D'oh! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the most impactful yet pitiable physical and emotional hardships endured by the patriarch of the Simpsons.
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00:00 "Stop pummeling me!
00:02 It's really painful!"
00:04 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at the most impactful yet pitiable physical
00:10 and emotional hardships endured by the patriarch of the Simpsons.
00:14 "Dad, 10% of $120 million isn't $12,000.
00:19 It's…"
00:20 "Cold blue!
00:21 Cold blue!"
00:22 10.
00:23 "Trapdoor" While the cat's away, the mice will… plummet.
00:29 Homer accidentally triggers the trapdoor and burns his office, only to tumble through subterranean
00:35 construction, bouncing around scaffolding before landing headfirst in a cement mixer.
00:40 "Ow!
00:41 I'm drowning in cement!"
00:44 "Uh, it's actually concrete."
00:46 "Woohoo!"
00:47 "Of which cement is an ingredient."
00:49 The incident puts him in traction for the rest of the episode, burdening Marge to the
00:53 point of forcing her to need consoling.
00:55 "I never said this.
00:57 But did you ever think we cling to these guys because we're afraid to admit we were wrong?"
01:03 "Do you really think that?"
01:05 Things don't exactly turn around when the Simpsons take Burns to court, as they both
01:09 end up falling outside of the courthouse and getting hit by a truck.
01:18 It looks like a villainous trapdoor can cause even more trouble when it isn't working
01:22 properly.
01:23 9.
01:24 New York City Homer is reluctant to pick up his car after
01:29 Barney loses it in New York City.
01:31 "I don't want to go to New York City."
01:33 "Why not?"
01:34 "New York is a hellhole.
01:35 And you know how I feel about hellholes."
01:38 As bad as his first trip was, this one is even worse.
01:42 He waits all day by his car to dispute countless parking tickets, only to miss the parking
01:47 officer while going to the bathroom.
01:56 Homer finally snaps, driving his booted car through impossible traffic, ornery New Yorkers,
02:02 and dangerous construction sites.
02:04 He can't even make it over the bridge without a garbage truck littering on him through his
02:08 busted windshield.
02:22 This juxtaposition with his family's perfect holiday makes for brilliant satire of the
02:27 mixed myths of the Big Apple.
02:29 There's certainly no convincing Homer that it's the greatest city on Earth.
02:33 8.
02:34 Lost Thumb A wild day for the whole Simpsons family
02:38 starts particularly wildly for Homer.
02:40 He's so eager to sample some freshly baked brownies that he reaches for one while Marge
02:45 is still cutting the batch.
02:56 This costs him his right thumb.
02:59 Because the police are convinced that this was deliberate, the couple have to drive to
03:02 the hospital themselves.
03:04 With all the hurdles along the way, it looks like Homer will be permanently down a digit.
03:19 Luckily everything works out when a mob doctor quickly, if painfully, reattaches the thumb.
03:32 It still may be one of the Simpsons' most harrowing farces, as if Homer weren't already
03:38 a cautionary tale about greedy eating.
03:41 7.
03:42 Unnecessary Treatments Feeling unappreciated by friends and family,
03:46 Homer is eager to show off his suspiciously perfect new friend, Ray Magini.
04:02 He becomes so belligerent when the roofer fails to turn up that Homer's loved ones
04:05 conclude that Ray is just a desperate hallucination.
04:09 There is strong evidence supporting that theory, but after six weeks of painful therapy, Homer
04:14 receives an alarming visitor in the hospital.
04:27 It turns out that Ray is real, but was improbably obscured to everyone else whenever he ran
04:33 into Homer.
04:34 All that treatment was for nothing.
04:36 Homer finally gets some appreciation in the most awful way possible.
04:45 At least Dr. Hibbert makes it up to him by having to complete Ray's contract work.
04:50 6.
04:51 Coma An April Fool's Day prank goes horribly wrong
04:55 when Bart sticks one of his father's beers in a paint shaker.
04:59 When Homer opens the can, the fizz is so explosive that he ends up in the hospital.
05:11 There a falling vending machine knocks him into a coma.
05:14 He regains consciousness weeks later, having lost a good 5% of his brain.
05:26 The family just laughs off this disturbing tragedy, but it struck audiences so hard as
05:31 to inspire a popular fan theory about The Simpsons' floating timeline.
05:36 Season 34 even humored the idea that The Simpsons' increasingly far-fetched adventures were dreamed
05:41 up in Homer's coma.
05:53 However long it lasted, or has been lasting, it's not much of a laughing matter.
05:58 5.
05:59 Marked for Death Homer's thoughtless antics have earned him
06:03 many enemies through the years.
06:18 Certainly the late Frank Grimes can be ruled out as the culprit behind multiple murder
06:22 attempts.
06:23 But with SciShowBob's help and a Mardi Gras parade as a trap, the police are able to apprehend
06:27 Frank Grimes Jr., the would-be assassin's identity-divided viewers, with its jarring
06:32 twist.
06:41 With the entire episode exploring the worst things Homer did to others, maybe it's fitting
06:46 to end on a reminder that he drove a man to a fatal breakdown.
