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: https://keeps.com/emplemon

25:40 Ok but how did his cane stand up by itself?

25:40 Ok but how did his cane stand up by itself?

By the way ... 2:13 "Springfield is one of the most common place names in the US". Why is everyone always so predictable on this issue - always missing the same (obvious) thing? The correct take on the issue is: "Springfield is one of the most common place names in the US ... but only in a few states is it near any place called Shelbyville, and only in one or two are both places near the state capital."

By the way ... 2:13 "Springfield is one of the most common place names in the US". Why is everyone always so predictable on this issue - always missing the same (obvious) thing? The *correct* take on the issue is: "Springfield is one of the most common place names in the US ... but only in a few states is it near any place called Shelbyville, and only in one or two are both places near the state capital."

Remember when you sued to do YTP? I do. I was like 8-9 when I started watching YTP bro

Remember when you sued to do YTP? I do. I was like 8-9 when I started watching YTP bro

This is likely an unoriginal comment but it appears the majority didn’t learn history

This is likely an unoriginal comment but it appears the majority didn’t learn history

He wasn't modeled after William H Macy. The inspiration for Frank Grimes was D-Fens from the movie Falling Down.

I think you should do Pink Floyd for your next never be like vid

I think you should do Pink Floyd for your next never be like vid

It's the scott tenorman must die of simpsons

It's the scott tenorman must die of simpsons

REALLY selling shit? The way it's done makes me fucking hate what this world has become.

REALLY selling shit? The way it's done makes me fucking hate what this world has become.

Could you  do an article on final space.

Could you  do an article on final space.

Hey Emplemon can you do a never ever episode on the slender man my this: marble hornets everymanhybrid and tribetwelve?

@S Orbatos Ok, but do you recommend any of Futurama seasons?

@S Orbatos Ok, but do you recommend any of Futurama seasons?

@Ponczos_22 Futurama is a different animal with a different audience. For the most part it lacks subtlety and many of the long running arcs are disappointing.

 I would say it's ephemerally fun, but you often have to shut off the party of your brain that would enjoy the subtext in order to keep it there.

Your question of why we like Homer is a little off. I <i>never</i> considered him anything but an example of what was wrong with the passive and uncritical working American. And I never liked him, only occasionally sympathised.

Your question of why we like Homer is a little off. I _never_ considered him anything but an example of what was wrong with the passive and uncritical working American. And I never liked him, only occasionally sympathised.

Amazing use of music and transitions in this video!

Amazing use of music and transitions in this video!

that vsauce intro was better than some vsauce intros

that vsauce intro was better than some vsauce intros

to answer you we are America. not a perfect nation but a nation that is to stride to be a more perfect union. Never trust those who think they are perfect everyone has war lords.

Hey emp  another great video!!! I have a question. Did you watch bojack horsemen and if so what do think of it ?

The new simpsons has more entertaining stories but the old had overall better writing and deeper message

The new simpsons has more entertaining stories but the old had overall better writing and deeper message

I also like other episodes like the one in which you view a day from each character's perspective or when they teach a life lesson

Bro, this was deep. This was a grade A assessment of America at-large. I would kiss you for your brilliance. Your "There will never ever" series is great, but this is on a whole different level of professional product.

simpsons being aired in like most countries means it will never die...it still makes billions ..its the biggest worldwide show ever i think.....everyone knows who they are...its like pikachu in the gaming world..everyone knows what pokemon is...

when flanders failed always makes me cry..loved the way homer gets sad and angry despite causing some of this and jumps into action...he did benefit off it and wish for it but then he decides to fix it despite not having to cause its not really his fault...but he feels guilty because inside hes a good person and could of helped ned's business by recommending it to people who said they needed left handed items...

You helped me remember that profit is fundamentally worthless if you don't use it for what it is worth. And thank you for describing this episode of The Simpsons, it really is a great episode and deserves that top bunk of popularity.

iha ok mut ootko kattonu simpsonit sarjasta jakson himo läski homer :D siinä esiintyy koko simpsonit perhe eli myös bart simpsons homer poika fanit saavat nauraa ja naurattaahan se tietty myös vaikka homerin läski kuteet ja muut :D kannattaa kattoo nopee

Homer used Dimoxinil once to regrow his hair.

Homer used Dimoxinil once to regrow his hair.

It's good to have a sponsor but I'm sure this causes erectile dysfunction lol

It's good to have a sponsor but I'm sure this causes erectile dysfunction lol

Emp, I am waiting the day you make "There will never ever be another game like GTA: Vice City"

Emp, I am waiting the day you make "There will never ever be another game like GTA: Vice City"

"We’re going to ask you to take 3 photos of your hair (we’ll guide you through how to do it). Your doctor needs these photos to make a diagnosis and recommend your specific treatment.:
"We also need a photo of your government-issued ID card to verify your identity."
How do I get past this if it's me ordering it for a family member, do they care if it's another family member but using your own ID?

Simpsons resolution... nobody works... nobody contributes... world falls apart.

Simpsons resolution... nobody works... nobody contributes... world falls apart.

@Some guy it was the olden days when kids had to work young

@Some guy it was the olden days when kids had to work young

You worked as a 2 year old

That's messed up

You worked as a 2 year old

That's messed up

@Robert Vierra he also caused 3 meltdowns & a China syndrome. At least it wasn’t homer than that allowed general  krull to seize power

@Ransak Reject he sorta kill Flanders wife i bet he flaunts his nice house and other things to get back at homer

@Gibraltar The simulation you are convinced you are experiencing is a faulty program experiencing technical difficulties. Please cancel yourself out and restart

Unable to boot PlayStation®2 bios. Your console may be damaged or corrupted. Please refer to instruction manual and contact Sony technical support.

Error: 0x071-28621

@Robert Vierra there’s no Mordors either. At least not literally. Where in from in Massachusetts everyone calls Brockton Morder cause they are both filled with violent filthy locals. And both just look so dank & lifeless.<br>There’s no volcano in brockton that I know of though

@Robert Vierra there’s no Mordors either. At least not literally. Where in from in Massachusetts everyone calls Brockton Morder cause they are both filled with violent filthy locals. And both just look so dank & lifeless.
There’s no volcano in brockton that I know of though

baaaaaald! BAAAAAALD! BAAAAAAAAAAALD!!!!
MY EYES!!!!

baaaaaald! BAAAAAALD! BAAAAAAAAAAALD!!!!
*MY EYES!!!!*

So theirs 30 real life springfeilds but not 1 real Quahog or Gravity Falls damn.

So theirs 30 real life springfeilds but not 1 real Quahog or Gravity Falls damn.

There should be, there will never ever be an F1 driver like Gilles Villeneuve.

There should be, there will never ever be an F1 driver like Gilles Villeneuve.

You got Gen X dates spectacularly wrong: when the Simpsons came out Gen Xers were around 12 and 14 when Nirvana and grunge went mainstream. Certainly no-one of them was born during Nixon's era.<br>P.S. Matt Groening is a boomer, NOT a Gen Xer, this may be the source of your confusion.

You got Gen X dates spectacularly wrong: when the Simpsons came out Gen Xers were around 12 and 14 when Nirvana and grunge went mainstream. Certainly no-one of them was born during Nixon's era.
P.S. Matt Groening is a boomer, NOT a Gen Xer, this may be the source of your confusion.

okay seriously, am I in the minority here because I keep hearing people SAYING they sympthised with Grimey.

But I always laugh hardest when Homer does something to drive him a little more insane, from eating his lunch and purposely putting the last bite back in the bag to winning the model contest, seeing Grimey tortured accidentally by Homer is hilarious to me

Something ironic about him going to Evergreen College. I recomend the "Benjamin B. Boyce," YouTube channel...he did a multipart documentary in a playlist called "THE COMPLETE EVERGREEN STORY." I really recommend it!!

From gen x cynicism to modern day censorship and racial politics

the simpsons 1989

Japan:
Devilman 1972
Hokuto No Ken 1982
Gundam 1979
Tensai Bakabon 1971

even in the grasp of conservative society, japanese can still express their frustration in anime.

USA just got their frustration expressed in movie cartoon only like fritz the cat, until 1989 the simpson breakthrough the american television.

Really this episode is not that special...you can meke a video like this one for any episode of the early seasons.

Hey man great psychoanlysis you did there. Could you plese tell me the name of the song at 24:50 ?

Hey man great psychoanlysis you did there. Could you plese tell me the name of the song at 24:50 ?

Awesome video as usual my guy. Love the choose and use of music. I was just wonder if you could do a “Never ever” video on a Formula 1 driver like you did to dale earnheart. Anyways keep up these videos man they are great.

You should do there will never ever be another racehorse like secretariat

You should do there will never ever be another racehorse like secretariat

OH SHIT therealjims! I've been watching for a few years! Nice collab emp!

OH SHIT therealjims! I've been watching for a few years! Nice collab emp!

