I think another example of Frank Grimes being a completely normal person in the Simpsons world would be his voice. In the series, everyone has completely different and weird voices, with either different accents, tones, or pitches. Frank Grimes’ voice in all honesty is just Hank Azaria’s normal voice. That to me shows how he both stands out and fades in with all the other characters
As we found out in "HOMR" when Homer did do his job as Safety Engineer, he got the plant shut down. I think Burns tolerates Homer because Homer turns a blind eye to all the safety violations and keeps the plant open.
Remember that one episode where Homer is reading a Reader's Digest and Mr. Burns caught him on CCTV? Mr. Burns commented about the qualification of safety inspector in his plant is being an illiterate...
The line in Homer's Enemy that always hit me the hardest was "Frank Grimes, or 'Grimey' as he liked to be called..." A final insult, to be diametrically misrepresented in death. As someone who is frequently misunderstood in life, that line hurts my soul.
My favorite is when Frank Grimes says "Oh, I'm better than okay. I'm Homer Simpson!" and then Homer says "Ha! You Wish!". He can see that this man is having a horrible mental breakdown, but he is STILL extremely rude and casual.
@@PatchCornAdams723 Thing is, he probably didn't see him having a breakdown. Same way he didn't see that Grimes didn't like him and was annoyed by him. He probably thought that Grimes was just being Grimes, maybe making a joke he couldn't understand.
What’s so funny about that is every time I think of this episode and try to remember what the b plot was, that’s how I remember. Oh yeah, cause frank said the thing about the factory. Never once did he question how a ten year old could own and operate a factory, he was just so blinded by rage he took it immediately at face value. Could have asked two questions and realized Homer’s family didn’t have it together any more than anyone else did.
@@Zitro_0 Bart limited will rise again. Jokes aside, Homer was nice to Grimes. That opinion might be unpopular but I stand by it. 'Hey you seem like a good guy if you turn the security camera around, you can sleep and no one will ever know.' He was trying to be nice, in his own way, as soon as they met
@@A_massive_wog I didn't find it absurd, since Grimes had no idea factory was run down and basically abandoned. In his eyes Bart was owning functioning factory, with workers and such, having his own business at such young age.
God i remember watching this episode when I was like 11 and just feeling really...cold in the pit of my stomach. Its such a crushingly dark ending because the implications of it all are solely in your head, meanwhile the episode ends with everyone laughing at the funeral, giving no solace to anything that just happened. Frank not only killed himself, he also left no impact on any character in the show, any lasting memories of him are heavily slanted and short term. It upsets me more than any horror movie because it's a level of....cosmic indifference that just feels crushingly lonely and real.
I did too when I was a kid! It felt so mean spirited for no reason. But now I understand it more. Grimes' spite towards Homer who only ever wanted to befriend him even if obnoxious, hits different for me now. Homer was envious of Grimes too, adorably so, but never malicious. Still feels mean spirited, but I kinda get what the writers were going for.
@@fylm-frankieyounglovesmovi2215 nah Grimes saved Homer’s life and then Homer proceeded to tell Mr. Burns he destroyed the wall. Homer probably would’ve gotten a warning while Grimes actually faces serious consequences.
this is the greatest lesson. Grimes was nothing but materialistic, what else could happen to him? If he never gave anything else in his life meaning, how could people actually care or remember him? If you're materialistic, if you care about nothing but what you have, instead of who you and the people you love are, then how could you want people to remember or even like you?
the idea that hard work has value in itself its long prove wrong. but that's just a small part of the deal. Grimes not only based his concept of justice and fairness on his own hard work and himself, but he forgot that to live in society is about how you can provide for it. Grimes never seemed like he ever wanted to be unique, or even develop his own personality... He cared only about materialistic success.
Margaret Groening’s maiden name before she was married was Wiggum, too. The show incorporated so many real life elements that you would sometimes forget it was even animated in the first place.
What could be more terrifying than the unpredictability of apoplectic rage? Maybe the idea of being insane yourself, would you know if you saw the world differently from everyone else? Who am I?
I’m glad it’s not just me lmao…it’s so unsettling in far too real a way, the fact that it happens mid-sentence, in a way that wouldn’t have killed any other character, it really got to me
The fall of the Simpsons is the epitome of “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” In this case, it’s “you either die fighting the institution or live long enough to see yourself become the institution.”
How about Nietzsche's "To look into the abyss, is to have the abyss look back into you....," and "To hunt monsters is to become a monster..." Paraphrased from my memory.
Grimey actually felt like the only sane man in the simpson universe. Until he had his breaking point, reminds me of the main character from the movie Falling down. Also remember Frank grimes Jr?
@siriusblack1612 No, it's not, but going insane like that is something I would probably do. He doesn't know what Homer sacrificed and did to deserve his position. In his eyes, this was another joke of life, a lucky dummie getting more then a hard-working, great person. Mental breakdown is the result of him realizing how much he didn't matter and that he can't do shit about that. You may say:"Well, don't you meet lucky incompetent people everyday?" No, not like Homer.
Your interpretation of the “Bowling Alley” moment is honestly amazing and makes that small moment so much more impactful to me. Homer WOULD be impressed by that because that’s the dream he gave up for the good of his family.
The Principal And The Pauper is kinda like the Jar Jar Binks of The Simpsons. It's gotten to the point now where making fun of it in itself is a tired cliche.
The amazing thing about The Simpsons is that even if it has 30 years of garbage, that 10 years of high quality will be what most remember for coming generations.
@@PlahaKumar Sure, but that doesn't mean you can't appreciate it for what it *was*. In my opinion, people too easily let sequels, remakes, or far-too-long runtimes ruin their enjoyment of what they loved originally.
@@PlahaKumar An empty hollow shell is what the Simpsons are now. Even the movie sucked and that was very long ago. They should have ended before the movie.
Funnily enough the Simpsons has outlived its relevancy by so long, it almost represents an ideal life. Homer has job security in a well paying job and a huge house, things the average family would kill for now. Before the Simpsons were supposed to represent dysfunction and barely able to scrape by, now they practically live in luxury.
Honestly by today we should be at the point they keep previewing in future episodes, except most portrayals of Lisa being successful are probably highly inaccurate. Their first portrayal of her future self might be the most accurate one of all. And Maggie wouldn't be a famous rock star, she would be a RUclips vlogger with a silver play button.
As a GenX'er I will say that this was ideal life then and now - Parents married, mom's cooking breakfast, bills get paid, family has 2 cars, some pets... It was just the personalities and situations that pushed the envelope back then. They weren't the Cosby's. But none of us were.
@@emilianozamora399 I mean even this whole episode admits "The Simpsons have it pretty good." Early on they didn't have much discretionary income but their house was nice and the neighborhood seemed safe. Possibly because there's only like eight criminals in the whole town.
Here's the topper - Matt didn't want the whole cast to be named after his family, so he let the writing staff choose Grandpa's name. They ended up choosing Abraham, which also happened to be the name of Matt's grandfather.
I remember watching this episode years ago and the message of "Don't hate the player, hate the game" really clicked in my brain. It taught me that everyone is dealt a different hand and resenting others for their upbringings toxic for everyone, especially the person being salty in the first place.
As intelligent as grimes is supposed to be, he lacks a fundamental understanding of the philosophical concept that “if it sux hit da bricks, you can just leave.” He survived on his own for decades without the job at Burns’s plant, you’d think a well adjusted person would quit and find a new one before, you know, killing themselves on their second day.
I agree. Any normal person would of said "no thanks" to the job offer and walk out of the plant once they realized the job they were promised by the boss was replaced by a dog they saw on TV.
@@dharmallarslate comment, but I'd guess that Burns's plant was the first big break for a job that he wanted. When he encountered Homer's general lackadaisical manner of work and safety, not to mention several blows Burns levied against Grimes through coincidence and misunderstanding. These likely took a sledgehammer to Grimes's psyche to the point where he childishly baits Homer into a children's model plant fair.
“The Simpsons made everyone stop to adjust their tv sets, but the picture within was never broken. Everything else around it was.” One of the most thought provoking quotes I have heard in a very long time.
He had me at "What was once the epitome of media counter-culture is now owned by the epitome of the media establishment. In all honesty The Simpsons was never designed to survive until the 21st century. The big media conglomerates just keep it around as a ceremonial token to evoke nostalgia for better times. At this point Homer Simpson has been relegated to a figurehead akin to the like of Mickey Mouse and the Queen of England. "
@@Mickyfitz96 I don't even know what that comment is meant to infer or evoke, or even mean? Books were the new parchments. As are videos the new books. Times change. There's nothing wrong with taking a philosophical look at a show that quite literally shaped minds and created personalities and traits in people based on a unique appreciation of comedy. A lot of people are who they are today, because of this show.
@@dons1932 Not wading into that debate but the quote is objectively corny and about as deep as a puddle. no disrespect to the jeffman but if this is as good as it gets for him then he's missing out and might benefit from broadening his horizons
I was glad he died. Homer snoring at his funeral was especially funny. Saying "Yeah, Grimey is right!" doesn't make sense, nobody should be jealous of Homer, a cartoon character. We didn't need him around beating down the show's lead. Anybody crying for Grimey, an angry spiteful cartoon character that had 23 minutes of screen time, needs to do some serious work with a counselor to find what their real issue is and try to work on it.
@@PurringWonderland The main thing for me was he was a saftey inspector and Homer is always putting peoples lives at risk, I saw him being driven insane by being unable to stop Homer from almost murdering the town on a daily basis.
@@MizzzFizzz The thing I never liked about the "Grimes feels like a real person" argument is that it simply isn't true. At every turn in the episode Grimes puts up with some truly insane things, probably the first being the incident with the dog. Grimes doesn't actually act like a human would to try and fix this problem, like by contacting authorities - and yes, we know the Springfield authorities are incompetent, but the point is that when presented with this situation Grimes still doesn't act like a human, he puts up with it and just becomes angry. This trend continues with pretty much every incident, Grimes doesn't report Mr Burns or Homer to any authority no matter what they do. Skirting safety regulations? Dangerous chemicals all over the place? Nope, just lets it ride. If anything, he's just as complicit through his inaction. Sure, he's aware of the problems caused by Homer - but he allows those extremely severe problems to continue. If anything, I think Grimes shows us why we shouldn't feel bad for him. Grimes is an angry, petty man who takes everything personally and does nothing to solve problems. He recognizes that there are insane things going on around him, but instead of acting on that knowledge, he just lets it anger him. He takes everything in the worst possible way, and as soon as he sees an opportunity to get back at Homer, he jumps on it - becoming a direct part of the problems around him. I mean, really? Grimes thinks it's a worthwhile use of his time to humiliate Homer by making him enter a children's contest? The truth is that no one wants to be around a Grimes. He's the anti-Homer. Grimes might be "smarter" than homer when it comes to having a straight up education, but he's socially unintelligent. Homer is a jerk, but he tries to do right by people, even when his lazy nature gets the better of him. I think the best examples are in situations where Homer will even "help" out Ned (even if the help ends up causing more harm than good) despite Ned being the person that Homer despises more than anyone else. It took only a single interaction for Grimes to entirely right off Homer, and when Homer opened up to Grimes, Grimes only took it as an insult. Now, I know the interviews where they talk about why they made Homer's Enemy - but somewhere in production, I think the result changed. Because Grimes absolutely doesn't act anything like "a real, somewhat humorless human" (taken from an interview) during the episode, and mainly serves to highlight the positive traits in Homer.
@@twigtwig3110 Wow i woke up some simpsons demon in you lol, really interesting points though and i agree. I get what you mean and i guess i have seen many people who treat life that way which is why i might have sympathised lol.
Okay why do you watch every RUclipsr I also watch, first I saw your comment on an Omni video, then an iNabber video, and then an EmpLemon video. I'm seriously starting to think my entire life on YT revolves around what you watch. Istg next I'm going to see you on a Summoning Salt video or something.
In a way Homer and grimes are also a nice depiction of how much the economy has changed from the Gen X to the millennial generation. Both working in the same place but one being able to afford to BUY a house and a stay at home wife and kids while the other can't even afford to rent appartment for him self .
I worked with a baby boomer when I graduated from college, at the same position and salary. He once told to me that since the 90's he had not gained any real wealth, only maintained his acquisitive power. I did not get it at the time, but 10 years later I see he was right. At that point, it would take me over 20 years to own a house and car, what the what he was able to buy in his first 5. Even so, probably I would not be able to afford maintenance.
The severing of the last ties of the dollar to gold by Nixon, which made the Federal Reserve the arbiter of the value of the dollar is the reason why the standard of living has plummeted. As long as Central bankers and moneyed interests control interest rates and the control of monetary value, this trend will never ever be reversed. When the dollar has no value aside from fiat, the elitists will always get more value out of an ever expanding (i.e. inflationary) dollar because they will have these dollars before they lose value by the time they reach us, the plebs. And it is the same reason why elites laugh off the current inflation (the worst in 40 years) while normal people see it (rightfully so) as an existential threat. Ron Paul was 100% right on his diagnosis of why we are where we are as a country.
NO wonder millennials gave up on life, decide to live in mommy's basement while hitting hard on 40, all while working an entry level job while smoking obscene quantities of weed.
I wonder what if Grimes met Flanders, and or see Homer's resentment and short coming compared him? Would that have saved him from going crazy, or something else?
I think it would’ve made him worse but saved his life Grimes would be seeing somebody succeeding in the American dream even beyond Homer through hard work and a can do attitude which would make him not go through a “I’m Homer Simpson” however this sight mixed with the sight of Homer’s hatred at this great man would probably make homer even more so detestable to Grimes
In the book A Stranger In a Strange Land, a human raised by Martians on Mars has no sense of humor. At one point in the story he goes to a zoo. At the zoo there is a monkey enclosure where he sees a monkey with some food. A bigger monkey hits the smaller one and takes his food. The monkey with no food finds a monkey smaller than him and hits them stealing their food. The Mars Man laughs and realizes that comedy is derived from human suffering.
@@baconknightproductions8297 yep the state of ceará em brasil is regarded as the one with the most funny people and the one with the most unforgiving weather conditions one example: a drought that lasted 15 years that happened in the 19th century.
I'm not sure Grimes actually goes crazy. He's view of reality IS at odds with that of the universe he is in. Consequences and even physics have fundamentally different rules than what Grimes believes at the start of the show. He is wrong about how the world works, and when he learns that everything he knows is wrong, he decides to try the perceived rules for himself. His mistake is that the doesn't understand that the rules are only different for "main cast" members. Lenny could do the same thing and live. Homer would get a medal. It's not a "Huh, I guess I'm being envious and shouldn't worry so much" thing. It's a "You mean people can eat spent fuel rods and it won't kill everyone in his home?" thing. It's just that Grimes doesn't understand it's not "people" that can eat spent fuel rods, but just "main cast".
