History Recap / TheSimpsonsS8E23HomersEnemy

A [[InformedAttribute "normal"]] man named Frank Grimes who has had to work hard every day of his life with little reward gets a job at the nuclear plant and takes an instant dislike to Homer and his AchievementsInIgnorance. Meanwhile, Bart buys an abandoned factory at an {{auction}} and uses it as his own personal playground.

[''Cue a '''massive''' stampede of rats, which run from the factory's rubble, across the street and into Moe's Tavern'']\\

* DoubleMeaning: A BlackComedy (mixed with FridgeHorror) example after Frank saves Homer from the beaker of sulfuric acid [[HollywoodAcid (and after said acid dissolves a big hole in the wall)]]. Homer laughs and says "Boy, would my face have been red!" Of course, Homer means [[LuminescentBlush blushing from being embarrassed]] but considering what that acid did to that wall, drinking the acid would've [[FacialHorror made Homer's face]] ''[[FacialHorror very]]'' [[FacialHorror red indeed]].
* DownerEnding: Played for '''incredibly''' dark laughs. Grimes has died, [[IgnoredAesop nobody, least of all Homer, has learned anything from it]], and at his funeral Homer does something stupid and people take much greater interest in that than in trying to maintain respect. And even though he went through the entire episode saying that he hated being called "Grimey" (even pretty much roaring it to Homer's face in one scene), he's still called that in his eulogy (and Reverend Lovejoy specifically says he liked to be called that).

-->'''Mr. Burns''': Where's the ''heart''?

* {{Flanderization}}: Deliberately invoked, [[WordOfGod according to]] [[https://deadhomersociety.com/2010/07/26/bill-oakley%E2%80%99s-letter-to-dead-homer%C2%A0society/ Bill Oakley]]. The writers amplified Homer's ignorance and obnoxiousness to make the contrast between him and Frank Grimes funnier and more obvious.

* InternalDeconstruction: The episode introduces a 'realistic' character into the show; the man is so frustrated by Homer's status in Springfield that it (accidentally) kills him. The resulting BrokenBase and discussion about what this says about Homer, Springfield and even Frank Grimes himself was the actual objective of the writers (who said in the episode commentary that it's "an exercise in frustration").

## What gives him the "logical" perspective is not really (WordOfGod notwithstanding) being "a real person", but having suffered such a hardcore lifelong barrage of the DiabolusExMachina that he's as absurdist a character as any ''Simpsons'' regular, only aiming for angst rather than laughs.

-->"Okay."
-->"Hi."
-->"Can I go downstairs and see what Dad's doing?"

-->'''Grimes''': [''Finally gone crazy''] I can be lazy, too! Look at me, I'm a worthless employee just like Homer Simpson! GIVE ME A PROMOTION!! Oh, I eat like a slob, but nobody minds! [''Eats several doughnuts''] I'm peeing on the seat, give me a raise! Now I'm return to work without washing my hands, but it doesn't matter because I'M HOMER SIMPSON!! I don't need to do my work 'cause SOMEONE ELSE WILL DO IT FOR ME!! D'OH, D'OH, D'OH, D'OH!!\\
'''Homer''': [''Worried''] Hey, are you okay, Grimey?\\
'''Grimes''': I'm better than okay, I'm Homer Simpson.\\
'''Homer''': [''Chuckles nervously''] You wish!\\
'''Grimes''': [''To Burns''] Oh, hi, Mr. Burns! I'm the worst worker in the world! Time to go home to my mansion and eat my lobster! [''Notices high-voltage wires''] What's this: extremely high voltage! Well, I DON'T NEED SAFETY GLOVES, BECAUSE I'M HOMER SIMP-- [''Touches the wires and gets fatally electrocuted, much to everyone's horror, including Homer and Mr. Burns'']

-->'''Grimes''': Oh, I can't stand it any longer, THIS WHOLE PLANT IS INSANE!!! [''Maniacally''] INSANE, I TELL YOU!!! ''[=[=][[SanitySlippage starts screaming and running around like a madman]][=]=]''

* UnexpectedlyDarkEpisode: The episode focuses on Frank Grimes (a "realistic" character, by WordOfGod) being forced into the PlayedForLaughs CrapsackWorld of Springfield and getting so fed up with Homer's IdiotHoudini luck that he becomes the titular "enemy" of Homer... and then when Homer's luck saves him from being humiliated by a plan of Grimes, he undergoes a VillainousBreakdown which ends with him accidentally (or not, depending on your view) electrocuting himself while trying to mock Homer's scot-free stupidity.

-->'''Frank Grimes''': I'm saying you're what's wrong with America, Simpson. You coast through life, you do as little as possible, and you leech off of decent, hardworking people like me. Heh, if you lived in any other country in the world, you'd have starved to death long ago.

[''Burns experiences RecognitionFailure towards Grimes'']\\

'''Smithers:''' Yes sir.
* YouHaveToBelieveMe: In the DVDCommentary, the writers note that if you're trying to convince people you're not crazy, it's not a good idea to end any sentences with "I tell you." Or worse, "I tells you."

->[[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife I don't need to remind myself to stop reading TV Tropes]], [[TheStinger because I'm Homer Simp...]] [[HighVoltageDeath *Loud electrical sounds*]]

* {{Expy}}: Frank Grimes is based on Creator/MichaelDouglas' character, Bill Foster, from ''Film/FallingDown'', in both his design and his character arc as a miserable "everyman" who snaps after a TraumaCongaLine and dies as a result of his own vices.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Grimes never brings attention to it because he's completely fixated on Homer's incompetence at work, but Homer's long list of accomplishments bring to light just how many talents he actually has in spite of his apparent stupidity and laziness, just he invokes ''none'' of those into his actual job at the plant.

