A student and I watched our seventh Simpson’s episode together in two years: ‘Homer’s Enemy’, a classic from 1997! Watching the Simpsons is a creative and fun way to learn English AND classic American culture. I watched this episode live back then and I can’t believe it is now 29 years old!
In this famous episode, the Simpson family meets a new friend named John, who owns a cool antique shop. Homer really likes John at first, but then he finds out that John is gay. Suddenly, Homer feels very uncomfortable and starts to act strange around him. Homer becomes worried that John’s friendship with his son, Bart, will change Bart in a bad way, so Homer tries to make Bart do more “manly” activities, like hunting. During a hunting trip, the family meets a dangerous reindeer, and it is actually John who saves them and shows real courage. After this, Homer understands that his fears were silly and wrong, and he learns to accept John for who he is. This episode is well-known because it deals with a serious topic, tolerance, in a funny and thoughtful way.
Homer’s Phobia: