Episode: A Tale of Two Springfields Angry, clumsy and impulsive he may be, but Homer has always reminded us (usually while wrapping up an episode that has seen him yell at Lisa or strangle Bart) that despite his temper, he remains a loyal and loving husband and father.Yet, as The Simpsons progresses, his transition from bumbling but good natured to impatient and outright malicious has caused concern amongst fans, who have labelled the latter incarnation 'Jerkass Homer'. Put simply, the traits that had initially made Homer so endearing have suddenly become quite disturbing. Remember how he revelled in his neighbour's misery in 'When Flanders Failed'? Remember when he shot a tranquilizer dart into Marge's neck to get out of doing chores in 'It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Marge'? Remember when, although we wouldn't always agree with Homer lashing out in anger/frustration, we could at least understand why he'd react in such a way? And then came 'A Tale of Two Springfields', showing Jerkass Homer at his irritable, irrational best. Here, we see Homer threatening to blow up a town council meeting with explosives strapped to his belt, and all because of his reluctance to accept a new area code. Somehow, we're less empathetic...
Yorkshireman (hence the surname). Often spotted sacrificing sleep and sanity for the annual Leeds International Film Festival. For a sample of (fairly) recent film reviews, please visit whatsnottoblog.wordpress.com.