** Grimes' unpleasant lifestyle involves living between two bowling alleys. Running a bowling alley is Homer's dream job, as seen in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E13AndMaggieMakesThree And Maggie Makes Three]]".

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Grimes never brings attention to it because he's completely fixated on Homer's incompetence at work, but Homer's long list of accomplishments bring to light just how many talents he actually has in spite of his apparent stupidity and laziness.

* LaserGuidedKarma: Though Grimes is correct in constantly pointing out just how incompetent Homer is at his job, he ultimately sets himself up for this trope specifically by tricking Homer into entering a nuclear plant designing competition for children in order to humiliate him out of envious spite towards his success, which only succeeds in making his most hated rival ''even more'' popular with everyone else.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Grimes never brings attention to it because he's completely fixated on Homer's incompetence at work, but Homer's long list of accomplishments bring to light just how many talents he actually has in spite of his apparent stupidity and indifference.

* AntiVillain: Although his methods of getting Homer fired are rooted more in envy and anger than the actual desire to save Springfield from Homer's incompetence, Frank Grimes is absolutely correct that Homer shouldn't be the safety inspector at a nuclear power plant and he's right to say that it's incredibly irresponsible of Mr. Burns to have even allowed Homer to keep his job for this long.

* GreenEyedMonster: Grimes turns into one after meeting Homer's family, becoming utterly fixated on ruining Homer because Homer got what Grimes perceived as the high life despite his completely incompetence.

* GreenEyedMonster: Grimes turns into one after meeting Homer's family.

* JerkAss: Homer makes a ''very'' poor impression on Grimes with his [[InnocentlyInsensitive rude and inconsiderate behavior]], not to mention inadvertently getting him in trouble with Mr. Burns for something he caused. Also the fact that Homer has an enemy seems to come as a shock to him for some reason (since there are plenty of people whom he has enraged in the past). It seemed more like Homer was more concerned about Grimes' opinion of him as he prided himself on being "the most beloved guy in Springfield". By the end, Homer insensitively falls asleep at Grimes' funeral complaining to "change the channel". [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E25NaturalBornKissers "Natural Born Kissers"]] has Homer [[ContinuityNod finding the program for said funeral in a pocket and asking "whatever happened to that guy"]], completely forgetting he's dead because of him.

** Frank's attitude in general. While he's self-pitying and extremely resentful and abrasive, there's no question that he has had an epically ''horrible'' life and is right to be pissed off at how the universe seems to have made a game of kicking him every chance it gets, even if he misdirects his anger towards Homer, who never meant any harm and even earnestly tried to make things better by giving Frank a new friend.

--->'''Bart:''' ''[after seeing the collapsed factory]'' Aw, geez! Millhouse, how could you let this happen? You were supposed to be the night watchman!\\
'''Millhouse:''' I ''[[ExactWords WAS]]'' watching. I saw the whole thing! First it started fallin' over, then it fell over!\\

''[cue a '''massive''' stampede of rats, which run from the factory's rubble, across the street and into Moe's Tavern]''\\

* AntiVillain: Although his methods of getting Homer fired are rooted more in envy and anger than the actual desire to save Springfield from Homer's incompetence, Frank Grimes is absolutely correct that Homer shouldn't be the safety inspector at a nuclear power plant and he's right to say that it's incredibly reprehensible of Mr. Burns to have even allowed Homer to keep his job for this long.

* BlatantLies: Marge finds Homer in the car parked on the driveway (he doesn't want to see Grimes at the plant). When she asks why he isn't at work, he replies, "The car won't start. I don't feel well. I am at work".
* BoringButPractical: Zig-zagged: Homer winds up winning the power plant design contest because his model involved making the least amount of alterations. Using the Plant as it currently stands, all he did was add fins to the cooling towers for lower wind resistance, [[RuleOfCool and a "pretty sharp" racing stripe]].
* BorrowedCatchphrase: When Grimes goes crazy at the end and starts imitating Homer, he screams "D'oh! D'oh! D'oh!" Made funnier by the fact that Homer never said this CatchPhrase in his presence (or in this episode).

** As Bart and Milhouse toy around the abandoned factory Bart bought, Milhouse points out a number of "[[TheAllegedHouse building unsafe]]" warning signs (Bart tosses them away like frisbees). Sure enough, the building collapses eventually.
** Early in the episode, Mr. Burns orders Smithers to find a dog he saw on the news and to make him his executive vice president instead of Grimes. A few scenes later, when Grimes knocked acid out of Homer's hand and the acid burned a hole in the wall, Mr. Burns is walking by with the dog that Smithers was ordered to find. It's also next to Burns at Frank's funeral.

%% * BrokenAesop: [[invoked]]WordOfGod said the creators wanted to show that a real person could not survive in the show's universe. However, Frank's breakdown and death, which were supposedly caused by Homer, was all Frank's own fault. Homer had offered to make amends with Frank more than once, but Frank rejected all such offers, and he immediately put everything into destroying Homer. While Frank may have been more "normal" compared to most of the cast of the show, his deliberate refusal to meet Homer halfway breaks the lesson.

--->'''Homer:''' He likes you. ''[thumbs up]''

* CreateYourOwnVillain: An accidental example, as Homer inadvertently antagonizes Grimes by having a much better life despite being a dull and irresponsible slacker, whereas Grimes has had to fight for what little he has through hard work. He ends up trying to prove Homer's idiocy, losing his sanity, and his life, in the process.
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Grimes deconstructs the LogicalLatecomer, starting with the fact that what makes him (theoretically) the OnlySaneMan and "[[TheEveryman everyman]]" is as absurd as anything else in the show (only aiming for angst, not laughs), and continuing with while normally the "logical latecomer" gets to rant angrily at the weird crap going on, he ''eventually'' either lets it go or just walks away. Instead, Grimes stridently refuses to do either, and his grievance eventually destroys him.
* {{Determinator}}: Whatever you may think of him, Frank is undeniably this given how he managed to overcome nearly dying and gained a degree in nuclear physics. He even earned a minor in determination!

