4 responses to “Quote of the Day”

1. 

   P. Piggly Hogswine

   17 May 2010

   Saw this episode on the weekend. From other forums and such I’ve read, a lot of people have said this was a turning point in the show, where “jerk-ass Homer” made his appearance. I’ve never disliked this episode or thought the same way. Humour packed throughout, the B story was fairly amusing and Burns’ “you lose, get off my property” always makes me burst out laughing.

2. 

   D.N.

   19 May 2010

   In retrospect, I don’t think this was a Jerkass Homer episode. When I think of Jerkass Homer, I think of a guy who is angry and yells a lot, thinks only of himself, is mean to others, and manages to constantly maim himself. In “Homer’s Enemy,” Homer is inconsiderate and boorish, yes, but he’s not being deliberately offensive. In fact he’s crushed when he finds out Frank Grimes hates him, and he goes out of his way to try to make Grimes like him (his efforts, of course, only make things worse). I suppose I can see why, at the time it was first shown, the episode might have been controversial with the fans, but I never had a problem with it – and of course it’s gold compared to God knows how many episodes since!

3. 

   Charlie Sweatpants

   19 May 2010

   We did a Crazy Noises on this last summer:

   https://deadhomersociety.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/crazy-noises-homers-enemy/

   Largely we agreed that while it was a departure for Homer, it’s still a great episode. However, it can be kind of painful to look back on it now because it really was a turning point. Not so much that Homer was Jerkass Homer, but that he was portrayed as a winner (meeting Gerald Ford, going to space, etcetera) instead of being the lovable loser that made him great in the first place. This was the beginning of the end, and while it worked brilliantly as a one off, when you know what’s coming after it does make it kind of sad.

   Speaking personally, I always crack up at the end when Grimes points out that it’s a children’s contest and Lenny goes, “Yeah, and Homer beat their brains out.”

   1. 

      D.N.

      20 May 2010

      Can’t disagree with much at all in the Crazy Noises take on this episode, or what you just wrote above, Charlie. I guess “Homer’s Enemy” came at a point where the show already had a substantial continuity behind it, and to start explicity referring to it marked the point where Homer could no longer be presented as an everyman-type, seeing as how he’d accumulated so many outlandish adventures. Wouldn’t have been a problem if the show ended at that point…

      In hindsight I think the seeds for Jerkass Homer were planted (or at least, are much more obvious to see) in the George Bush episode in season 7, in which Homer was presented as a jealous and aggressive single-minded asshole. In fact, I remember the very first time I saw that episode, I felt that the characterisation of Homer seemed a little off.