I think the real message of this episode isn’t that hard work doesn’t matter, it’s that putting it in the wrong place does. Grimes worked hard for a career that wasn’t necessary for a company or society that didn’t care about him. Homer does work hard in a sense when it comes to those he cares about and the things he loves. If someone has a problem, he’ll do anything to fix it. Look at the episode when he sacrificed his work life and career just to keep Maggie’s toy against Mr Burns wishes. He was lazy but only towards the things that were lazy to him. This makes the ending not a tragedy, but bittersweet. If Grimes worked just as hard for human connection he’d be far more rewarded.
I mean if it were made nowadays, the message would need to actually be that hard work doesn’t matter in that sort of big business job to be accurate to real life. It’s crazy how the problem that this episode shows has only gotten worse, to the point where Grimes is struggling *less* than most americans
Homer doesn't work hard for those he loves. Many episodes begin with Homer doing something negligent of selfish at the expense of his relationships. The hard work, or reckless panic usually, is him repairing them, which he can do, but only because the universe bends to save Homer for next week's adventure.
Yay, another veri- You know what, I don't know if you guys think you're quirky or funny when you make these comments, but if you do, just remember: YOURE NOT.
"Often times the greatest art dosent give us all the right answers, it makes us ask the right questions" Never before has one line perfectly described why i love media that makes me think a little harder about what i was looking at
Frank Grimes is like the struggling actor / writer / producer who can't seem to catch his big break. The cast and crew on The Simpsons - for all their talent and dedication - were enjoying cartoonish success, eight seasons into this miraculous series. "Homer's Enemy" could be interpreted as a coming to terms with the success guilt they must have felt -- and what the humbler among all of us feel when our most modest expectations are exceeded.
@@jullienricot930 Flawless is not the same as perfect, in fact in most cases there is no significant overlap between them. I was an adult by the time I realized the first part of that sentence to be true, and I was close to thirty by the time I fully embraced the second part. But it is one of the most fundamental aspects of our world you will ever encounter.
I remember when I first watched this episode, my dad was eating something and when Grimes was telling Homer that they were enemies Homer says something like "ok, do I have to do anything?" At the end. My dad, who wasn't really watching burst out laughing at that. He's dead now (my dad) but that was something I remember about it, and it turned out to be one of my best memories of him. Strange how that happens.
I feel like a lot of people see Grimes as being “right” in this episode. But once you realize he too is wrong, the blame is not on Homer but on the systems that created both their situations, that’s when you get it.
@@LAZY-RUBY I mean, I didn’t mean to say that the episode necessarily intended Grimes to be in the wrong. I don’t know the creators’ intentions. My comment is more about interpretation than intention.
@Garfield And he'd be wrong for doing so. It's like asking why fast food workers think they deserve 15$ while EMTs barely make more instead of asking why EMTs are making that little to begin with.
@Garfield That’s possible. Under that interpretation, I’d actually be more inclined to think even less of Grimes, being that his anger is not only misguided, it’s downright silly. If he falsely blamed Homer for his issues, it’d make sense that he’s taking it out ON Homer. But if he doesn’t, him being so angry at Homer all the time is just kinda mean.
Renegade Cut has an amazing video on this. ruclips.net/video/P40sJOkxnac/видео.html He looks at the episode more from a class struggle perspective. I think people who think Grimes is right also forget that Homer had to give up his dreams to take a job he hates, in order to support his family. And he originally got into nuclear energy to begin with because he got the message society was broadcasting: Go into STEM. Nuclear energy is the future. Homer was a musician and bowling alley owner, both jobs he'd rather be doing and has more of a motivation to do. Running a power plant is arguably more useful, but it's not what Homer was meant for. Grimes is that insufferable person that always lectures you about bootstraps.
"All I've wanted is for you to lead a happy life" is a thing I've heard my parents tell me more than just a few times, but only once I paused to consider the meaning of it, did the gravity of it click in me. Being driven by a similar ambition that drove Grimes does not exclude the laissez-faire outlook on things that homer has - it only does so if you rank the value of things through lenses colored by your ambitions. I've made it my task to live my life a happy person. That is not and never was a merit of my success - my success is the merit of my happiness. A passion driving me exactly where I want to go with no strings attached.
I don't know if anyone's touched on this but, one thing that truly makes this episode great is how it doesn't make Homer the cause of Grimes' undoing. Everything Grimes does after Homer takes his advice to heart is entirely HIS doing. He's the one who can't accept Homer's good-hearted attempt, he's the one trying to make Homer look stupid in front of people who really don't care, He's the one who has an extreme meltdown and he's the one who touched those high voltage chords. Grimes' bitterness and refusal to accept change is what ultimately brings his downfall.
Without evil there would be no good, and without tyrants there would be no freedom. This is a natural and necessary counter balancing in a never ending cycle. Some winters are longer are colder than others, but Spring eventually arrives, and now we’ve gained the experience and wisdom to see us through the next extra brutal winter when it eventually occurs again. Without tyrants and periods of incomprehensible cruelty and suffering- the human conscience and soul could never develop as it has specifically to defeat it. Freedom is only the sweetest gift from God because we have tasted the alternative of bondage
The Simpsons were dead to me the second they made that Trump West Side Story video. I hadn’t watched them for years but that killed any interest I had in watching them ever again. And I absolutely HATED Trump as president. That video was just so unbelievably cringe-inducing that it ruined the show for me.
@@philly_sports1558 i didn't even know about it till now and yet it didn't surprise me at all. Fortunately we don't have Fox where i live so they dont show recent episodes on tv anyway
This video made me appreciate Simpsons so much more, grew up watching Simpsons in the early to late 00s but always stuck with the golden years and it will forever be my most cherished tv show. Seeing how it was such a cultural shift for tv and American audiences in general is so impressive
I’m not kidding you whatsoever; this quote literally made me shoot HOT DOG out of my nose! (I don’t know about anyone else, but, but that was a first for me!)
@@anarkxi I know, right??! That’s kind what went through my head at that moment! (Other than, you know, hot dog). I was eating supper when I read the comment, never laughed so hard solid matter passed through my nasal cavity before, of course I had to share. (Definitely not my finest moment, for sure!)
@@anarkxi no, not the whole damn thing (obviously) bwahahaha. Just a regular sized, decently chewed bite. But lemme tell ya, there is no way to chew *quite* enough for hot dog to pass easily through the nose comfortably; trust, man!
Regarding the 'laissez-faire' attitude as being the ideal/what is admirable in Homer - as Grimes said, Homer can only enjoy his easy, consequence-free life because others are forced to deal with the consequences instead. While Homer gets to live another day because a vigilant Grimes knocked acid out of his hands, Grimes is the one being punished for the acid damage; Homer is thriving at the expense of others, and to empathize with *that* position is easy (how nice! I want to be as unburdened as Homer!), but for any of us who've grown up with Homers around, it's the short end of the stick, because those consequences do land - just on someone else. Similarly, Homer's relationship with his family is painful to observe through the lens of, you know, not being Homer. For Homer to be Homer, Marge has to devote her life to taking care of the consequences of Homer's actions; financially, societally, personally, there are many episodes where Marge has her expressed her sadness that her life is limited, that while Homer gets to go out and have adventures, she has to take care of the practicalities (and during their separations, Homer has to face consequences and can't bear it, so the 'happy ending' is them getting back together and him being able to go back to doing whatever he wants while Marge cleans up). The later seasons are harder to watch because the early warmth of the show has worn off, and Homer and Marge are still in marriage counselling with Marge bitterly grinding her teeth while Homer cheerfully ignores every need she has. It's remarked many times throughout the show that Homer is extremely selfish; the only reason he's redeemed is because of those brief moments where he puts his selfish instincts aside to do the right thing for someone else (and even then, often after letting them down; like Lisa needing a saxophone reed before her recital, and Homer decides to get a beer instead). We forgive him because at the end of the day he does the right thing, sometimes, eventually. The flip-side to people who do whatever they want, are people who are forced to clean up after them (often, sadly, out of love, integrity, sense of duty, or coercion/force). Lisa (and even Maggie, surreally enough) also fill these roles to an extent, taking on the stress of cleaning up after another person's mistakes (Homer's, and also Bart's - revealing a layer of misogyny to this issue as well). There's an episode in the early seasons where Bart's 'I do what I want' (laissez-faire) attitude is embraced by the whole town, and everything falls apart because everyone's only doing what they 'feel' like doing. To Grimes' point - it comes at a cost, and that cost lands on the caring, compassionate people who are impelled to help others, to their own detriment. Coulda just let him drink the acid, but there's that niggling integrity saying, 'if you can prevent a senseless death, you must!' If there was another Homer around, Homer'd be dead. It's curious reading some of the comments about embracing Homer's 'bare minimum' lifestyle, because obviously working hard didn't pay off for ol' Grimey (and is representative of societal lies about success) - but it's curious that the accepted solution is 'just don't care as much!' instead of, you know, fighting injustice, striving for social change, making the world a better place. Turning a blind eye just lets the Mr. Burns of the world keep doing what they're doing. My heart aches for Grimes, who did everything you're 'supposed' to - worked hard, looked out for others, did the honest thing, with integrity, manners, and patience - and died a villain. (And hey - if he'd not worked hard every day of his life, he'd be considered a lazy bum who deserved his lack of success, 'cos he just should've worked harder!) TL;DR - it's easy to enjoy doing whatever you want if others are cleaning up after you, but it's a deeply uncompassionate way to live.
@@sonic40001No, it's not. This person is another Grimes failing to acknowledge the point of the episode. When Homer recognized that he'd angered Grimes, he acted to rectify the situation, only for Grimes to not only dismiss him, but attempt to engineer his humiliation. Grimes is every bit the envious, spiteful peon that every modern college student seems to be, while Homer only needed a nudge to at least try to better himself. OP said that turning a blind eye empowers people like Burns, yet Grimes was working for Burns while he focused his rage at Homer, who do you think added more to Burns' wealth during that episode?
@@loopyloon5401 that's actually fair, I got too focused on OP's remark on Homer's laissez-fair atitude. Well, I do believe that Grimes' (and so many others'!) tendency to blame others for his own misfortunes should benefit of at least a bit of self-awareness. It's similar to the situation where one, as a single person, gets angry over other people in a relationship, which may or not be their friends. Sure, it's valid to be sad _to a point_ because of your situation and happy for them, but from here to actually blaming others and be angry at them is a long, dangerous way. A lot of that energy that can be taken to point fingers can be put into actually searching elsewhere, take care of yourself and really, being decent. While none of that guarantees you a relationship, it does help to not do what Grimes did in society.
While this is certainly a valid point I think it overlooks elements of the show to agree with grimes here. And bringing up later seasons is just pointless as you're comparing apples to oranges at that point. To keep things short, at the end of the day they all live in a silly world with it's own set of rules and it's entirely on Grimes for falling to adapt to that and then taking out his rage on a dim but good man who, dispite all his problems has always supported his family.
You know who else had a dictomy where one was mature and miserable, another idiotic and happy, despite both of them being in technically simillar places? Squidward and Spongebob.
While Frank Grimes is obviously a tragic irony & dark humor, it is also the show poking fun at itself. Grimes is rightfully shocked and appalled of the fact that Homer is an incompetent, happy-go-lucky *safety inspector of a nuclear power plant* which is also poking fun at ‘The Simpsons’ world in general that would allow this to happen.
EmpLemon went from a YTP shitposter to one of the most talented social commentators on the site. Love the vids man, your insight on society is just so interesting. I know I sound like a 400 iq rick and morty fanboy but just man your vids are way too good lol
Strangely enough, I miss the era of his earlier commentaries from around 2016-2018. They were edgy, but very raw in meaning. Watch his rants about RUclips to see what I mean.
"Our value as individuals is dictated by how we act in our most challenging moments". That genuinely got me. I keep measuring my worth with talents and achievements, and I keep feeling like I'm not enough. I didn’t think a video about The Simpsons would make me re-evaluate my own self-worth, but I welcome the unexpected clarity I gained from this.
When you described everything Gen x went through, it really puts into perspective how messed up the world always is, it's not like all this crazy stuff going on today is unique to us, its just as generations go by we dont like talking about the bad things
Although Grimes is thoroughly sympathetic, he was unable to accept that life can be unfair sometimes and that there will be people much better off due to being extremely lucky. My outlook completely changed on this episode. It's not just an allegory for Americans but humans in general.
"The Simpsons opened our eyes to the yellowness of the world, after a while we stopped questioning why they were yellow. They simply were. It was only then when just for a moment, the creators had nothing else to do but make them green. Homer's enemy is The Simpsons magnum opus, and there will never ever be another episode like it." **takes the one second where Homer gets up to adjust the TV and makes Bart green and zooms in on Bart, putting the laughter from the end over it** man oh my GOD that ending is perfect!
You only become the villain if the people change their minds about you. The people are deflecting responsibility and blame and need a scapegoat...think about it.
As a kid, I was told this was the best episode of the show. I didn't think the plot was special, in fact it was kind of weird and mean-spirited, so I just thought people meant the comedy. But on rewatch? Christ... 'you're what's wrong with America, Simpson' hit me like a truck. Homer's Enemy is the most subversive episode simply because it paints Homer in another light. In other episodes, he'd be depicted as a funny goofball, or someone in the wrong who'd fix the mistakes by the end. But this is the first time his 'flaw' is not something he can ever change. It's his life. His life and everything he has is ludicrous to the outsider looking in. And we start to feel for Grimes, to see Homer as someone unfairly commended by society. But that ending hit me the hardest. We finish with a shot of Homer falling asleep a group laughing. In any other episode, this would be a fun gag. But here it's not. Here, we witness a man tortured by society, die, be remembered by a name he hated, and then have a funeral full of celebrating his enemy. In a way, that scene of Homer sleeping perfectly represents what drove Grimes crazy, and what killed him. The act of putting sloth on a pedestal. Brilliant episode
One thing I've noticed about most of The Simpsons "predictions" is that they were completely founded. For example.... Trump being president. People say that The Simpsons predicted Trump being president, in an episode that aired around the year 2000. But Trump had already talked about being president (in one form or another), way back in the 1980's (at least). Yeah, I understand that he still had to actually win and become president..... but people take The Simpson's predictions too far. People will be that The Simpsons "predicted" Trump as president, and those people will think that it was a completely unfounded crystal ball psychic powers prediction, that came out of nowhere... that no one could have ever predicted.
This episode is fascinating because how each person feels about Frank Grimes seems to be based on how they view the world. If you are an ambitious workaholic dedicated to getting ahead while being unsatisfied with your life, it would be very easy to hate Homer's guts after this episode. If you are a chill guy, more interested in making friends and enjoying life, at the expense of getting significant success, you'd walk away from this episode thinking Grimes was a jerkass who should've befriended Homer. That's why the episode is so divisive, it directly forces you to decide if you're like Frank Grimes, or like Homer Simpson, or who you're more like.