While i am sad that You are constipated, im happy that you are at least succesfull and able to be making views/money still.

this episode is the only video, no, any piece of viewable content that i will not only jump at the chance to watch again, but actively search it out to watch it again<br>good work bro

this episode is the only video, no, any piece of viewable content that i will not only jump at the chance to watch again, but actively search it out to watch it again
good work bro

If you see me at mid I’ll buy you a shot to end the complaining. Good shit though. Thanks

If you see me at mid I’ll buy you a shot to end the complaining. Good shit though. Thanks

I heard that in the ad at the end.... Its a shame that Pyro couldn't join

I heard that in the ad at the end.... Its a shame that Pyro couldn't join

EmperorLemon I know your based 25:29 to 25:34 have you ever considered its just inheritably in their being to be worse

You had us in the first half... Best ad ever

You had us in the first half... Best ad ever

I didn’t get a sub notification for this

I didn’t get a sub notification for this

"Reality is often disappointing".<br>- Purple Josh Berlin

"Reality is often disappointing".
- Purple Josh Berlin

I’m here to put my comment here so I am remembered

I’m here to put my comment here so I am remembered

So basically Frank Grimes is the Darth Maul of The Simpsons.

So basically Frank Grimes is the Darth Maul of The Simpsons.

link dont work, as a person who a. has panicked about there hair for year b. is broke and c. wants to support you im very bummed

That ad was spice. Ngl.<br>Still one of my favorite content creators on the platform.

That ad was spice. Ngl.
Still one of my favorite content creators on the platform.

Wait, how tall are you and Rusty Cage? That didn't look natural.

Wait, how tall are you and Rusty Cage? That didn't look natural.

Lisa, if you dont like your country you dont rebel against it, you just go in every day to work and do it really half-assed - thats the american way!

Cementing myself in the comments  so I can prove to my kids that I watched the cool YouTubers.

Cementing myself in the comments  so I can prove to my kids that I watched the cool YouTubers.

Nope your punishment would be getting your video taken down by Disney.

Nope your punishment would be getting your video taken down by Disney.

This guy has 42069 iq, because he figured out how to avoid simpsons copyright. Simply by making them green LOL.

Thank you for consistent, quality, original and captivating content

Thank you for consistent, quality, original and captivating content

I'm already on the way to baldness, but thanks for the offer. I'll stick to downward merchandise.

I'm already on the way to baldness, but thanks for the offer. I'll stick to downward merchandise.

@EmpLemon Your link 404s. So I don't know if the link referrals count. Please check<br>.

@EmpLemon Your link 404s. So I don't know if the link referrals count. Please check
.

Man we really came a long way from YTPs to well edited documentaries have we?

Man we really came a long way from YTPs to well edited documentaries have we?

Another work of art from the emperor of lemons.

Another work of art from the emperor of lemons.

Lets hope you don't get copyright claimed.

Lets hope you don't get copyright claimed.


Finding out Matt Groening's parents are called Homer and Marge has changed me

@Tom Kerruish so that means most of the characters in the family of The Simpsons are Matt groenings family

Finding out he frequented Epstein’s plane changed me.

@megmachine Called always sounded weirder to me tbh

@megmachine Called always sounded weirder to me tbh

@Sven Bender I think did that on purpose

@Sven Bender I think did that on purpose

@R3liK if you think about it, he is.<br>Both are Cartoonist and I believe Matt said he was a trouble maker and had troubles at school

@R3liK if you think about it, he is.
Both are Cartoonist and I believe Matt said he was a trouble maker and had troubles at school

@Tom Kerruish no he's a fusion of the three because he has barts creativity and mischief Homer's gluttony lust envy and general sinfulness and so on

@Patrice AQA He created it, he's allowed to destroy it. Like Lucas and Star Wars. Oh then Disney jumped up and down on the corpse... Kind of like the Simpsons????

Its simple really - 'naming' is formal, 'called' is informal.

@Sven Bender matt groening is an avaricious disgrace. He's destroyed the legacy of what once was a genius show

Yeah, He named everyone in the simpsons family after his family members but Bart.

@JyTV You know that anyone that's not in the UK says "named," stop gaslighting.

His mother's maiden name was Wiggum too lol.

His mother's maiden name was Wiggum too lol.

@Casey S To repay his dad being named as a cartoon character Greoning named his son Homer.

Well everyone in the family is called like someone in the simpsons except for bart, he refused to call him matt, well it's pretty obvious why i guess

im 20 years old, this is a 35 year old show and i had never knew this bit of knowledge

I knew that Matt Groening identified himself as Bart if you watched the show enough

@Tom Kerruish would that make him Matt "Bart" Groening...

@megmachine Imagine telling someone to get a hobby after googling something about grammar 😂😂

@Ian Pitts his mother's name is probably Margaret. She is called Marge...

@Ian Pitts A N D   Americams calling quite literally EVERYTHING  "awesome" is hard, I mean difficult to listen too

@Sven Bender N O,   H E R E' S   the topper....matt groenings initials can be seen in Homer's ear and hairline

@Zyxie_Rumor, Just a Geek Also, Lisa Groening is married to the creator of "Hey Arnold".

@aylo ! Litterally not how grammar works both are right being called something is just more inclusive

@aylo ! so I googled "named vs called" and the first result from a dictionary website is "You use called or named when you are giving the name of someone or something. Named is less common than called, and is not usually used in conversation" please get a hobby

Patty's there as well, but no sign of Selma.

Patty's there as well, but no sign of Selma.

I was just about to bring that up! It's adorable!

I was just about to bring that up! It's adorable!

@X D The simpsons predicted his parents names :O

@X D The simpsons predicted his parents names :O

Why? It's not such a far-fetched thing for creators to give characters their family's names

A little fun fact: Matt's sister, Maggie Groening actually helped her brother write the Maggie Simpson series of books, the English versions and the Spanish versions.

@Sven Bender Heres what makes it even better: Matt Greoning had to name his son Homer after his father responded to the character named after him. Also he came up with the whole family quickly before a board meeting, deciding to name Bart not after himself because of that it probably wouldn't end out well.

@JyTV I guess I would say "his parents' names are Homer and Marge" rather than "his parents are named Homer and Marge." But I would say "his parents named him Matt" rather than "his parents called him Matt"

@Thot Patrol USA diagnoses u with weetodd syndrone Maybe it's not a specifically British thing but I've only heard Brits say it myself.<br>I also find myself regularly using British spelling though lol.

@Thot Patrol USA diagnoses u with weetodd syndrone Maybe it's not a specifically British thing but I've only heard Brits say it myself.
I also find myself regularly using British spelling though lol.

They must be so honored to share names with one of the most famous families in fiction! 🥰

@Sven Bender and you’re named after my favourite Futurama character!<br>How crazy is that! 🤓👌🏼

@Sven Bender and you’re named after my favourite Futurama character!
How crazy is that! 🤓👌🏼

@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!

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.

Also, his younger sisters are named Lisa and Maggie.


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 .

ikr.

started watching the show for the first time ever a month or so ago now, and one of the first things i asked was "how the fuck does Homer afford all this shit?!"

@Just Another Doug  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

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 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.”

Under Communism, Even Illness Becomes Wellness

This is probably written somewhere in the Art of War by Simpson Tzu

@christian baker nah, south park has tegridy.

It really sucks the Simpsons went on this path.

It's just to easy to make fun of them now.

Plus they want those clebs to hope to get views from idk who

Same thing happened to south park and family guy

@Bollibompa permission to steal this quote. It’s much more concise

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..."<br>Paraphrased from my memory.

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.

"I use to be with it, then they change what it was."

Nah, "Transform the medium so much that you become that which you sought to usurp."


“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.

@Evan Larson now this is how a real genius sounds like

@Michael Fitzpatrick Already have. Read The Outsiders, The Giver, To Kill a Mockingbird, Halo Lore Books, I think I've earned the grounds to watch videos, and so have they.

Man, people really need to stop using the word “objectively” so haphazardly.

@Auron Downey Jr. what the hell are you talking about lmfao

@Michael Fitzpatrick You've made a claim, I am still waiting for you to present an argument. Because until you present an argument your claim is worth less than the oxygen you breathed to supply your body the life force needed to type it.

@Mitch Zurbrigg I'm very fun at parties - I'm going to one tonight. It's always a good time. I'm still right about TheJeffMan being cringe

@Michael Fitzpatrick who hurt you? You sound very cynical and unhappy with your life. You must be fun at parties.

@schiggy2319 man where exactly did I say there was anything wrong with preferring videos over books? no they cannot convey the same things, though I would never suggest writing a book about why this particular episode of the simpsons is good.

@Don S it's his projection of his own political ideologies that is the problem in this analysis....

@Michael Fitzpatrick No i'm just confused by your idiocy.

@Don S don do you really expect me to do basic reading comprehension for you? is this why you love youtube video essays so much?

@Michael Fitzpatrick At what point in his quote do you assume he doesn't read books? We're talking about an animated cartoon show. Not Sun Tsu.

@Don S PS i think if youtube is the new anything it's the new radio

@Don S 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

@Michael Fitzpatrick 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.

@Michael Fitzpatrick nah, video essays  about the yellow people are  more interesting to me

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. "


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.

but that's obviously not the writer's intention. Homer might be impressed, but any sensible person knows that the noise from something like that would make it a terrible place to live. The line reflects Homer's lack of insight into his life, nice as Homer might be about everything.