06:57 This tragic accident still can't justify Frank Jr.'s suspenseful campaign for revenge.
07:02 Homer is enough of a gruesome danger to himself.
07:06 4.
07:07 Heart Attacks Before Homer's poor health became a gluttonous
07:11 running gag, it led to one of the most dramatic early episodes.
07:30 A day of particularly bad eating and stress leads to a massive heart attack, which necessitates
07:35 coronary artery bypass surgery.
07:37 The situation becomes more urgent when the estimated cost causes Homer to have another
07:42 heart attack on the spot.
07:55 With yet another cardiac episode nullifying their insurance policy, the Simpsons have
08:00 to resort to the cheap and incompetent Dr. Nick Riviera.
08:13 By the miracle of sitcom predictability, Homer's surgery is a success.
08:18 This period of facing his own mortality was still deeply traumatic for the whole family.
08:23 You'd think it would be enough to get Homer to worry more about his health.
08:27 3.
08:28 Fell Down Springfield Gorge Ford's obsession with daring stunts might
08:33 have ended in the usual family sitcom manner.
08:36 Sure enough, Homer prevents his son's dangerous jump over Springfield Gorge by threatening
08:41 to do it himself.
08:57 But then he loses control of Bart's skateboard and makes the jump anyway.
09:01 Since a moment of triumph would betray the cautionary tale, Homer then graphically plummets
09:06 into the gorge.
09:08 He takes another plunge when the ambulance crashes immediately after loading him.
09:12 This was a watershed gag for the Simpsons.
09:15 It showed just how far the animators will take physical comedy to make a point.
09:19 Homer may have since endured harsher injuries, usually just for a joke, but this first big
09:25 injury is still referenced as one of the show's most shocking moments ever.
09:34 2.
09:38 Being Accused of Misdeeds This episode was a triple threat.
09:43 Of its era, ahead of its time, and evergreen all at once.
09:47 Homer drives the babysitter home after attending a candy trade show.
10:01 As he removes a gummy stuck to her pants, she misconstrues the gesture as groping.
10:06 Homer wakes up the next day to protesters accusing him of harassment.
10:21 The steamy scandal quickly gains national attention, only getting worse when Homer does
10:26 an interview that is selectively edited to make him look guilty.
10:45 This whole Homeric debacle was pointedly a satire of the tabloid mass-market journalism
10:51 that was on the rise in the 90s.
10:54 But it definitely resonates, though in a very different way in our current cultural landscape.
11:13 1.
11:16 Abandoned by Mom Homer's taken a lot of physical damage,
11:20 but nothing compares to the emotional damage of losing his mother, Mona.
11:35 He thought she died when he was a kid, until it was revealed on the show that she'd actually
11:40 been on the run as a radical environmentalist.
11:42 This meant she could never stay in Springfield for long.
11:45 Homer's complicated feelings about the absentee Mona finally reached a head in this episode
11:50 when she died.
12:01 These traumas then manifested in several ways for Homer.
12:04 It's speculated by many fans that much of his reckless behavior is rooted in maternal
12:08 abandonment issues.
12:15 And that's the rare sort of tragedy that not even The Simpsons can turn into a joke.
12:21 What darker moments on The Simpsons have stuck with you?
12:24 Tell us in the comments.
12:35 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Worst Things
12:40 Homer Simpson Ever Did.
12:49 For this list, we're looking at some of the most deplorable actions ever committed
12:52 by Homer J. Simpson, but we're excluding genuine accidents.
12:58 10.
12:59 Pitting Bart and Lisa against each other It sure can be hard to love your kids equally.
13:04 What's a father to do when put in this situation other than have his offspring compete against
13:09 each other and love the winner best?
13:12 After all, if your kid really wanted your love, they wouldn't lose, right?
13:21 In case you couldn't tell, everything up to now has been sarcastic, though Homer likely
13:26 would have agreed with it all.
13:35 To avoid failing gym class, Lisa joins the hockey team, which sparks an intense rivalry
13:40 with Bart.
13:41 Instead of assuring them that he loves them both, as a normal father would do, Homer eggs
13:46 them on into a competitive fury.
13:50 9.
13:53 Winning the family up for shock therapy Impressing the boss is important, especially
13:59 when that boss is the richest man in Springfield.
14:02 At a company picnic, the Simpsons fail to live up to Homer's hopes, leaving him feeling
14:07 embarrassed.
14:08 Noticing how much Mr. Burns likes the more "normal" families, he decides to "fix"
14:13 his family.
14:14 In his infinite wisdom, he takes them to a therapist who's been advertising on TV
14:18 with the sales pitch "Family Bliss or Double Your Money Back."
14:30 Of course, none of it works and they end up resorting to shock therapy, which they all
14:34 happily inflict on each other until the town's power nearly goes out.
14:41 8.
14:45 Making Bart getting hit by a car There are certain opportunities that only
14:49 come up once in a lifetime.
14:51 These are the sort of moments you must recognize and make the most of.
14:55 One such moment for Homer Simpson was when Bart got hit by Mr. Burns' car.
