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The Simpsons episode
"Homer's Enemy"
200px
Frank Grimes declares himself an enemy of Homer.
Episode no. 176
Prod. code 4F19
Orig. Airdate May 4, 1997[1]
Show Runner(s) Bill Oakley
Josh Weinstein
Written by John Swartzwelder[2]
Directed by Jim Reardon[2]
Couch gag Bart turns lime green when he sits on the couch. Homer fixes the TV, only to make Bart appear red, and Homer slaps Bart on the head to make him appear in his normal way.[2]
Guest star Frank Welker as Executive Vice President Dog[2]
DVD commentary by Matt Groening
Josh Weinstein
Hank Azaria
Jim Reardon
SNPP capsule
Season 8
October 27, 1996 – May 18, 1997
  1. Treehouse of Horror VII
  2. You Only Move Twice
  3. The Homer They Fall
  4. Burns, Baby Burns
  5. Bart After Dark
  6. A Milhouse Divided
  7. Lisa's Date with Density
  8. Hurricane Neddy
  9. El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)
  10. The Springfield Files
  11. The Twisted World of Marge Simpson
  12. Mountain of Madness
  13. Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious
  14. The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show
  15. Homer's Phobia
  16. Brother from Another Series
  17. My Sister, My Sitter
  18. Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment
  19. Grade School Confidential
  20. The Canine Mutiny
  21. The Old Man and the Lisa
  22. In Marge We Trust
  23. Homer's Enemy
  24. The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase
  25. The Secret War of Lisa Simpson
List of all Simpsons episodes...

"Homer's Enemy" is the twenty-third episode of The Simpsons' eighth season and originally aired May 4, 1997.[1] It was directed by Jim Reardon and was written by John Swartzwelder.[2] After the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant hires a new man named Frank Grimes, Homer tries to befriend him. However, Grimes ends up hating Homer and declares himself Homer's enemy.[1]

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In an edition of "Kent's People", Kent Brockman tells the heartbreaking story about Frank Grimes "the man who had to struggle for everything he got in life." After watching the story, Mr. Burns is so touched that he demands Smithers find Grimes and hire him to be his Executive Vice-President. A day later, Burns sees a similar story about a heroic dog and demands it become the new Executive Vice President. Grimes is unceremoniously given a job in Sector 7G, working alongside Homer, Lenny and Carl. Grimes takes an immediate dislike to Homer, and is irked by his abrasive cheerfulness, poor work ethic and irresponsibility.

Meanwhile, Bart gets bored during a visit to Springfield town hall and buys "35 Industry Way" for a buck. It turns out to be a run-down old factory and gives Milhouse a job as night watchman. However, later in the episode, Milhouse is unable to prevent the factory from falling over.

At the plant, Grimes becomes increasingly annoyed by Homers antics: Eating Grimes's lunch, chewing Grimes's pencils, ignoring safety warnings and eating like a pig. Grimes saves Homer from drinking a beaker of sulfuric acid. The acid corrodes a wall and Mr. Burns admonishes Grimes for his actions but gives him a second chance and a reduced salary. An angered Grimes marches into Homer's work area and declares that he is now Homer's enemy.

In response, Homer attempts to invite Grimes to dinner at his house to get on his good side. This only fuels Grimes's hatred of Homer as he sees how Homer is able to live comfortably even after a life of sloth and ignorance. Grimes calls Homer a "fraud" and angrily storms away.

left|thumb|170px|Frank Grimes's last moments. In another attempt to earn Grimes's respect, Homer acts like a good model employee, but Grimes is less than impressed. He tries pointing out Homer's faults to Lenny and Carl, but they dismiss Grimes saying Homer is okay. Finally having had enough, Grimes decides to prove to the Power Plant how truly incompetent Homer is. To do so, he enters Homer in a nuclear power plant design contest without telling Homer the contest is for children only. Homer takes it as a challenge to prove that he's a professional.

