The Simpsons: 10 Best Episodes Focusing On Minor Characters
2. Homer's Enemy
Frank Grimes only made one appearance on The Simpsons, but the impact he made was still massive. He basically dropped in, got an episode that was essentially a two-hander between him and Homer, drove the action, and then met an untimely fate. The premise of this episode is, in essence, what if a person from the real word met Homer Simpson, and saw all his faults and idiotic actions, and saw nobody chastise him or punish him? Meanwhile, despite all of old Grimeys hostility and anger, Homer remains a happy-go-lucky buffoon. Then Grimes accidentally kills himself during a nervous breakdown, and everybody laughs at Homer during Franks funeral. A dark episode, but a hilarious one. It really has to thread a needle to work. Grimes can't come across as being unreasonable, but Homer can't be a jerkass, either. Homer truly just wants Grimes to like him, and is deeply hurt when he finds out he has an enemy. They are true comedic foils, a regular odd couple. Of course, this is an odd couple where the uptight one ends up killing himself, while the slob is likely to someday be responsible for the ruination of his hometown.