More than anything, I felt bad for grimes. Poor guy let himself get so consumed with hustle culture, he forgot to take care of himself. He assumed Homer was the problem because… how can someone be happy and lazy and still have Stuff?
@daniellysohirka4258 no joke, you could watch 4 episodes of the Simpsons a day without even having basic cable back then. Not only was it great, it was always on.
Emp pulled the classic "Why do i do the thing?" "Well... Why do you do your thing?" When it came to green Simpsons. It has come full circle and has nowhere else to go. It was good while it lasted, now all that is left is the abyss. Keep up the good work and have a nice day.
I am in the same boat as someone who is in his mid thirties I did everything by the book in the sense what the American dream was designed get a good paying job after college and raise a family of three children myself work hard and be a good role model to my kids and a provider. I didn't smoke do drugs only drank on weekends and showed up early and stayed late. I made good money and bought a house and when the market got hot I bought a bigger home. I voted red and backed the establishment. Fast forward to now age 36 I feel more like Homer than ever as all my lifestyle gave me was chasing the American dream as what others wanted me to be. I since quit my corporate job downsized my lifestyle and now use the money I made to purse my pursuit of happiness which is the true definition of our four Father's vision. I went from Champaign life style to a beer one and embraced people more than oppose their lifestyles. I get drunk more often have sex more suprising and constantly trying new things and meeting new people from all walks of life. I just gave up possessions to learn than real treasures are being with people you love. Sure I don't have a bmw and a 4k sq ft house now and I don't go on nice vacations anymore But I have do have is lasting relationships and more love and support than I ever had and to be honest I don't care what people think of me. I completely did a 180 and went from hard work to hardly working I still work don't get me wrong I just do now because i still want to be part of society and make money like anyone else but now I don't care about corporate ladders or bonuses I just want enough money to live my life the way I see fit.
I think it kinda portrays a generational clash, between boomers who started early on, in the 60s, 70s, 80s, when there wasn't as much competition in the job market, vs a gen x'er starting a career in the late 90s, in a highly competitive environment where getting a position that pays well required huge efforts and also in an economical reality in which a nice suburban house like Homer's wasn't as affordable. That's how the American dream died, in fact.
"Heh, if you lived in any other country in the world, you'd have starved to death long ago." - Grimey The ironic thing is, the same could maybe be said for him. He was abandoned by his parents at age 4. I think this line really highlights the dichotomy presented in this video.
Not only abandoned, he also got into a major explosion when he was 18 that made him 100% bedridden for years while also causing him to lose hearing and sense of touch.
@@javidproductions9353 I guess you can call it a counter argument to his claim but the point still stands in the end, A person that was abandoned at the age of 4 or got bedridden at age 18 wouldn’t have even prospered a bit either.
@@Predator20357 Yes, he would be alive but it would seem near impossible for him to flourish. If anything being in Springfield where everyone is dumber and lazier than him could have been his big break. Imagine if he'd studied to do a job, he could have taken nearly anyone's role because no character is good at what they do in Springfield.
Well, millenials and Gen X also have a lot in common, and the same can be said of zoomers and millenials. A theme in Emp's videos and specifically the Never Ever series is this feeling on how culture affects generations, and how they express their worries and frustrations in different ways. The Simpsons, in a way, is for Gen X what Spongebob is to millenials. And as a zoomer, who knows what the future holds for us? The clock is ticking, childhood is over. Soon, millenials will be old, and we shall take their place.
Homer Simpson came from a dysfunctional family, his mother abandoned him, his father barely cared for him and yet he still sports a good job and supports a family with everything he has. without marge he would have gone nowhere and now he has surpassed what his father achieved and put him down for. Homer Simpson is by far the best character in modern television.
Homer actually worked to get to where he is not in the academic sense but through hardship and trials. Sure he may be lazy and stupid but theres more to him than meets the eye.
So correct!!! Homer is truly a special person! Maybe not the brightest, but has a heart as bright as the sun! Heaven will have a special spot for him! ✌☀️☁️
@@coffintears5821 Would be an extremely poor thing to argue, specially considering this episode, unless you think Grimey deserved what he got after all he had been through, unlike Homer which didn't really went through any real hardship.
The studio originally wanted life in hell, but Matt didn't want to give it to them and then they chop it up. It was HIS. A few minutes before his pitch to the studio, he drew the Simpsons and choose his own family's names.
The episode Bart gets an F had a heavy impact on me as a kid, especially growing up with ADHD. The part at the end where he just breaks down crying at his desk saying "You dont understand, I really tried this time! I really tried!" Made me cry the first time I saw it. I related so freaking hard because it just took me back to the bad days at my desk. Days where I didn't just draw in reading class, but actually tried to read like I was supposed to. Reading, and rereading a paragraph over and over but no matter what I did no matter how hard I tried every time I started a new sentence, I couldn't remember the last one so I had to start over, again. And again. And again. I'd look around and nobody else was having this problem and I was the only one and it made me so frustrated and angry because I knew I was smart, I chose this book, I'm so smart I know what all the words mean! I can read so well but I don't understand why I can't do this right now!! and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't do it. And in that episode where Bart was going through the same thing I went through just hit me so hard. I don't think there's a single episode, especially not past season 7, that ever hit me that hard again. That, and the teacher was still a teacher, she wasn't as cartoonishly disillusioned as she became in later seasons. She actually patted him on the back and comforted a crying child who was struggling to learn in her class. That added another layer of realism to it. Where the teacher is a human being that cares, but doesn't necessarily know how to help and doesn't have the energy to go out of her way to get him the resources he actually needs. His parents don't know what ADHD is and don't know how to help him. All of these aspects contributed to one of the most perfect scenes in the Simpsons, in my opinion. At the end of the episode, the situation may have been resolved but the main issue that made it hard for him to do it in the first place, wasn't resolved. There was no wave of the magic wand and his studying issue were fixed. It's something you learn how to live with. There's more resources now, but back then in the early 2000s this is were ADHD kids were stuck. In that state of not knowing why. Even if you're lucky and get medication like I did, nobody ever taught me how my disorder effected my day to day life. Because that's all I'd ever known, I thought it was normal. Nobody taught me anything about the day to day things you have to do to cope with your ADHD and function in a way that can keep up with everyone else. I thought I just took my meds, and it made my ADHD go away. So a lot of issues that effected me to my core and my self esteem, could have been so much less painful if I had known then what I do now. But I didn't know then, and neither did Bart. At the end of the episode, even if it didn't give me answers or solutions, at the very least, it made me feel like I wasn't alone. And I respect the hell out of it for that.
Dude, you're something, that episode about Bart also made me tear up. Although I didn't like how they undermined the gravity of that scene with a lame joke in the end. Anyway, thanks for sharing this.
If i watched the simpsons i probably would have reacted the same, my goal like any person with ADHD is just to cope with it, learn to pick up habits that let me be productive in spite of it. Holy fuck are the days where i get everything i set out to do done so rewarding, the burst of dopamine is something so nice. (for those who dont know ADHD interrupts normal dopamine reward path ways, which often leads to kids with it seeking easy dopamine and thus higher obesity rates as sugary food is free dopamine)
“People have always wondered what would happen to Frank Grimes if he survived past this episode.” Nickelodeon made a whole show about it 2 years later.
I worked with a Homer Simpson once. Not a bad guy per se, just a really apathetic worker. Despite this, he not only managed to stay employed, but he had a higher pay than everybody else in the department just because of his seniority
I'm not sure what's more amazing--that the show is still running, or that some people still watch the newest episodes of the show! But seriously, great vid. I had no idea how deep the episode "Homer's Enemy" actually went, or how it could be used to illustrate the overall values of the show in general.
The sign is a subtle joke. The shop is called "Sneed's Feed & Seed", where feed and seed both end in the sound "-eed", thus rhyming with the name of the owner, Sneed. The sign says that the shop was "Formerly Chuck's", implying that the two words beginning with "F" and "S" would have ended with "-uck", rhyming with "Chuck". So, when Chuck owned the shop, it would have been called "Chuck's Feeduck and Seeduck".
This episode made me cry as a child, and when I went to my parents for comfort... much to their chagrin and my embarrassment I couldn't even explain why. Thank you for reminding me that exists, and thank you even more for taking the time to explain why it had so much more of an impact on me than every other Simpsons episode. The Simpsons can never be described as unimpactful, they often made me feel sympathy, or feel sonder, or laugh so hard I fell off the couch and couldn't breathe, but no other episode did make me run crying to my parents at the unfairness of the world.
@@estinsidebottom they just wish they were given half this much attention as a child, ignore them. Also using caps before every word is a terrible habit to get into, I promise from experience.
The reason this episode works is because the writers and lead writer of the episode greatly disagreed on who was actually sympathetic, so both Homer and Grimes end up being played completely ernestly.
Fun little piece of information: in the “7 deadly sins” part, for lust he shows homer reaching for a woman’s ass, or at least it would appear that way. Actually, in the episode Homer is show to be reaching for a piece of candy that get stuck there, leading to her accusing him of being a womanizer in the episode Homer Badman, S6 E9 on D+. Because of this specific clip being used, emp technically falls under the trap everyone in Springfield does. Thank you for coming to my over-analyzation of a simple frame from an amazing RUclips video.
I didn't wanna cause a fuss, but now that you mention it... Perhaps the bit where he asks Maude to get him the peanuts at the bottom of the bowl would be better suited?
Man, this hits home. Funny enough I've been focusing a lot on a story specifically about the "give and take" cycle of life and how/why the balance becomes so upset so frequently. Every second of this video explains it so well. Working is important when it comes to a stable future and the well-being of others. But when life is a finite collection of moments, living in the present is how we'll truly be happy with just ourselves. It's about striking a balance between the two, the drive and the calm.
I think this episode has a really important message that many people need to hear, it's that no matter how hard working or intelligent you are, you can't live a happy and fulfilling life if you're hate filled and resentful. Something horrible will eventually happen directly or indirectly as a result of this hatred, in Grimey's case, his death. Life is unfair and we can't spend our time being jealous and envious of others, we should just mind our own business sometimes. Great episode.
@@KOTEBANAROT It kind of is. Homer sells Grimes out (not maliciously but stupidly) for being the one who destroyed a wall with acid, acid that Homer was about to drink by accident. This whole diatribe against Grimes is silly, Grimes doesn't start off as some bitter, hateful person, he _becomes_ that person when confronted with Homer's obliviousness, sloth, ignorance and luck. I'd be pretty hateful of someone who; ate my lunch, chewed my pencils, ratted me out after saving their life, kept calling me a name I didn't want, etc. etc. It just stings twice as hard when you find that the idiot who did all this is also somehow more successful than you despite doing nothing.
bu-but... but... but the rich are taking over, taking money from us... and getting rid of the workforce and replacing them with machines. Gah, its so unfair!
@@Doc_Fun Sure, but what does Frank accomplish with all his efforts to tear down Homer? It's okay to dislike someone, but trying to destroy them out of jealousy won't change anything.
We all have a little Grimes *and* a little Homer in us, simultaneously. We will be frustrated at the inevitable short end of the stick, but we can learn to ultimately not give a fuck.
Frank: "As of today, we are now enemies." Homer: "Okay.... Do I have to do anything?" This still makes me laugh, because I've been on both sides of that coin.
It's also perfect in context of the episode. With Grimes going out of his way to be "perfect" and prove to himself he is as worthless as he perceives Homer as, while Homer kinda just goes with it because it doesn't really effect him. I remember the good days where the Simpsons's humour was actually multileveled and... funny.
Flanders: Homer, you are the worst neighbour I have ever met. Homer: Wow, I got off pretty easy. Whilst that line was in the context of Ned's other insults from that Hurricane episode, this could also showcase Homer's youthful outlook. Being deemed the worst is simple, yet effective to the eyes of those who cared. Homer wasn't one of those people.
@@grfrjiglstan My reply was meant as commentary moreso regarding seeing both sides of an argument than the specific reason you used the analogy. The idea of "the coin" proposes a dualistic way of seeing the world, which works idiomatically, although flawed in that a 3 dimensional objects by definition can't have two sides. I think instead of two, you have a mind boggling series of infinite options, more akin to "the coin" spinning so fast as to create a hypersphere which leads you to The Multiverse ✨
No reason you cant check it out. I subbed to Disneys service a few months ago solely to watch all of the old Simpsons for the first time. Absolutely no regrets. Its an American classic.
This episode is the deepest it ever got. All of the Simpsons imitators never dared to venture into such a real and unsettling topic. Frank Grimes was in the wrong series. Anywhere else he would have been right. He would have been a hero. That ending still makes me uncomfortable to this day. This is perhaps my favorite episode of the series. The Simpsons never before or after got so real.
The "I'm Homer Simpson" coupled with the Donkey Kong Country music and the Grimey/Homer parallel is genuinely the most beautiful RUclips chapter I've ever experienced
EmpLemon: You... Were on the trending tab? _You?_ Corporate accounts: Sure! You've never been? Would you like to see my golden play button? EmpLemon: *NO! I WOULDN'T!*
Society needs many people like Grimey, in order to be able to afford people like Homer. Slackers can only exist as long as other pick up their workload on top of their own.
@@BokBarber BAHAHAHA ironic isn’t it? Considering homer has more expirence then grimy? I mean fine by me, work your self to death with pride. I’m on brake.
The bottom line though is that grimes eventually reveals that he’s jealous of Homer’s family. Homer doesn’t care at all about his job, yeah, we know that. But Homer does care about his family, and his family isn’t something he never worked for. Above all the simpsons is not a show about a man who works in a nuclear power plant, it’s a show about a family. Think of where Frank Grimes came from. He’s a great worker sure, but he was abandoned as a child by his parents. We need people like Homer to provide loving homes for the children who will eventually run the world. No matter how many great workers they might be able to produce, we don’t need more people like Grimes’s parents.
Not everyone lives the kind of life where they can afford to slack off at everything they don't absolutely love. Some people have bosses that know what they're doing, others have jobs or obligations that they might not enjoy doing but are necessary to do well for the safety and well being of others.
Amen! Idk how people still think we live in a meritocracy. Even emp after all that analysis chalks up fairness to just random chance and ignores every social factor that plays into success/failure. We gotta fix the system in order to fix ourselves.
@@TheLaziiness Wait, there's a part of the video that states it's wrong to identify success/failure with your own worth and also relating it to your wealth. Minute 22:30 more or less, whe he starts talking about 'The death of a salary man'.
@@TheLaziiness As Emp points out Homer is Noble because he is abusing the system not fighting against it. I Feel like in the long term enough Homers are like termites to society gnawing away at the inside of the system to eventually force change. If a Termite tried to take over someone's house it would be squashed.