** Most of Homer's brilliant achievements Grimes fumes over were extremely bittersweet and only cemented him as a NoRespectGuy. The Grammy Award, which acts as the RageBreakingPoint for Grimes, was one he actually earned through hard work ("Homer's Barbershop Quartet"). Of course, there is also the fact that one of the series' {{Running Gag}}s is how everybody thinks the Grammys [[TakeThat are worthless crap]].

* EverybodyLaughsEnding: A highly unpleasant example. For the ones laughing, it's TheFunInFuneral. For everybody else, it's more evidence that Grimes was right (for both Homer and the rest of the townsfolk).

** Frank when he enacts his plan to humiliate Homer simply out of pure spite.

* {{Flanderization}}: Deliberately invoked, [[WordOfGod according to]] [[https://deadhomersociety.com/2010/07/26/bill-oakley%E2%80%99s-letter-to-dead-homer%C2%A0society/ Bill Oakley]]. Homer's ignorance and obnoxiousness were intentionally amplified by the writers in order to make the contrast between him and Frank Grimes funnier and more obvious.

** Mr. Burns wanting a dog he saw on TV to be his executive vice president over Grimes, despite Grimes having a master degree in nuclear physics, foreshadows how Grimes' plan to humiliate Homer with a children's contest is doomed to fail as Burns is the judge and is biased towards loyalty and ego-stroking, something that Homer excels well at.

* GreaterScopeVillain: The whole conflict between Homer and Grimes can be traced back to Mr. Burns being the capricious multi-billionaire MeanBoss that he is. ''He'' is the one who hires Grimes, then sticks him with Homer in favor of a dog, he is the one who demotes Grimes over the incident with the beaker of acid (despite it not being his fault), and he is the one who declares Homer the winner of the power plant model contest (which was supposed to be for ''children''). All of this leads to Grimes' sanity eroding more than Burns' precious wall after the beaker of acid was hurled against it.

* HiddenDepths: Just to show you that not ''everybody'' working at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant has no idea what they're doing, Lenny tells Frank that both he and Carl have a master's in nuclear physics.

** The reason Grimes hates Homer is that he believes that Homer was given more than he deserved and envied him for having a better life. However, while he's not wrong about his usual stupidity, Grimes never asked about how Homer got these achievements and Homer never explained them to him.
** Grimes also assumes that everyone in the power plant is as competent as he is and assumed they would join in humiliating Homer. When Grimes goes mad that Homer won the contest to design a nuclear power plant, Homer was one of the few people trying to talk him down.

* IdiotHoudini: The fact that Homer can evade severe reprimand (and even attain success) from his boneheaded (and, Grimes dares claim, ''[[LethallyStupid incredibly lethal]]'') stupidity is what makes him hate Homer. That everyone else at the plant acclaims Homer and he wins a contest explicitly meant ''for kids'' (that Homer -- even if being a plant employee -- didn't know about, and because Burns just happened to like Homer's minor and absurd modifications to a carbon-copy model of the plant) is what [[VillainousBreakdown completely drives him over the edge]].

** Frank Grimes is described as a "normal" man. However, he isn't exactly normal. If anything, his life is a barrage of DiabolusExMachina moments that are as absurd as anything else in the show.
** This episode wants us to believe that Homer is successful, popular, and BornLucky. Except that in most episodes, he's a bad luck magnet (though granted, he's also frequently shown to be UnluckilyLucky to an extent) and a total loser who is treated like a joke by everyone, had a horrible childhood as well ([[AbusiveParents Abe abused him]], while [[ParentalAbandonment Mona abandoned him]]), and even some of his accomplishments mentioned here (like becoming an astronaut) ended up with a YankTheDogsChain. His dysfunctional but loving relationship with his wife and children is often shown as the one true bright spot in his life.

* InstantlyProvenWrong: In order to attempt to appease Frank Grimes after listening to his angry TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, Homer tries to act like a model employee. Except that even as he talks to Frank more verbosely and eats doughnuts with utensils, he [[FailedASpotCheck misses a meltdown warning blaring in the same room]] (either that, or he's ''ignoring it'' so he doesn't have to address it since he doesn't know how to or he wants to show how attentive and polite he is to Grimes [[SkewedPriorities to the expense of everything else]]). Grimes just rolls his eyes and mocks Homer's attempt during lunch hour.

** Grimes' unpleasant lifestyle involves living between two bowling alleys. Running a bowling alley is Homer's dream job ("[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E13AndMaggieMakesThree And Maggie Makes Three]]").
** For all Grimes' talk of hard work, both matters of how Homer and Frank got their jobs at the power plant are complete opposites. Homer frequently had to work his ass off, and prove to Mr. Burns that he deserved his job at the plant at least three times ("[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS1E3HomersOdyssey Homer's Odyssey]]", "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E12IMarriedMarge I Married Marge]]", and "And Maggie Makes Three"). Grimes on the other hand got his job by pure pity and chance through Mr. Burns seeing a sympathetic persons of interest feature on the local news and being inspired to hire him. [[HardWorkHardlyWorks Not that he doesn't generally work even harder than Homer without as much success]].
* {{Jerkass}}: Homer makes a ''very'' poor impression on Grimes with his [[InnocentlyInsensitive rude and inconsiderate behavior]], not to mention inadvertently getting him in trouble with Mr. Burns for something he caused. Also the fact that Homer "has an enemy" seems to come as a shock to him for some reason (since there are plenty of people who have been enraged by him in the past). It seemed more like Homer was more concerned about Grimes' opinion of him as he prided himself on being "the most beloved guy in Springfield". By the end, Homer insensitively falls asleep at Grimes' funeral complaining to "change the channel". [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E25NaturalBornKissers The following season's finale]] has Homer finding the program for said funeral in a pocket and asking "whatever happened to that guy", completely forgetting he's dead because of him.

