Frank Grimes
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Frank "Grimey" Grimes, also called Stretch, was a 35-year-old, one-time fictional character from The Simpsons, voiced by Hank Azaria. He appeared in the episode "Homer's Enemy".
Biography
Abandoned by his parents when he was four, Grimes was a self-made man. He never had the chance to go to school. As a child, he found a job delivering toys to more fortunate children. On his 18th birthday, he was blown up in a storage silo explosion, although it was never explained why he was even at a storage silo, (in the episode, a video clip is shown of Grimes running toward the silo and arriving at the precise moment of the explosion), after which he had to teach himself to hear and feel pain again. He studied science by mail and eventually earned a correspondence school diploma in nuclear physics with a minor in determination (although this was nearly stolen by a bird when he received it).After a lot of hard work, Grimes eventually could afford to buy a cheap apartment that was located above a bowling alley and below another bowling alley.
After Mr. Burns saw his story on television, Grimes was recruited to become the executive vice-president of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant (SNPP). However, it took Smithers a week to find Grimes, and during that time, Burns saw a story about a heroic dog and immediately decided to hire the dog instead. Grimes was hired, but was forced to work in Sector 7-G with Lenny Leonard, Carl Carlson, and Homer Simpson.
He had suffered through the worst of life's obstacles, and was instantly outraged at Homer's laziness and lack of professionalism while working at the SNPP. Grimes was a dilligent and perfectionist worker who could not understand why Homer Simpson was not reprimanded and loathed for his lazy, imperfect actions.
Grimes soon became frustrated with the fact that, not only does Homer get away with an appalling amount of workplace offences (accidents doubling every year since Homer became the plant's safety inspector, and meltdowns tripiling), but that he also seems to have a more successful life through his laziness than Grimes has from his hard work. He observed that Homer's lifestyle has obtained him a wife, three children, two cars and a house, whereas Frank himself only has a briefcase and a haircut to his name. He consistently seems to be a victim of Murphy's law (also known as Sod's law).
After an attempt to humiliate Homer failed, Grimes finally snapped. He began acting like Homer, imitating his moronic behavior. He stuffed himself with donuts, mooned Mr. Burns, and neglected to wash his hands after using the bathroom. Then, he grabbed a live electrical wire without safety gloves, fatally electrocuting himself.
In the episode "The Great Louse Detective", it was revealed that Frank Grimes enjoyed the company of prostitutes and even fathered a son with one. The child was named Frank Grimes Jr. When Grimes Jr discovered that Homer had been responsible for his father's death, he attempted to kill Homer, but the Simpsons caught him with the help of Sideshow Bob (The police operating on the principle of 'set a homicidal maniac to catch a homicidal maniac').
Trivia
- "Homer's Enemy" is one of Matt Groening's favorite episodes. [link]
- Ricky Gervais also named "Homer's Enemy" his favorite episode in an Entertainment Weekly inteview.
- It has been suggested that Frank Grimes was "clearly the writers' way of admitting that they realize how absurd their characters' lives really are. Grimey reacts just as any of us would if we met such a person as Homer in real life: appalled. If his behavior seemed odd, it's probably because it was so realistic." One person claims an inside source told him Grimes was supposed to represent a "real person from our universe in the Simpsons universe, and demonstrate that a real person couldn't survive there." [link]
- Even though Grimes was a one time only character, he is still one of the most popular characters in the series.
- The character of Frank Grimes generated a lot of controversy among fans of the show. Some said that the shock death of Grimes represented a darker tone for the show. Others were unhappy with the seemingly unfair and premature end that befell a hard worker like Frank Grimes.
- Frank Grimes always wipes his hand on his pants before shaking someone's hand.
- Frank's last words: "'Extremely High Voltage'? Well, I don't need safety gloves, because I'm Homer Simp-..."
- The footage of Frank's death was reused as a flashback in "The Great Louse Detective."
- In "My Mother the Carjacker," when Homer was in the cemetery, mourning the apparent death of his mother, he accidentally knocked over Frank's tombstone.
- When the gravestone appears in later episodes Frank Grimes' tombstone reads "Frank "Grimey" Grimes", however in the episode "Homer's Enemy" the gravestone simply reads Grimes. "Grimey" is a nickname Homer gave him that he didn't like, thus ensuring Homer's influence touches even his eternal resting place.
- Frank Grimes' tombstone also appeared in the back of Mr. Burns' car after taking part in a scavenger hunt in "The Seemingly Never-Ending Story."
- The appearance of Frank Grimes as well as his denouement and eventual death are similar to Michael Douglas' portrayal of laid-off defense worker William Foster in Falling Down.
- In the episode "Natural Born Kissers", Homer puts on his suit and finds the program to Grimes' funeral in the pocket, commenting to Marge "Whatever happened to that guy?"
- In the episode "C.E. D'oh", Frank Grimes appears on the nuclear plant organizational chart above Homer but crossed out.
External links
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