Great episodes of The Simpsons: Two Bad Neighbors

Two Bad Neighbors definitely deserves to be counted amongst the best episodes of The Simpsons.

Plot: After former President George H. W. Bush moves to Springfield, he immediately begins to clash with the Simpsons, Bart and Homer in particular.

Why is it a great episode? Aside from it just being a hilarious idea, it also shows The Simpsons doing what it does best; parodying real life.

It’s not hard at all to imagine George Bush Sr. and Homer Simpson feuding because George Bush Sr. actually doesn’t care for Homer Simpson at all. The Simpsons first aired in December 1989, while George H. W. Bush occupied the White House.

While the show was getting fans all over the country, it’s safe to say that he wasn’t one of them. Because while running for re-election in 1992 on the concept of family values, Bush Sr. said that families should be “a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like than the Simpsons.” In response, The Simpsons creators came up with this idea.

The other interesting thing about the episode is that it puts Homer’s relationship with Ned Flanders in a different light. Homer certainly doesn’t respect Ned because he walks all over him at every opportunity, including at the beginning of the episode. The fact that Ned never really fights back at all is no doubt a huge part of Homer’s contempt for him, as it’s hard to respect someone who lets you walk all over them. But while Homer certainly doesn’t like Ned and takes his things whenever he pleases, one can’t say that he hates Ned Flanders.

But that’s not to say that other characters haven’t hated Homer because he’s had his detractors, most notably Frank Grimes who despised him. But Homer didn’t reciprocate that feeling. If anything, he was puzzled by it and went out of his way to try to be nice to him, even inviting him to the Simpson house for dinner.

By its nature a feud takes two to tango. Which is why Ned and Homer aren’t feuding, because Flanders doesn’t respond with mutual hostility. Seeing Homer dealing with someone he hates who hates him in return is a welcome twist. The fact that it’s a former President makes it all them more entertaining.