** Frank's attitude in general. While he's self-pitying and extremely resentful and abrasive, there's no question that he has had an epically ''horrible'' life and is absolutely right to be pissed off at how the universe seems to have made a game of kicking him every chance it gets, even if he misdirects his anger at Homer who never meant any harm and even earnestly tried to make things better by giving Frank a new friend.
* JustIgnoreIt: Carl and Lenny explicitly tell Grimes to do this when he starts getting angry at Homer's incompetence. Frank ignores this advice, to this eventual peril.

* KilledMidSentence: Frank eventually goes crazy, rampaging through the plant when he realizes he will never be able to prove Homer is the epitome of a bad employee. Eventually, Frank comes across extremely high voltage wires, and reaches out to grab them. "I don't need safety gloves because I'm Homer Simp--" ''Zap.'' End of Frank Grimes.

* MirrorCharacter: In a twist of DramaticIrony, for all of Grimes' resentment towards Homer, they have pretty similar lives to each other. Both of them have troubled childhoods suffering from ParentalAbandonment, struggle to make a living in their adulthood, and harbor an intense jealousy towards someone for being more successful in life than they could (i.e. Flanders for Homer, Homer for Grimes).

* MST3KMantra: [[invoked]] When Frank balks at the idea of ''Homer'' [[TheDitz of all people]] being the plant's safety inspector, [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall Carl ruefully notes that]] "It's best not to think about it."
* TheMunchausen: Frank clearly believes Homer is lying about his exploits, such as being in outer space or winning a Grammy. Of course, it's subverted in that all those things really did happen.

* NeverMyFault: Sure, Grimes absolutely right that [[JerkassHasAPoint his horrible life]] has disproportionately punished him compared to lazy slackers like Homer. However, his tendency to [[ItsAllAboutMe martyrize himself]] and his obsession with humiliating Homer over bettering himself (possibly because of [[SelfMadeMan how much he already]] [[HardWorkHardlyWorks did the latter]] [[AchievementsInIgnorance more than Homer actually did]]) leads to him finally snapping.

** At the end of the episode. Frank electrocutes himself on a high-voltage station that is completely unprotected even from accidental touching. One would think that it would be far behind a cage or separate room entirely. And from the context of his rant, it seems to be in Homer's workstation. If so, {{Justified|Trope}} when you consider that [[TooDumbToLive Homer]], as the plant's safety inspector, would be responsible for rectifying these hazards.

* OffendedByAnInferiorsSuccess: Grimes can't stand that Homer, a man who [[HardWorkHardlyWorks works less hard than he does]] and has an inferior education than he does, is somehow more successful and has gone on many amazing adventures and outright states that Homer doesn't deserve ''any'' of his success.

* OutOfFocus: [[invoked]] Lisa only has three lines in the episode, for a total of eleven words, and ''only one line'' in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E24TheSimpsonsSpinOffShowcase the next episode]]. This is because [[RealLifeWritesThePlot Yeardley Smith had gotten the flu after recording all of her lines]] in the previous episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E22InMargeWeTrust In Marge We Trust]]".
* OutsideGenreFoe: [[invoked]] Frank Grimes arrives in Springfield for a job at the power plant, and quickly proves himself to be the OnlySaneMan, until it finally causes him to suffer a psychotic break that leads to him accidentally electrocuting himself.

** Despite Grimes' animosity towards Homer, he has no grudges towards his family. Before leaving, he even stops for a moment to politely say, "It was nice meeting you." Even before that, when Homer was about to drink acid, Grimes rapidly throws the glass away from him. He may hate Homer, [[EveryoneHasStandards but at least he doesn't wish to see him dead.]] He also seems to get along with Carl and Lenny quite well, despite their different opinions about Homer.

''[everyone but Frank cheers and applauds for Homer, even Mr. Burns]''\\
'''Frank:''' ''[starts to lose it]'' Oh, I can't stand it anymore, this whole plant is INSANE!!! INSANE, I TELL YOU!! ''[starts screaming like a madman before running out]''

-->'''Frank:''' God, I've had to work hard ''every day of my life'', and what do I have to show for it?! This briefcase, and this ''haircut!'' And what do you have to show for your lifetime of sloth and ignorance?!\\

'''Frank:''' ''[splutters] Everything!'' A dream house! Two cars! A beautiful wife! A son who owns a factory! Fancy clothes and... ''[sniffs air]'' ''lobsters'' for dinner! And do you deserve any of it? ''No!''\\
'''Homer:''' ''[gasps]'' What are you saying?\\
'''Frank:''' ''[chuckles bitterly]'' I'm saying, ''you're'' what's wrong with America, Simpson. You coast through life, you do as little as possible, and you leech off of decent, hardworking people, ''[[ItsAllAboutMe like me.]]'' Heh, if you lived in any other country in the world, you'd have starved to death long ago!\\

'''Frank:''' ''[deadpan]'' You're a fraud. A-a total fraud. ''[leaves, then doubles back, to the rest of family]'' [[PetTheDog It was nice meeting you.]]

