“Homer’s Enemy” is taken into account to be the darkest episode The Simpsons ever put out throughout its golden period, which is why it obtained a divided response upon airing again in 1997. The Simpsons churned out comedy gold week after week throughout its heyday within the Nineteen Nineties, however “Homer’s Enemy” stood out as a result of it portrayed each Homer Simpson and Springfield from a totally totally different viewpoint in comparison with what The Simpsons normally put out.

The episode introduces Frank Grimes, a nuclear physicist who has needed to combat and battle day by day to get the seemingly little he has in life. After getting employed by the Springfield Nuclear Powerplant, he meets Homer Simpson, who Grimes shortly dislikes resulting from one, Homer’s outright stupidity making him incompetent at his job, and two, Homer’s life being significantly better than Grimes, regardless of having completed little to deserve it. Upon declaring Homer his sworn enemy, Grimes tries to show Homer’s ineptitude, solely to understand the onerous means that he would by no means succeed.

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Homer’s Enemy Ends On A Very Darkish Be aware

In an try to show Homer as a fraud, Frank fools Homer into coming into a contest to design a nuclear powerplant, not figuring out that the competition is for kids. When Frank factors out Homer’s idiocy to everybody else attending the competition, not solely does it fall on deaf ears, however Homer wins, as everybody cheers him on. This causes Frank to have an entire psychological breakdown, deluding himself into appearing like Homer Simpson. In a surprisingly darkish twist, the episode ends with Frank by accident electrocuting himself to dying whereas appearing like Homer. Even for a present like The Simpsons, it is a bleak solution to tie up the Frank Grimes story in The Simpsons.

All through “Homer’s Enemy,” Grimes’ motivations are fully sympathetic. It is smart why he despises Homer due to how a lot Grimes has struggled regardless of his efforts, whereas Homer has completed a lot within the face of his stupidity. What’s worse, Homer’s antics have made issues tougher for Grimes. A lot in order that the darkish ending of “Homer’s Enemy” could be very off-putting when all of it ends along with his dying. Even worse, at his funeral, folks proceed to focus their consideration on Homer whereas ignoring Grimes’ coffin being lowered. Grimes’ story ending in such a mean-spirited style was fairly hanging.

Homer Simpson is often acknowledged as one of many greatest cartoon icons ever created. His appeal primarily stems from how simple it’s to giggle at his idiocy. But, “Homer’s Enemy” begs the query of what would occur if a traditional individual truly met Homer by way of Grimes. From another person’s viewpoint, it makes such little sense that somebody like him is handed a lot whereas others who’re extra succesful and smarter than him should earn it. Frank Grimes goes to point out that Homer is not as a lot of a punchline as a lot as he’s a harsh actuality.

“Homer’s Enemy” represents the unhappy however correct reality that individuals like Homer Simpson and Frank Grimes exist in the true world, displaying how really unfair life could be. That components into how divisive the episode could be in how disagreeable it’s to observe Homer, who was at all times the humorous middle of The Simpsons at its greatest, all of the sudden being seen in such a distinct gentle. It is also why Frank Grimes is often thought to be considered one of The Simpsons‘ greatest one-off characters.