Yeah. Homer's life, unlike what Frank thinks, isn't perfect. And Homer wishes he had some of the things that Frank has.

@Seven bowling is the laziest sport and you can also eat and drink beers so of course its an homer thing

imo the “above a bowling alley and below another bowling alley“ line is in the running for the best joke of the show, but then to have homer react in such a simple, character-perfect way, makes it all the better

Yup that's what he said in the video lol

he would also be impressed by it for the sake of bowling, just because he’s homer


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.

The episode where Lisa rips up Burns’ check for a million dollars, because it was for what she believed in, was a pretty hard hitting episode.

@MagicalBread don't hope, have faith and just do it. Hoping is procrastinating. Believing is doing.

@Jackwastakenx2 the best suggestion ever on YouTube ever

it's *affected - but damn, that was one hell of a comment

I can relate to this having ADHD myself, aswell as being frustrated with Math.

Adhd freaking sucks. No matter how hard you try, things somehow don’t work out.

I might flunk out of college, but there’s always hope. I’m lucky enough to have very supportive and forgiving parents.

Speaking as an ADHD teen, that is one one of the most resonant things I have ever read in my life.

@ProjectPhantomEden413
A deaf person will never be able to experience music the same way i do, that is not the same as having some kind of unique personality, they lack something fundamental that almost all people have.

You are different from that obviously but similar in the way that you will never be able to enjoy certain things that i and most people enjoy and it's not truly YOUR choice to not enjoy these things, you were born in a way that stops you from enjoying they, you didn't had the chance.

This is definitely a offensive opinion to these groups, you can go ahead and get pissed with me if you desire but i think people should stop with this modern propaganda that disabilities are not a problem.

With future advancements in transhumanism and other scientific areas we may end up finding a cure to those things but the problem is that by then, almost everyone will not want to be cured.

@Aldia, Scholar of the first sin I think that's a fair perspective. Being neuroatypical is something that makes me unique and it makes me think differently and have a different perspective on things. It doesn't mean it doesn't cause a lot of stress and makes day to day functioning more difficult. But despite it all, if I had the option to be neurotypical, I still think I'd prefer myself as I am. Cause I like who I am, even if it can be hard sometimes.

And there are people who think of ADHD as a blessing.

@winlars Exactly! Expecially when they'd get mad if I had to ask them to repeat what they said multiple times. That was the worst! I if I didn't catch it the second time, I just didn't get to learn that part that day.

That episode hit me hard too, if you tried or didn't try it seemed like the outcome was the same and the backlash for not doing the thing made life a living hell

@ProjectPhantomEden413 thanks!

Edit: I have now read it (since My brain could focus on one bit at a time) and I relate hard with the AD-HD Stuff

I'm sorry and I get that this is kinda rude sounding, but... can you please make this spaced out into paragraphs? My brain can't comprehend walls of text very well

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.

@TootieO My hero I’m so sorry that happened man. You deserved better.

Same same same. And I grew up in a time where my dad beat the adhd out of me. 😩😩

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)

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.


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.

30 years of garbage means every episode 1991 or after (because of the comment’s age) would suck lmao

Thot Patrol USA has potato stuck in her anus help

Plaha Kumar 1998 it actually doesn’t matter because it’s just gotten more and more popular and people can always go back

@Betorockmetal i liked the film, but i couldn't believe they kept the show going afterwards

@Plaha Kumar 1998 it would have been rebooted by now, and even worse.

@Plaha Kumar 1998 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.

@Plaha Kumar 1998 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.

It's a shame it couldn't end in it's golden age, and instead lived to become a shell of what it was.


I think the thing with Grimes that makes him so relatable is something a bit closer to our Id: it isn't the lack of fairness, we know the world isn't fair and things happen for no reason, it's the lack of JUSTICE in Grimes' life that we ultimately relate to. It's one thing to luck into an acting career,  or have wealthy parents who can fund your future success (whether you still have to work for it or not,) but Americans are told and can objectively see that hard work and persistence pays off. Grimes worked his tail off to gain the American Dream, and despite doing everything he's "supposed" to do, he never got. I don't think Grimes would be jealous of Homer, or even as angry at his laziness if he had actually achieved ANYTHING that he had worked towards. A decent home or a loving family or SOMETHING. But he got screwed hard despite all his efforts. Getting stuck in the rain trying to chase your dog is something that we can get over. Getting soaked every day despite doing everything you can to stay dry for your entire adult life? Can't blame the guy for being bitter..

@New Decade emp made a very nice point having a nice balance the reason why homer ssucsesseds is because he's a genuinely nice guy throughout his rough exterior he has a heart

@Fabian Lopez On the contrary, vitriol is a perfectly suitable replacement for passion.

@adam marano I know this reply was for someone else but, the thing you said about breaking out of depression with a long period of luck made me remember how I experienced the same thing. And now I’m struggling with rough times and things feel hopeless again but what if, just what if I was able to convince myself things were actually going super great for a while? Maybe I’d stop being stuck in the “comfort” in the cycle of depression as you stated earlier. I also want to convince someone else of the same thing. This comment opened my eyes once again so thank you!! I know it’ll be hard but if I see this period of good luck going forward, I’ll be sure not to miss it

@Fabian Lopez that's a nice sentiment. People don't really choose to be bitter. It's a slow descent that most people acknowledge is an issue and try to correct/get past.
If things work out, great. Dark period of your life. Good conversation material for close friends.
If they don't, it just heaps. It's a lot like depression in that way. People get so stuck that they become "comfortable" in their despair: it's their default at this point, and it will take a cosmic re-correction to pull a person out of that spiral. The cure for this kind of bitterness and despair is a monumental turn of good luck or things to go "like they should" for a while to restore hope.

Being bitter won't get you anywhere though


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.

Exactly. Grimes thinks Homer's his worst enemy but in reality it's himself.

@iluvugoldenblue

Homer doesn’t try to stop him from grabbing the cables, but he does ask him if he’s ok during his breakdown

haven't seen it in a while, but doesn't homer even try to STOP him from touching the cables?


When the video is almost twice as long as the episode itself

@Mr. Fancypants I'm with you, I don't mind checkmark comments if they're funny. But the problem is 90% of them aren't funny or original and they are automatically promoted to the top of comments so they get more likes and hide the better comments. Plus most of them just spam stuff for promotion.

The Simpsons achieve the american dream as Homer geting paid for nothing, they are geting money for a not that good seasons, and as it was said here, THEY ARE HEROS for being able to be release bad episodes and still get a ton of money, life isn't fair but as FOX we have to take advantage of the stablishmemnt, some of us like the simpsons now should stop being hard working like Frank Grimes and become more like Homer.

I exist without my consent • 24 minutes ago

@Duro Buro I am bad at reading I only looked at the first and last part I blame my teachers for teaching me how to skim through writing

@Mario gaming Mario0318 did... did you even read my qutoe? I didnt even critique the video lol

@Mr. Fancypants no this checkmark is good

@Mr. Fancypants no this checkmark is good

@Loopy Loon alright You’ve proven me wrong but could he have shortened it in anyway

@Mario gaming Mario0318 Matt Groening's upbringing directly influenced his creations, as is the case for most artists, Emp brought up his intentions for the show's characters in the show's inception in order to contrast the show's initial depiction of the characters with how they had evolved leading up to Homer's Enemy.

@Loopy Loon    ok tell me what’s important about knowing how the show was created and knowing matt groening’s life that has something directly to do with homer’s enemy that we already didn’t know

@Loopy Loon  so how the show was created and matt groening’s life story is important information in homer’s enemy and why there won’t be an episode like it

@Mario gaming Mario0318 He had to give you the context around the episode in order to understand its significance to the show as a whole.

The reason why the video is almost twice as long is because there’s pointless information explaining what the Simpsons is and how it got started when It could have just start at what grimes and homer could or is symbolized

@c. j. macq I could go on, you know.  Remember the episode where Lisa thinks Maggie is smarter than her?  Yeah, Lisa tries to sabotage her & runs away, but instead of actually learning some humility, she's responsible for resolving the danger her family finds itself in trying to find her & is ultimately proven to have been responsible for Maggie's success in the beginning, because she is Lisa.
Or maybe we could consider the episode where Lisa's sad because a teacher won't let her play the music she wants to play on the time he gets paid to teach children the fundamentals, & Lisa is treated as being in the right for wanting to do what she wants to do regardless of the setting, because she is Lisa.
Or perhaps we might think about the episode where the family celebrates Bart getting an A at a restaurant & all Lisa can think about is how her parents, who already are shown to favor her, don't shower her with even more praise for always getting A's, it doesn't occur to her how her parents might want to encourage the child who has always struggled to succeed, but alas, the parents praise is portrayed as overblown for the sake of making Lisa seem justified, because she is Lisa.

