i believe) acknowledges this problem in the KTAAR commentary track.

last, these two general principles can be overridden by the premise of the episode, as long as that premise is consistent with those two principles. in other words, a character can act in an exaggerated manner if that character is acting in accordance with the principle of the episode. an episode's premise is only ever justified if, again, it's consistent with what's already been developed in the series. even better (for me at least), this very idea happens to be consistent with the experimental episodes in the series present from day 1, and embedded in the very nature of the show itself.

these principles can be applied all over the board, from plot, to joke, and to an exaggerated vision of homer's stupidity. this is where homer's enemy comes in.

---

homer's stupidity in homer's enemy is problematic only when it's not:
a) consistent with previous episodes
b) consistent within the episode itself
c) consistent with the premise of the episode

the question then, is whether homer's stupidity in homer's enemy violates any of those three principles.

is it consistent with previous episodes? yes, but perhaps not so much with the bucket of water.
is it consistent within the episode itself? yes. homer's actions are all well reasoned within the episode itself.
is it consistent with the premise of the episode? yes. and what's more, the premise of the episode (concerning self-satire, self-parody and self-examination) is entirely consistent with the spirit of the simpsons. thus, the exaggerations - which i'd argue are quite small - in homer's character are permitted.

---

homer's enemy is probably one of the most thoroughly thought out episodes in the entire series, and it's entirely consistent with the spirit of the tv show developed throughout the eight years prior.

anyone who disagrees with me shall have their disagreements handled in a manner similar to how frank grimes handled that beaker full of acid.

[Nebuchanezzar]

and it's also very funny...

[leprechaun_dan]

Amen, Nebuchanezzar, Amen

[DotheBartman]

IMO Homer isn't actually out of character or even that much dumber than usual in this episode at all; it's just that for presentation's sake it's more amplified and sustained than usual. Which may or may not be part of what Bill Oakley was trying to get at.

Nothing he does in the episode actually strikes me as all that terrible compared to normal. He actually wants to be Frank Grimes' friend and isn't mean to him (intentionally, that is) at all. He's mean to him ony in the clueless, insensitive way that he is when he had always frequently been to people up to that point, even to his own family (resting his beer can on Bart's head and not realizing there was anything wrong with doing that). Even almost drinking acid isn't really all that dumb by his standards; I could think of about a hundred dumber things he'd done by then, a lot of them potentially as fatal.

It's just that there's quite a bit of it throughout the episode. And it's specifically and constantly pointed out by the rare sane character who actually notices and is bothered by it as we, the audience, actually should be and would be in real life despite having come to accept it almost as casually as Lenny and Carl. The acid drinking follows right on the heels of probably four or five similarly dumb things right before. So it's much more noticeable anyway on top of being explicitly pointed out and commented on by an external force, and it's sustained in a way that it usually isn't.

To some extent I can understand the complaints about this. One of my least favorite episodes of Futurama is "A Pharaoh to Remember," which some have deemed a "Jerkass Bender" episode. What I've realized about that episode, though, is that Bender doesn't actually do anything that wouldn't normally be characteristic of him; it's just that it's piled on so much and sustained through the whole 22 minutes of the episode (and he learns no lesson, despite the episode asking us to sympathize with him even during his worst cruelty to others). It eventually grates and makes me hate him even though in any normal episode and as an isolated gag I would probably be perfectly happy to laugh at and casually accept (in that Lenny and Carl way) him cruelly whipping Fry and Leela. Or whipping Zoidberg, as he did in another episode.

I think Homer's Enemy is completely brilliant. But I think the controversy is thanks to two perhaps understandable reasons: One, Homer's stupidity (if not meanness, as with Bender) is sustained and amplified so much in order to get across the point of the episode, not in an OOC way so much as one that grates in the same way that spending an hour with a rude relative or neighbor is probably a lot harder to deal with than 15 minutes. And two, the episode calls such direct attention* to the fact that a real life Homer Simpson, even in seasons 1-8, quite often wouldn't be all that likable or sympathetic at all, and yet we had all trained ourselves to accept him as such when watching the show. Sometimes the truth hurts.

*(I'm aware that many people didn't specifically "get it," at least not until commentaries and other statements from those involved clarified it. However, Grimey's insistence and the sustained nature of Homer's idiocy and boorishness make the point "Homer actually isn't that likable" clear even if the "meta" and self-referential element does not specifically come across. And I think this bothered many fans in the same way that "Seinfeld" point out that "um, actually, all the characters you've been rooting for are sort of assholes" bothered a lot of people.)

