Homer's Enemy - Hit or Miss?

That doesn't mean he didn't perform the gesture. The question was asked so I gave an answer, regardless of the intent.



I agreed until that last sentence where it felt like you were mocking me.



I'm not arguing that he didn't bring it onto himself. I felt pity because he could have been a nice guy if things worked out differently for him.



All his life. That's why I couldn't enjoy the episode, especially when he died and had "Grimey" on his tombstone which continued the "he can never win" vibe.



I'm not denying he didn't bring it on to himself. If someone tries hard at something (and it really shows) and it doesn't bring in success, I'm going to feel sympathetic for the person. Here, the acts overshadowed the attempts at humor they were going for.



I wouldn't argue against that. There is definitely something said about how people balance work and play.
 
The episode is a hit simply because of it's unique concept -- a bitter, humorless man tries unsuccessfully to cope with a fantasy-like cartoon universe -- which is executed very well and leaves plenty of room for debate on several levels.

That said, I detest seeing cruelty and humiliation passed off as humor, and thus this isn't anywhere close to being amongst my favorite Simpsons episodes. But this is a rare example of schadenfreude humor coming across as layered and thought-provoking (as opposed to being cheap, hurtful and unfunny).
 
Simply put, Homer's actions in this episode, along with his actions that indirectly caused the death of Maude Flanders, were 2 of the key factors in my decision to stop watching the show.
 
I really enjoyed this episode. I felt bad for Homer, because he wanted Grimes to respect him, but Grimes was so jealous that he couldn't do it. I laughed my butt off at the part when
Grimes went nuts and shouts, "I pee on the seat! Give me a promotion!":anime:
 
The characters on The Simpsons are completely immune to acid ("The goggles do nothing!" anyone?). Homer has fallen into Toxic waste, exposed to radioactive rays, and brushed his teeth with plutonium. I doubt drinking acid would have done anything to him, outside of turning his face red.

I also have to agree I didn't feel sorry for Grimey at all. I mean, is it any wonder he doesn't have any family or friends yet Homer does?
 
I'm in the love camp myself. Personally, I sided with both parties in this episode- Frank Grimes for constantly feeling like he's worked hard for nothing (and getting blamed for things that weren't his fault), and at the same time for Homer because he was just trying to impress Grimes and because of his uncaring nature, he was shunned. The whole episode was all about miscommunication and a commentary on how stupid people can make it by accident, and I thought they melded quite well.

BTW, for a really across-the-map set of reviews, check out this page: http://www.snpp.com/episodes/4F19 . You're right- people either love or hate this episode; there's really no inbetween.

This was also brought up in that link I posted- if you make fun of death, is there a line they won't cross? Personally, I never really found that line funny, but it was more out of confusion than being offended. I just couldn't see people laughing at (or with, whatever) someone snoring at a funeral. It was so surreal, which I guess fit in with the different tone of the episode.

Also, about Maude's death... there was a few brief periods in that episode where they handled the death quite well (like Ned defying God by not going to church, or Bart actually befriending Rod & Todd), but unfortunately they were overshadowed by Homer's quest to make a dating video.
 
"Some have said this episode is a representation of how Americans actually work (Homer and plant crew) and how Americans SHOULD work (Grimes). I don't know if I'd go that far with the symbolism, but it is interesting to think about, at least."

I would agree with 'Some'.

"I'd say the defeatist attitude is what kind of hurts the episode as satire. Satire's supposed to challenge the status quo,"

Precisely why i like satire, except like in this instance when it says we should just accept life's problems. You might as well not recognize them and go back to sitcoms about happy families in suburbia called the Flintjets whose biggest problem is that their neighbor likes to think he's got a better car than them.

"That doesn't mean he didn't perform the gesture. The question was asked so I gave an answer, regardless of the intent."

I'm on Turner's side on this one.

"The episode is a hit simply because of it's unique concept -- a bitter, humorless man tries unsuccessfully to cope with a fantasy-like cartoon universe -- which is executed very well and leaves plenty of room for debate on several levels.

That said, I detest seeing cruelty and humiliation passed off as humor, and thus this isn't anywhere close to being amongst my favorite Simpsons episodes. But this is a rare example of schadenfreude humor coming across as layered and thought-provoking (as opposed to being cheap, hurtful and unfunny)."

Rating this episode based on it's script and it's intelligence i'd give it a 10/10, but i don't see why they couldn't have Grimes be the winner, or at the very least have the viewers sympathize with him rather than Homer. I'm not saying Homer is to blame, but having a hard working chap unsympathized with seems downright... silly.

"He stopped Homer from drinking acid. "

Good point.

"I also have to agree I didn't feel sorry for Grimey at all. I mean, is it any wonder he doesn't have any family or friends yet Homer does? "

If you were in his situation how excactly would you go about getting friends? Precisely. It isn't his fault.
 
Grimey wouldnt even give Homer a chance though. Even when Homer made an effort to be a good worker, grimey still just laughed at his attempt. And while we're at it, Season 8 had to be the most controversial season, with lots of debate over eps like I&S&Poochie, Hurricane Neddy, My sister my sitter, A Milhouse divided, Homers Phobia, and of course, this episode.
 
I personally enjoyed this episode. Yes it was rather dark and you feel for Grimey in that he worked so hard and Homer manages to one-up him without trying. But then again, Homer was not being malicious in any way, he was being himself and that irked Grimey. If anything he did it unto himself. Because of him working his way through life, he had a chip on his shoulder. That chip created hostility toward people like Homer Simpson, and that made him crazy and doing things contrary to what others do. To be honest, he was too rigid and did not accept things as they are, and felt he was too deserving of everything. Then to see a character that events happen to him that bring him to do amazing things without even trying fills him with ire to the breaking point. I don't blame him for disliking Homer, but to do such things to him like the Power Plant contest and not even accept his good nature and hospitality did not help his position in life. In the end it made him insane and killed himself in a way that Homer probably would know not to do.