@c. j. macq I beg to differ, Lisa is only the conscience of the show in the sense that the show itself won't acknowledge her own hypocrisy.
In one episode, Lisa made a present for Homer's birthday & got upset when Homer didn't appreciate her gift, she is treated as justified in this attitude even after she projects her frustration with Homer onto Martin, Skinner, & men as a whole, the onus is placed on Homer to make amends, he is held responsible for her outburst, & yet she got upset that a relatively average middle aged man didn't appreciate a book filled with drawings of unicorns.  Now consider that in a previous episode, Homer got Lisa birthday gifts that included a tape demonstrating his ignorance of her personality & a whole chicken, she got upset that Homer's gifts weren't all that thoughtful & Homer hired a private detective in an effort to learn what interests Lisa so he can make amends. In both episodes, the roles are reversed, & yet Lisa is in the right in both instances, because she is Lisa.
There are several episodes where Bart finds a calling, in one he takes up drumming & is shown to be good enough to play professionally, Lisa is upset because Bart "stole" jazz from her, she can't be happy for Bart's success, & when Bart is injured because she hid a tiger in the attic, & can no longer play, he gives up on reconstructive surgery to regain his lost talent for the sake of appeasing Lisa's jealousy, in another episode Bart becomes a hall monitor & gains the approval of his family & school, & gives it up for the sake of protecting Lisa when she did something wrong, both these instances are treated as heartwarming, & not indicators of the toxic relationship between the two that sees Bart fall for Lisa's sake, but when Lisa copies Bart's mannerisms for the sake of making friends during the family's stay in Flanders' summer house & Bart responds by pointing out her duplicity, he's treated as being in the wrong & she is forgiven, because she is Lisa.
In many episodes she's shown to be down right manipulative, taking advantage of Bart developing an attachment to a cow to push vegetarianism, or preying on Todd's crisis of faith to proselytize for Buddha, yet these underhanded tactics are played for laughs when in the episode in which she converted to Buddhism, her family trying to get her to celebrate Christmas is treated seriously by her & is only resolved when the guest star tells her she can have both her Christmas presents & Buddha's preaching of moderation, because she is Lisa.
Lisa must be preserved & can not be allowed to demonstrate fault because she is not meant to be a relatable character, only a mouthpiece, she is right in the context of her setting because the setting was written by people who hold her positions, she is always right, because she is Lisa.

@Loopy Loon ... i disagree. lisa simpson IS the conscience of the family AND the town.
      if you think people who expose the flaws and corruption in society as "little know it alls" you have a serious problem accepting reality. if you think intelligence is a form of self-righteousness your problem is accepting whatever lies the "authority" tells you.
     lisa's insecurity comes from the fact that she's right, keeps being proven right but her wisdom is routinely ignored and marginalized.

     its the old "kill-the-messenger" syndrome that inflicts people whenever their inaccurate and skewed world view is challenged and corrected.
       if humanity could be divided into the idiosyncrasies of the various characters of that tv show. I AM DEFINITELY A "LISA" and damned proud of it.

@Mr. Fancypants checkmarks don't always have the best comments quit giving them attention

How many years have people been talking about WW2? :P

here's an example of over analyzation. "why do we like homer?" no need for all that - he represents us all - stuff. we like homer because he's written as a comedic character. HE'S FUNNY! his dialogue is a series of dimwitted and observationally perceptive one liners placed into different contexts, references and plots.

          he's also written as a sympathetic character. things ALWAYS go wrong for homer. but he usually ends up back on his feet anyway, right where he started all along. the "enemy" episode was more of an antithesis to this sympathetic driven character. so, no need to over analyze the simpsons. the show is liked because its funny, fast moving, creative and unpredictable.

          AND, thanks to the Lisa character, the show offers an intellectual side. its perceptively critical of society. and perhaps this is where people see themselves. personally, i relate to Lisa more than any other character. she's the smartest, most aware and perceptive, most underappreciated and most misunderstood member of the cast. i can relate to that.

         so the mystery of why people like the simpson's has been solved. just set back, enjoy the damned show and try to learn something from it. its as simple as that.

it takes longer to analyze the episode than to watch it. its kinda like instant reply in sports. each play takes about 3 seconds. but with slow motion, different angles and conflicting opinions it takes 5 minutes to analyze it.

It's about as long if you set playback to 2x.

It's about as long if you set playback to 2x.

Mr. Fancypants I actually do read the replies to my comments and reply to them, but usually when I get notifications. Just thought it was an interesting thing to point out, wasn’t trying to be funny or useful. Have been watching EmpLemon’s videos for years, just don’t comment on them often

There should be, there will never ever be an F1 driver like Gilles Villeneuve.

Jesus... I didn't even notice that, thank you.

@Nebojša Žbidelj calm down son its just a comment

@speedycube64 do an rsg speedrun where you have to build amogus out of wool that would be funny I think

If people discuss a line of dialogue, should they use less time than said line?

@speedycube64 Wait I recognise your name, you made that anime betrayal video didnt you?

@Mr. Fancypants calm down son its just a comment

I like at 3:32 when Emp used meet the Sniper music :p

you minecraft youtubers are in every comment section

@name they always come in leaving allmost all the time these empty unrelated comments to the video that aren't even funny or remotely usefull.
Then they get upvotes from sheep fans just because they watch them and leave these awfull stupid reply's like: HuH? WhaT ArE YoU DoIng HeRE? As if it is not normal that other people watch video's to.
And they don't even reply to anything said under they'r comment making it double useless as it shows they simply don't care.
ThAt's WheRe ThEY T0uCH Me.

@Mr. Fancypants why do you hate checkmarks? Where did they touch you?

@Thee Oddments When Your Babysitter Is... "Among Us"???!?!?

@speedycube64 where is your babysitter lil man

@speedycube64 where is your babysitter lil man

i whatched 21748916347326598761 mincraft speed runs this what i lerned


For a person that used to feel like Frank Grimes and now feels like Homer, I found this EXTREMELY enlightening, thank you!


I went into this expecting a basic Simpsons analysis. I walked out with a much higher appreciation for an episode I already loved and a better sense of self-worth and understanding about myself. Great work.


Its understable why alot of us are like Grimes especially when you see a straight up child bearly out elementary making more money then you could in 10 years

@Pipsqueack Tommyinnit is 17 and probably has more money right now than you or me will ever make, time to end it all ;))

@tsuki this attempt at a sense of justice is a cop out. The justification of suffering feels very religious dogma. Growing and "learning" from suffering means nothing to an ordinary person. By that logic, then those starving kids in impoverished villages in africa would have grown and achieved enlightenment. They didn't.


The Simpson could still be a great show if they had keep true to themselves instead of cannibalising their own humor. If the show had depicted the Simpsons getting old and had no shame to mock todays bullshit I really think they could be a great show even today. What is really lost is the boldness of the show nowadays no one would dare to mock the real nonsense and to point to how the systemic problems the Simpsons pointed during the 90s had gone out of control today. Boldness and truthfulness that's why the Simpsons are dead today.

The show could still be a great show if it ENDED shortly after this episode.


"The Simpsons was never designed to survive the 21st century"

Because every great story has an ending and The Simpsons missed theirs

@bowltm <br>I made no mistake, the OP did. They should've wrote "Survive the 20th" or "Survive to the 21st".

@bowltm
I made no mistake, the OP did. They should've wrote "Survive the 20th" or "Survive to the 21st".

At some point any show will turn terrible and its a writers duty to end it before that.

It could have gone out as one the greats and we’d be thrilled if another movie was announced

i grew up with the simpsons but i still enjoy the new episodes.

@HeyIts YaBoi I've always thought that was stupid. I mean it makes sense but it's confusing.

if the simpsons had ended  it would be considered the best in its medium.

But you have to love the fact that they fulfilled the gag Bart said - they played a part of it - Bart: Dad, why are the endig the Cosby Series?  Dad: Because they want to go out on top. Bart: To hell wit that. If I had a series, I'd milk it for all its worth.     And they did.

@NoMercyForMayhem When they announced the movie I was hoping that would be when they ended it.

they didn't miss, money pulled, forced them away from an ending and now they are  zombies, corpses shambling for the next buck for the corporate master

Oddly enough, the show aired the perfect ending: season 11's "Behind the Laughter." The quality of the show had significantly dipped, but not so badly that it had reached zombie status (at least I don't think so). Having this meta look at the history of the show treating the characters as actors is really the best way to end a show like this. It's even sadder to realize that was OVER TWENTY YEARS AGO!

At this point I want to see the series continue because at this point, if it got any worse it wouldent matter, the shows about 20 seasons past its prime so why stop now, I want to see that big 50 season marker

@InformerMaz people forget that 0-100 was the first century. some people go from 100-200 when counting because of that. including me sometimes. it's a fair mistake imho

Because it used to be a parody of mainstream and then it became part of the mainstream. It lost its edge, and thus it lost its value.

@Blidea we all know this. And lmfao fixed pronouns 😂😂😂😂

And yet it is still more interesting then Family Guy nowadays. Low bar, but still

I read somewhere that the writers were anticipating the show to end around season 10

@HeyIts YaBoi guys, they're right. The 21st century goes from 2001 to 2100 lmao.<br>*fixed pronouns.

@HeyIts YaBoi guys, they're right. The 21st century goes from 2001 to 2100 lmao.
*fixed pronouns.