@@flyingchimp5012 I don't think that's a fair assessment. Homer more effectively embraces nihilism than anything else, and realistically if everyone was nihilist, and while aspiration does often lead to disappointment, nihilism just as equally leads to general decay. You can't have innovation or improvement if the best you'll get from the world is an embracing of mediocrity, or in the very least a lack of care for anything outside of your own life. If you care about how Matt feels, you're just as equally the point of contention made in that episode as you state matt to be; focused on the wishes of others, and not simply satisfied with yourself. If you want to embrace the practicalities of the episode, your critique of others becomes effectively unnecessary, because worrying about others becomes unnecessary, because the outcome of others beyond those directly connected to the outcome of your own life are irrelevant. Unless of course, you aren't a nihilist.
I remember, before the Simpsons were even a thing... somehow, improbably, I had this "Big Book of Hell", a large tome of a lot (most? all?) of the Life In Hell comics. During the summer, my dad mandated that us kids (me, a sister, two step-brothers, and two step-sisters) had to spend an hour a day reading. The Big Book of Hell counted.
@@mercster It is lame, it's boring and bland. It pandering to the lowest of low and doesn't challenge people to think. I'm not saying it shouldn't exist, but it shouldn't be what people strive for.
The thing about this episode is that it puts me on both sides equally, homers just having fun with life but is unaware of his laziness and grimes is a hard worker but he pushes his issues onto homer when he is completely unaware
The thing about this episode, to me, is that a lot of people miss the point. Grimes isn't a good guy, nor should he represent you. Grimes is a materialistic person that only focuses on what he sees. His entire breakdown on the Simpsons' House emphasizes this, since all of Grimes' points are easily countered. "You guys live in an extremely big, amazing house" (Except EVERYBODY in Springfield has a house that's that big, and the Simpsons' House specifically was bought by ruining Abe's life and it's also usually in complete disrepair), "You have an amazing family that you don't deserve" (Homer, atleast back then, was probably one of the sweetest men on America), "Your wire is beautiful" (She isn't, according to most people, and she also has HEAVY anger management problems), "Your daughter is too intelligent" (That isn't a bad thing at all), "Your son owns a factory" (Not only was he not weirded out by this, he also considers it a bad thing). Grimes focuses his anger on Homer when Homer is, ironically, the last person who deserves it. He's by far one of the nicest people in Springfield even if he does have his bad days, he's constantly in poverty (Roasting on an Open Fire, anyone?), and he's an intelligent man that stays stupid because the town prefers him that way (HOMR). Grimes may have had a tragic childhood, but that doesn't allow him to disrespect anybody he wants (Especially Homer, who had an even worse childhood). And even if he was that stupid and unjustly rewarded, there are many people who deserve to be called "What's wrong with America" more than Homer. What about Wiggum? Quimby? And the person ruling over the entire power plant who's established as a complete cheapskate? Grimes throws all his rage at Homer because he's a coward and can't bare to directly get through Burns' bullshit. And the irony is that Homer ADMIRES Grimes, and tries to get close to him just to be friends, but Grimes' damaged ego pushes him to the brink of insanity, when ironically he was at the perfect place to live in since Springfield has so little safely regulations he could just act like Homer and get away with it. It's pretty similar to Sideshow Bob's case, where rather than try to take down Krusty until he manages to, he attacks Bart because of revenge. Except Bob atleast KNOWS Bart, Grimes just puts Homer as the walking representation of a lazy idiot within a few days of knowing him. Grimes doesn't represent the downtrodden citizen, he represents the petty squabbler who assumes someone innocent represents a pure stereotype and creates a strawman, rather than trying to go against the people who deserve to be punished. TL, DR: Grimes doesn't see the forest for the trees. He's too focused on beating someone else down, despite not having any idea about their personal life, instead of going against the system. He also has a massive ego, leading to him not using the opportunity that Springfield's lack of regulations gives. Is he relatable? Yes, but in the worst way possible. Grimes represents our inner ego and blindness, and should not be appealed towards.
@@tragedyplustime8271 I don't know if I want to take advantage of the lack of regulations. I don't feel comfortable selling cockroach puree for sandwich filling. The problem with your last statement is that Springfield as a place doesn't operate in real life. The fact that Springfield abandons its previous location after Homer botched his job as the city's trashman hammers home they are not representative of a real-life city. They are at best a setting for a sitcom where situations like Ned Flanders being run over by a police car as a side gag has no lasting consequences. The way I see it, Frank Grimes is an expy of us in the real world showing how we cannot live in a toon world with their inexplicable impossibilities...
@@tragedyplustime8271 when grimes was talking about his family, he didn't say that stuff as if it was a bad thing. He meant the opposite. He was pointing out that Homer had all these good things but he's lazy and doesn't work hard enough to deserve any of it
@@pooperdooper3576 That's what I was saying lmao, Grimes only sees the good in Homer's family yet only sees the bad in Homer himself Also Homer may be lazy but he's been a much better father than Grimes would ever be, yet Grimey thinks of himself so highly that he bitches about Homer without even knowing him
@@tragedyplustime8271 but do you realize the creators were not creating The Simpsons as role models? You do realize that this is entertainment right? Do you think that the writers feel that people should act like the characters in The Simpsons? I think you and the person who analyzed this video are both pushing your political agendas off of a comedy cartoon series.... instead of just enjoying it for what it is, entertainment.
The Simpsons is basically the blueprint to every great comedic show. The less polished beginning -> Getting into their groove -> finding their stride -> hitting their stride -> experimentation -> deconstruction -> self parody -> living death.
That's why I'm glad Phineas and Ferb ended when it did. The writers reached the point of self-parody and rode that wave for a while, but they could see the writing on the wall, and let the show off the hook before it became irrelevant.
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I'VE HAD TO WORK HARD EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE, AND WHAT DO I HAVE TO SHOW FOR IT? This...BRIEF-case and this HAIR-loss treatment: keeps.com/emplemon
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I think another example of Frank Grimes being a completely normal person in the Simpsons world would be his voice. In the series, everyone has completely different and weird voices, with either different accents, tones, or pitches. Frank Grimes’ voice in all honesty is just Hank Azaria’s normal voice. That to me shows how he both stands out and fades in with all the other characters
Incredible voice actor.
Great observation!
As we found out in "HOMR" when Homer did do his job as Safety Engineer, he got the plant shut down. I think Burns tolerates Homer because Homer turns a blind eye to all the safety violations and keeps the plant open.
or because burns has no clue who homer is lmao
@@neutralamity can’t it be both? He doesn’t know who he is, but knows that he’ll get shut down if Homer/that guy actually does his job.
@@lg6884 that’s true
Homer has to work at a level just competent enough not to kill anybody
Remember that one episode where Homer is reading a Reader's Digest and Mr. Burns caught him on CCTV? Mr. Burns commented about the qualification of safety inspector in his plant is being an illiterate...
The line in Homer's Enemy that always hit me the hardest was "Frank Grimes, or 'Grimey' as he liked to be called..." A final insult, to be diametrically misrepresented in death. As someone who is frequently misunderstood in life, that line hurts my soul.
Change the Channel, Marge
My favorite is when Frank Grimes says "Oh, I'm better than okay. I'm Homer Simpson!" and then Homer says "Ha! You Wish!".
He can see that this man is having a horrible mental breakdown, but he is STILL extremely rude and casual.
The whole episode made me uncomfortably angry, but that's how I know it's brilliant.
@@PatchCornAdams723 Thing is, he probably didn't see him having a breakdown. Same way he didn't see that Grimes didn't like him and was annoyed by him. He probably thought that Grimes was just being Grimes, maybe making a joke he couldn't understand.
I, too, am not like other girls.
My favorite thing about this episode is that they managed to tie the b plot into the a plot by having Grimes be jealous that Bart owns a factory
What’s so funny about that is every time I think of this episode and try to remember what the b plot was, that’s how I remember. Oh yeah, cause frank said the thing about the factory. Never once did he question how a ten year old could own and operate a factory, he was just so blinded by rage he took it immediately at face value. Could have asked two questions and realized Homer’s family didn’t have it together any more than anyone else did.
It’s actually more brilliant when you realize it was set up that way from the start, it was the set up for the punchline.
@@Zitro_0 Bart limited will rise again. Jokes aside, Homer was nice to Grimes. That opinion might be unpopular but I stand by it. 'Hey you seem like a good guy if you turn the security camera around, you can sleep and no one will ever know.' He was trying to be nice, in his own way, as soon as they met
@@dharmallars I always loved how absurd it was for Grimes to be bitter about a run down factory Bart bought for nothing
@@A_massive_wog I didn't find it absurd, since Grimes had no idea factory was run down and basically abandoned. In his eyes Bart was owning functioning factory, with workers and such, having his own business at such young age.
God i remember watching this episode when I was like 11 and just feeling really...cold in the pit of my stomach. Its such a crushingly dark ending because the implications of it all are solely in your head, meanwhile the episode ends with everyone laughing at the funeral, giving no solace to anything that just happened. Frank not only killed himself, he also left no impact on any character in the show, any lasting memories of him are heavily slanted and short term. It upsets me more than any horror movie because it's a level of....cosmic indifference that just feels crushingly lonely and real.
I did too when I was a kid! It felt so mean spirited for no reason. But now I understand it more. Grimes' spite towards Homer who only ever wanted to befriend him even if obnoxious, hits different for me now. Homer was envious of Grimes too, adorably so, but never malicious. Still feels mean spirited, but I kinda get what the writers were going for.
@@fylm-frankieyounglovesmovi2215 nah Grimes saved Homer’s life and then Homer proceeded to tell Mr. Burns he destroyed the wall. Homer probably would’ve gotten a warning while Grimes actually faces serious consequences.
Sounds like the death of the common man
this is the greatest lesson. Grimes was nothing but materialistic, what else could happen to him? If he never gave anything else in his life meaning, how could people actually care or remember him? If you're materialistic, if you care about nothing but what you have, instead of who you and the people you love are, then how could you want people to remember or even like you?
the idea that hard work has value in itself its long prove wrong. but that's just a small part of the deal. Grimes not only based his concept of justice and fairness on his own hard work and himself, but he forgot that to live in society is about how you can provide for it. Grimes never seemed like he ever wanted to be unique, or even develop his own personality... He cared only about materialistic success.
The main thing I took from this video was that Matt Groening's parents are Marge and Homer. I never knew that.
Also, never realized that the street the Simpsons live in, Evergreen Terrace, was named after his college.
Margaret Groening’s maiden name before she was married was Wiggum, too. The show incorporated so many real life elements that you would sometimes forget it was even animated in the first place.
So basically nothing. That thing you mentioned is in the first 3 minutes of this video
@@gerardoa9179 Jeez. Its just something I never knew that interested me the most at the time of hearing it. No big deal.
@@gerardoa9179 maybe he's such a die hard Simpsons fan (with selective memory) that he knows the rest?
growing up, Homer's Enemy scared me much more then any of the Tree house of Terrors. Grimes' meltdown is honestly still terrifying today.
Who are you
@@iFACEPLANTalot1 We're not supposed to ask about that.
Who are you?
What could be more terrifying than the unpredictability of apoplectic rage? Maybe the idea of being insane yourself, would you know if you saw the world differently from everyone else? Who am I?
I’m glad it’s not just me lmao…it’s so unsettling in far too real a way, the fact that it happens mid-sentence, in a way that wouldn’t have killed any other character, it really got to me
"If I had a TV show I'd run that sucker into the ground." - Bart
Words have never been more prophetic.
By the way, which season should I stop at?
@@overdrive7349 Whenever you stop laughing should be fine.
@@AtomicOnionTree so true
Stop after the movie, A.K.A season 18. Not only does it end at a nice even 400 episodes, but the movie is quite a final "hurrah" for the series.
That's just my opinion, though.
“Strong moral role models” showing bill cosby. Man, that hits hard every time I’m reminded of it. How heroes fall
Really how villains are exposed.
He didnt fall, he was assassinated.
He was always fucking creepy dont kid yourself
I laughed
Was he ever proven guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt or was he just raked over the coals by the media?
The fall of the Simpsons is the epitome of “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” In this case, it’s “you either die fighting the institution or live long enough to see yourself become the institution.”
Nah, "Transform the medium so much that you become that which you sought to usurp."
Real Stalin hours
"I use to be with it, then they change what it was."
How about Nietzsche's "To look into the abyss, is to have the abyss look back into you....," and "To hunt monsters is to become a monster..."
Paraphrased from my memory.
@@Bollibompa permission to steal this quote. It’s much more concise
Frank Grimes, or Grimey as he liked to be called, taught us that a man can triumph over adversity.
Also known as Elon Musk's father-in-law.
Indeed. Frank Grimes is the best one-off Simpsons character.
Grimey actually felt like the only sane man in the simpson universe. Until he had his breaking point, reminds me of the main character from the movie Falling down. Also remember Frank grimes Jr?
Wtf why is the jojo guy here
Grimey was one of the best one time Simpsons characters ever.
I love how Grimes doesn’t go against Burns for letting someone like Homer work there, but he goes against Homer
I mean, Burns is the boss while Homer is a fellow employee.
So what you're saying is... he should have gone against his boss, get fired, and maybe end up with the same fate? Yeah, cool...
@@TedSh no, but he shouldn’t have gone against Homer like that, like is it really Homer’s fault that he is allowed to be incompetent?
@siriusblack1612 No, it's not, but going insane like that is something I would probably do. He doesn't know what Homer sacrificed and did to deserve his position. In his eyes, this was another joke of life, a lucky dummie getting more then a hard-working, great person. Mental breakdown is the result of him realizing how much he didn't matter and that he can't do shit about that.
You may say:"Well, don't you meet lucky incompetent people everyday?" No, not like Homer.
@@TedSh he’s just going after Homer because he is an easy target
"But Before he could do that, Matt Groening had to enter hell."
_Shows Los Angeles._
Because of South Park I expected Mexico.
Yeah not sure why he would bash hell like that
@@jimthompson5844 Because California is hell. Detroit is as well. Come to think of it, Hell seemed nicer than either the two.
I thought he was talking about the town in Michigan
Fun fact Matt Groening went on Epstein's plane
"The Simpsons was never designed to survive the 21st century"
Because every great story has an ending and The Simpsons missed theirs
Like the Walking Dead
The 21st? As in surviving to 2100?
@@Bollibompa The 2000s are the 21st century man…
@@heyitsyaboi8419 Sad thing is, I can’t tell if the dude was joking or serious lmao.
@@InformerMaz his name is that of a swedish kids channel. He is probably joking.
Your interpretation of the “Bowling Alley” moment is honestly amazing and makes that small moment so much more impactful to me. Homer WOULD be impressed by that because that’s the dream he gave up for the good of his family.
Yeah my heart just broke :(
he would also be impressed by it for the sake of bowling, just because he’s homer
24:00 in case anyone needs it!
RIGHT?! Such a fantastic connection!
Yup that's what he said in the video lol
It's so refreshing to see a video on the peak and decline of the Simpsons that's doesn't revolve around the principal and the pauper, thankyou
The Principal And The Pauper is kinda like the Jar Jar Binks of The Simpsons. It's gotten to the point now where making fun of it in itself is a tired cliche.