-->'''Grimes''': ''[finally gone crazy]'' I can be lazy, too! Look at me, I'm a worthless employee just like Homer Simpson! GIVE ME A PROMOTION!! Oh, I eat like a slob, but nobody minds! ''[eats several donuts]'' I'm peeing on the seat, give me a raise! Now I'm return to work without washing my hands, but it doesn't matter because I'M HOMER SIMPSON!! I don't need to do my work 'cause SOMEONE ELSE WILL DO IT FOR ME!! D'OH, D'OH, D'OH, D'OH!!\\
'''Homer''': ''[worried]'' Hey, are you okay, Grimey?\\

'''Homer''': ''[chuckles nervously]'' You wish!\\
'''Grimes''': ''[to Burns]'' Oh, hi, Mr. Burns! I'm the worst worker in the world! Time to go home to my mansion and eat my lobster! ''[notices high-voltage wires]'' What's this: extremely high voltage! Well, I DON'T NEED SAFETY GLOVES, BECAUSE I'M HOMER SIMP-- ''[touches the wires and gets fatally electrocuted, much to everyone's horror, including Homer and Mr. Burns]''

* SelfMadeMan: Frank Grimes is a [[DeusAngstMachina ridiculously exaggerated example]]. He was abandoned by his parents, worked delivering toys for rich kids which he would never get himself while studying in his free time, then was caught in a silo explosion, after which he had to rehabilitate himself, teaching himself to feel pain and hear again. His story touched Mr. Burns (another [[BlatantLies "self-made man"]]), who summoned him to work as Executive Vice President, only to give the job to a heroic dog at the last minute and send Grimes to sector 7G. Having to work with Homer (who, to put it mildly, doesn't share his work ethic) unhinges him, particularly once he learns of all the amazing things Homer had accomplished despite his laziness (having a big house, hanging out with Presidents, going on tour with Music/TheSmashingPumpkins, going into outer space -- would you like to see his Grammy? And the episode only begins to cover it).

* SocialServicesDoesNotExist: Part of Frank Grimes' ridiculously miserable backstory involved being abandoned by his parents at age four and thus never having the money to go to school; instead having to spend his childhood working by delivering toys he never got to play with to rich children. In real life, children are mandated by law to go to school and child labor laws would prevent a four year old from being made to work.

--> '''Grimes''': Oh, I can't stand it any longer, THIS WHOLE PLANT IS INSANE!!! ''[maniacally]'' INSANE, I TELL YOU!!! ''[=[=][[SanitySlippage starts screaming and running around like a madman]][=]=]''

* TallPoppySyndrome: Why [[TVGenius Martin]]'s model (which was not only more advanced than the models of the rest of the competition, but was so fully functional ''it was providing power to the lights of the plant's auditorium'') lost: Burns flat-out hated being "outshone" by it. Further demonstrated when Homer's winning model turns out to be just the existing power plant with racing stripes and fins, indicating that Burns was looking for something that stroked his ego, rather than anything that would have made a good power plant.

* ThisLoserIsYou: Grimes is said to be a representation of what a realistic person, who was a hard-working, working-class employee, would be like if they got the misfortune of working with Homer or living in Springfield.

* WeirdnessCensor: The entire theme of the episode was to plop a regular person (namely, Frank Grimes) into the Springfield universe and have them react to just how bizarre that world really was. Frank is thunderstruck how a moron like Homer could have two cars, win a Grammy, tour with rock stars, be friends with Gerald Ford and been to space on the space shuttle.

* YankTheDogsChain: Mr. Burns sees a documentary about how Grimes went through a hard life and had recently earned a diploma in nuclear physics. Impressed, he tells Mr. Smithers to find him so he can make him his executive vice president. By the time Smithers returns with Grimes, however, Burns had seen a heroic dog on TV and now wants to make him executive vice president.

''[Burns experiences RecognitionFailure towards Grimes]''\\

* KindnessBall: Despite his {{Flanderization}}, Homer is ironically much nicer than he usually is for most of the episode, genuinely trying to be nice to Grimes and being comically oblivious to the other man's hatred. Heck, he even invites Grimes over for a nice dinner (though that unfortunately blew up in his face).

* {{Jerkass}}: Homer makes a ''very'' poor impression on Grimes with his [[InnocentlyInsensitive rude and inconsiderate behavior]], not to mention inadvertently getting him in trouble with Mr. Burns for something he caused. Also the fact that Homer "has an enemy" seems to come as a shock to him for some reason (since there are plenty of people who have been enraged by him in the past). It seemed more like Homer was more concerned about Grimes' opinion of him as he prided himself on being "the most beloved guy in Springfield". By the end, Homer insensitively falls asleep at Grimes' funeral complaining to "change the channel". Several seasons later, Homer finds the program for said funeral in a pocket and asked "whatever happened to that guy", completely forgetting he's dead because of him.

* InnocentlyInsensitive: Homer comes off as rude and inconsiderate towards Grimes (taking all of and chewing on his pencils, stealing his lunch, etc.) but he doesn't ''mean'' it. He genuinely wants to be his friend and even tries to make peace with him, after realizing Grimes doesn't like his behavior. It doesn't work.

** Grimes sees photos of Homer as an astronaut (from "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E15DeepSpaceHomer Deep Space Homer]]"), meeting President UsefulNotes/GeraldFord (which happened at the end of "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E13TwoBadNeighbors Two Bad Neighbors]]"), touring with Music/TheSmashingPumpkins (from "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E24Homerpalooza Homerpalooza]]"), and winning a UsefulNotes/GrammyAward (from "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E1HomersBarbershopQuartet Homer's Barbershop Quartet]]").

** This episode wants us to believe that Homer is successful, popular, and BornLucky. Except that in most episodes, he's a bad luck magnet (though granted, he's also frequently shown to be UnluckilyLucky to an extent) and a total loser who is treated like a joke by everyone, had a horrible childhood as well ([[AbusiveParents Abe abused him]], while [[ParentalAbandonment Mona abandoned him]]), and even some of his accomplishments mentioned here (like becoming an astronaut) ended up with a YankTheDogsChain.