[Nebuchanezzar]

i did a quick scan of the thread and of the moments listed, the only one that seemed to approach a worrying level of stupidity/ignorance was that bucket of water bit. even if you rationalise it through the idea that "homer consistently sleeps on the job, thereby endangering lives etc.", there's still a potentially worrying amount of stupidity, or even consciously dangerous behaviour going on there.

but again, i'm pretty okay with that as long as those more worrying moments are justified by the (unproblematic) premise of the episode itself. in this case, that moment is, so it's okay.

[DotheBartman]

I mean, even that's not that abnormal considering how negligent Homer really is at his job. Matt Groening has even stated that from the beginning he liked the idea of Homer working in a place where he could potentially destroy the town with his own stupidity. I think in most any other episode people would have accepted it.

It's just that it happens in the same episode as (and, I think, within minutes of) him cluelessly eating Grimey's lunch, and chewing his pencils, and almost drinking the acid, and drinking three beers at lunch and falling asleep, and...

It's just more sustained, is all. Given that it's a plot point. And so naturally it becomes more grating to someone inclined to be bothered by it in larger doses than usual, even though honestly the episode is probably pretty representative of how Homer would (or a "real" person like Homer would) go about his day, albeit without the meltdowns that would probably ensue more often in reality.

[The Governor]

I think Homer's Enemy is completely brilliant. But I think the controversy is thanks to two perhaps understandable reasons: One, Homer's stupidity (if not meanness, as with Bender) is sustained and amplified so much in order to get across the point of the episode, not in an OOC way so much as one that grates in the same way that spending an hour with a rude relative or neighbor is probably a lot harder to deal with than 15 minutes.

Given the fact the acceptable range of Homer's behavior these days goes from being in a coma to something resembling Jason Statham's chracter from "Crank." Even Oakley said this "Homer" in H.E. isn't the same "Homer" (the fairly normal Homer) from Lisa's pony to the "ridiculously-boorish world-famous glutton" in H.E. Sadly, it's becoming more and more difficult (but I try!) to define what Homer "is" because to everyone else, Homer is just an idea with very little boundaries anymore.

And two, the episode calls such direct attention* to the fact that a real life Homer Simpson, even in seasons 1-8, quite often wouldn't be all that likable or sympathetic at all, and yet we had all trained ourselves to accept him as such when watching the show. Sometimes the truth hurts.

I'm not sure about other people, because I'm not other people, but this implies the critics of this episode were looking for 100 percent realism and forgot they were dealing with a TV show. People compare tend to compare Homer to what he's become, not an arbitrary "What if he was REAL human being?" I don't care if Homer is or isn't likable as human being, I only care if Homer is likable as a character on a TV show with moderate doses of realism and empathy.

[DotheBartman]

I don't really give a shit about episodes post season-8 anyway so it doesn't affect my opinion of this episode one way or the other. We all know by now that those range from decent to terrible in the handling of the characters. I'm comparing him only to the Homer of other classic episodes, which at this point are about the only episodes I've even watched in the last five years or so.

Even Oakley is acknowledging that at times before this episode Homer would sometimes become the "ridiculously boorish world-famous glutton." It's just that Homer is that character through the whole episode rather than the fleeting moments of scenes during which he would have normally been that character up until then. (Even then, I think Oakley's being just a tad harsh; there are a number of episodes before this one in which Homer's stupidity is pretty well-sustained, just not quite to this degree perhaps.)

Part of the genius of The Simpsons - the "Simpsons" that I still give a shit about, this is - is that I can identify and sympathize with a character as truly awful as Homer Simpson. If I met him in real life, I would hate his guts within about 30 seconds. He is indeed boorish, idiotic, recklessly impulsive, and often rude and mean-spirited. If I saw someone strangling their son as he so often does to Bart, I would instantly call the cops, yet while watching the show I can not only casually laugh it off like Lenny and Carl would but actually accept as sincere a father/son bonding moment not 30 seconds later, as I do in, say, "Radio Bart."

BUT, I think Homer's Enemy is also genius for pointing out this inherent absurdity. It's actually probably one of the most realistic and even human episodes of The Simpsons ever, simply for showing what the actual consequences would be for the mere existence of a Homer Simpson and how a reasonable person would actually react when confronted with him (or the rest of Springfield) in real life. And on top of it all, he's still likable to me in this episode, because he's so lovably clueless about what's going on and obsessed with making things right with Grimey. It's hilarious and endearing, and even pretty identifiable and human, even though I'd want to strangle him in real life. And this is all while the episode is hilariously demonstrating how ridiculous it is that I don't want to strangle him, and don't in the preceding 8 seasons. It's genius.