@@jacksonallen5667 and what is the actual problem?
@@KyleHerrera106 Forsaking the consistency of the world and complexity of the characters for a one-episode gag
@Desperado and that relates to Jar Jar Binks in what way? I guess what I should have said originally is, 'expand on that'.
@@KyleHerrera106 I thought you were asking why The Principal and the Pauper was hated
The amazing thing about The Simpsons is that even if it has 30 years of garbage, that 10 years of high quality will be what most remember for coming generations.
It's a shame it couldn't end in it's golden age, and instead lived to become a shell of what it was.
@@PlahaKumar Sure, but that doesn't mean you can't appreciate it for what it *was*. In my opinion, people too easily let sequels, remakes, or far-too-long runtimes ruin their enjoyment of what they loved originally.
@@PlahaKumar An empty hollow shell is what the Simpsons are now.
Even the movie sucked and that was very long ago.
They should have ended before the movie.
@@PlahaKumar it would have been rebooted by now, and even worse.
@@betorockmetal i liked the film, but i couldn't believe they kept the show going afterwards
Funnily enough the Simpsons has outlived its relevancy by so long, it almost represents an ideal life. Homer has job security in a well paying job and a huge house, things the average family would kill for now. Before the Simpsons were supposed to represent dysfunction and barely able to scrape by, now they practically live in luxury.
Honestly by today we should be at the point they keep previewing in future episodes, except most portrayals of Lisa being successful are probably highly inaccurate. Their first portrayal of her future self might be the most accurate one of all. And Maggie wouldn't be a famous rock star, she would be a RUclips vlogger with a silver play button.
That’s true. Back in the day that wouldn’t be an ideal life. But I guess the quality of life has gotten worse, so now it is lol 😂
As a GenX'er I will say that this was ideal life then and now - Parents married, mom's cooking breakfast, bills get paid, family has 2 cars, some pets... It was just the personalities and situations that pushed the envelope back then. They weren't the Cosby's. But none of us were.
I've seen many people comment on how the simpsons house is very nice looking back at it and it really makes you think
@@emilianozamora399 I mean even this whole episode admits "The Simpsons have it pretty good." Early on they didn't have much discretionary income but their house was nice and the neighborhood seemed safe. Possibly because there's only like eight criminals in the whole town.
Finding out Matt Groening's parents are called Homer and Marge has changed me
Also, his younger sisters are named Lisa and Maggie.
Here's the topper - Matt didn't want the whole cast to be named after his family, so he let the writing staff choose Grandpa's name. They ended up choosing Abraham, which also happened to be the name of Matt's grandfather.
@@sven_bender that's crazy! I've been a big fan of the Simpsons since I was a kid but never looked into this sort of stuff. Thanks for sharing!
@@sven_bender and you’re named after my favourite Futurama character!
How crazy is that! 🤓👌🏼
They must be so honored to share names with one of the most famous families in fiction! 🥰
I remember watching this episode years ago and the message of "Don't hate the player, hate the game" really clicked in my brain. It taught me that everyone is dealt a different hand and resenting others for their upbringings toxic for everyone, especially the person being salty in the first place.
As intelligent as grimes is supposed to be, he lacks a fundamental understanding of the philosophical concept that “if it sux hit da bricks, you can just leave.” He survived on his own for decades without the job at Burns’s plant, you’d think a well adjusted person would quit and find a new one before, you know, killing themselves on their second day.
I agree. Any normal person would of said "no thanks" to the job offer and walk out of the plant once they realized the job they were promised by the boss was replaced by a dog they saw on TV.
@@dharmallarslate comment, but I'd guess that Burns's plant was the first big break for a job that he wanted. When he encountered Homer's general lackadaisical manner of work and safety, not to mention several blows Burns levied against Grimes through coincidence and misunderstanding. These likely took a sledgehammer to Grimes's psyche to the point where he childishly baits Homer into a children's model plant fair.
So that’s when the geometry dash quote is from, ohhh
"Don’t hate the player hate the game" except you wouldn’t have accepted this excuse in the 1946 Nuremberg trials
“The Simpsons made everyone stop to adjust their tv sets, but the picture within was never broken. Everything else around it was.” One of the most thought provoking quotes I have heard in a very long time.
He had me at "What was once the epitome of media counter-culture is now owned by the epitome of the media establishment. In all honesty The Simpsons was never designed to survive until the 21st century. The big media conglomerates just keep it around as a ceremonial token to evoke nostalgia for better times. At this point Homer Simpson has been relegated to a figurehead akin to the like of Mickey Mouse and the Queen of England. "
pick up a book every now and then
@@Mickyfitz96 nah, video essays about the yellow people are more interesting to me
@@Mickyfitz96 I don't even know what that comment is meant to infer or evoke, or even mean? Books were the new parchments. As are videos the new books. Times change. There's nothing wrong with taking a philosophical look at a show that quite literally shaped minds and created personalities and traits in people based on a unique appreciation of comedy. A lot of people are who they are today, because of this show.
@@dons1932 Not wading into that debate but the quote is objectively corny and about as deep as a puddle. no disrespect to the jeffman but if this is as good as it gets for him then he's missing out and might benefit from broadening his horizons
Wow, he actually turned “Why are the Simpsons green?” into a profound statement about the show and society. What a legend. This is why I’m subscribed.
I have to sit down and rethink everything after watching an episode of this series.
im colorblind, never noticed the green unless someone points it out, still dont see it, just am aware of it.
Legend.
There should be, there will never ever be an F1 driver like Gilles Villeneuve.
pretty fantastic re-contextualization
So that's why you used green
fuck I messed up
fuck i messed up
@@Sockren you wouldn't get it
Always has been
sus.
I actually cried for Grimes, it felt like a real person being trapped in a cartoon slowly going mad.
He didn’t have toon powers
I was glad he died. Homer snoring at his funeral was especially funny. Saying "Yeah, Grimey is right!" doesn't make sense, nobody should be jealous of Homer, a cartoon character. We didn't need him around beating down the show's lead. Anybody crying for Grimey, an angry spiteful cartoon character that had 23 minutes of screen time, needs to do some serious work with a counselor to find what their real issue is and try to work on it.
@@PurringWonderland The main thing for me was he was a saftey inspector and Homer is always putting peoples lives at risk, I saw him being driven insane by being unable to stop Homer from almost murdering the town on a daily basis.
@@MizzzFizzz The thing I never liked about the "Grimes feels like a real person" argument is that it simply isn't true. At every turn in the episode Grimes puts up with some truly insane things, probably the first being the incident with the dog. Grimes doesn't actually act like a human would to try and fix this problem, like by contacting authorities - and yes, we know the Springfield authorities are incompetent, but the point is that when presented with this situation Grimes still doesn't act like a human, he puts up with it and just becomes angry. This trend continues with pretty much every incident, Grimes doesn't report Mr Burns or Homer to any authority no matter what they do. Skirting safety regulations? Dangerous chemicals all over the place? Nope, just lets it ride. If anything, he's just as complicit through his inaction. Sure, he's aware of the problems caused by Homer - but he allows those extremely severe problems to continue.
If anything, I think Grimes shows us why we shouldn't feel bad for him. Grimes is an angry, petty man who takes everything personally and does nothing to solve problems. He recognizes that there are insane things going on around him, but instead of acting on that knowledge, he just lets it anger him. He takes everything in the worst possible way, and as soon as he sees an opportunity to get back at Homer, he jumps on it - becoming a direct part of the problems around him. I mean, really? Grimes thinks it's a worthwhile use of his time to humiliate Homer by making him enter a children's contest?
The truth is that no one wants to be around a Grimes. He's the anti-Homer. Grimes might be "smarter" than homer when it comes to having a straight up education, but he's socially unintelligent. Homer is a jerk, but he tries to do right by people, even when his lazy nature gets the better of him. I think the best examples are in situations where Homer will even "help" out Ned (even if the help ends up causing more harm than good) despite Ned being the person that Homer despises more than anyone else. It took only a single interaction for Grimes to entirely right off Homer, and when Homer opened up to Grimes, Grimes only took it as an insult.
Now, I know the interviews where they talk about why they made Homer's Enemy - but somewhere in production, I think the result changed. Because Grimes absolutely doesn't act anything like "a real, somewhat humorless human" (taken from an interview) during the episode, and mainly serves to highlight the positive traits in Homer.
@@twigtwig3110 Wow i woke up some simpsons demon in you lol, really interesting points though and i agree. I get what you mean and i guess i have seen many people who treat life that way which is why i might have sympathised lol.
the life in hell series is super underrated
it’s conor man
the connorman
Okay why do you watch every RUclipsr I also watch, first I saw your comment on an Omni video, then an iNabber video, and then an EmpLemon video. I'm seriously starting to think my entire life on YT revolves around what you watch. Istg next I'm going to see you on a Summoning Salt video or something.
Okay hipster
Door
In a way Homer and grimes are also a nice depiction of how much the economy has changed from the Gen X to the millennial generation. Both working in the same place but one being able to afford to BUY a house and a stay at home wife and kids while the other can't even afford to rent appartment for him self .
I worked with a baby boomer when I graduated from college, at the same position and salary. He once told to me that since the 90's he had not gained any real wealth, only maintained his acquisitive power. I did not get it at the time, but 10 years later I see he was right. At that point, it would take me over 20 years to own a house and car, what the what he was able to buy in his first 5. Even so, probably I would not be able to afford maintenance.
The severing of the last ties of the dollar to gold by Nixon, which made the Federal Reserve the arbiter of the value of the dollar is the reason why the standard of living has plummeted. As long as Central bankers and moneyed interests control interest rates and the control of monetary value, this trend will never ever be reversed. When the dollar has no value aside from fiat, the elitists will always get more value out of an ever expanding (i.e. inflationary) dollar because they will have these dollars before they lose value by the time they reach us, the plebs. And it is the same reason why elites laugh off the current inflation (the worst in 40 years) while normal people see it (rightfully so) as an existential threat. Ron Paul was 100% right on his diagnosis of why we are where we are as a country.
But he got a hooker those are not cheap
@@ddsjgvk i mean it might cost a hundred or two but thats cheap compared to a house... or a stay at home wife whit 3 kids xD
NO wonder millennials gave up on life, decide to live in mommy's basement while hitting hard on 40, all while working an entry level job while smoking obscene quantities of weed.
I wonder what if Grimes met Flanders, and or see Homer's resentment and short coming compared him?
Would that have saved him from going crazy, or something else?
Probably not
He's too focused on his own shortcomings compared to Homer
I think it would’ve made him worse but saved his life
Grimes would be seeing somebody succeeding in the American dream even beyond Homer through hard work and a can do attitude which would make him not go through a “I’m Homer Simpson” however this sight mixed with the sight of Homer’s hatred at this great man would probably make homer even more so detestable to Grimes
In the book A Stranger In a Strange Land, a human raised by Martians on Mars has no sense of humor. At one point in the story he goes to a zoo. At the zoo there is a monkey enclosure where he sees a monkey with some food. A bigger monkey hits the smaller one and takes his food. The monkey with no food finds a monkey smaller than him and hits them stealing their food. The Mars Man laughs and realizes that comedy is derived from human suffering.
@@baconknightproductions8297 yep the state of ceará em brasil is regarded as the one with the most funny people and the one with the most unforgiving weather conditions one example: a drought that lasted 15 years that happened in the 19th century.
I'm not sure Grimes actually goes crazy. He's view of reality IS at odds with that of the universe he is in. Consequences and even physics have fundamentally different rules than what Grimes believes at the start of the show. He is wrong about how the world works, and when he learns that everything he knows is wrong, he decides to try the perceived rules for himself. His mistake is that the doesn't understand that the rules are only different for "main cast" members. Lenny could do the same thing and live. Homer would get a medal.
It's not a "Huh, I guess I'm being envious and shouldn't worry so much" thing. It's a "You mean people can eat spent fuel rods and it won't kill everyone in his home?" thing. It's just that Grimes doesn't understand it's not "people" that can eat spent fuel rods, but just "main cast".
I think the real message of this episode isn’t that hard work doesn’t matter, it’s that putting it in the wrong place does. Grimes worked hard for a career that wasn’t necessary for a company or society that didn’t care about him. Homer does work hard in a sense when it comes to those he cares about and the things he loves. If someone has a problem, he’ll do anything to fix it. Look at the episode when he sacrificed his work life and career just to keep Maggie’s toy against Mr Burns wishes. He was lazy but only towards the things that were lazy to him. This makes the ending not a tragedy, but bittersweet. If Grimes worked just as hard for human connection he’d be far more rewarded.
reject the system, embrace family, a powerful message.
I mean if it were made nowadays, the message would need to actually be that hard work doesn’t matter in that sort of big business job to be accurate to real life. It’s crazy how the problem that this episode shows has only gotten worse, to the point where Grimes is struggling *less* than most americans
I think the real message is that the system will shit on you most of the time so don't bother
Damn did I need to hear this…well, read it.
Homer doesn't work hard for those he loves. Many episodes begin with Homer doing something negligent of selfish at the expense of his relationships. The hard work, or reckless panic usually, is him repairing them, which he can do, but only because the universe bends to save Homer for next week's adventure.
New emplemon wake da whole house up
Yay, another veri-
You know what, I don't know if you guys think you're quirky or funny when you make these comments, but if you do, just remember:
YOURE NOT.
Shut up verified accounts nobody cares who you say
shut up
@@doctorvladandhisbluejaysd2802 fr I don't give a rat's ass about verified accounts they just commenting for attention
Hey Vaporwave enthusiast.
"Often times the greatest art dosent give us all the right answers, it makes us ask the right questions"
Never before has one line perfectly described why i love media that makes me think a little harder about what i was looking at
I love that line so much
"You... went into outer space? YOU!"
" Sure. You've never been?"
Wanna see my Grammy?
he got you there dad..
@@ourgreatsociety4965 Wha-NO!
Frank Grimes is like the struggling actor / writer / producer who can't seem to catch his big break. The cast and crew on The Simpsons - for all their talent and dedication - were enjoying cartoonish success, eight seasons into this miraculous series. "Homer's Enemy" could be interpreted as a coming to terms with the success guilt they must have felt -- and what the humbler among all of us feel when our most modest expectations are exceeded.
"It is possible to commit zero mistakes and still lose."
"That is not weakness, that is life"
Me taking tests in school.
NO thats the whole point of making no mistakes you are guaranteed to win 100% of the time.
@@jullienricot930 Flawless is not the same as perfect, in fact in most cases there is no significant overlap between them. I was an adult by the time I realized the first part of that sentence to be true, and I was close to thirty by the time I fully embraced the second part. But it is one of the most fundamental aspects of our world you will ever encounter.
@@jullienricot930 Simply untrue. Welcome to the real world.
I remember when I first watched this episode, my dad was eating something and when Grimes was telling Homer that they were enemies Homer says something like "ok, do I have to do anything?" At the end. My dad, who wasn't really watching burst out laughing at that. He's dead now (my dad) but that was something I remember about it, and it turned out to be one of my best memories of him. Strange how that happens.