And could've had it. When Homer went to Coma in "So It’s Come To This: A Simpsons Clip Show" episode. Here everything could've ended happily.

In a way Homer's enemy was the show's ending, The Simpsons spent nearly a decade spoofing and deconstructing sitcoms, American culture, and the television industry in and of itself, so much so that for it's final hoorah the Simpsons deconstructed itself, like emplemon talks about in the video. the episode also mentions multiple episodes from the past, like Homer going into space, and meeting President Ford, and includes a wide variety of characters. Had this been the ending of the show it would've been a really perfect one actually.

Meh, The Simpsons was never a show where any real storylines progressed or time elapsed. Characters and character traits would be developed but nothing really ever changed. There was never a need for a formal ending to tie it all together.

@InformerMaz his name is that of a swedish kids channel. He is probably joking.

@HeyIts YaBoi Sad thing is, I can’t tell if the dude was joking or serious lmao.

@Bollibompa The 2000s are the 21st century man…


I never knew "Homer's Enemy" was rated so highly. That might explain the move to make that version of Homer the basis for his normal character. Of course, that ignores the fact Homer's flaws are exaggerated for the sake of the story, so they work in that context, but too many people don't realize that fact.

3:16 Huh. I never knew Evergreen Terrace had any significance. That's pretty neat.

10:12 It should be noted that while Groening, Brooks, and Simon were officially the showrunners of season 2, Al Jean and Mike Reiss were given more control as the season went on, being the unofficial showrunners for at least a handful of episodes.


It's easy to underestimate how different the Simpsons was in tone to other shows at the time. Even Married... with Children, which also was pretty over-the-top, stuck mostly to unironic low-brow humor, and seemed almost reactionary compared to the Simpsons' subversive edge. I remember some of my friend's parents not letting us watch it in their homes, and we were teenagers at the time, not unsupervised toddlers.

But this episode in particular kind of shocked me, especially the ending. The Simpsons didn't usually end on such a cynical note, and never quite went that dark before. Today it would be completely normal programming, but I was honestly taken aback the first time I saw it. Still one of my favs though!


I’m about 26 minutes in and I am blown away by this analysis. I usually skipped past rewatching this episode of the show and didn’t think too deeply about it. But…wow. This idea/obsession I’ve had from time to time regarding “fairness” and effort leading to reward I think has been something truly holding me back. Or at least keeping me in a negative headspace. Never thought this episode would cause me to get introspective! Such a fantastic video! Can’t wait to watch the rest.


My family and I loved this episode. Maybe it was due to the fact that we are south americans, we are living in a place that is more Springfield that the Simpsons' Springfield. Most of us have seen people like Frank Grimes become bitter, resentful or even mad. At least here in Paraguay, one can't live without being at least a bit like Homer. I am not saying that we are all incompetent, lazy and stupid like him, but that we sometimes have to accept that the world (especially our countries) is unfair and, above all, we have to care for our family and our beloved ones. It is that attitude that helps us to build homes just as warm and united as the ones in the sitcoms that the Simpsons originally parodied.


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.

@O Kay JUST LIKE SPONGEBOB AND SQUIDWARD

It's the cruellest moment of an already cruel episode. Any respect for Grimes in death is unfairly taken away from him by the people he hated in life. It's so delightfully dark.

@HeroSword P Even if it was, it's a fact that Grimes did not like being called Grimey.

Sounded like a term of endearment to me, that someone would give him a nickname is usually thought of as a sign of acceptance.

@Mileta Rien Believe it or not, that actually happened to the father of a friend of mine. Despite that he was an atheist, in his funeral he was buried under a christian cross, while his son was crying and begging for they to remove it..

I've always wondered if this was referencing The Unbearable Lightness of Being, in which lifelong atheist Tomas is buried under the headstone 'he wanted the Kingdom of Heaven on earth' by his estranged, Christian son.

@Or Grimey, as he liked to be called short Homer scream

I mean, short Homer scream-LLO!

@Or Grimey, as he liked to be called *short Homer scream*

I mean, *short Homer scream*-LLO!

At least they bothered to even give him a funeral lul.

@SaltpeterTaffy that's pretty sad, Homer was the only guy that cared about him in the end and he still ruined his funeral.

Fully onboard on this. I hate funerals for that reason, they're usually a farce. People who barely knew you pretending they know your thoughts.

@O Kay What it says to me is that his entire impression of Grimes was delivered to him by Homer. :(

@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.

The whole episode made me uncomfortably angry, but that's how I know it's brilliant.

My favorite is when Frank Grimes says "Oh, I'm better than okay. I'm Homer Simpson!" and then Homer says "Ha! You Wish!".<br>He can see that this man is having a horrible mental breakdown, but he is STILL extremely rude and casual.

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.


I used to be a Frank Grimes, working hard every day until one day I realised that I get paid the same shitty wage as people who do the bare minimum with no chance of raises and no recognition for my effort. So I embraced the Homer lifestyle.
Started pulling night shifts, letting things slide, putting in the bare minimum I needed to keep things moving.

And you know what?
I'm happier now.

@internalhabaneros hahaha there are a lot of "doctors" that perform half-ass procedures, engineers that ive met who dont know a thing they are doing, and pilots that mess up. Oh and im an Engineer as well. Put in the bare minimum and living the best life.

@internalhabaneros I’ve seen some pretty shady doctors. Seems like the nurses do more of the work tbh

@internalhabaneros he's not a... pilot, bro, he's a dairy queen worker.

@internalhabaneros no but its a good place to <b>start</b> improving things. Grimes never took a break.

@internalhabaneros no but its a good place to *start* improving things. Grimes never took a break.

Nothing surprising there. People who do the bare minimum are usually happy. Your excuse is that you used to work hard (doubt it as people who really make an effort don't change because others don't) so you justify being lazy. Letting things slide is never acceptable for pilots or doctors or engineers. But you're just perpetuating the cycle and complaining that people are just like you.

3 months late but i feel this so incredibly hard. The boss pays me too little for me to put in more than the bare minimum...and i am VERY creative at shaving down what that bare minimum entails


I feel like I’ve always seen grimes in a bit of a different light. I never connected with homer anywhere near the level that is implied in this video, and Grimes felt more relatable in his ideals (being rewarded for actual work). I never felt like either of them were an antagonist tho, more like Homer was a symptom spawned by the antagonist, and grimes fails to realise who he’s actually supposed to be fighting.

Being upset at a symptom of a greater wrong is understandable and even relatable, but unless you try to combat the source, it’s not helpful. Grime’s downfall is that he has a reason to rebel against the system, which to me felt like another commentary on modern day america

Homer is both a cause and a symptom.  It is like with the "war on drugs".  You can target dealers, but customers will ensure there are always more dealers.  You can target customers, but dealers will always try to find ways to make new customers.  Some businesses take advantage of their employees, and employees conform to that.  Other businesses are unwilling to trust or reward their employees because there are so many slackers out there.

Also, separate from all that, I think one who sees the beauty in taking pride in one's character, and living a life that might be likened to a work of art or a finally crafted machine... such cannot feel anything but disgust when faced by those that aspire to nothing higher than a bag of cheetos.  And worse if the world heaps praise and reward on the latter.  It is all at once an affront to beauty, an unfair reward, and a rejection by society.


frank grimes...also showcased the failure of going blindly over looking at the bigger picture, the american dream isn't just about doing your best BUT also taking opportunities, he could have easely learned how homer does to live such a good life, become friend with him and finally get out of his poor situation but instead, he let himself be consumed by envy and let it destroy him


I think an all time great Simpsons episode is "Homer the Heretic," an episode that points out the hypocrisy of religion in America, but it does so in such a way that it doesn't shove the answer down the throat of the audience, instead leaving it to the audience to decide what the right way to go should be. Yes, forcing someone to practice a religion is wrong, but equally if they want to practice a religion, there's nothing wrong with them dojng so, within reason


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.

I think people look at the conflict and think way too deep into it. It is literally Homer meeting Homer. Season 1 Homer meets Season 8 Homer. The downtrodden man from a broken home who has to struggle to make ends meet and envies everyone around him meets the well off man who lives a care free life that worries about blundering a family interaction. I imagine the writers were watching some of the earlier episodes and that was the inspiration. Homer became the very thing he hated much like how the Simpsons did. Go back and watch the first Christmas Episode or the Therapist episode to see where Frank Grimes comes from. That's the main thrust of the episode. It's the writers acknowledging that the Simpsons has become the establishment.

No system is perfect and Grimes' insistence that it gives him "what he deserves" drives him to madness.  Detachment and contentedness are highly important.