I'm much the same way with Bender in general, by the way. "Pharaoh" admittedly does bother me because his cruelty is so sustained, but the reality is that here is a character who in other episodes regularly steals, lies, cheats, freely insults and attacks others, and arguably comes to close to outright murdering or at least endangering the lives of others on multiple occasions without caring that he's doing so. And I find him to be such a hilarious and lovable character that I actually named my dog after him. But I love it when a show can actually deconstruct it's own universe and characters and point out what we love about those things and what we logically actually shouldn't love about them but do. Especially when, as in Homer's Enemy, it's done completely in-universe without any of the cheeky overt self-references that were done so many times before and afterward. There are a few other sitcom episodes I love that do some similar things (there's an episode or two of The Office in which the absurdity of how things go "back to normal" by the end is seemingly consciously played for laughs, and in one of my favorite It's Always Sunny episodes they go back to square one by literally throwing the new character out of a moving car), but no show has done it as ingeniously as The Simpsons did with this episode.

[TheForbiddenDonut]

i think i may hate Homer's Enemy now

[The Governor]

BUT, I think Homer's Enemy is also genius for pointing out this inherent absurdity. It's actually probably one of the most realistic and even human episodes of The Simpsons ever, simply for showing what the actual consequences would be for the mere existence of a Homer Simpson and how a reasonable person would actually react when confronted with him (or the rest of Springfield) in real life. And on top of it all, he's still likable to me in this episode, because he's so lovably clueless about what's going on and obsessed with making things right with Grimey. It's hilarious and endearing, and even pretty identifiable and human, even though I'd want to strangle him in real life. And this is all while the episode is hilariously demonstrating how ridiculous it is that I don't want to strangle him, and don't in the preceding 8 seasons. It's genius.

And we've reached the point that I can't agree with anyone who think this episode was "human"--Frank Grimes wasn't a 'reasonable,' 'normal' guy, he was a human cipher of bad luck who was just as unrealistic, and unlikable as Homer, only he was the guy who was getting (overly) crapped on this time. Never mind Homer was getting crapped on in the past, even in episodes where he won awards, went into space, or met former presidents. All of them ended poorly for him, but in this episode, the writing gods decided he should win an award and rub in Frank's face how great HIS life is.

But the bottom line is:

1. I get this episode was a philosophical "experiment" to put a 'real' person in a job with Homer.
2. I don't consider Grimes a 'real' person, but a caricature of a real person on the same absurdity scale as Homer, just on the other side of the fence.
3. Before this episode, Homer's life was one failure after another, in this episode he was a product of unmitigated success, (unintentionally) rubbing Frank's face in it.
4. Oh, and this:

"Rather, I think we were supposed to enjoy it with a kind of removed,
bemusedly philosophical attitude. We're supposed to laugh at the
surreality of The Simpsons world, where lazy idiots like Homer do seem to
do just fine, no matter what. So much so, that if any person with real
integrity were somehow transferred to that world, he would go mad and
self-destruct with frustration, while the town would just continue to be
its goofy, cartoon self which we all take for granted each week."

^^^I've understood this point since the episode first aired, however, IMO, H.E. is one of those episodes, while not being shit terrible like the current batch of episodes, is one of the those silly O&W "experimental" episodes that should have never been made. The other being TPaTP.

i think i may hate Homer's Enemy now

One down, 10,342 to go. :P

[DotheBartman]

No episode of The Simpsons is strictly realistic, but I'm speaking in relative terms. By definition, Homer's Enemy isn't all that realistic because it's transferring Grimes into the surreal, unfair world that the show already operates under week to week. It's realistic in that it actually shows what the consequences of this world and specifically of Homer's existence would be (for one, workers would regularly be killed or injured at the plant). I was thinking last night about this one relative to even something like Bart on the Road - which for the record I think is a great episode - and how all the Homer/Lisa scenes are played as sweet and accepted as such by the audience, but pretty much everything Homer is showing his daughter about his workday is profoundly terrible. Like, more than worthy of firing, especially given his position at the plant. People could die due to him not paying attention, not changing the lights, etc (and this is in a relatively mild episode). Homer's Enemy is merely showing the actual, natural consequences.

Grimey is realistic insofar as he still exists within the warped world of The Simpsons. His (hilarious) continual bad luck is unrealistic, but it makes sense in the context of the world that he's operating in. In a world where a Homer Simpson can win grammys and hang out with presidents and go to space, an honest, hard-working guy like Frank probably WOULD be down on his luck most of the time (as, I would add, Lisa often is). More so even than in real life. His reactions to this world might seem extreme but it's only the natural reaction that most anyone would have if we inhabited Springfield for a day. He does it for us.

