everybody has a theory about when the simpsons “jumped the shark.” some say it never has, and others say the death of maude flanders is the turning point. those are great opinions, but they’re also wrong opinions, so they’re bad opinions. yes, new episodes of the simpsons are funny, but they clearly live in the shadows of the greater seasons. you can feel it in the neo-classical writing — the writers “know” what makes a great episode, because they’ve seen all the great ones a thousand times, just like us. and yes, maude getting killed by a t-shirt cannon is straight-up retarded. still, though, i believe frank grimes was the episode that ended the classic era.

the frank grimes episode (third to last in season 8, 96-97) is absolutely brilliant. in case you haven’t seen it, homer gets an enemy at the power plant — a hard-working, shit-upon employee named frank grimes who’s had nothing his whole life, and is jealous of homer’s success. in one seen, homer nonchalantly points out to frank that he’s met gerald ford, toured with the smashing pumpkins, and also went to space. frank points out that homer is what’s wrong with america: fat, lazy people who leach off hard-working folks. judging by the rest of the simpson clan’s honest discomfort, i think the writing staff agrees.

it’s kind of like homer’s unthinkable dissection. they showed you all the hidden darkness you’re not supposed to see. in response, the writing staff started making homer more 2-dimensional, trying to recoil from what they uncovered with grimes. doesn’t he appear less “rounded” in homer-centric 10th season episodes like “bart the carney” and “king of the hill” (where homer endorses power bars)? again, i’m not saying these episodes aren’t funny, just like there are current episodes that are funny, too. it’s just that when frank grimes died, so did the last of the simpsons‘ innocent attempts at making homer seem real.

of course, there’s a movie coming out, so maybe they’ll find a way to reclaim some of that innocence… like a fat phoenix rising from the donut ashes. still, r.i.p. frank grimes & the simpsons‘ golden era.