@David Black  I haven’t been here in a while, and simply do not have the time to read the previous messages for that I apologize, in case you had corroborated previously your point. Anyways I disagree with words illusion, if anything it seems like an illusion to believe you can see (truthfully) culture and identity without your own. All of us are not independent fully but are part of an identity and culture. To try and look at any culture or system outside of your own lenses would be like saying your can see the world better without your glasses 👓. The right action is to address that fact and be knowledgeable about any biases you may commit or ways in which you may misinterpret things do to your own point of view(for example you could stand from a place where it looks like it was one person who started the fight when it truly was the other) still you should be truthful, compassionate, understanding, and descriptive as much as you can, acknowledging your limits. Just because I can’t see the moon with my glasses doesn’t mean I can’t see the sky very clearly. Correct me if I am wrong but contemporary thinkers like Heidegger, Charles Taylor, and Wittgenstein have given arguments of this sort. Sorry for writing so much and I hope I was as insightful as possible. Have a good day  😊 cheerio! (Also not to you, but thanks to the OG maker of this comments for having the most civil comment sections I have ever seen)

@N S Maybe, but think about it in the context of the episode. Grimes has the ability, and Homer with his family to care for has his needs. I can't imagine too much changing outside of Homer's living situation getting worse, as the luxuries are stripped away. Grimes' doesn't necessarily get better, and he is still envious of Homer's past accomplishments, familial love, etc. Grimes won't stop until Homer is destroyed, and by having that attitude destroyed himself.

@N S >  From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

That only works if we have an accurate way to determine "ability" and an objective definition of what constitutes "need".

Flimsy definitions and hand waving make for bad policy.

@David Black illusion is a strong word, but I mostly agree.

@David Black illusion is a strong word, but I mostly agree.

@TETCOM Oh, yes that “Nightmare At 20,000 Feet” comparison is rather apt! Honestly I didn’t laugh a lot in that episode, I enjoyed it but more in a fascination sort of way. Your meta analysis is interesting, of course this episode begs to be analyzed from a socio-political lens, but the core of the episode being “if a man from the real world met Homer who is a cartoon character” I think is often quickly forgotten beyond cursory mentions

yeah....there's an aspect to this episode that goes really deep....very existential....you can do all good and all right seemingly,i suppose,and STILL get screwed over...and then there are people...who are like....agents of chaos....just making things worse...and they seemingly run into good fortune....and it's like...what's up with that?...where's the justice?...why is that allowed to happen in our reality?....is that fair?...and if it's not....why is it still allowed to happen?...what's the point of trying to play the game if the game is rigged?...it may be subtext,but it's in there,and it's actually very serious....much deeper than the comedy on the surface...your comment is a good one....i just watched the episode...it was fantastic...but somewhere in the back of my mind...i said  (too bad he had to die......was'nt really a bad dude at all.....homer's done way worse..)     ....but this was at the back of my head,behind all the laughs..i had'nt really formed it into a thought until i read your comment......what kills me is that Grimes does'nt realize the ONLY reason why Homer gets away with ANY of it,is because Homer is the LEAD CHARACTER in a COMEDIC cartoon that Grimes himself is a part of.....Grimes does'nt realize that cartoon physics and logic are at work....and that Homer MUST be potrayed the hero no matter what....because HE'S the star of the show...Grimes does'nt know that the more he complains about homer the more it will help homer because those are the rules in a cartoon....Grimes does'nt see these things.....but he knows something is wrong with that picture....and it just does'nt add up....and he's right....Homer's an idiot...not a bad person...just an idiot...and very careless......watching grimes' struggle in this,is like watching one of those old twilight zone episodes...where it's scary because the guy in the story realizes that the world around him isn't quite right..and he can't convince anyone else...which is actually horror...like william shatner trying to convince eveyone that there was a monster on the wing of the plane....there's an aspect of that here in gimes' story...and it actually makes it unusual,uncomfortable and sad.....you realize this guy is going through a horror story of his own with a terrible ending for the sake of what....ME and YOU laughing at Matt Groening's writing brought to you by FOX?.....so has has to die now?....so we can laugh?....he lost his life for that?...he went crazy for that?...poor guy...that ain't cool...he was right about homer...where's the justice?.....ultimately you might as well question everything....what's the point?...too deep?....not really since that's exactly what's really going on in this episode between the two main characters............yeah...brilliant episode

@David Black That is probably the strangest take I’ve ever heard.

@David Black That is probably the strangest take I’ve ever heard.

@N S Which isn’t a bad idea. It will require more thought than I’ve seen most people give it, however. Like, “to each according to his need.” It’s been established medically that many recreational and “luxury” things have health benefits and can be more important than many give them credit for, but how do we establish what qualifies as need? How can we quantify what may be a frivolity for one may be a much needed method of relation for another who “needs” it? I don’t pose these questions to claim answering them is impossible, but just to address things to consider which have not been resolved. Similarly, how do we quantify ability? Obviously working people as much as physically possible is terrible for health and cruel to practice, but even with well regulated working practices, there is the question of disability. The benefits of the system you (or Marx) proposed mean us with disabilities are still given what we need to live, so long as we put in the effort. But how can we actually tell when someone is putting in effort? Perhaps it’s simple case-by-case moderation of workers and mental health check-ups, but I know from experience us with invisible illnesses can be told we’re not doing our best when we are, simply because our ability can fluctuate day to day. Conversely, there’s also those who will quit early because they underestimate their own ability. Of course the latter isn’t such a harmful risk that it necessitates the former, but it’s a risk nonetheless. It is the ideal and is not impossible, but there are hurdles to that system that much be taken down properly if it is to be implemented.

What if, and hear me out, we had a system where its: From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

What if, and hear me out, we had a system where its: From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

No when you realize they're both wrong, you tell them what they could do to grow and not give vague meaningless platitudes as an excuse for doing nothing.

No when you realize they're both wrong, you tell them what they could do to grow and not give vague meaningless platitudes as an excuse for doing nothing.

@Matt Gilbert you haven’t been paying attention to the left recently - the far left any way; the centrist are just trying to keep the country in one piece.

@randomguy9777
That doesn't really line up with serious Leftist analysis, certainly not the element of "blame" - that's radlib stuff.
A serious critique of Capitalism often leads to the conclusion that it's bad for everyone - including the rich. They are miserable, I tells ya.

Grimes comes off like an angry Ayn Rand fan to me.

@Afqwa That's a great episode. Cult of Work.

@Afqwa That's a great episode. Cult of Work.

@Esteban De La Sexface The left doesn’t just blame institutions though, they blame the rich. And in a way, when they blame institutions, they are really blaming the current people in power aka “the establishment”.

Focusing on the inequality of outcomes and looking for a scapegoat is what the left does and is exactly what Grimes did.

@randomguy9777 The right are the ones who focus on personal responsibility as a fundamental value. If Grimes were meant to be left he'd be putting the blame with the institutions, not Homer.

Grimes is someone who was probably raised on that 80s Reagan era family values, American dream stuff, and is just realising it's bullshit, but doesn't understand why.

There should be, there will never ever be an F1 driver like Gilles Villeneuve.

There should be, there will never ever be an F1 driver like Gilles Villeneuve.

@Afqwa > Grimes is that insufferable person that always lectures you about bootstraps.

I have not watch the episode but is "bootstraps" ever mentioned or is it just something you are using to describe Grimes? It isn't a very good "description" IMHO since it's kind of a right wing saying.

Grimes leans more to the left IMHO given his obsession with "fairness" and what Homer "deserves". From Grimes' perspective, Homer is a "fat cat" that somehow failed upwards to his position of comfort and material wealth - of course from Homer's perspective, his job is what he reluctantly do to support his family because he is trapped; with his dream lifestyle ironically being what Grimes has (if other comments are right).

IMHO what makes Grimes insufferable is his fixation on what other people like Homer has instead of not giving a shit and just worrying about improving his own lot.

@Shin Shaman Say it in my DMs. I'd love to hear it.

@Shin Shaman Say it in my DMs. I'd love to hear it.

I used to hate the A plot of this episode. I was one of those ones Matt talks about in the director''s commentary. This video blew my mind and helped me to get it.

@KingOfTheRevolution - to younger people it has to be the system's fault. When you get old enough you realize the system is made up of people just like you.

@Afqwa Absolutely, 100%! So many ridiculous touching moments in Futurama (from a cartoon, no less)!

@Afqwa Absolutely, 100%! So many ridiculous touching moments in Futurama (from a cartoon, no less)!

@toontunes <br>No worries, I have a disagreeable personality to begin with.

@toontunes
No worries, I have a disagreeable personality to begin with.

@Loco Madman <br>Fry's dog always gets the onion ninjas.

@Loco Madman
Fry's dog always gets the onion ninjas.

@Afqwa sorry for cutting in; the “Do it for her” episode might very well be my favourite Simpsons episode, hands down. It mysteriously gets dusty in whatever room room I watch it in whenever I catch it; it’s just the strangest thing! 😅

Afqwa i completely agree with that last point- homer does actively try to be nice to frank despite the comedic mishaps and such, and it’s on frank that he didn’t accept that outcome. i guess i just read your comment/that video more as a reading of homer’s actions as a conscious choice, and i wanted to offer my own thoughts on the matter. i hope i didn’t seem like i was specifically picking on you, though! i just remembered watching that video a while back as a huge fan of this episode, and ended up being disappointed just because in my opinion it seemed to paint both characters as something i didn’t really see them as. but i’m glad someone can appreciate it and we can both see each other’s points :)

@toontunes
The reality is that Frank is also working in a dangerous workplace. The show repeatedly shows that the safety standards of the plant aren't really all that great to begin with. There's a skit where a fire drill results in absolute incompetence throughout the plant. Acid is also something that normally shouldn't be sitting around in a break room. Homer's cartoonish incompetence aside.

