# Homer's Enemy
"Homer's Enemy" is the 23rd episode of the eighth season of the American animated sitcom *The Simpsons*, first broadcast on Fox on May 4, 1997. Written by [John Swartzwelder](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-swartzwelder) and directed by Jim Reardon, it introduces Frank Grimes, an ordinary, hard-working man who is hired at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and is destroyed by his inability to accept [Homer Simpson](https://www.edgepedia.org/homer-simpson)'s laziness, stupidity, and unearned success.[1](https://johnswartzwelder.com/simpsons/episodes/s08e23/) • [2](https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Homer%27s_Enemy)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First broadcast | May 4, 1997, 8pm on Fox, in the spring lineup of the 1996–1997 US TV schedule[1](https://johnswartzwelder.com/simpsons/episodes/s08e23/) |
| Position | Episode 176 overall, season 8 episode 23, production code 4F19[2](https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Homer%27s_Enemy) |
| Credits | Written by John Swartzwelder, directed by Jim Reardon, showrun by Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein[2](https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Homer%27s_Enemy) |
| Viewership | Over 11 million viewers on first broadcast, per Nielsen ratings[1](https://johnswartzwelder.com/simpsons/episodes/s08e23/) |
| Premise | A character from "outside the Simpsons universe" meets Homer and reacts as a real person would to someone that crass, dumb, lazy, and lucky[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701122/) |
| Reception | One of the most polarizing episodes among its own production staff; Matt Groening counts it among his favorite episodes; IMDb user rating 9.3/10 from about 7,600 votes[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701122/) |
| Guest voice | Frank Welker as the executive vice president dog[2](https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Homer%27s_Enemy) |
## Synopsis
The episode opens with a Kent Brockman news report profiling Frank Grimes, an orphan abandoned by his parents at age 4 who self-educated himself to enter the workplace. [Mr. Burns](https://www.edgepedia.org/mr-burns) sees the report and orders Smithers to hire Grimes as executive vice president at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701122/plotsummary/)
At the plant, Grimes is reprimanded after knocking away a flask of toxic acid that Homer nearly drinks absent-mindedly. Grimes declares Homer his "enemy," but Homer invites him to dinner, and seeing Homer's nice home and family only deepens Grimes's resentment.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701122/plotsummary/)
**The contest.** Grimes distributes a flyer announcing a "design your own power plant" contest, removing the references to it being restricted to elementary school students. Homer enters anyway and easily wins: Mr. Burns awards him first prize over [Ralph Wiggum](https://www.edgepedia.org/ralph-wiggum) and [Martin Prince](https://www.edgepedia.org/martin-prince), whose model was actually generating the power for the auditorium.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701122/plotsummary/) • [2](https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Homer%27s_Enemy) Driven past the point of endurance, Grimes runs amok through the plant imitating Homer, grabs an open conduit, and electrocutes himself to instant, fatal death.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701122/plotsummary/) • [2](https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Homer%27s_Enemy)
**The funeral.** At the service, Reverend Lovejoy remarks that Frank liked to be called "Grimey." Homer, drooling in his sleep, deems the funeral boring and asks Marge to change the channel; the mourners laugh as the coffin is lowered.[2](https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Homer%27s_Enemy)
A subplot runs alongside the main story: Bart wins an abandoned factory at a public auction with a one-dollar bid and operates it with Milhouse.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701122/plotsummary/)
## Production and writing
The episode was written by John Swartzwelder, directed by Jim Reardon, and showrun by Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein during their tenure over season 8.[2](https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Homer%27s_Enemy) [Frank Welker](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-welker) guest stars as the executive vice president dog.[2](https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Homer%27s_Enemy)
The producers' stated idea was to have a character from "outside the Simpsons universe" encounter Homer and have the same reaction viewers would have if they met somebody that crass, dumb, lazy, and lucky.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701122/)
## Frank Grimes as a character
Grimes is built as a foil for Homer. His living situation is described as "Simpsony tragic"; he lives above a bowling alley and below another bowling alley, a setup fans call a "Swartzwelder Condo."[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701122/) His exaggerated aghast reactions are attributed to [Hank Azaria](https://www.edgepedia.org/hank-azaria)'s vocal performance.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701122/)
## Themes and interpretation
The episode works by placing a realistic interloper inside cartoon logic. Grimes reacts to Homer as a real person would; the episode is often described as arguably the darkest in the series, and one of the most polarizing among its own production staff.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701122/) Swartzwelder's own conception of Homer points the same way: "He is a big talking dog. One moment he's the saddest man in the world… Then, the next moment, he's the happiest man in the world, because he's just found a penny."[5](https://decider.com/2021/05/03/the-simpsons-writer-john-swarzwelder-discusses-writing-homers-enemy/)
## Reception and by the numbers
The first broadcast drew over 11 million viewers according to Nielsen ratings.[1](https://johnswartzwelder.com/simpsons/episodes/s08e23/) Reception within the show's own staff was divided: some writers and producers disliked the episode, while series creator [Matt Groening](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-groening) loved it and considers it one of his favorite episodes.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701122/) Among users, the episode holds a 9.3/10 rating on IMDb from about 7,600 votes.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701122/)
## Swartzwelder's retrospective account
Swartzwelder, who wrote 59 episodes of *The Simpsons* and retired from the show in 2003, refused interviews for years until a 2021 email interview with Mike Sacks published in *The New Yorker*, his first public one.[5](https://decider.com/2021/05/03/the-simpsons-writer-john-swarzwelder-discusses-writing-homers-enemy/) In it he said he wrote episodes only to make himself and his co-writers laugh, and he showed no sympathy for his own creation: "Grimey was asking for it the whole episode. He didn't approve of our Homer. He was asking for it, and he got it."[5](https://decider.com/2021/05/03/the-simpsons-writer-john-swarzwelder-discusses-writing-homers-enemy/)
## References
1. [Homer's Enemy — John Swartzwelder (official site)](https://johnswartzwelder.com/simpsons/episodes/s08e23/)
2. [Homer's Enemy — Wikisimpsons](https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Homer%27s_Enemy)
3. [The Simpsons "Homer's Enemy" (TV Episode 1997) — IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701122/)
4. [The Simpsons "Homer's Enemy" — Plot Summary, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701122/plotsummary/)
5. [The Simpsons Writer John Swartzwelder Discusses Writing 'Homer's Enemy' — Decider](https://decider.com/2021/05/03/the-simpsons-writer-john-swarzwelder-discusses-writing-homers-enemy/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy-series characters*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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