[HRH Sir Prince Charles]

i think i may hate Homer's Enemy now

I'd love to hear why?

[leprechaun_dan]

i think i may hate Homer's Enemy now

Please don't.

DoTheBartman, I envy you.

[The Governor]

I think that was sarcasm.

[leprechaun_dan]

I really hope so.

[zartok-35]

Frank Grimes is a very sturdy and funny depiction of an archetypical colleague. Thats why I, and I immagine alot of other people, really like this episode. That, and the "I'm Homer Simpson" rampage, which is hilarious in and of itself. I'm not able to let anything Homer does in this episode bog my opinion down. It's not about him; it's about Grimey.

[Diversity Pumpkin]

Never mind Homer was getting crapped on in the past, even in episodes where he won awards, went into space, or met former presidents. All of them ended poorly for him, but in this episode, the writing gods decided he should win an award and rub in Frank's face how great HIS life is.

How did they end poorly for him? Homer got to meet Gerald Ford and they became best buddies, as opposed to the despute he had with Bush. The B Sharps lived famously, and had their well recieved comeback special. Homer got to go to space - enough said. Yeah, the carbon rod got the glory for saving their lives, but... Homer got to go to space!

I know you think Homer should be a loser and everything, and the writers pointing out that Homer's life actually is pretty good is somehow meta. Within the context of the show, Homer isn't supposed to be glorified, and even in this episode, it really wasn't. Nobody was saying, "Oh my god, Homer has a great life!", that was just Frank Grimes' interpretation since he was from the "real world".

Frank could have met with anybody and had the same reaction. Everybody has a good life in this show, all the way down to Moe. Going to space and meeting presidents is nothing for the people of Springfield. This was even referenced with Lisa's huge IQ, and Bart owning a factory. In The Simpsons universe, that's normal, and Homer is still considered a loser. Frank, however, sees differently. zartok-35 has the right idea; it isn't about Homer, it's about Frank Grimes.

[The Governor]

How did they end poorly for him? Homer got to meet Gerald Ford and they became best buddies, as opposed to the despute he had with Bush. The B Sharps lived famously, and had their well recieved comeback special. Homer got to go to space - enough said. Yeah, the carbon rod got the glory for saving their lives, but... Homer got to go to space!

Only because Barney had a relapse and as for the B-Sharps, Homer had fame but he felt empty without Marge and in the end, he would up right back at the plant.

This defining of Grime's existence of "He's a real person from the real world, but not really because he's only real IN CONTEXT of this conceptual episode!" is making my head spin! If you are all saying he's "real enough" to make this episode work, then I won't argue anymore. And, if you say he's real only in context to the Springfield in "Homer's Enemy", Frank's not really a 'real' character.

[Diversity Pumpkin]

Only because Barney had a relapse and as for the B-Sharps, Homer had fame but he felt empty without Marge and in the end, he would up right back at the plant.

This defining of Grime's existence of "He's a real person from the real world, but not really because he's only real IN CONTEXT of this conceptual episode!" is making my head spin! If you are all saying he's "real enough" to make this episode work, then I won't argue anymore. And, if you say he's real only in context to the Springfield in "Homer's Enemy", Frank's not really a 'real' character.

What do you mean? You're making it more complicated than it is, lol. Frank is what would happen if you put a real person in Springfield. Or are you confused because there's been "real" characters before? Up until Frank, none have really pointed out the absurdity of Springfield. Since then, they've all just played along and accepted things.

Also, is nohomers slow for anybody else? Like, when I type something, the text doesn't appear until a few seconds later.

[Diversity Pumpkin]

Also, slightly off topic, but Frank Grimes was luckier than he let on to be. Look at all the crap he survived through at the start of the episode. But what eventually killed him? Obsessing over the lives of others. GOOD MORAL etc. I'm not actually sure anybody's brought that up yet, but it's actually helped me in some real life scenarios.

[The Governor]

What do you mean? You're making it more complicated than it is, lol. Frank is what would happen if you put a real person in Springfield. Or are you confused because there's been "real" characters before?

Depending on the reply, Frank is either a realistic person thrust into a situation where he has to interact with Homer, or Frank is only somewhat more grounded than a typical character from Springfield. The second definition applies to the people who say "He's real in within the context of the episode."

