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Frank Grimes returns in the Simpsons 600th episode

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Rubixcuba

Banned
He taught us that a man can triumph over adversity, but also that you should always wear safety gloves when handling high-voltage cables while impersonating a coworker.

He was not long for this world of Springfield — he was introduced and killed in season 8’s classic if polarizing “Homer’s Enemy” — but Frank Grimes will be returning to The Simpsons to kick off the show’s 600th episode.

He hasn’t forgotten that fatal fact, and the fan-favorite character will issue his first lines of dialogue in almost 20 years at the beginning of the annual Halloween episode, “Treehouse of Horror,” which doubles as episode No. 600.
http://www.ew.com/article/2016/09/08/simpsons-frank-grimes-600th-episode-treehouse-horror-homer

♪ We've got stories for years ♪

Edit: Sorry, should have pointed out that it's a Treehouse of Horror episode. Still kinda valid 'this is meh' vibe but.
 
To quote Doug Walker: "Can The Simpsons end already so we can start talking about how great it was rather than how bad it's become?"
 

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
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Eusis

Member
Just a reminder: there are far far more bad and terrible episodes of The Simpsons than there are good ones.
That's because they're lopsided towards the front end of the show's life. Now it seems at best an occasional good episode sprinkled through a bunch of mediocre ones.
 
That's because they're lopsided towards the front end of the show's life. Now it seems at best an occasional good episode sprinkled through a bunch of mediocre ones.

Here's my thought question for everyone. How do we judge The Simpsons at the point? Do we go by the spectacular highs of the early to mid 90s? Or, do we include all of the bad stuff as well, and if we do, how do we balance it?

Because, if we weigh the good and the bad episodes, not only is the show underwater, it's drowning.

And that's just sad for as good as the show once was.
 

Jims

Member
Homer already slept through Frank Grimes' funeral. Now they're making him appear in the modern Simpsons episode.

Ol' Grimey never could catch a break.
 

PR_rambo

Banned
I loved the Grimes episode, I think some people sympathize with him though, and hate the episode? If you relate to Frank Grimes, you're doing it wrong.
 
Homer's Enemy was one of the last bold episodes that really paid off. Frank Grimes was an interesting enough foil for Homer when, at least initially, he was intended to be used for only one episode of self-critiquing of The Simpsons. His monologue alone cements the episode's status as one of my favorites.

If The Simpsons had ended in Season 8 with Homer's Enemy as a series finale, I would have been satisfied with that conclusion.
 

BunnyBear

Member
I remember disliking the tone of the original episode and haven't really ever been able to enjoy it since. Meh.

It was a good example of the evolution of Homer to being a stupid, mean-spirited moron instead of the bumbling but well-intentioned buffoon in the earlier seasons. I hated that transformation.
 
I remember disliking the tone of the original episode and haven't really ever been able to enjoy it since. Meh.

It was a good example of the evolution of Homer to being a stupid, mean-spirited moron instead of the bumbling but well-intentioned buffoon in the earlier seasons. I hated that transformation.
Well.....
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600?!!

I remember starting to watch the Simpsons (it was on at 5 everyday on Fox) when it was episode 300 and Homer was skateboarding with Tony Hawk.

People were saying its best years where long behind it then.
 

BiggNife

Member
They are trying way too hard to get attention with their treehouse episodes these days

Last year the big thing was that sideshow Bob killed Bart and then kept reviving him to kill him again and again in increasingly grotesque ways. It wasn't funny, just kind of unnerving because there was a ridiculous amount of gore.
 
600?!!

I remember starting to watch the Simpsons (it was on at 5 everyday on Fox) when it was episode 300 and Homer was skateboarding with Tony Hawk.

People were saying its best years where long behind it then.

This was around the time I quit watching the Simpsons every Sunday, too.

I actually don't dislike the show. I somewhat enjoy the episodes I catch every now and then. At this point I think I like the idea of the Simpsons existing more than the show. They're sort of something I always expect to be around. While the show isn't nearly as good as it once was, I'll be sad to see it go.
 
This was around the time I quit watching the Simpsons every Sunday, too.

I actually don't dislike the show. I somewhat enjoy the episodes I catch every now and then. At this point I think I like the idea of the Simpsons existing more than the show. They're sort of something I always expect to be around. While the show isn't nearly as good as it once was, I'll be sad to see it go.

I totally want the show to continue too. Even if I don't watch it.

Ending it now won't change the fact that people will dislike most of it. It's far too late to mean anything.

Better than it becomes something that lasts as long as possible.
 

rekameohs

Banned
Grimey's definitely a polarizing character. I didn't really care much for the episode myself, but I can appreciate the absurd satire that they were going for.
 

vypek

Member
Oh good it's just a treehouse of horror. Thought they were just somehow bringing him back to life. Hated the episode with his son.

The recent treehouses have been kinda good to me so I look forward to this episode
 

DarkKyo

Member
It was a good example of the evolution of Homer to being a stupid, mean-spirited moron instead of the bumbling but well-intentioned buffoon in the earlier seasons. I hated that transformation.

Eh, I don't know about that. Early Homer could be a fucking asshole just for the hell of it. The other day I watched "Dead Putting Society" (S02E06) and Homer was absolutely insufferable in that one.
 
What bothers me isn't so much Grimes but what he represents: A reason to really dislike Homer as the useless jerk that fails upwards, as opposed to the working class family man who actually struggles for the things he has
 

SRG01

Member
What bothers me isn't so much Grimes but what he represents: A reason to really dislike Homer as the useless jerk that fails upwards, as opposed to the working class family man who actually struggles for the things he has

Isn't that the whole take-away of the episode? That he's convinced of his superiority above his peers and yet envious of their station in life?

I remember watching the episode when it first came out, and Grimes always struck me as mirroring a lot of overly career-minded, exceptionally bitter people I encountered during that time in my life.
 

bjork

Member
I read this as just "grimes returns" and thought it was about the musician. I would totally watch that.
 
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