At the design contest, Mr. Burns is won over by Homer's design and gives Homer first place. Everybody applauds Homer which causes Frank Grimes to finally snap and run amok through the plant, acting like Homer Simpson. Declaring that he doesn't need safety gloves, he grabs some high voltage wires and is immediately electrocuted. At the funeral, Homer falls asleep and asks Marge to change the channel causing everyone to laugh while Grimes's casket slowly lowers into the grave.[1][3][4][5]

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Production

left|200px|thumb|Frank Grimes goes insane after failing at an attempt to prove Homer's stupidity. During the Oakley/Weinstein era, they tried to have a couple episodes each season that "pushed the envelope conceptually."[6] The idea was first thought of by then-showrunner Bill Oakley who thought that Homer should have an enemy.[6] From there, the idea evolved into the concept of a "real world" character working alongside Homer and he either would love him or be driven crazy.[6] The result was Grimes, a man who had to work hard for everything and can't believe that Homer has so much yet does so little.[6] The episode examines what it would be like if a real life, hard-working man had to work alongside Homer. Homer Simpson is one of the most popular characters in TV history, yet he embodies many negative characterics. Yet Grimes, a "real American hero"[7] who embodies hard work and perseverance is seen as the "bad guy" in the episode.[7]

[edit] Frank Grimes

thumb|75px|right|Frank Grimes Hank Azaria provided the voice of Frank Grimes, but he originally thought that William H. Macy should do the role.[8] Normally such a role would have gone to a guest voice, however the producers felt this was a role that a regular cast member was more suited to do,[6] so Azaria provided the voice of Grimes, but modeled many of his mannerisms after Macy.[8] Frank Grimes was originally designed as a "burly ex-marine guy"[9] but he would later be modelled after Michael Douglas in the movie Falling Down[6] and director Jim Reardon's college room mate.[9] Josh Weinstein has expressed regret about killing off Grimes, saying that he was "such a great character".[6]

[edit] History

Abandoned by his parents when he was four, Grimes was a self-made man. He never had the chance to go to school. As a child, he found a job delivering toys to more fortunate children. On his 18th birthday, he was blown up in a storage silo explosion, although it was never explained why he was even at a storage silo (in the episode, a video clip is shown of Grimes running toward the silo and arriving at the precise moment of the explosion), after which he had to teach himself to hear and feel pain again. He studied science by mail and eventually earned a correspondence school diploma in nuclear physics, "with a minor in determination" as Kent Brockman described it (although this was nearly stolen by a bird when he received it).

After a lot of hard work, Grimes eventually could afford to buy a cheap apartment that was located above a bowling alley and below another bowling alley. Mr. Burns later saw his story on television, Grimes was recruited to become the executive vice-president of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant (SNPP). However, it took Smithers a day to find Grimes, and during that time, Burns saw a story about a heroic dog and immediately decided to hire the dog instead. Grimes was hired, but was forced to work in Sector 7-G with Lenny Leonard, Carl Carlson, and Homer Simpson.

He had suffered through the worst of life's obstacles, and was instantly outraged at Homer's laziness and lack of professionalism while working at the SNPP. Grimes was a dilligent and perfectionist worker who could not understand why Homer Simpson was not reprimanded and loathed for his lazy, incompetent actions.

Grimes soon became frustrated with the fact that, not only does Homer get away with an appalling amount of workplace offences (accidents doubling every year since Homer became the plant's safety inspector, and meltdowns tripling), but that he also seems to have achieved a more successful life through his laziness than Grimes has from his hard work. He observed that Homer's lifestyle has seen him obtain a wife, three children, two cars and a house, whereas Frank himself only has a briefcase and a haircut to his name. He consistently seems to be a victim of Murphy's law (also known as Sod's law).

After an attempt to humiliate Homer failed, Grimes finally "snapped". He began acting like Homer, imitating his moronic behavior. He stuffed himself with doughnuts, and neglected to wash his hands after using the bathroom. Then, he grabbed a live electrical wire without safety gloves while saying, "Ooh, look! Extremely high voltage! Well, I don't need any safety gloves, because I'm Homer Simpson!", fatally electrocuting himself. It is unknown whether or not this was intentional suicide or if he just got caught up in the moment.