[HRH Sir Prince Charles]

that's creating an arbitrary division... Frank is meant as an audience surrogate, that's the sense in which he's a "real character". The episode invites the viewer to contrast the world the characters are living in with their own, real world. Frank is less a character than a means to that end. Because Frank exists in the character's world, he obviously has exaggerated tendencies because it's the nature of that reality. But it doesn't detract from his purpose as a representation of the viewer.

[Nebuchanezzar]

Within the context of the show, Homer isn't supposed to be glorified, and even in this episode, it really wasn't. Nobody was saying, "Oh my god, Homer has a great life!", that was just Frank Grimes' interpretation since he was from the "real world".

but frank grimes is supposed to be sitting in for us, so the episode is necessarily making the point that we think homer's life is great too. it's not just frank grimes who's making this point, imo.

other than that, i agree with you. homer's life is pretty great. it all ends up going pretty right for him. after every example jake came up with to show that homer's life is shit, is something that inevitably proves that homer's life is actually pretty good. the carbon rod got the praise, but homer got to go into space (like you said). it's that cherry on top, or that sappy ending, that al jean (fairly) talks about fairly often, that accurately describes homer's life.

i do agree with jake though, in that the line "you wish!" is troubling. homer shouldn't be boasting about his life. he should be generally oblivious to its awesomeness (because that would be consistent with the show). the problem for jake is that with the exception of that one line, he is very much oblivious to it and doesn't boast about it. i mean, he doesn't even register what grimes' problem is. if he doesn't realise that grimes doesn't like him because he has such an awesome life, how can he purposefully boast about it? he can't, and he doesn't, with that one exception.

and although i can see how that one line might be problematic, i've never read it the way jake does. for me, it was something that just came out of his mouth, rather than being some kind of conscious effort to show grimes up. and in any case, it's just one line...

---

EDIT: the more disturbing complaint re homer's enemy, for me, is that it does something that the show ought to not have done. and that is to experiment with a character, or to push it in a certain direction which is different to the norm. the simpsons is the type of show which is built on that very idea! it's a cartoon, showing real people as grotesque yellow creatures - it's built on stretching things and toying with them! homer's enemy is what, if anything, the simpsons ought to be about! it would be inconsistent with the spirit of the show to argue otherwise.

that's what pisses me off so much when someone goes and bags out behind the laughter, or homer's enemy, or the principal and the pauper for being inconsistent with the show. yes, it's inconsistent in some ways, but what those episodes are trying to do is entirely within the spirit of the simpsons, and those episodes aim at exactly what the simpsons ought to take aim at. again, it is inconsistent with the spirit of the simpsons to avoid pushing the boundaries.

pushing the boundaries is never bad in and of itself, but when it's done poorly, it inevitably leads to horse shit episodes like the principal and the pauper, or that 90's show which ought to be faulted not for their premise, but for the shocking writing within.

[TheForbiddenDonut]

I'd love to hear why?

not hate exactly. none of my problems have anything to do with any dogmatic belief in what characterization should be or what trends it started or how it destroyed the show or whatever. it's basically just the way my artistic preferences have been leaning. if the rest of classic Simpsons is a beautiful satirical fiction then Homer's Enemy is just a straightforward parable, and while it gets a lot of praise for being a 'genius subversion' or whatever, it seems to me an episode that wears its message on its sleeve and couldn't be anymore simplistic. it's obvious, predictable, fatalistic, and it's one of the few episodes where the characters seem removed from being actual ficitonal characters to being simple mechanisms in a robotic device designed to impart a very basic and direct message about the nature of the Simpsons universe. and ok it's cool that it's a one-off thing, and yeah, it's kinda funny (not that funny), but it seems to me way overtouted for being brilliant when in reality it's just something that makes itself really easy to analyze and extract a meaning from. it's like downgrading from a Lubitsch comedy, seemingly superficial entertainment that is impeccably crafted with endless subtleties, to an empty Coen bros. puzzle box (ooh Barton Fink would be a perfect example) where everything stands for/represents some abstract something and once you 'figure it out' it's not that fun to go back to. and the whole 'who gives a fuck if Frank Grimes dies cuz he's simply a metaphoric construct who's supposed to be a thematic foil to Homer and really has no human value that we're supposed to give a shit about' is something i really just don't care for. it really is cruel and the [not half as complex or multi-layered as people think] 'meaning' doesn't make me dislike it any less. i just sort of can't stand stuff that forces you to keep a cool, intellectual distance from what's happening so that absolutely nothing within the diegesis matters at all save the overarching concept you're supposed to constantly be referring back to.