** For all Grimes' talk of hard work, both matters of how Homer and Frank got their jobs at the power plant are complete opposites. Homer frequently had to work his ass off, and prove to Mr. Burns that he deserved his job at the plant at least three times ("[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS1E3HomersOdyssey Homer's Odyssey]]", "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E12IMarriedMarge I Married Marge]]", and "And Maggie Makes Three"). Grimes on the other hand got his job by pure pity and chance through Mr. Burns seeing a sympathetic persons of interest feature on the local news and being inspired to hire him. [[HardWorkHarldyWorks Not that he doesn't generally work even harder than Homer without as much success]].

** For all Grimes' talk of hard work, both matters of how Homer and Frank got their jobs at the power plant are complete opposites. Homer frequently had to work his ass off, and prove to Mr. Burns that he deserved his job at the plant at least three times ("[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS1E3HomersOdyssey Homer's Odyssey]]", "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E12IMarriedMarge I Married Marge]]", and "And Maggie Makes Three"). Grimes on the other hand got his job by pure pity and chance through Mr. Burns seeing a sympathetic persons of interest feature on the local news and being inspired to hire him.

** Ralph just brings in a Malibu Stacey dollhouse as his entry to the "Design your own Power Plant" contest. Smithers, an avid collector of Malibu Stacey, chuckles and playfully compliments the entry.

* AnalogyBackfire: While watching Homer stuff his face, Frank claims that the man eats like a pig. Lenny corrects him however, as pigs bother to chew their food, and Homer eats more like a duck. The scene then changes to show Homer is indeed swallowing his food whole without chewing it. Grimes claims that at least he is correct that Homer still eats like a farm animal.

** Grimes riles at Homer for having a son that owns a factory without considering the absurdity of a 10-year old boy owning a factory in the first place. Alternatively, it's ''because'' of said absurdity, but what he doesn't know is that the factory was already old and abandoned anyway.
** In one scene, Grimes notices that Homer's console is giving off a warning and he tells Homer the code (a "5-13"). First Homer thinks that Grimes is telling him the time and he checks his own wristwatch and once Grimes tells him it's an emergency, rather than check out what's the emergency, Homer deals with the alarm by shorting out the control console with some water. [[DramaticallyMissingThePoint Frank, who is witnessing this, is utterly horrified as a result]].
** One of the final nails in the coffin in terms of Grimes' animosity for Homer is him rescuing Homer by throwing away a vat of acid he was about to swallow....and then Homer obliviously tattling him to Burns over the mess.

** Burns takes Ralph's entry for the contest (a literal Malibu Stacey dollhouse with the word "Nuclear" written on it) completely sincerely, though questions the direction and utilities:
--->'''Mr Burns:''' Hot tub? Media room? It's supposed to be a power plant, not Aunt Beulah's Bordello! Thank you, get out. NEXT.

--> '''Kent Brockman''': Frank Grimes, the man who had to struggle for everything he ever got, received his correspondence school diploma in nuclear physics, with a minor in determination.

* DownerEnding: Played for '''incredibly''' dark laughs. Grimes has died, [[IgnoredAesop neither Homer nor anybody else has learned anything from it]], and at his funeral Homer does something stupid and people take much greater interest in that than in trying to maintain respect. And even though he went through the entire episode saying that he hated being called "Grimey" (even pretty much roaring it to Homer's face in one scene), he's still called that in his eulogy (and Reverend Lovejoy specifically says he liked to be called that).
* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: Grimes tries to explain to Carl and Lenny that Homer is an idiot menace to the power plant, only for them to brush his arguments off and say that Homer's a good guy. This convinces Grimes that he needs to prove to everyone that Homer is a 6-year old child unfit for his job, never catching on that his co-workers and even his boss do not operate in his world of logic.

** A lot of Grimes' frustration with Homer is caused by [[PoorCommunicationKills errors in communication]]. Most prominently when Homer attempts to befriend him and invites him to his home, dolling up the family and the house. Grimes mistakes the formal occasion for their usual lavish lifestyle and is even more infuriated (possibly by the idea that they could even afford them to begin with).
** Most of Homer's brilliant achievements Grimes fumes over were extremely bittersweet and only cemented him as a NoRespectGuy. The Grammy Award, which acts as the RageBreakingPoint for Grimes, was one he actually earned through hard work ("[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E1HomersBarbershopQuartet Homer's Barbershop Quartet]]"). Of course, there is also the fact that one of the series' {{Running Gag}}s is how everybody thinks the Grammys [[TakeThat are worthless crap]].
** Grimes believes that he's the only one who sees that Homer is an idiot and thinks that if he can expose his lack of intelligence through a children's contest, the power plant staff would see the light and fire Homer. He fails to notice that everyone else are ''also'' idiots like Homer, especially [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Mr. Burns]] who is in charge of the power plant and had just put [[CaligulasHorse a dog in the chair of executive vice president]] over Grimes in the first place. His failure to see this leads to his downfall.
* DrivenByEnvy: Frank's hatred towards Homer increases even after the latter attempts to reconcile with him, due to Homer showing his achievements like going into space, winning a Grammy, going on tour with Music/TheSmashingPumpkins, and befriending UsefulNotes/GeraldFord. Frank is of course upset that someone like Homer could do all those things when he himself got nothing from his hard work.
* DrivenToSuicide: The ending is ''just'' ambiguous enough about whether Grimes went completely off the rails enough not to realize what he was doing, or whether this trope applies, and he was just fed up with living in a world that seemed eternally to reward stupidity and dumb luck over genuine merit.

* EnemiesList: Moe has an enemies list - actually, it's the same list as UsefulNotes/RichardNixon's but with Nixon's name crossed off and Moe's written in. Moe puts Barney on the list for pointing that out.
* EnemyEatsYourLunch: Well 'one-sided' enemy. Franks second interaction with Homer has him find the man-eating his special dietetic lunch from a bag clearly marked with his name. When he catches him and throws the food out he notices Homer trying to take it from the trash.
* EntitledBastard: Frank Grimes has shades of this during his worst moments; adopting a self-righteous, borderline {{narcissist}}ic attitude born out of resentment and petty jealousy. This ultimately overshadows his merit as a {{Determinator}} and makes many viewers turn against him in favor of Homer, who ironically comes off as being the ''better'' person despite his stupidity and irresponsibility.

