Flanders is truly a legendary secondary character in the Simpsons. While modern episodes portray him as more of a religious nut who seem to have nothing else better to do other than scrutinize TV shows, the earliest of the classical era sees him as a normal religious man who maybe somewhat over-reliant on Christianity, but still full of character and life. In this episode, we get our first real look at Ned Flanders, and their relationship to the Simpsons.
When Homer is invited over to Flanders' for a cold beer, he is enraged by Flanders' better station in life than him. Whether it is in "Simpsons Roasting On an Open Fire" or here, the Flanders have always been portrayed as a family that not only is more financially well off than the Simpsons, but also seem more coherent and united as a family. Whether it is Todd kissing his father on the cheek, or his expensive playroom basement, everything seems to be planned to rub Homer in the face. As a result of Homer's outrage, Ned throws him out of his house and Homer stomps home.
At home, Homer is unable to find any faults with Ned Flanders, and is unable to express his dissatisfaction of the Flanders. As a result, when Homer and Bart meets the Flanders at a little putt golf course, Homer quarrels Ned into signing up their child to a putting league and placing a high stake of the loser's parent mowing the lawn in their wife's dress in order to have a chance at humiliating Ned. As a result, Bart is pressured into wining the league.
Here, we begin to see some of Homer's obnoxious parenting. Whether it is forcing Bart into giving his putter a girl's name ("Mom?"), or it is claiming that Bart is out of the family if he fails, Homer really is doing Bart more harm than good. However, you do have to feel for Homer for his dedication. From sitting at Bart's bedside all night before the tournament to asking for Marge's opinion on a less humiliating dress when he thinks all hope is lost, Homer is desperate to put down Flanders in order to satisfy his petty pride Luckily, Bart receives some proper putting coaching from Lisa and manages to make a tie with Todd on the day of the tournament.
Homer is nothing if not relentless and simpleminded. Even though Todd and Bart had a tie, Homer is still determined to humiliate Ned Flanders even if he has to wear a woman's dress himself. To his dismay, while Ned utilizes this opportunity to entertain himself and the crowd to make the experience more enjoyable, Homer is mostly annoyed that his plan not only didn't work, but also backfired.
Homer is a petty but determined man. When he sets his mind on anything, he will follow through in any way possible in order to accomplish the task. Whether it is humiliating Ned Flanders or, in a future episode, buying Lisa a pony, Homer is willing to sacrifice anything to accomplish whatever that he feels is right. At the same time, we see a bit more of Ned Flanders not only as a simple one dimensional character, but morphed into a real human being that generally has a better life than Homer, but also is a normal religious man.
Characterization: 5/5
Plot; 3/3
Subjective: 1/2
Overall: 9/10
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