The emotional whiplash from “my dad burst out laughing” to “he’s dead now” honestly caught me off guard.
@@Sompursone sorry mate
Died laughing
@@calendarfactory8566 not quite, crushed under the wheels of a truck, spent a week in ICU before dying from his injuries.
@@Wheres_the_money_lebowski JESUS.
I feel like a lot of people see Grimes as being “right” in this episode. But once you realize he too is wrong, the blame is not on Homer but on the systems that created both their situations, that’s when you get it.
The episode was written by a Libretarian that probably intended it to be played completely straight lmao.
@@LAZY-RUBY I mean, I didn’t mean to say that the episode necessarily intended Grimes to be in the wrong. I don’t know the creators’ intentions. My comment is more about interpretation than intention.
@Garfield And he'd be wrong for doing so. It's like asking why fast food workers think they deserve 15$ while EMTs barely make more instead of asking why EMTs are making that little to begin with.
@Garfield That’s possible. Under that interpretation, I’d actually be more inclined to think even less of Grimes, being that his anger is not only misguided, it’s downright silly. If he falsely blamed Homer for his issues, it’d make sense that he’s taking it out ON Homer. But if he doesn’t, him being so angry at Homer all the time is just kinda mean.
Renegade Cut has an amazing video on this.
ruclips.net/video/P40sJOkxnac/видео.html
He looks at the episode more from a class struggle perspective. I think people who think Grimes is right also forget that Homer had to give up his dreams to take a job he hates, in order to support his family. And he originally got into nuclear energy to begin with because he got the message society was broadcasting: Go into STEM. Nuclear energy is the future. Homer was a musician and bowling alley owner, both jobs he'd rather be doing and has more of a motivation to do. Running a power plant is arguably more useful, but it's not what Homer was meant for. Grimes is that insufferable person that always lectures you about bootstraps.
"All I've wanted is for you to lead a happy life" is a thing I've heard my parents tell me more than just a few times, but only once I paused to consider the meaning of it, did the gravity of it click in me. Being driven by a similar ambition that drove Grimes does not exclude the laissez-faire outlook on things that homer has - it only does so if you rank the value of things through lenses colored by your ambitions. I've made it my task to live my life a happy person. That is not and never was a merit of my success - my success is the merit of my happiness. A passion driving me exactly where I want to go with no strings attached.
When the video is almost twice as long as the episode itself
Silence, checkmark
U again?
why draem is master mind
i whatched 21748916347326598761 mincraft speed runs this what i lerned
Thank you@@speedycube64, very cool.
I don't know if anyone's touched on this but, one thing that truly makes this episode great is how it doesn't make Homer the cause of Grimes' undoing. Everything Grimes does after Homer takes his advice to heart is entirely HIS doing. He's the one who can't accept Homer's good-hearted attempt, he's the one trying to make Homer look stupid in front of people who really don't care, He's the one who has an extreme meltdown and he's the one who touched those high voltage chords. Grimes' bitterness and refusal to accept change is what ultimately brings his downfall.
haven't seen it in a while, but doesn't homer even try to STOP him from touching the cables?
@@iluvugoldenblue
Homer doesn’t try to stop him from grabbing the cables, but he does ask him if he’s ok during his breakdown
Exactly. Grimes thinks Homer's his worst enemy but in reality it's himself.
Gonna plug in a song here this write up reminded me of - Change by Blind Melon. 90’s rock
He’s like Chuck mcguil
I love when two creators I already love collaborate.
SILENCE VERIFIED
EmperorLemon I know your based 25:29 to 25:34 have you ever considered its just inheritably in their being to be worse
Cope Harder fuck of racist
Well this comment chain took an abrupt swerve!
This, realjim is really underrated, i really like his content, even if i dont agree with all of his takes
19:24 "Is true freedom even attainable if its unaltered state inevitably resurrects tyranny?"
One of the best sentences I've ever heard.
Without evil there would be no good, and without tyrants there would be no freedom. This is a natural and necessary counter balancing in a never ending cycle. Some winters are longer are colder than others, but Spring eventually arrives, and now we’ve gained the experience and wisdom to see us through the next extra brutal winter when it eventually occurs again. Without tyrants and periods of incomprehensible cruelty and suffering- the human conscience and soul could never develop as it has specifically to defeat it. Freedom is only the sweetest gift from God because we have tasted the alternative of bondage
I came here to say this.
really makes you think
I don't understand... what is so great about it to you?
“EmpLemon, or Empey, as he like to be called...”
I would rather call him emperor, his videos are great
@@dual-screen me too, I still end up calling him EmperorLemon
Surely... _LIMEY!_
Change the channel Internet Historian.
What's really funny is that I've actually called him this to friends.
hard agree
Be careful guys, creeps are using a checkmark in their username to notify each other
@@SonimodGR nah I'll give this guy a pass, he puts out good shit
🇩🇪
Love to see you here! Your simpsons video was amazing
Yes! LS Mark.
"There will never ever be another Simpsons episode--"
Finally. It's over.
haha xd
If only
The Simpsons were dead to me the second they made that Trump West Side Story video. I hadn’t watched them for years but that killed any interest I had in watching them ever again. And I absolutely HATED Trump as president. That video was just so unbelievably cringe-inducing that it ruined the show for me.
@@philly_sports1558 comparison wise Biden is doing much worse and taking credit for things not his...the show is only precedent in events.
@@philly_sports1558 i didn't even know about it till now and yet it didn't surprise me at all. Fortunately we don't have Fox where i live so they dont show recent episodes on tv anyway
This video made me appreciate Simpsons so much more, grew up watching Simpsons in the early to late 00s but always stuck with the golden years and it will forever be my most cherished tv show. Seeing how it was such a cultural shift for tv and American audiences in general is so impressive
2000s Simpsons are underrated.
another amazing video
I have nothing funny to say
Hi panda man
apandah where is the next sleep deprived podcast
Apandah feet pics 🤤
Bruh moment
"Lisa, if you don't like your job, you don't strike! You just go in every day and do it really half-assed. That's the American way."
I’m not kidding you whatsoever; this quote literally made me shoot HOT DOG out of my nose!
(I don’t know about anyone else, but, but that was a first for me!)
@@locomadman bro what the fuck
@@anarkxi I know, right??! That’s kind what went through my head at that moment! (Other than, you know, hot dog). I was eating supper when I read the comment, never laughed so hard solid matter passed through my nasal cavity before, of course I had to share. (Definitely not my finest moment, for sure!)
@@locomadman a whole ass hotdog (or half eaten?) that just shoots up your fuckin' nasal cavity, shit chief you might wanna get that checked out
@@anarkxi no, not the whole damn thing (obviously) bwahahaha. Just a regular sized, decently chewed bite.
But lemme tell ya, there is no way to chew *quite* enough for hot dog to pass easily through the nose comfortably; trust, man!
I think you mixed up capitalism and alcohol.
Well, I'm first here what's up Whang!
A dangerous combination
Heh.
Fun mix
I came here right after I watched your video lmao
Regarding the 'laissez-faire' attitude as being the ideal/what is admirable in Homer - as Grimes said, Homer can only enjoy his easy, consequence-free life because others are forced to deal with the consequences instead. While Homer gets to live another day because a vigilant Grimes knocked acid out of his hands, Grimes is the one being punished for the acid damage; Homer is thriving at the expense of others, and to empathize with *that* position is easy (how nice! I want to be as unburdened as Homer!), but for any of us who've grown up with Homers around, it's the short end of the stick, because those consequences do land - just on someone else.
Similarly, Homer's relationship with his family is painful to observe through the lens of, you know, not being Homer. For Homer to be Homer, Marge has to devote her life to taking care of the consequences of Homer's actions; financially, societally, personally, there are many episodes where Marge has her expressed her sadness that her life is limited, that while Homer gets to go out and have adventures, she has to take care of the practicalities (and during their separations, Homer has to face consequences and can't bear it, so the 'happy ending' is them getting back together and him being able to go back to doing whatever he wants while Marge cleans up). The later seasons are harder to watch because the early warmth of the show has worn off, and Homer and Marge are still in marriage counselling with Marge bitterly grinding her teeth while Homer cheerfully ignores every need she has. It's remarked many times throughout the show that Homer is extremely selfish; the only reason he's redeemed is because of those brief moments where he puts his selfish instincts aside to do the right thing for someone else (and even then, often after letting them down; like Lisa needing a saxophone reed before her recital, and Homer decides to get a beer instead). We forgive him because at the end of the day he does the right thing, sometimes, eventually. The flip-side to people who do whatever they want, are people who are forced to clean up after them (often, sadly, out of love, integrity, sense of duty, or coercion/force). Lisa (and even Maggie, surreally enough) also fill these roles to an extent, taking on the stress of cleaning up after another person's mistakes (Homer's, and also Bart's - revealing a layer of misogyny to this issue as well).
There's an episode in the early seasons where Bart's 'I do what I want' (laissez-faire) attitude is embraced by the whole town, and everything falls apart because everyone's only doing what they 'feel' like doing. To Grimes' point - it comes at a cost, and that cost lands on the caring, compassionate people who are impelled to help others, to their own detriment. Coulda just let him drink the acid, but there's that niggling integrity saying, 'if you can prevent a senseless death, you must!' If there was another Homer around, Homer'd be dead.
It's curious reading some of the comments about embracing Homer's 'bare minimum' lifestyle, because obviously working hard didn't pay off for ol' Grimey (and is representative of societal lies about success) - but it's curious that the accepted solution is 'just don't care as much!' instead of, you know, fighting injustice, striving for social change, making the world a better place. Turning a blind eye just lets the Mr. Burns of the world keep doing what they're doing. My heart aches for Grimes, who did everything you're 'supposed' to - worked hard, looked out for others, did the honest thing, with integrity, manners, and patience - and died a villain. (And hey - if he'd not worked hard every day of his life, he'd be considered a lazy bum who deserved his lack of success, 'cos he just should've worked harder!)
TL;DR - it's easy to enjoy doing whatever you want if others are cleaning up after you, but it's a deeply uncompassionate way to live.
I'm impressed
This comment is _severely_ underrated and should be more popular.
@@sonic40001No, it's not. This person is another Grimes failing to acknowledge the point of the episode. When Homer recognized that he'd angered Grimes, he acted to rectify the situation, only for Grimes to not only dismiss him, but attempt to engineer his humiliation. Grimes is every bit the envious, spiteful peon that every modern college student seems to be, while Homer only needed a nudge to at least try to better himself. OP said that turning a blind eye empowers people like Burns, yet Grimes was working for Burns while he focused his rage at Homer, who do you think added more to Burns' wealth during that episode?
@@loopyloon5401 that's actually fair, I got too focused on OP's remark on Homer's laissez-fair atitude.
Well, I do believe that Grimes' (and so many others'!) tendency to blame others for his own misfortunes should benefit of at least a bit of self-awareness.
It's similar to the situation where one, as a single person, gets angry over other people in a relationship, which may or not be their friends. Sure, it's valid to be sad _to a point_ because of your situation and happy for them, but from here to actually blaming others and be angry at them is a long, dangerous way. A lot of that energy that can be taken to point fingers can be put into actually searching elsewhere, take care of yourself and really, being decent. While none of that guarantees you a relationship, it does help to not do what Grimes did in society.
While this is certainly a valid point I think it overlooks elements of the show to agree with grimes here. And bringing up later seasons is just pointless as you're comparing apples to oranges at that point. To keep things short, at the end of the day they all live in a silly world with it's own set of rules and it's entirely on Grimes for falling to adapt to that and then taking out his rage on a dim but good man who, dispite all his problems has always supported his family.
You know who else had a dictomy where one was mature and miserable, another idiotic and happy, despite both of them being in technically simillar places?
Squidward and Spongebob.
Bro he already made that video
First never ever
Yup, from the first Never Ever episode.
🤯
nice callback
While Frank Grimes is obviously a tragic irony & dark humor, it is also the show poking fun at itself. Grimes is rightfully shocked and appalled of the fact that Homer is an incompetent, happy-go-lucky *safety inspector of a nuclear power plant* which is also poking fun at ‘The Simpsons’ world in general that would allow this to happen.
Look at who runs some counties.
Canada had a mayor who did crack
I think he’s based of the main character form the movie “Falling Down”
Amusingly, Homer had to work for his safety inspector gig, only getting it so that he'd stop decrying Burns's lack of standards.
EmpLemon went from a YTP shitposter to one of the most talented social commentators on the site. Love the vids man, your insight on society is just so interesting. I know I sound like a 400 iq rick and morty fanboy but just man your vids are way too good lol
Strangely enough, I miss the era of his earlier commentaries from around 2016-2018. They were edgy, but very raw in meaning. Watch his rants about RUclips to see what I mean.
@@MrCastleburger back when he was on his downward spiral
@@MrCastleburger I like both but I hope we get some videos that are more on the screed side every once in a while.
It’s a match made in entertainment heaven
@@3three3three3three DOWNWARD SPIRAL DOWNWARD SPIRAL DOWNWARD SPIRAL DOWNWARD SPIRAL
"Our value as individuals is dictated by how we act in our most challenging moments". That genuinely got me. I keep measuring my worth with talents and achievements, and I keep feeling like I'm not enough. I didn’t think a video about The Simpsons would make me re-evaluate my own self-worth, but I welcome the unexpected clarity I gained from this.
When you described everything Gen x went through, it really puts into perspective how messed up the world always is, it's not like all this crazy stuff going on today is unique to us, its just as generations go by we dont like talking about the bad things
Unless it happens to others, like WW2 and Dracula documentaries.
"Every generation must know its own suffering."
- Boris Shcherbina, _Chernobyl_
Nah things are spiralling out of control now, this world is about to explode
@@AnimalBlundetto601 say that when the entire world is going to war and you are first in line. I'd take the pandemic over ww2 any day actually
@@justaneditygangstar The whole world is about to go to war, this isnt just about covid. WW3 is coming, you might not believe me yet but you will
The sarcasm about Bill Cosby at the beginning was just perfect.
I honestly thought the simpsons were green to avoid a copyright claim.
Me 2
me too lol
Me too
I bet there's something philosophical you could make of this comment tied to the video but I'm too simple to come up with it
@@clownmoshpit2778 most definitely though im in the same simpleton boat.
Although Grimes is thoroughly sympathetic, he was unable to accept that life can be unfair sometimes and that there will be people much better off due to being extremely lucky. My outlook completely changed on this episode. It's not just an allegory for Americans but humans in general.
He was unable to accept that he has far far more in common with Homer than the parasite leaching of his labour known as Mr Burns
"The Simpsons opened our eyes to the yellowness of the world, after a while we stopped questioning why they were yellow. They simply were. It was only then when just for a moment, the creators had nothing else to do but make them green. Homer's enemy is The Simpsons magnum opus, and there will never ever be another episode like it." **takes the one second where Homer gets up to adjust the TV and makes Bart green and zooms in on Bart, putting the laughter from the end over it**
man oh my GOD that ending is perfect!