** Ralph's model is not only ''not'' of a power plant (it is a Malibu Stacy dollhouse that had the word "nuclear" glued to it), but Ralph ''doesn't even know what a power plant is''. Played with however, since [[TheCollector Smithers]] does approve of the design, and Burns fails to even notice the plagiarism, [[ComicallyMissingThePoint only eliminating it because of misguided design and utility]]. Also, Ralph has to wait for his father to tell him to get off the stage before he does so.

* EveryProperLadyShouldCurtsy: Lisa greets Frank with a curtsy when he comes to the Simpson house.

* FictionIsntFair: The episode revolves around how someone from "real life" might react to Homer Simpson's life.

* HeroicBSOD: Homer was so hurt by Grime's tirade, he becomes reluctant to drive to work, and is too reeling to respond to Marge's concern.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Grimes hates Homer because he believes he only got his way in life through dumb luck, even though Grimes only got 2 major life successes through luck. He miraculously survived a silo explosion and was hired by Mr. Burns because he saw him, by chance, in a news segment. Though Grimes ''has'' [[TaughtByExperience suffered enough hardships in life]] [[HypocriteHasAPoint to know that's usually not how it works]].

** This episode wants us to believe that Homer is successful, popular, and BornLucky. Except that in most episodes, he's a bad luck magnet (though granted, he's also frequently shown to be UnluckilyLucky to an extent) and a total loser who is treated like a joke by everyone, had a horrible childhood as well (abused by his father, abandoned by his mother), and even some of his accomplishments mentioned here (like becoming an astronaut) ended up with a YankTheDogsChain.

** The polarizing audience reaction to the episode. "The whole Frank Grimes episode is a study in frustration", according to the DVD commentary.

* InternalDeconstruction: The episode introduces a "realistic" character into the show who is so frustrated by Homer's status in Springfield that it (accidentally) kills him. The resulting BrokenBase and discussion about what this says about Homer, Springfield and even Frank Grimes himself was the actual objective of the writers (who said in the episode commentary that it's "an exercise in frustration").
* {{Irony}}:

** For all of Grimes' talk of hard work, both matters of how Homer and Frank got their jobs at the power plant are complete opposites. Homer frequently had to work his ass off, and prove to Mr. Burns that he deserved his job at the plant at least three times ("[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS1E3HomersOdyssey Homer's Odyssey]]", "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E12IMarriedMarge I Married Marge]]", and "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E13AndMaggieMakesThree And Maggie Makes Three]]"). Grimes on the other hand got his job by pure pity and chance through Mr. Burns seeing a sympathetic persons of interest feature on the local news and being inspired to hire him.

** When Grimes says that if Homer lived in any other country in the world he'd have starved to death a long time ago. To which Bart says, "He's got you there, Dad.". When Grimes leave and Homer looks to his family for comfort all they can do is look uncomfortable since they can't disagree that Homer should not be as successful as he is.
** Grimes' entire rant is arguably this, since he has been given absolutely no reason to see Homer as anything other than exceptionally lucky and exceptionally dumb ...which (for this episode at least) sums Homer up.

* KafkaKomedy: Grimes tries his hardest to expose Homer as a fraud, liar, cheat, and incompetent employee -- only for fate to foil him at every turn. The coup de grace comes when Grimes tricks Homer into thinking a "Design Your Own Power Plant" contest is open to anyone, when it's really for elementary school students only. When Homer wins and is praised and lauded for his efforts, Grimes reveals the truth. And when he is ignored and told to "lighten up", [[VillainousBreakdown Frank goes berserk -- and it kills him.]]

* KilledMidSentence: Frank eventually goes crazy, rampaging through the plant when he realizes he will never be able to prove Homer is the epitome of a bad employee. Eventually, Frank comes across extremely high voltage wires, and reaches out to grab them. "I don't need safety gloves because I'm Homer Simp--" Zap. End of Frank Grimes.

* LastDisrespects: Frank's funeral has him being referred to as "Grimey" in his eulogy and on his tombstone (a nickname he ''hated'', though Lovejoy stated he liked to be called it), and when a sleeping Homer snores and says "Change the channel, Marge", everyone starts laughing as the coffin is lowered into the grave.

* LogicalLatecomer: [[invoked]] Frank Grimes is an ordinary guy who gets a job at the nuclear plant and is confounded that Homer is TooDumbToLive and that everyone else simply accepts it. He is, however, a DeconstructedCharacterArchetype because of two details: 1) He becomes so angry about this fact that he becomes obsessed with proving how stupid Homer is and it results in him losing his mind and getting himself killed and 2) what gives him the "logical" perspective is not really (WordOfGod notwithstanding) being "a real person", but having suffered such a hard-core life-long barrage of the DiabolusExMachina that he's as absurdist a character as any ''Simpsons'' regular, only aiming for angst rather than laughs.

* MistakesAreNotTheEndOfTheWorld: Frank Grimes at one point observes that Homer is an incompetent worker at the power plant, but Lenny shrugs it off by saying that everyone makes mistakes, which is why pencils have erasers. ([[ComicallyMissingThePoint He misses the point]] [[JerkassHasAPoint that]] [[OnlySaneMan Grimes]] is trying to bring up, which is that '''[[LethallyStupid multiple near-meltdowns]]''' are not the kind of "mistake" that should just be allowed to slide, but that's [[{{Cloudcuckooland}} Springfield]] for you.)