[edit] References in later episodes

In the episode The Great Louse Detective, it was revealed that Grimes had fathered a son, Frank Grimes Jr., by a prostitute. When Grimes' son discovered that Homer had been responsible for his father's death, he attempted to kill Homer, but the Simpsons caught him with the help of Sideshow Bob (the police operating on the principle of 'set a homicidal maniac to catch a homicidal maniac').

Footage of Grimes's death in Homer's Enemy was used in this episode. Homer not only remembers Frank Grimes (although he thinks Grimes is still alive), but actually remembers details of his life when he says "Wait, Frank Grimes wasn't married".

Frank Grimes has since been mentioned or referenced in several episodes:

  • His tombstone appeared in the back of Mr. Burns' car after taking part in a scavenger hunt in The Seemingly Never-Ending Story. It also appears in the episode My Mother the Carjacker at Mona Simpson's "funeral", when Homer kicks over Grimes' tombstone in rage. It appears also in Alone Again, Natura-Diddily, during Maude Flanders' funeral, with tombstones of other previously dead characters. The tombstone reads, "Frank 'Grimey' Grimes", although in Homer's Enemy his tombstone just read, "Grimes".
  • In the episode Natural Born Kissers, Homer puts on his suit and finds the program to Grimes's funeral in the pocket, commenting to Marge, "[w]hatever happened to that guy?"
  • Also early in the episode The Great Louse Detective, in obvious (in retrospect) foreshadowing, Frank Grimes is listed by Marge as one of Homer's many enemies.
  • In the episode C.E. D'oh, Frank Grimes appears on the nuclear plant organizational chart above Homer but crossed out.
  • Frank Grimes Jr. appeared in a Simpsons comic as an insane lunatic in a prison forced to wear a straightjacket and a helmet that covers his face.

[edit] Reception

[[Image:Homers Enemy.png|right|200px|thumb|Homer shows off his Grammy Award during Frank Grimes's visit to the Simpson home.]] "Homer's Enemy" has been called one of the darkest episodes in the history of The Simpsons.[2] In a 2000 Entertainment Weekly article, Matt Groening ranked this episode as sixth favorite in the history of the show.[10] It is also a favorite of then-showrunner Josh Weinstein, who cites the scene with Frank Grimes in the Simpson home as being one of his favorite scenes,[6] and The Office creator Ricky Gervais who has called it "The most complete episode."[10]

The episode earned a 8.2/10 on IMDB,[11] 9.4/10 out on TV.com[12] and B- (2.51) on The Simpsons Archive.[4] The BBC website called it "one of the series' darkest episodes and ends on a real downer but is nevertheless also one of the wittiest and cleverest in ages."[2] Chief Wiggum's quote "Ralphie, get off the stage sweetheart" is used as the chorus in the song "Ralph Wiggum" by the Bloodhound Gang.[6]

When the episode first aired, many fans hated the it, calling it too dark and unfunny,[4] however the episode has since become a fan favorite.[6] In the commentary for the episode, Josh Weinstein mentions that this is one of the most controversial episodes of the seasons he show-ran because it is very observational humour and many fans "didn't get it."[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d "Homer's Enemy" The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on February 13, 2007
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Homer's Enemy BBC.co.uk. Retrieved on February 13, 2007
  3. ^ Martyn, Warren; Adrian Wood (2000). I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide. Virgin Books. ISBN 0-7535-0495-2. 
  4. ^ a b c Episode Capsule at The Simpsons Archive
  5. ^ Richmond, Ray; Antonia Coffman (1997). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to our Favorite Family. Harper Collins Publishers, p. 173. ISBN 0-00063-8898-1. 
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Weinstein, Josh. (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Homer's Enemy" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  7. ^ a b Turner, Chris. Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation, 99-106. ISBN 0-679-31318-4. 
  8. ^ a b Azaria, Hank. (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Homer's Enemy" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  9. ^ a b Reardon, Jim. (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Homer's Enemy" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  10. ^ a b Springfield of Dreams EW.com. Published January 14, 2000, Retrieved on February 28, 2007
  11. ^ Homer's Enemy IMDB. Retrieved on February 28, 2007
  12. ^ Homer's Enemy TV.com. Retrieved on February 7, 2007

[edit] External links

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