Comparison to others is the death of joy. Homer rarely compares himself to others.
Edit: except Flanders and see how miserable he gets lol.
Well he occasionally does. And then gets sad. Proves your point though :)
That's right, we should all be just like Homer.
Stupid Flanderses!
Lol
The Simpsons have lived long enough to see themselves become the villain.
You only become the villain if the people change their minds about you. The people are deflecting responsibility and blame and need a scapegoat...think about it.
@@mutsuhanma7807 no
@@mutsuhanma7807 If you have to end your own argument with "think about it" then you didn't make a compelling argument.
"You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
@@mutsuhanma7807 Did you know that there's a direct correlation between the decline of Spirograph and the rise in gang activity? Think about it.
As a kid, I was told this was the best episode of the show. I didn't think the plot was special, in fact it was kind of weird and mean-spirited, so I just thought people meant the comedy. But on rewatch? Christ... 'you're what's wrong with America, Simpson' hit me like a truck.
Homer's Enemy is the most subversive episode simply because it paints Homer in another light. In other episodes, he'd be depicted as a funny goofball, or someone in the wrong who'd fix the mistakes by the end. But this is the first time his 'flaw' is not something he can ever change. It's his life. His life and everything he has is ludicrous to the outsider looking in. And we start to feel for Grimes, to see Homer as someone unfairly commended by society.
But that ending hit me the hardest.
We finish with a shot of Homer falling asleep a group laughing. In any other episode, this would be a fun gag. But here it's not. Here, we witness a man tortured by society, die, be remembered by a name he hated, and then have a funeral full of celebrating his enemy. In a way, that scene of Homer sleeping perfectly represents what drove Grimes crazy, and what killed him. The act of putting sloth on a pedestal.
Brilliant episode
"responsible and virtuous role models" accompanied by a closeup of Bill Cosby's face fucking sent me to the moon.
Yeah that joke was a knockout
@@googiegress You know what else knocks you out?
A drink offered by Bill Cosby.
@@karltanner3953 That was the point. Thanks!
@@karltanner3953 and in some cases it might even knock you *up*
I feel the Simpsons predicting the future is also in part due to the sheer volume of content.
That is mentioned in South Park. It's a joke of course but I think it has some merit. Art imitates reality when the volume is so immense etc.
I'd say it's all but entirely due to the volume.
One thing I've noticed about most of The Simpsons "predictions" is that they were completely founded. For example.... Trump being president. People say that The Simpsons predicted Trump being president, in an episode that aired around the year 2000. But Trump had already talked about being president (in one form or another), way back in the 1980's (at least). Yeah, I understand that he still had to actually win and become president..... but people take The Simpson's predictions too far.
People will be that The Simpsons "predicted" Trump as president, and those people will think that it was a completely unfounded crystal ball psychic powers prediction, that came out of nowhere... that no one could have ever predicted.
too many coincidences.
@@RatatRatR Look up Illuminati Card Game 1995
fun fact: my mom owned a restaurant in LA that Matt Groening went to almost daily while he was a struggling cartoonist in the 80s
what is it called?
That’s not true
@@Pusfilth you don't have to believe it if you don't want to
@@Immadeus it's called Millies, it's in Silverlake CA but my mom hasn't been the owner in decades. this was back before the Simpsons was created
@@remyclio8661 don’t
This episode is fascinating because how each person feels about Frank Grimes seems to be based on how they view the world. If you are an ambitious workaholic dedicated to getting ahead while being unsatisfied with your life, it would be very easy to hate Homer's guts after this episode. If you are a chill guy, more interested in making friends and enjoying life, at the expense of getting significant success, you'd walk away from this episode thinking Grimes was a jerkass who should've befriended Homer. That's why the episode is so divisive, it directly forces you to decide if you're like Frank Grimes, or like Homer Simpson, or who you're more like.
More than anything, I felt bad for grimes. Poor guy let himself get so consumed with hustle culture, he forgot to take care of himself. He assumed Homer was the problem because… how can someone be happy and lazy and still have Stuff?
Underrated comment, I identify with Grimes 😬 just watched the episode on D+. Kinda shocked me and made me upset.
so more sophisticated zoey or zelda
in bojack horseman there is a joke that everyone is either a zoey or a zelda, go watch bojack horseman now if you havent seen it@@MrMike855
@daniellysohirka4258 no joke, you could watch 4 episodes of the Simpsons a day without even having basic cable back then. Not only was it great, it was always on.
Emp pulled the classic "Why do i do the thing?" "Well... Why do you do your thing?" When it came to green Simpsons. It has come full circle and has nowhere else to go. It was good while it lasted, now all that is left is the abyss. Keep up the good work and have a nice day.
The only thing we have left... the downward spiral...
The only thing that’s for sure about Emplemon.... is nothing’s for sure
For a person that used to feel like Frank Grimes and now feels like Homer, I found this EXTREMELY enlightening, thank you!
How did you end up feeling like that?
Interesting. Care to expand?
@c&f lol you JUST now realized that, Ever hear of Fake it till you make it?
I am in the same boat as someone who is in his mid thirties I did everything by the book in the sense what the American dream was designed get a good paying job after college and raise a family of three children myself work hard and be a good role model to my kids and a provider. I didn't smoke do drugs only drank on weekends and showed up early and stayed late. I made good money and bought a house and when the market got hot I bought a bigger home. I voted red and backed the establishment. Fast forward to now age 36 I feel more like Homer than ever as all my lifestyle gave me was chasing the American dream as what others wanted me to be. I since quit my corporate job downsized my lifestyle and now use the money I made to purse my pursuit of happiness which is the true definition of our four Father's vision. I went from Champaign life style to a beer one and embraced people more than oppose their lifestyles. I get drunk more often have sex more suprising and constantly trying new things and meeting new people from all walks of life. I just gave up possessions to learn than real treasures are being with people you love. Sure I don't have a bmw and a 4k sq ft house now and I don't go on nice vacations anymore But I have do have is lasting relationships and more love and support than I ever had and to be honest I don't care what people think of me. I completely did a 180 and went from hard work to hardly working I still work don't get me wrong I just do now because i still want to be part of society and make money like anyone else but now I don't care about corporate ladders or bonuses I just want enough money to live my life the way I see fit.
I remember my Dad didn't like this episode, but watched it anyway because he liked the side plot with Bart buying a building for a dollar.
Why hè didn't like It?
@@SubZero-hs9xc i guess we'll never know
@@Mamato4525 no we can't accept that!
Yeah, why?
honestly that side plot was actually pretty funny lmao
I think it kinda portrays a generational clash, between boomers who started early on, in the 60s, 70s, 80s, when there wasn't as much competition in the job market, vs a gen x'er starting a career in the late 90s, in a highly competitive environment where getting a position that pays well required huge efforts and also in an economical reality in which a nice suburban house like Homer's wasn't as affordable. That's how the American dream died, in fact.
"Heh, if you lived in any other country in the world, you'd have starved to death long ago." - Grimey
The ironic thing is, the same could maybe be said for him. He was abandoned by his parents at age 4. I think this line really highlights the dichotomy presented in this video.
Not only abandoned, he also got into a major explosion when he was 18 that made him 100% bedridden for years while also causing him to lose hearing and sense of touch.
I mean there are a lot of countries outside of the US with at least the scale of governmental safety nets.
@@javidproductions9353 I guess you can call it a counter argument to his claim but the point still stands in the end, A person that was abandoned at the age of 4 or got bedridden at age 18 wouldn’t have even prospered a bit either.
@@Predator20357 Yes, he would be alive but it would seem near impossible for him to flourish. If anything being in Springfield where everyone is dumber and lazier than him could have been his big break. Imagine if he'd studied to do a job, he could have taken nearly anyone's role because no character is good at what they do in Springfield.
@@DrBigt in short, half dead.
“Generation X represented a group of Americans unlike any that came before them”
....”There will Never Ever be another generation like generation X”?
Or Gen Z, tbh.
@@settingsun5582 but most gen z people are depressed and are easily consumed
Or marketed to
@@oBudz Yeah and it doesn't even mean anything, it could be a good or bad generation but it's still different that the other generations.
Well, millenials and Gen X also have a lot in common, and the same can be said of zoomers and millenials.
A theme in Emp's videos and specifically the Never Ever series is this feeling on how culture affects generations, and how they express their worries and frustrations in different ways. The Simpsons, in a way, is for Gen X what Spongebob is to millenials.
And as a zoomer, who knows what the future holds for us? The clock is ticking, childhood is over. Soon, millenials will be old, and we shall take their place.
Homer Simpson came from a dysfunctional family, his mother abandoned him, his father barely cared for him and yet he still sports a good job and supports a family with everything he has. without marge he would have gone nowhere and now he has surpassed what his father achieved and put him down for. Homer Simpson is by far the best character in modern television.
Homer actually worked to get to where he is not in the academic sense but through hardship and trials. Sure he may be lazy and stupid but theres more to him than meets the eye.
@@coffintears5821 Being in the right place at the right time hardly counts as work.
So correct!!! Homer is truly a special person! Maybe not the brightest, but has a heart as bright as the sun! Heaven will have a special spot for him! ✌☀️☁️
@@Ebani yeah could argue that but you could also argue that considering what homer went through he deserves at least some credit.
@@coffintears5821 Would be an extremely poor thing to argue, specially considering this episode, unless you think Grimey deserved what he got after all he had been through, unlike Homer which didn't really went through any real hardship.
The studio originally wanted life in hell, but Matt didn't want to give it to them and then they chop it up. It was HIS. A few minutes before his pitch to the studio, he drew the Simpsons and choose his own family's names.
The episode Bart gets an F had a heavy impact on me as a kid, especially growing up with ADHD.
The part at the end where he just breaks down crying at his desk saying "You dont understand, I really tried this time! I really tried!" Made me cry the first time I saw it. I related so freaking hard because it just took me back to the bad days at my desk.
Days where I didn't just draw in reading class, but actually tried to read like I was supposed to. Reading, and rereading a paragraph over and over but no matter what I did no matter how hard I tried every time I started a new sentence, I couldn't remember the last one so I had to start over, again. And again. And again.
I'd look around and nobody else was having this problem and I was the only one and it made me so frustrated and angry because I knew I was smart, I chose this book, I'm so smart I know what all the words mean! I can read so well but I don't understand why I can't do this right now!! and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't do it.
And in that episode where Bart was going through the same thing I went through just hit me so hard. I don't think there's a single episode, especially not past season 7, that ever hit me that hard again.
That, and the teacher was still a teacher, she wasn't as cartoonishly disillusioned as she became in later seasons. She actually patted him on the back and comforted a crying child who was struggling to learn in her class. That added another layer of realism to it. Where the teacher is a human being that cares, but doesn't necessarily know how to help and doesn't have the energy to go out of her way to get him the resources he actually needs.
His parents don't know what ADHD is and don't know how to help him. All of these aspects contributed to one of the most perfect scenes in the Simpsons, in my opinion.
At the end of the episode, the situation may have been resolved but the main issue that made it hard for him to do it in the first place, wasn't resolved. There was no wave of the magic wand and his studying issue were fixed. It's something you learn how to live with.
There's more resources now, but back then in the early 2000s this is were ADHD kids were stuck. In that state of not knowing why. Even if you're lucky and get medication like I did, nobody ever taught me how my disorder effected my day to day life. Because that's all I'd ever known, I thought it was normal.
Nobody taught me anything about the day to day things you have to do to cope with your ADHD and function in a way that can keep up with everyone else. I thought I just took my meds, and it made my ADHD go away. So a lot of issues that effected me to my core and my self esteem, could have been so much less painful if I had known then what I do now. But I didn't know then, and neither did Bart.
At the end of the episode, even if it didn't give me answers or solutions, at the very least, it made me feel like I wasn't alone. And I respect the hell out of it for that.
Dude, you're something, that episode about Bart also made me tear up. Although I didn't like how they undermined the gravity of that scene with a lame joke in the end. Anyway, thanks for sharing this.
If i watched the simpsons i probably would have reacted the same, my goal like any person with ADHD is just to cope with it, learn to pick up habits that let me be productive in spite of it. Holy fuck are the days where i get everything i set out to do done so rewarding, the burst of dopamine is something so nice. (for those who dont know ADHD interrupts normal dopamine reward path ways, which often leads to kids with it seeking easy dopamine and thus higher obesity rates as sugary food is free dopamine)
Same same same. And I grew up in a time where my dad beat the adhd out of me. 😩😩
@@tootieomyhero5066 I’m so sorry that happened man. You deserved better.
Feel for you. Didn't finish the essay of a comment you made (Can't imagine anyone with ADHD could read it, ironically) but I empathize.
“People have always wondered what would happen to Frank Grimes if he survived past this episode.”
Nickelodeon made a whole show about it 2 years later.
Is it SpongeBob or am I an idiot?
@@andyblanton6570 yes, it’s about squidward
How is old grimey anyway?
@@lummatravel he had a son that was a car mechanic and tow truck driver. So probably homer’s age.
Nickelodeon didn't make it, Steve made it
I worked with a Homer Simpson once. Not a bad guy per se, just a really apathetic worker. Despite this, he not only managed to stay employed, but he had a higher pay than everybody else in the department just because of his seniority
Life crushed his enthusiasm. Your turn will come.
@@tufty7026 nah
"Of course, old Homer, he didn't need a degree. He just showed up the day they opened the plant."
- Lenny
I'm not sure what's more amazing--that the show is still running, or that some people still watch the newest episodes of the show!
But seriously, great vid. I had no idea how deep the episode "Homer's Enemy" actually went, or how it could be used to illustrate the overall values of the show in general.
The sign is a subtle joke. The shop is called "Sneed's Feed & Seed", where feed and seed both end in the sound "-eed", thus rhyming with the name of the owner, Sneed. The sign says that the shop was "Formerly Chuck's", implying that the two words beginning with "F" and "S" would have ended with "-uck", rhyming with "Chuck". So, when Chuck owned the shop, it would have been called "Chuck's Feeduck and Seeduck".
keyed and lockpilled
“Head on down to Chuck’s-“
“NO!”
I'm very glad I read this whole comment
@@the-letter_s stop saying keyed fucker. It'll never catch on
@@milla8632 i know that, that's why i say it lmao
This episode made me cry as a child, and when I went to my parents for comfort... much to their chagrin and my embarrassment I couldn't even explain why. Thank you for reminding me that exists, and thank you even more for taking the time to explain why it had so much more of an impact on me than every other Simpsons episode. The Simpsons can never be described as unimpactful, they often made me feel sympathy, or feel sonder, or laugh so hard I fell off the couch and couldn't breathe, but no other episode did make me run crying to my parents at the unfairness of the world.
lmao bro quit stunning, you cried as a child over this episode? I doubt it 😞
@@majinvegeta7777 You Don't Have To Be A Dick About It You Know.