* NoodleIncident: The episode opens with Kent Brockman saying "Which, if true, means death for us all." It is never known what news Kent was reporting on is that led to that closing statement.

* ObliviousToHatred: Homer is utterly oblivious to how much Frank Grimes resents him until he gets told directly.

* OutOfFocus: [[invoked]] Lisa only has three lines in the episode, for a total of eleven words, and ''only one single line'' in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E24TheSimpsonsSpinOffShowcase the next episode]]. This is because [[RealLifeWritesThePlot Yeardley Smith had gotten the flu after recording all of her lines]] in the previous episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E22InMargeWeTrust In Marge We Trust]]".

** Grimes getting his pay cut to cover the cost of the wall he unwittingly damaged with the acid marks the point of no return in his grudge with Homer, eventually leading to Grimes' death. Had Homer pointed out to Burns that Grimes was saving his life when he knocked the acid onto the wall, there's a (admittedly slim) chance things might not have escalated in the way they did.

''(everyone but Frank cheers and applauds for Homer, even Mr. Burns applauds for him)''\\
'''Frank:''' ''(starts to lose it)'' Oh, I can't stand it anymore, this whole plant is INSANE!!! INSANE, I TELL YOU!! ''(starts screaming like a madman before running out)''

-->'''Grimes''': ''(finally gone crazy)'' I can be lazy, too! Look at me, I'm a worthless employee just like Homer Simpson! GIVE ME A PROMOTION!! Oh, I eat like a slob, but nobody minds! ''(eats several donuts)'' I'm peeing on the seat, give me a raise! Now I'm return to work without washing my hands, but it doesn't matter because I'M HOMER SIMPSON!! I don't need to do my work 'cause SOMEONE ELSE WILL DO IT FOR ME!! D'OH, D'OH, D'OH, D'OH!!\\
'''Homer''': ''(worried)'' Hey, are you okay, Grimey?\\

'''Homer''': ''(chuckles nervously)'' You wish!\\
'''Grimes''': ''(to Burns)'' Oh, hi, Mr. Burns! I'm the worst worker in the world! Time to go home to my mansion and eat my lobster! ''(notices high voltage wires)'' What's this: extremely high voltage! Well, I DON'T NEED SAFETY GLOVES, BECAUSE I'M HOMER SIMP- ''(touches the wires and gets fatally electrocuted, much to everyone's horror, including Homer and Mr. Burns)''

* SelfMadeMan: Frank Grimes is a [[DeusAngstMachina ridiculously exaggerated example]]. He was abandoned by his parents, worked delivering toys for rich kids which he would never get himself while studying in his free time, then was caught in a silo explosion, after which he had to rehabilitate himself, teaching himself to feel pain and hear again. His story touched Mr. Burns (another [[BlatantLies "self-made man"]]), who summoned him to work as Executive Vice President, only to give the job to a heroic dog at the last minute and send Grimes to sector 7G. Having to work with Homer (who, to put it mildly, doesn't share his work ethic) unhinges him, particularly once he learns of all the amazing things Homer had accomplished despite his laziness (having a big house, hanging out with Presidents, going on tour with Music/TheSmashingPumpkins, going into outer space-- would you like to see his Grammy? And the episode only begins to cover it.)

* SparedByTheAdaptation: In the ''VideoGame/TheSimpsonsTappedOut'' continuity, Grimes survived the events of the episode; the electrocution merely put him into a coma and he was simply buried alive. He eventually woke up and dug himself out. Homer still tries to befriend him at the plant.

* SquirrelsInMyPants: [[ImpliedTrope Implied]]. When Bart's old dilapidated factory collapses, a huge swarm of rats runs out of the wreckage and into nearby Moe's Tavern. While maintaining an exterior view of the bar, we hear Moe inside telling his customers to tuck their pants into their socks.

** Sadly, the dynamic between Homer and Frank is steeped in TruthInTelevision. Working hard your whole life does not mean you will be rewarded for it in the end. Related to that, being seen to get ahead in work purely through good luck rather than qualifications and hard work (and flaunting it) will cause deep resentment in some of your coworkers, no matter how hard you try to be friends with them.

--> '''Grimes''': Oh, I can't stand it any longer, THIS WHOLE PLANT IS INSANE!!! ''(maniacally)'' INSANE, I TELL YOU!!! ''([[SanitySlippage starts screaming and running around like a madman]])''

* WeirdnessCensor: The entire theme of the episode was to plop a regular person (in the form of Frank Grimes) into the Springfield universe and have them react to just how bizarre that world really was. Frank was thunderstruck how a moron like Homer could have two cars, win a Grammy, tour with rock stars, be friends with Gerald Ford and been to space on the space shuttle.

''(Burns does not recognize Grimes)''\\

''(everyone but Frank cheers and applauds for Homer, even Mr. Burns applauds for him)''

* {{Hypocrite}}: Grimes hates Homer because he believes he only got his way in life through dumb luck, even though Grimes only got 2 major life successes through luck. He miraculously survived a silo explosion and was hired by Mr. Burns because he saw him, by chance, in a news segment.

'''Grimes''': Oh, hi, Mr. Burns! I'm the worst worker in the world! Time to go home to my mansion and eat my lobster! ''(notices high voltage wirse)'' What's this: extremely high voltage! Well, I DON'T NEED SAFETY GLOVES, BECAUSE I'M HOMER SIMP- ''(touches the wires and gets fatally electrocuted)''

* SanitySlippage: Frank gets progressively more unhinged as his anger and annoyance toward Homer grows, until he finally snaps and runs amok through the plant imitating Homer.

--> '''Grimes''': ''(upset over everyone cheering for Homer at the contest)'' I can't stand it any longer, THIS WHOLE PLANT IS INSANE!!! ''(waves his hands like a maniac)'' INSANE, I TELL YOU!!! ''(starts screaming and running around)''