15:00 In Homer's defense, he doesn't immediately jump to legal action, but only does so after
15:05 his boss offers him a pitiful 100 bucks as compensation.
15:17 Homer's wounded pride prompts him to ride Bart's injury as far as it'll take him,
15:24 with little regard for the well-being or wishes of his family.
15:28 7.
15:29 Being reckless with firearms We can't really fault Homer for this one.
15:34 It's just a fact of life that TV remotes often get lost.
15:43 And it's another fact of life that sometimes you want to change the channel.
15:46 When these two eventualities collide, what's a body to do other than reach for a firearm
15:50 and proceed to shoot at the dial until you find the channel you're looking for?
16:03 The mere fact that a person as irresponsible as Homer Simpson could get a firearm is horrifying
16:08 to consider, but the ways in which he wields his gun are downright dumbfounding.
16:15 Say what you will about the NRA, but at least their fictional on-screen counterparts kicked
16:19 out this gun nut.
16:21 6.
16:22 Forcing Flanders to leave his own bomb shelter When a comet is discovered heading straight
16:27 for Springfield, the town naturally panics.
16:31 As it turns out, Flanders owns the only bomb shelter in town, and so when doomsday draws
16:36 near, the entire town goes to old Ned-arino for help.
16:48 Being the stand-up guy he is, he lets them all in, only to find that the door won't close.
16:54 Realizing there's one person too many, Homer, being the jerk that he is, convinces the town
16:59 to kick Ned out of his own shelter.
17:08 Sure he feels guilty later and goes out to join Flanders, but he wouldn't have had cause
17:11 for remorse had he not behaved like a monster in the first place.
17:15 5.
17:16 Urging Bart to kill a reindeer Homer got along great with his new friend
17:21 John until he found out he was gay, and then became paranoid that Bart had been turned
17:26 gay.
17:27 Imagine the fact that that is not how that works.
17:34 So Homer, being Homer, tries to sway Bart from his supposed budding sexuality.
17:39 First he takes him to a steel mill, only to discover that all the employees there are
17:43 also gay.
17:45 Logically, he then takes him on the second most stereotypical straight pastime he can
17:51 imagine, hunting.
17:53 This is Homer at his most offensive, ignorant, and disappointing.
17:57 4.
17:58 Sabotaging Flanders' business Some people work hard at life, go to church,
18:03 raise a great family, and treat their wife well.
18:06 And apparently, by Homer's estimation, those people don't deserve nice things.
18:10 Homer hates the insufferable but well-intentioned Ned Flanders.
18:14 So when Ned opens a new business for left-handed people, Homer makes it his personal mission
18:18 to sabotage it.
18:20 To achieve this, he wishes on a wishbone.
18:27 And sure enough, the business begins to fail, with Homer relishing every moment of it, until
18:32 things finally take too dark a turn even for him.
18:42 In this particular example of bad behavior, Homer's ill-placed malice nearly cost Flanders
18:47 his home.
18:49 3.
18:50 Wasted Christmas money You know it's bad when the very first episode
18:53 of the series sees the patriarch doing something messed up.
18:57 In this inaugural story, Homer discovers he will not be getting a Christmas bonus from
19:01 Mr. Burns.
19:02 Having already spent a small fortune on getting Bart's tattoo removed, Homer takes up a second
19:07 job in order to be able to afford gifts.
19:10 Once he learns how low the pay is, however, he quits and opts instead to bet the family's
19:15 entire Christmas budget on a dog race.
19:20 What a great example to set for your kids.
19:23 Of course, he loses.
19:24 But hey, at least they end up with a new pet.
19:27 2.
19:28 Ruining his father's kidney Take a lesson from Homer.
19:32 Old people are an inconvenience.
19:34 Who cares that your dad raised you?
19:36 Stopping the car to let him use the bathroom is poor time management, right?
19:44 In this episode, Abe's kidney explodes because Homer refuses to pull over.
19:49 That's pretty messed up.
19:56 Luckily Homer agrees to help his dad out and donate his own organ.
19:59 In true Homer fashion, however, he gets cold feet and tries to get out of the surgery.
20:04 Abe survives, but not because Homer does the honorable thing.
20:08 In his cowardice, he gets into an accident and they simply take the kidney while he's
20:12 on the operating table.
20:13 Oh well.
20:15 One bad turn deserves another.
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20:36 1.
20:38 And Marge for DUI From the very first season, it was clear that
20:43 Homer Simpson had a drinking problem.
20:45 For Homer, alcohol has seemingly always been the cause of and solution to all of life's
20:51 problems.
20:52 Heck, he even created his own drink, the Flaming Homer.
20:55 In this episode, however, things go too far.
20:58 Everything initially seems great as he and Marge bond over drinks at a wine tasting,
21:02 but things soon go downhill quickly when they continue to drink for several days and he
21:07 ultimately crashes the car.
21:15 Being the great guy he is, he frames Marge because it would have been his last strike.
21:20 Really?
21:21 This is a truly despicable move that really makes you question why Marge has stuck with
21:26 him for so long.
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