On another note, the Simpsons episode "The Great Louse Detective" should not even exist. How is it related to "Homer's Enemy"? Watch it.
 
His attempt wasn't exactly spectacular...

Homer is a bad worker, let's face it. He's the typical average American who works a small amount for a lot of money, and Grimes is a hard worker who gets nowhere. As much as you can defend Homer these facts still remain, and are why i believe this episode to be a disgrace.

Hmm... I liked Poochie. Hurricane Neddy i'd have liked if it weren't for that hilarious but silly sequence with the new house hallway shrinking to such a preposterous degree, i mean come on... Homers Phobia asn an episode i suppose was allright but softened his character too much imo. A Milhouse Divided i didn't much care for and My Sister My Sitter i absolutely hated because of how unfair it was. To Lisa. And that's saying something considering how much i usually side with Bart on these things and despise Lisa.
 
The Simpsons have always been like that, though. This episode just happened to put that philosophy to the forefront. Life isn't all sunshine and smiles, and the Simpsons is one of the few shows to admit that, which helps the viewer relate to it easier. The difference is that characters like Homer try not to let it get them down and push forward even if things aren't going well. People like Grimes sit and stew because things aren't going their way and complain when others do better. If you let those feelings sit, it can only hurt.

And given the nature of 'ironic' and 'satiric' humor nowadays, I wouldn't put it past them to attempt 'superirony' humor here. When it comes to Oakley & Weinstein, always assume everything is intended.

He tried his hardest. Just because his hardest wasn't as good as Grimes' hardest, it doesn't give him the right to mock him.
 
It was kind of the same way with Frank Grimes, though. I seem to recall laughing throughout the episode, but the ending with Frank Grimes being buried, and Homer sleeping while saying "Marge, change the channel" and Lenny saying "That's our Homer!" was way too dark. I mean, I know Homer's lazy but to sleep at Frank Grime's funeral made him seem like a total jerk.



Hmmmm...am I the only one who's getting really introspective while reading this thread? I'm thinking back to how hard I worked in law school. I stayed home and studied while my classmates went out drinking. And of course, many of those classmates got jobs right away because of friends and family, while the hard worker, me, has struggled for a year to find a job. It makes me realize that I should have spent less time working hard and more time developing relationships with others. Of course, I'm not sure if this reflects positively or negatively on the episode at hand. Probably negatively, since if that's the lesson it was trying to teach it obviously didn't stick.
 
I voted a hit. In comparison with the Scully era or most of the Al Jean era, this episode is a classic! Homer was not a jerk in this episode, he was just being Homer Simpson.:)'

Felt sorry for Frank Grimes, though.
 
Which actions, exactly? The worst things he did in this episode, that I can think of, were being annoying (in a friendly way) and being tired at a funeral. I don't see the problem.

In fact, I'd say one of the key points in this episode is just how docile Homer is. He does nothing good to earn what he gets, and he does nothing malicious to acquire them either. He just sits there and lets stuff happen. And going along with that, he didn't have to do anything to Frank Grimes, he just sat there and let Grimes kill himself.
 
Hit! One of my favorite and most interesting episodes from the whole show, simply because even though I can relate to Grimes more then I can relate with Homer, I still sympathise more with Homer.

About the funeral joke, I do agree that the Simpsons crew went a bit to far, but I really didn't felt sorry for Grimes.
 
For me, it wasn't really ruined until the weaker later seasons started playing "Let's keep calling back to earlier seasons" and we got things like the episode Grimes' illegitimate son born through a prostitute. That to me was when it started to get nasty, partly because the less talented writers were going "Me too!" like someone who butts in on a conversation and started dragging down good episodes with questionable sequels. There was a similar joke where Homer needed to wear his black suit again, found a programme for Grimes' funeral in it and we get a supposed joke of him asking "Whatever happened to that guy?"



I can relate to that. I'm no social dynamo and I know people from my degree course who didn't show up 80% of the time, but had secured a job before the three year course was even finished, mainly through friends and family. That's why it is easy to feel for Grimes to point because he had to struggle alone and worked hard for every meager achievement.
As many have said, this episode really does raise some serious questions about life, society and entitlement.
 
What you said about Homer being able to push forward kind of contradicts your point about The Simpsons having a defeatist attitude. Certainly episodes like Sideshow Bob Roberts or Lisa v. Malibu Stacy are solid examples of the type of satire I was talking about. Also, Grimes had pushed through a lot in life, though clearly that skill of his was reaching its breaking point in the end.

Homer in general is likable because when he does something wrong he's unaware of it and once he becomes aware he usually tries to fix things up. The only person he generally doesn't make up with is Flanders and since Flanders tolerates pretty much all of Homer's crap, it's understandable. Homer early in the episode when he's just trying to be Grimes' friend is strong characterization of Homer. Him leaving the situation entirely unaffected is a bit less believable. Marge, usually the voice of reason, actually supporting Homer's actions in the end is really what pushes this episode away from enjoyability for me.
 
Really great points brought up here, esspecially by Fone.

I've always loved the episode, but never put a great deal of thought into its meanings. It really does have a ludicrous number of equally valid interpretations.

I find the ep funny, but I find Homer's situation extremely sad. I myself would find him obnoxious in the real world, yet I don't relate to Grimes. Homer may be stupid and irresponsible, but he doesn't do it on purpose, and he's just honestly, innocently hurt to learn that someone hates him.
 
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