The Simpsons: 5 Times Homer Was Actually Nice To Flanders (& 5 Times He Was A Terrible Neighbor)

Robert Frost once said “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors,” but he clearly never watched The Simpsons. Despite the picket barrier between their two houses, Homer Simpson and next-door neighbor Ned Flanders have rarely gotten along. In reality, though, the relationship is mostly Homer behaving antagonistically and Flanders reacting with kindness and forgiveness until things go too far.

Still, even the most strenuous of bonds can have silver linings and moments of genuine friendship… even if that friendship is inevitably fleeting. Thus, here are five times Homer was actually nice to Flanders, and five other times he was an inexcusably terrible neighbor.

10 Nice: Promoting The Leftorium

When Flanders quits his pharmaceutical career in the season 3 episode, “When Flanders Failed,” he decides to open up The Leftorium – a store selling left-handed appliances and apparel at the Springfield Mall. At first, Homer is caustically cynical about Flanders’ plan, and even curses the store via a morbid wishbone hex.

Nevertheless, once Flanders’ business plummets, Homer comes to his better senses and is instrumental in saving the store. He recommends the place to just about every left-handed person in town, and ultimately salvages Flanders’ financial life. Thanks to Homer, the Leftorium has been successfully operating for twenty-eight seasons since.

9 Terrible: Burglarizing His House

After Snake Jailbird drains the Simpsons’ bank account from a computer while robbing an internet cafe, Homer vows to earn the money back. Unfortunately, his go-to form of financial recovery involves breaking into and stealing items from the Flanders’ home. To make matters even worse, Ned catches him in the act and during their discourse, it becomes apparent that Homer burglarizes his neighbor’s house almost every time he faces money problems. Add in the show’s recurring joke of Homer constantly “borrowing” and never returning Flander’s stuff, and it becomes evident that Homer has a parasitic relationship with the man next door.

8 Nice: Taking Him To Vegas

Although he hardly looks it, Ned Flanders is sixty years old. When this becomes public knowledge in the episode “Viva Ned Flanders,” he starts to question the squeaky clean lifestyle that keeps him looking so youthful, but behaving so predictably. Ned solicits Homer’s help to be more spontaneous, and the neighbor drags him off to Las Vegas. What ensues is a wild night of Sin City debauchery, and the two men wake up dirty, hungover, and married to strangers. It is certainly not the most wholesome bonding experience, but the two make it out intact, and Homer definitely went above and beyond to help Flanders feel young again.

7 Terrible: Filming Him Against His Will

Helping a widowed neighbor get back on the dating scene is a supportive act in an of itself. Unfortunately, when one goes about that act by creating a video against the other’s will, it becomes a severe invasion of privacy. This is exactly what Homer does to Flanders in the episode, “Alone Again, Natura-Diddily.”

Unbeknownst to Ned, Homer films his neighbor’s day-to-day activities, capturing him inside his home and even in the shower. The final cut also features Flanders’ bank account pin and leftover footage of Marge giving birth. Keeping in mind that the video was made for strangers, we can see why Ned might oppose Homer’s voyeurism here, all good intentions aside.

6 Nice: Helping Him Build Priaseland

In the season 12 episode, “I’m Goin’ To Priaseland,” Flanders finds sketches that his deceased wife Maude made for a Christian-themed amusement park called Praiseland. Although he has no experience in the field, Flanders sets out to build the park as a testament of love towards his late wife. Without any explanation, Homer and the rest of the Simpsons help Ned construct and promote the park. Even when Praiseland flops upon opening, the Simpsons remain the sole Springfield residents who stand by Ned. The unquestioning nature of their support shows that the Simpsons family (including Homer) really does care for the Flanders.

5 Terrible: Disparaging Him In A Hit Song

From managing country-singer Lurleen Lumpkin to being a member of the barbershop quartet sensation the Be Sharps, Homer has a lot of hidden musical talent. Unfortunately for Flanders, Homer uses that talent to ridicule him in a hit song during the episode, “Dude, Where’s My Ranch?” The song is unambiguously titled “Everybody Hates Ned Flanders,” and the lyrics openly mock his faith, family, and work. Guest star David Byrne produces and lends his voice to the track, and it ends up a bona fide sensation. Although Ned takes the song in stride, it is certainly a nasty sentiment on Homer’s behalf.

4 Nice: Taking Him On As A Crime-Fighting Partner

Homer becomes a bounty hunter in the inaugural season 20 episode, “Sex, Pies, And Idiot Scrapes,” but when Flanders saves his life on the job, Homer decides to take Ned on as his partner in crime-fighting. The two spark a buddy-cop alliance throughout the delightfully parodic episode. They stake out together, track down criminals, and clean up the streets of Springfield, splitting the money and work evenly.

Although the duo eventually breaks up because of Homer and Ned’s opposing approaches to law enforcement, the run was a good one, and it demonstrated the two neighbors bonding over an unlikely activity.

3 Terrible: Sending Him Into The Apocalypse

Ned Flanders is a prepared man, so when an apocalyptic meteor approaches Springfield, he is already equipped with a bomb shelter. Gregariously, he lets just about everyone in town share his shelter’s space until the unit is practically overflowing. In order to close the door, the town must kick one person out. Homer egregiously volunteers Flanders, claiming that The Leftorium shopkeep is the least essential. Even though it is his shelter, Flanders obliges. The rest of Springfield eventually feels guilty and joins Flanders outside, where the meteor luckily burns up in the atmosphere. All ends well, but kicking Flanders out of his own shelter and into his presumed death is certainly one of Homer’s lowest moments.

2 Nice: Defending Him In Church

The season 5 episode, “Homer Loves Flanders” is a trove of moments where Homer gets along with his neighbor. The entire episode focuses on them developing an unanticipated friendship for the first time. However, the roles soon reverse as Homer becomes overly clingy and starts to annoy Flanders. This leads to Flanders blowing up before the congregation at church, deconstructing his usual Christian wholesomeness. While many of the churchgoers are quick to judge Flanders, Homer comes to his defense and reaffirms the man as the goodhearted, generous person he is. It is a sweet conclusion, but inexplicably, their camaraderie doesn’t last beyond this episode.

1 Terrible: Inadvertently Killing Maude

Homer has acted weird around Maude Flanders a few times, drunkenly eyeing her at a party in season 2 and ignoring her on several occasions, but nobody foresaw how Homer would inadvertently play a part in her unexpected death on the show. When Homer dodges a firing squad of t-shirts at a racetrack, the shots bombard Maude, knocking her off the edge of the bleachers and sending her plummeting to her death. Of course, Homer didn’t mean to harm Maude. It was all an accident, but given Homer’s lack of apology and obnoxiousness before and after the event, we wouldn’t hold it against Ned if he moved far away from Evergreen Terrace, never to return or forgive.

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