@@estinsidebottom they just wish they were given half this much attention as a child, ignore them. Also using caps before every word is a terrible habit to get into, I promise from experience.
@@ullapoolcaber1477 Thank You For Your Response. I'll Keep That In Mind.
ruclips.net/video/9X9Bm9LRZxw/видео.html
"The name of this character is..."
Sideshow Bob!
"Homer Simpson!"
Oh
I was thinking Moe
I thought Sideshow Bob as well!
I saw that shit coming
Don't you mean
*DOH*
It's never Hans Moleman😟
The reason this episode works is because the writers and lead writer of the episode greatly disagreed on who was actually sympathetic, so both Homer and Grimes end up being played completely ernestly.
Fun little piece of information: in the “7 deadly sins” part, for lust he shows homer reaching for a woman’s ass, or at least it would appear that way. Actually, in the episode Homer is show to be reaching for a piece of candy that get stuck there, leading to her accusing him of being a womanizer in the episode Homer Badman, S6 E9 on D+. Because of this specific clip being used, emp technically falls under the trap everyone in Springfield does. Thank you for coming to my over-analyzation of a simple frame from an amazing RUclips video.
Homer probably lusts after candy
@@MortanAMrk he does
Or he purposefully chose the clip as a cheeky reference
Sweet can
I didn't wanna cause a fuss, but now that you mention it...
Perhaps the bit where he asks Maude to get him the peanuts at the bottom of the bowl would be better suited?
Man, this hits home. Funny enough I've been focusing a lot on a story specifically about the "give and take" cycle of life and how/why the balance becomes so upset so frequently. Every second of this video explains it so well. Working is important when it comes to a stable future and the well-being of others. But when life is a finite collection of moments, living in the present is how we'll truly be happy with just ourselves. It's about striking a balance between the two, the drive and the calm.
Work like Grimes, but have the heart of Homer
@@theraymunator Couldn't have said it better myself.
I think this episode has a really important message that many people need to hear, it's that no matter how hard working or intelligent you are, you can't live a happy and fulfilling life if you're hate filled and resentful. Something horrible will eventually happen directly or indirectly as a result of this hatred, in Grimey's case, his death. Life is unfair and we can't spend our time being jealous and envious of others, we should just mind our own business sometimes. Great episode.
Ive always felt that Grimey is gigantic loser and pretty stupid since he genuinely believes its Homers fault that Burns dismisses him.
@@KOTEBANAROT the real villain of the episode is people like Burns
@@KOTEBANAROT It kind of is. Homer sells Grimes out (not maliciously but stupidly) for being the one who destroyed a wall with acid, acid that Homer was about to drink by accident. This whole diatribe against Grimes is silly, Grimes doesn't start off as some bitter, hateful person, he _becomes_ that person when confronted with Homer's obliviousness, sloth, ignorance and luck. I'd be pretty hateful of someone who; ate my lunch, chewed my pencils, ratted me out after saving their life, kept calling me a name I didn't want, etc. etc. It just stings twice as hard when you find that the idiot who did all this is also somehow more successful than you despite doing nothing.
bu-but... but... but the rich are taking over, taking money from us... and getting rid of the workforce and replacing them with machines. Gah, its so unfair!
@@Doc_Fun Sure, but what does Frank accomplish with all his efforts to tear down Homer? It's okay to dislike someone, but trying to destroy them out of jealousy won't change anything.
We all have a little Grimes *and* a little Homer in us, simultaneously. We will be frustrated at the inevitable short end of the stick, but we can learn to ultimately not give a fuck.
The competitive North American Smash scene is this, but without the little bit of Homer.
Frank: "As of today, we are now enemies."
Homer: "Okay....
Do I have to do anything?"
This still makes me laugh, because I've been on both sides of that coin.
It's also perfect in context of the episode. With Grimes going out of his way to be "perfect" and prove to himself he is as worthless as he perceives Homer as, while Homer kinda just goes with it because it doesn't really effect him.
I remember the good days where the Simpsons's humour was actually multileveled and... funny.
Flanders: Homer, you are the worst neighbour I have ever met.
Homer: Wow, I got off pretty easy.
Whilst that line was in the context of Ned's other insults from that Hurricane episode, this could also showcase Homer's youthful outlook. Being deemed the worst is simple, yet effective to the eyes of those who cared. Homer wasn't one of those people.
@MattheJ1 sounds like you never made good money. You’re finding validity in a penny.
@@themultiverse5447 Beg pardon?
@@grfrjiglstan My reply was meant as commentary moreso regarding seeing both sides of an argument than the specific reason you used the analogy. The idea of "the coin" proposes a dualistic way of seeing the world, which works idiomatically, although flawed in that a 3 dimensional objects by definition can't have two sides. I think instead of two, you have a mind boggling series of infinite options, more akin to "the coin" spinning so fast as to create a hypersphere which leads you to The Multiverse ✨
I've somehow never heard of this episode before, what a fascinatingly good introduction to it. Also that vsauce-"eye... mdb" was perfect.
No reason you cant check it out. I subbed to Disneys service a few months ago solely to watch all of the old Simpsons for the first time. Absolutely no regrets. Its an American classic.
It's the closest cheater
Tf2 spy guy, what are you doing here
same I have never heard of this episode but now I'm interested to watch it
Jeebus, I’m the creepy old guy in the room, ain’t I? How old are you kids??! 😉😁😅
This episode is the deepest it ever got. All of the Simpsons imitators never dared to venture into such a real and unsettling topic. Frank Grimes was in the wrong series. Anywhere else he would have been right. He would have been a hero. That ending still makes me uncomfortable to this day. This is perhaps my favorite episode of the series. The Simpsons never before or after got so real.
The "I'm Homer Simpson" coupled with the Donkey Kong Country music and the Grimey/Homer parallel is genuinely the most beautiful RUclips chapter I've ever experienced
EmpLemon: You... Were on the trending tab? _You?_
Corporate accounts: Sure! You've never been? Would you like to see my golden play button?
EmpLemon: *NO! I WOULDN'T!*
This is actually perfect.
"Do not argue with a fool. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience."
-Sun Tzu
oof, need to remember that some time
@@blightyfrogs I thought Mark Twain said that
There should be, there will never ever be an F1 driver like Gilles Villeneuve.
abeman linkin
24:19 idk why but the bowling ally thing just gave me a rush of mixed emotions that were probably stronger than what was warranted.
I had exactly the same reaction, I’ve been replaying that part I love it so much
Society needs many people like Grimey, in order to be able to afford people like Homer.
Slackers can only exist as long as other pick up their workload on top of their own.
You tell 'em, Grimey!
@@BokBarber BAHAHAHA ironic isn’t it? Considering homer has more expirence then grimy? I mean fine by me, work your self to death with pride. I’m on brake.
@@waddledoo2you13 ok meiocre
@@NautilusSSN571 what
The bottom line though is that grimes eventually reveals that he’s jealous of Homer’s family. Homer doesn’t care at all about his job, yeah, we know that. But Homer does care about his family, and his family isn’t something he never worked for. Above all the simpsons is not a show about a man who works in a nuclear power plant, it’s a show about a family. Think of where Frank Grimes came from. He’s a great worker sure, but he was abandoned as a child by his parents. We need people like Homer to provide loving homes for the children who will eventually run the world. No matter how many great workers they might be able to produce, we don’t need more people like Grimes’s parents.
Work like Frank Grimes at the things you love like hobbies or whatever your true passion is in life, work like Homer Simpson at everything else.
Exactly
This is my favorite quote ever I'm gonna live by this
Yeah, that's a really good one
Even if society depends on your services or if you work with nuclear materials. Good advice, bro.
Not everyone lives the kind of life where they can afford to slack off at everything they don't absolutely love. Some people have bosses that know what they're doing, others have jobs or obligations that they might not enjoy doing but are necessary to do well for the safety and well being of others.
Bart: "But we're just like the Waltons, we pray for the depression to end too!"
SICK. BURN. Has Bush ever been dunked on harder than this?
Homer was never his enemy, the system that valued Homer more was his enemy.
Amen! Idk how people still think we live in a meritocracy. Even emp after all that analysis chalks up fairness to just random chance and ignores every social factor that plays into success/failure. We gotta fix the system in order to fix ourselves.
@@TheLaziiness Completely missing the point of the video. Amazing. You'll make a fine activist
@@TheLaziiness Wait, there's a part of the video that states it's wrong to identify success/failure with your own worth and also relating it to your wealth. Minute 22:30 more or less, whe he starts talking about 'The death of a salary man'.
@@TheLaziiness As Emp points out Homer is Noble because he is abusing the system not fighting against it. I Feel like in the long term enough Homers are like termites to society gnawing away at the inside of the system to eventually force change. If a Termite tried to take over someone's house it would be squashed.
@@flyingchimp5012 I don't think that's a fair assessment. Homer more effectively embraces nihilism than anything else, and realistically if everyone was nihilist, and while aspiration does often lead to disappointment, nihilism just as equally leads to general decay. You can't have innovation or improvement if the best you'll get from the world is an embracing of mediocrity, or in the very least a lack of care for anything outside of your own life. If you care about how Matt feels, you're just as equally the point of contention made in that episode as you state matt to be; focused on the wishes of others, and not simply satisfied with yourself.
If you want to embrace the practicalities of the episode, your critique of others becomes effectively unnecessary, because worrying about others becomes unnecessary, because the outcome of others beyond those directly connected to the outcome of your own life are irrelevant. Unless of course, you aren't a nihilist.
I remember, before the Simpsons were even a thing... somehow, improbably, I had this "Big Book of Hell", a large tome of a lot (most? all?) of the Life In Hell comics. During the summer, my dad mandated that us kids (me, a sister, two step-brothers, and two step-sisters) had to spend an hour a day reading. The Big Book of Hell counted.
Also... just clicked off because you think wholesome, "sanitized" entertainment is lame. You're lame.
@@mercster It is lame, it's boring and bland. It pandering to the lowest of low and doesn't challenge people to think. I'm not saying it shouldn't exist, but it shouldn't be what people strive for.
@@georgeliquor1236If this is your interpretation of Life in Hell, you have a poverty of character.
"Often times the greatest art doesn't give us all the right answers, it makes us ask the right questions."
I will remember this from now on.
The thing about this episode is that it puts me on both sides equally, homers just having fun with life but is unaware of his laziness and grimes is a hard worker but he pushes his issues onto homer when he is completely unaware
The thing about this episode, to me, is that a lot of people miss the point. Grimes isn't a good guy, nor should he represent you.
Grimes is a materialistic person that only focuses on what he sees. His entire breakdown on the Simpsons' House emphasizes this, since all of Grimes' points are easily countered. "You guys live in an extremely big, amazing house" (Except EVERYBODY in Springfield has a house that's that big, and the Simpsons' House specifically was bought by ruining Abe's life and it's also usually in complete disrepair), "You have an amazing family that you don't deserve" (Homer, atleast back then, was probably one of the sweetest men on America), "Your wire is beautiful" (She isn't, according to most people, and she also has HEAVY anger management problems), "Your daughter is too intelligent" (That isn't a bad thing at all), "Your son owns a factory" (Not only was he not weirded out by this, he also considers it a bad thing).
Grimes focuses his anger on Homer when Homer is, ironically, the last person who deserves it. He's by far one of the nicest people in Springfield even if he does have his bad days, he's constantly in poverty (Roasting on an Open Fire, anyone?), and he's an intelligent man that stays stupid because the town prefers him that way (HOMR). Grimes may have had a tragic childhood, but that doesn't allow him to disrespect anybody he wants (Especially Homer, who had an even worse childhood). And even if he was that stupid and unjustly rewarded, there are many people who deserve to be called "What's wrong with America" more than Homer. What about Wiggum? Quimby? And the person ruling over the entire power plant who's established as a complete cheapskate? Grimes throws all his rage at Homer because he's a coward and can't bare to directly get through Burns' bullshit. And the irony is that Homer ADMIRES Grimes, and tries to get close to him just to be friends, but Grimes' damaged ego pushes him to the brink of insanity, when ironically he was at the perfect place to live in since Springfield has so little safely regulations he could just act like Homer and get away with it. It's pretty similar to Sideshow Bob's case, where rather than try to take down Krusty until he manages to, he attacks Bart because of revenge. Except Bob atleast KNOWS Bart, Grimes just puts Homer as the walking representation of a lazy idiot within a few days of knowing him. Grimes doesn't represent the downtrodden citizen, he represents the petty squabbler who assumes someone innocent represents a pure stereotype and creates a strawman, rather than trying to go against the people who deserve to be punished.
TL, DR: Grimes doesn't see the forest for the trees. He's too focused on beating someone else down, despite not having any idea about their personal life, instead of going against the system. He also has a massive ego, leading to him not using the opportunity that Springfield's lack of regulations gives. Is he relatable? Yes, but in the worst way possible. Grimes represents our inner ego and blindness, and should not be appealed towards.
@@tragedyplustime8271 I don't know if I want to take advantage of the lack of regulations. I don't feel comfortable selling cockroach puree for sandwich filling. The problem with your last statement is that Springfield as a place doesn't operate in real life. The fact that Springfield abandons its previous location after Homer botched his job as the city's trashman hammers home they are not representative of a real-life city. They are at best a setting for a sitcom where situations like Ned Flanders being run over by a police car as a side gag has no lasting consequences. The way I see it, Frank Grimes is an expy of us in the real world showing how we cannot live in a toon world with their inexplicable impossibilities...
@@tragedyplustime8271 when grimes was talking about his family, he didn't say that stuff as if it was a bad thing. He meant the opposite. He was pointing out that Homer had all these good things but he's lazy and doesn't work hard enough to deserve any of it
@@pooperdooper3576 That's what I was saying lmao, Grimes only sees the good in Homer's family yet only sees the bad in Homer himself
Also Homer may be lazy but he's been a much better father than Grimes would ever be, yet Grimey thinks of himself so highly that he bitches about Homer without even knowing him
@@tragedyplustime8271 but do you realize the creators were not creating The Simpsons as role models? You do realize that this is entertainment right? Do you think that the writers feel that people should act like the characters in The Simpsons? I think you and the person who analyzed this video are both pushing your political agendas off of a comedy cartoon series.... instead of just enjoying it for what it is, entertainment.
The Simpsons is basically the blueprint to every great comedic show. The less polished beginning -> Getting into their groove -> finding their stride -> hitting their stride -> experimentation -> deconstruction -> self parody -> living death.
"Tired and overused quote from the dark knight"
That's why I'm glad Phineas and Ferb ended when it did. The writers reached the point of self-parody and rode that wave for a while, but they could see the writing on the wall, and let the show off the hook before it became irrelevant.
@@King_Yef It's coming baaaaaaaaaaaaaack
@@spaceclottey6250fuck..
Living Death since...2012 at the latest.