This isn't just a thing isolated to Homer or can be solely made out to be an issue of personal virtue.

You say Homer should say take personal responsibility and that's my point. Homer has tried to do that to the best of his ability. He's not a smart man, but he made a decision that he thought was best for his family. It's not that he made a conscious decision to stick it to the man, he just chose what he thought was the best shot at stability. "Do it for her."

I'm not taking sides with Homer against Grimes. The whole point is that Homer doesn't see Grimes as an enemy to begin with. It's Grimes who decided that's what Homer should be.

@randomguy9777  Now wait a minute, be fair here; How systems are created is a semantic chicken-or-the-egg debate, but institutionalization can’t 100% be removed from the equation here. I’m sure you’ve heard of the saying, “It doesn’t matter who anyone votes for, the government always gets in”.

But you do almost hit the point right on the head.

This is going to a hella dated reference, but there’s a quote I like to keep tucked up my sleeve for occasions like this, something I’ve adopted into my own personal philosophy;

“I've seen the future, you know what it is? It's a 47-year-old virgin sittin' around in his beige pajamas, drinking a banana-broccoli shake singing "I'm an Oscar-Meyer Wiener". You wanna live on top, you gotta live Cocteau's way. What he wants, when he wants, how he wants. Your other choice: come down here, maybe starve to death.” - Denis Leary as Edgar Friendly, Demolition Man

Gun to your head, you still have a choice.

Another way of looking at it? I’m not even going to copy it fully here; we’ve all watched V for Vendetta, and I hope we’ve all taken Valerie’s Letter to heart:

“Every inch of me shall perish. Every inch.

But one.

An inch.

It is small and it is fragile, and it is the only thing in the world worth having. We must never lose it or give it away. We must never let them take it from us.

I hope that - whoever you are - you escape this place. I hope that the world turns, and that things get better.

But what I hope most of all is that you understand what I mean when I tell you that even though I do not know you, and even though I may not meet you, laugh with you, cry with you, or kiss you: I love you.

With all my heart.

I love you.

-Valerie."

From this little Madman, my best to all of you.

(Edited for spelling & grammatical corrections.)

Afqwa to be honest, i feel like that video takes too much of homer’s side. both people are flawed- homer is exploiting the system, but he’s doing so unintentionally while putting lives at risk because he genuinely doesn’t know how to do his job. frank is also a downtrodden working class man, but he’s so obsessed with the idea of fairness that he lets it overtake his life. neither really have any awareness about /why/ they’re in the situations they’re in. i completely agree with the op- it’s not about who’s right, it’s about the way the system created two completely different, flawed people and put them at odds. they both have to take responsibility for their choices, but they both came from the same place (they even both have tragic pasts), and the same class. and that’s what i think is most interesting about this episode.

> blame is not on Homer but on the systems

But who created the system? The people did. This is especially true in a capitalist democracy. People choose their leaders. People choose what companies manufacture based on what they buy.

@Afqwa Really, I think people forget this. Homer comes from a broken, unstable family where he was told repeatedly that he was a failure who would never amount to anything. When he's presented with a huge responsibility like being a father and husband, he does his absolute best. He gives up on his dreams for Marge and his kids. He forces himself to be successful so he can give his family what he didn't have.

I’m really happy that my comment sparked some further discussion.

I’m really happy that my comment sparked some further discussion.

@Wojtek Earl Gray I’ll definitely look into it; thank you. And I do totally get the thesis, it’s entirely valid in fact.

Yet that said, as Emp here himself pointed; he never stopped for a moment to truly appreciate the fact the Homer envied Grimes’ life.

The question here, at its core, is it really the institution, or Frank allowing himself to become institutionalized? A gun to one’s head still leaves the person with a choice.

(And forgive the embarrassing over share, but I just got off a week of “Grain & Drain” if you don’t already know, don’t ask because not only am I Canadian, I’m a treaty status Native Cree; quite frankly, I’d rather get taken out behind the tool shed than even bend the knee.)

@Wojtek Earl Gray I’ll definitely look into it; thank you. And I do totally get the thesis, it’s entirely valid in fact.

Yet that said, as Emp here himself pointed; he never stopped for a moment to truly appreciate the fact the Homer envied Grimes’ life.

The question here, at its core, is it really the institution, or Frank allowing himself to become institutionalized? A gun to one’s head still leaves the person with a choice.

(And forgive the embarrassing over share, but I just got off a week of “Grain & Drain” -if you don’t already know, don’t ask- because not only am I Canadian, I’m a treaty status Native Cree; quite frankly, I’d rather get taken out behind the tool shed than even bend the knee.)

@Loco Madman He should be free to search for his happiness where he wants just like Homer but the problem is that both have been put in a spot by institutions to be somewhere unpleasant in their eyes. Grime’s true problem is his obsession with having to gain that which he desires, and not practicing the detachment which Homer does. Less related; In a way this connects to a religious aspect look up Thomas Aquinas interpretation of the Beatitudes if you have any time.

It’s true; Grimes is unhappy in part because he bought into the idea he should be. He’s not stuck; no kids, no family...

The world could be his oyster, but he can’t see past the shell.

@Dynamite Grizzly That's asking the right questions there, bud.

@Dynamite Grizzly That's asking the right questions there, bud.

@Jack Monaghan I sort of don’t like the idea of Burns intentionally doing so, I honestly like how he doesn’t give a damn about Grimes, he’s the one still in power with a town of stereotypical idiots. If he did felt threatened by Grimes then he would’ve just not let him work at his factory or fire him for “certain circumstances”

@Afqwa Also, building on RC's point that this episode really missed an opportunity for it to turn out that Burns was pitting Grimes against Homer to distract him from the fact he demoted Grimes because he saw him as a threat to his position of power (using the divide and rule tactic is definitely something Burns would do). Plus I think Lisa could really have ripped into Grimes after his tirade towards Homer by telling him his Randroid, "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" mentality is a load of shit.

Renegade Cut has an amazing video on this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P40sJOkxnac
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.

@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.

@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.

@Dynamite Grizzly 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.

The episode was written by a Libretarian that probably intended it to be played completely straight lmao.

The episode was written by a Libretarian that probably intended it to be played completely straight lmao.


One question I have to ask here: Who is more at fault here? Homer for being an incompetent idiot at his work while Grimes is overworked and underpaid? Or is it his business for being selective over who gets paid more based on their position?
Does Grimes even have a right to be mad at Homer for this?

One question I have to ask here: Who is more at fault here? Homer for being an incompetent idiot at his work while Grimes is overworked and underpaid? Or is it his business for being selective over who gets paid more based on their position?
Does Grimes even have a *right* to be mad at Homer for this?


I've honestly watched this video at least once a month or so, sometimes multiple time a week, ever since I've discovered it.<br>I love the pursue of observing things , bringing them to the outside world and then back into their native medium, and I feel like this video does exactly that. Thank you for this.

I've honestly watched this video at least once a month or so, sometimes multiple time a week, ever since I've discovered it.
I love the pursue of observing things , bringing them to the outside world and then back into their native medium, and I feel like this video does exactly that. Thank you for this.


Watching the first 10 seasons of the Simpsons years later, is a real eye opener. As a kid I saw it as amazing entertainment. The messages delivered as an adult in it are outstanding! God bless Homer Simpson


Perhaps it's just because this has been thoroughly stuck in my mind for the last little while, but thinking about it, Frank Grimes really reminds me of Kaworu Nagisa from Neon Genesis Evangelion: another similar character who appears in precisely one episode of his original show, changes the way its audience perceives its main character, and who's death completely alters the show's course of direction - plunging it into a downward spiral, if you will.


"Homer's Enemy" was an episode like no other.  To me it was quite powerful.


The ultimate lesson Homer Simpson teaches, don't worry about crap you can't change and worry even less about crap that does not directly impact you.


"Matt groening had to enter hell"
me: Mexico?
Narrator: shows california
Me: Ahhhh literal hell.

"Matt groening had to enter hell"
me: Mexico?
Narrator: *shows california*
Me: Ahhhh literal hell.

I briefly lived in San Diego and it was awesome.  Would love to go back some day.

As An (american] Georgian<br>im not a city folk cant confirm or deny if neither the state nor country of georgia is hell or not all i know is stalin is georgian

As An (american] Georgian
im not a city folk cant confirm or deny if neither the state nor country of georgia is hell or not all i know is stalin is georgian

California: combining the worst parts of Mexico with the worst parts of America.


This was unironically one of the greatest episodes of Vsauce ever made.


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.

@drivethrupoet I don't know. None of us are perfect and a lot of us have issues, but I'm guessing we are about the same age and I remember back when this started airing, it was super dysfunctional. ( entertaining, but super dysfunctional.)

@Lucious I wonder how much Homer's beer and Marge's hair habits cost, and what is lacking aside from the peace and order of Flanders' place.

