I do hope Homer chills tf out with the rivalry after this.
"When Flanders Failed" is a pretty good episode that explores Homer and Ned's relationship in a new and insightful way. While I feel Homer was a tad too mean-spirited early on, it was great to see him become empathetic toward Ned when he went out of business. I would have liked to have seen a better side plot for Bart, but several funny moments come out of it.
Overall, a quality episode.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2019-04-13T01:30:45Z
[7.1/10] I always think of this episode as representing the proto version of “Jerkass Homer”, the version of the Simpsons Patriarch who is unnecessarily cruel, harsh, and just all around mean. The way he resents Ned’s success, as exposing his own failures, leading him to wish an utter ruining and humbling of a fundamentally decent and kind man, gets to nigh-monstrous levels here. Homer wishing for Flanders’ ruination isn’t so bad, but the moment where he taunts Ned with twenty dollars and then toys with him is, frankly, hard to watch. It’s arguably crueler than a lot of things fans saw in the later seasons.
And yet, in the end, when Homer sees Ned genuinely suffering and ruined, he has a change of heart and does everything he can to make it right. That’s what distinguishes this season 3 episode from what came later. There’s an almost perfect structure to this one, with the first act communicating Homer’s resentment and wish for failure for his neighbor, the second act centering on Ned’s well-intentioned decline and Homer’s complacency, and the third act focusing on Homer realizing and regretting what has been inflicted on such a good man and doing everything in his power to rectify it. It’s a good trajectory for the episode and for Homer, and his work to make up for his ill-deeds is what salvages this thing.
The problem, apart from Homer’s behavior being hard to watch in this one, is that the episode is kind of boring. The laughs aren’t particularly big here for the most part, and the show doesn't wring much insight or excitement or well-observed humor from Homer’s schadenfreude or Ned’s difficulties. Honestly, this episode might work better as drama rather than comedy.
Those criticisms go double for the B-story, which sees Bart shirking karate but still threatening his sister, only to have it bite him in the behind after Lisa boasts of his abilities to the local bullies. While Lisa’s closing line “it’s funny how sometimes two wrongs can make a right” is a good one, the whole subplot feels like a big waste of time that doesn't generate enough laughs to justify itself as a sideshow.
Overall, this episode’s heart is in the right place, and the It’s a Wonderful Life-esque ending does a lot of good work to pull it into good territory despite Homer’s jerkishenss. But the dullness and mild comedy of a lot of the material makes it a lesser light of the show’s golden years.