@Phantom Aviator That's not luxury. Luxury is having several homes, designer cars, and an 7+ digit salary.

@Lucious they have a 2 story house and a large car with no payments, a good job they don't have to worry about losing, and a functional family

They always did. We just didn't notice. You're basically repeating the insight of this video analysis, and passing it off as your own original thought. But then you're also basically saying what Frank Grimes says.

An ideal Simpsons joke would be Homer driving his car looking at a magazine talking about poverty in Africa. He goes "Oh those poor people. Luckily I'm in the United States of America!" Just as a homeless man comes up to him begging for money so him and his family can eat. Then homer just throws the magazine at him and drives off.

right? affording a nice house in a decent neighborhood while the wife is stay at home with the three kids and a dog with a cat? all piggy backing on 1 income?

Yea unless you know what your doing in the day job and on the stock market that isn't a thing anymore

@Trifolium animation Who isn't though now?

@Trifolium animation Who isn't though now?

@Orkhiss People like Frank Grimes have a much higher chance of succeeding.  But success can never be assured.

Yep! All that on one income as well. So many sitcoms have the wife not working and that just doesn't make sense anymore if you want to be able to afford a house.

@Orkhiss I don't believe it's the personality what makes a person successful. I think you're falling im the survivorship fallacy

@A TC Eh, I'd disagree mostly just for the fact that people like Frank Grimes don't actually succeed most of the time. Being ambitious and hard worker doesn't rarely translates into upward mobility in the real world, especially if it's accompanied by a caustic personality like Grimey's.

I'm not so sure the Simpsons ever represented what was easily achievable or obtainable materially to most ordinary people as the documented episode and this video realizes; The Simpsons was always a tool to examine what exactly the ideal, projected middle-America turned on its head would look like if it was inhabited by people who would never make it there in reality.

The inevitably flawed, longing for The Simpsons to desperately try and fit in with society and acquire financial security early on in the series was testament to the real-world, unrealistic pressures put onto people to transition up the class system, the writing however didn't dwell here and bypassed further struggle and injected The Simpsons directly into established Suburbia to branch into different narratives until they revisit it in this episode. At its heart this episode is switching the real-world roles; the driven Frank Grimes's of the world are the ones that succeed and inhabit the real Springfeild's which makes his deconstruction and humiliation in this episode by the regular, unmotivated and disconnected Joe's of Springfield all the more fitting, a perfect antithesis to American society at large and a great opportunity to laugh along at the guy who actually wins in reality.

The Simpsons' lifestyle, even with the struggle of scraping by, was already considered an ideal American dream by the time Grimes arrived who had a lifetime of misfortune despite all his hard work. His episode aged like fine wine being a relevant reflection of countries like U.S. so full of inequity and cautionary tale of being spiteful in such.

@Orkhiss Looking up the numbers, I see I had the wrong range. I thought 35-70k/year was "low-middle class", turns out its more like 30-55k/year. So yeah, assuming Homer makes a bit more than the average for his salary range, the Simpsons are slightly better off than the median-middle class. Not quite enough for upper-middle, but too much for lower-middle.

@Lucious yeah, high-income. As in, not low-middle class. I don't think they even have a mortgage, and of they do it's already been paid off because it is never mentioned. I know Grandpa paid the down-payment. All their budget problems, even in the early years where they actually worried about money, are being unable to cover surprise expenses such as expensive medical procedures or large vanity purchases. I don't like the P word, and I mean it removed from it's critical theory roots, but I don't think you realize how privileged the Simpsons are, especially now.

@Orkhiss Well, a family with a high-income father living in a 2-story house with one main TV (that replaced a ~1980s junker they """found""" & used for over a decade) that has struggled to afford Christmas gifts in the past. <br>Granted, I haven't watched the Simpsons since like... 2013-ish? So if they have expanded on the area of debt/mortgage then I wouldn't know. If they have, then you have a good point- but it was always my impression that they were living in debt.

@Orkhiss Well, a family with a high-income father living in a 2-story house with one main TV (that replaced a ~1980s junker they """found""" & used for over a decade) that has struggled to afford Christmas gifts in the past.
Granted, I haven't watched the Simpsons since like... 2013-ish? So if they have expanded on the area of debt/mortgage then I wouldn't know. If they have, then you have a good point- but it was always my impression that they were living in debt.

@mofomartian Lisa's still in grade school. Marge would probably be 200K in debt to student loans, likely from having obtained higher training than Homer did. Homer would maintain a mid-paying job where he gets to be lazy while Marge would be unable to find any work anywhere that isn't tantamount to slavery, and with the combination of high bills and poor spending habits, they would not be able to raise their children properly and would struggle just to keep a house.

That would place them in the middle of middle class, at around the base of the top 33% of Americans.

This is a profoundly insightful statement about the deterioration of America in the last 30 years. For the Simpson to be accurate and relevant today, Homer and Marge would be divorced and unemployed, Lisa in 200K of student debt and Bart would be addicted to Oxycontin. Sad but true.

@Lucious You mean upper-mid. If you think lower-middle class, single income nuclear families with three children can afford a two-story house in Oregon, and without dealing with a mortgage?

@bill Smyth it already exists. its a drug to slow aging, supposedly. I aint saying anything concrete about it since I don't know much, but its sold rather quietly if it IS still sold, and to rather wealthy and influential people.

@Lucious It really depends who you ask, and that is sort of the point being made. To many of us, the lower middle class is a dream life.

@Lucious Thus the word "practically" its an exaggeration for the sake of humor

The Simpsons don't live in luxury. By today's standards, they have a wonderfully comfy life as a member of the lower-mid middle class, but that doesn't qualify as "living in luxury."

@Huels yea just like how they invented a method of non aging. It would skyrocket on the stock market today.

Somehow they managed to keep the same vehicle for over 30 years. They must be doing something right.

@sofaking onmynuts In our hearts, I suppose. :)

@sofaking onmynuts In our hearts, I suppose. :)

@TheReaverOfDarkness Maggie will still be a rock star, thats just who she is 🤘😆

@emiliano zamora 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.

I've seen many people comment on how the simpsons house is very nice looking back at it and it really makes you think

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.

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 😂

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 YouTube vlogger with a silver play button.


Sometimes you gotta be like Homer

One fact i admire about him
IF he is passionate about simething, he will move mountains to achive it

You people have stood in my way long enough! I'm going to clown college!


This is the most well-written and compelling video on the Simpsons I've ever watched. Great job.


There will never ever be another youtube series like "Never ever"

Seriously, a series enjoyable to watch even if you know nothing about the topic / don't care about it.
Your Earnhardt video made me a nascar fan, and the WWE video darn came close to making me a wrestling fan.


<b>Such a great and thoughtful review!</b> Especially about the show's decline. PS: To me, "Homer's Enemy" was never the introduction of stupid, jerk Homer. That was Season 10's "Homer Simpson in Kidney Trouble".

*Such a great and thoughtful review!* Especially about the show's decline. PS: To me, "Homer's Enemy" was never the introduction of stupid, jerk Homer. That was Season 10's "Homer Simpson in Kidney Trouble".


This is absolutely brilliant. You should turn this into a full-length Simpsons documentary


Funnily enough this was the most memorable episode for me, even though I'm from Europe and watched it as a kid. Even without proper cultural context this episode had an impact on me.


This reminds me of when my mom was trying to show me an episode of the x-files called "Jose Chung's from outer space". Found a plethora of videos explaining how good it was (that were longer than the episode) before actually finding the episode. For those who haven't found it, it's worth the search. Hardly anything I've seen has been so comedic and tragic, yet also making me genuinely question everything. You kind of have to know the two main protagonists beforehand to truly get it (which she exposed me to lol), but damn. Sidenote, she's a hardcore conspiracy theorist with a fire taste in memes and media; and the most loving mother anyone could ask for. I don't agree with her on a lot of things despite going down roughly the same path so far, but I appreciate that "question EVERYTHING" mentality she's given me. We're all mad lmao


Emp, another great video. Surprised you didn't include a reference to the film "Falling Down" with Michael Douglas, which hugely resembles the episode with the same message of the downfall of the "American Dream." The main character, like Grimes (who even looks and dresses the same), has done everything "right" and only suffers as a result and loses everything, he lives with his mother, has been divorced, and loses the right to see his daughter. The title "Falling Down" could be seen as a metaphor for a table which has broken two of it's legs, i.e. the main character losing his wife / family, which will topple down as a result of only having two supports, and thus the main character having a complete breakdown. I haven't seen the Simpsons episode but Grimes very much reminds me of the main character and the film in general.


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.

@Cheese Miser Protanopia or deuteranopia?

There should be, there will never ever be an F1 driver like Gilles Villeneuve.

im colorblind, never noticed the green unless someone points it out, still dont see it, just am aware of it.

I have to sit down and rethink everything after watching an episode of this series.


Homers Enemy was one of the darkest yet realistic episode of the whole series.


This video is an absolute masterpiece. I'm genuinely envious of your ability to analyse the show and its contexts. Really well done!


You’re definitely one of the best creators out there I’ve found recently. Great work. Love the high level thinking