{{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Good article}} {{Infobox Simpsons episode | image = | caption = | season = 3 | episode = 3 | director = [[Jim Reardon]] | writer = [[Jon Vitti]] | production = 7F23 | airdate = {{Start date|1991|10|03}} | blackboard = "Nobody likes sunburn slappers" | couch_gag = The Simpsons run into the living room, do a '[[Walk Like an Egyptian]]' shuffle, and finish with a 'ta-da' pose on the couch. | commentary = [[Matt Groening]]<br>[[Al Jean]]<br>[[Mike Reiss]]<br>[[Jon Vitti]]<br>[[Jim Reardon]] | prev = [[Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington]] | next = [[Bart the Murderer]] }} "'''When Flanders Failed'''" is the third episode of the [[The Simpsons season 3|third season]] of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]''. It originally aired on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] in the United States on October 3, 1991. In the episode, [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] makes a wish for [[Ned Flanders]]' new [[left-handed]] store to go out of business. The wish comes true and soon the Flanders family is in financial trouble. When he discovers that Ned's house is about to be [[Repossession|repossessed]], Homer feels guilty. He helps the store flourish by telling all of Springfield's left-handed residents to patronize it. Meanwhile, [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] takes [[karate]] lessons but quits after it does not turn out to be as interesting as he had hoped.
The episode was written by [[Jon Vitti]] and directed by [[Jim Reardon]]. It had an unusual amount of animation glitches because the animation studio was training a new group of animators. The episode references ''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]''. The title is a reference to the poem "[[In Flanders Fields]]".
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen rating]] of 13.9, and was the highest-rated show on Fox the week it aired.
==Plot== [[Ned Flanders]] invites the [[Simpson family]] to a barbecue where he announces plans to quit the pharmaceutical business and open the [[Leftorium]], a store for [[Handedness|left-handed people]]. While pulling a [[Furcula|wishbone]] with Ned, [[Homer Simpson|Homer]]—jealous of Ned's material success—wishes for the Leftorium to fail and go out of business. Undeterred after [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] scolds him for indulging in ''[[schadenfreude]]'', Homer gloats when Ned tells him business is slow. Afterwards, Homer keeps seeing left-handed citizens struggling with items made for right-handed people (including his boss, [[Mr. Burns]]) and considers telling them about the Leftorium, but decides not to.
In the B-story, [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] begins taking karate lessons at [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Akira Kurosawa|Akira]]'s [[Karate|karate]] school. He soon finds himself bored with karate, so he decides to skip each lesson and play video games at the mall [[Amusement arcade|arcade]] instead. Whenever Bart is asked by his friends and family about the karate techniques he is learning, he refers to the [[Touch of Death]], an ability he sees in one of the arcade games he plays. He proceeds to terrorize Lisa into doing his will by threatening her with the Touch of Death. When the school bullies take Lisa's [[Saxophone|saxophone]], she tells them Bart will defend her with the Touch of Death. Unable to actually defend himself or his sister, Bart is beaten up by the bullies and is left hanging by his [[Underwear|underwear]] from a nearby [[Playground|playground]] basketball hoop rim by the bullies with his pants down. Having reclaimed her saxophone, Lisa wistfully notes that sometimes [[Two wrongs make a right|two wrongs ''do'' make a right]].
Eventually the store closes, plunging the Flanders family into debt and misery. Ned is forced to sell his possessions, and Homer gleefully buys many of them for a pittance. Overcome by regret, Homer decides to return Ned's possessions, but he finds Ned's house repossessed and the family living in their car. Homer tells Ned to open the store one final time and informs all the left-handed residents of Springfield about the Leftorium; they descend upon the store and buy almost everything; Mr. Burns buys the [[Roadster (automobile)|roadster]] with left-handed shift. The business boom helps Ned keep the store open and get his house back. Todd Flanders leads a chorus of [[Put On a Happy Face (song)|"Put On a Happy Face"]].
==Production== [[Image:Mikereiss.jpg|thumb|left|160px|[[Mike Reiss]] said he remembers "When Flanders Failed" as the episode with "a thousand mistakes in it".<ref name="Reiss"/>]]
The episode was written by Jon Vitti and directed by Jim Reardon. It featured an unusual number of animation glitches because the animation studio in Korea was training a new group of animators, and this episode was one of their first efforts.<ref name="Reardon">{{cite video |people=Reardon, Jim |date=2003 |title=The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "When Flanders Failed" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> [[Show runner]] [[Mike Reiss]] said he will always remember it as the episode "that came back animated with a thousand mistakes in it and was just a complete and utter mess".<ref name="Reiss">{{cite video |people=Reiss, Mike |date=2003 |title=The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "When Flanders Failed" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Reardon said there was "literally a mistake in every other scene" when the episode came back from Korea. Several scenes had to be re-animated in the United States because of these glitches, but according to Reardon, "you can still see the lesser ones that got through, such as line quality problems particularly in the first act."<ref name="Reardon"/> Though it aired in season three, "When Flanders Failed" was produced during [[The Simpsons season 2|the previous season]]. It was recorded in spring 1991 when the previous season had ended, and was scheduled to air in autumn. The staff therefore had more time to fix the glitches during the summer.<ref name="Jean"/> Unlike the season premiere "[[Stark Raving Dad]]", which was originally the final episode in the season two production run, this episode was not presented in [[Dolby Surround]] and uses the season two [[Danny Elfman]] arrangement of the [[The Simpsons Theme|opening and closing themes]] rather than the [[Alf Clausen]] arrangement.
"When Flanders Failed" features the second appearance of the character Akira, voiced by [[Hank Azaria]]. He was previously seen in the season two episode "[[One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish]]", where he is a waiter at a Japanese restaurant and was originally voiced by [[George Takei]].<ref name="Jean"/> It is revealed in this episode that the characters Ned Flanders, [[Moe Szyslak]] and [[Montgomery Burns]] are left-handed, just like ''The Simpsons'' creator [[Matt Groening]].<ref name="Jean">{{cite video |people=Jean, Al |date=2003 |title=The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "When Flanders Failed" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> ''The Simpsons'' writer [[George Meyer]] came up with the idea of The Leftorium when the creators were trying to figure out what Ned's failed business would be. The inspiration came from a family friend of the Meyer family who had opened a left-handed store that was quickly forced to close down due to lack of business.<ref name="Vitti">{{cite video |people=Vitti, Jon |date=2003 |title=The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "When Flanders Failed" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>
==Cultural references== The title is a reference to the poem "[[In Flanders Fields]]".<ref name="Jean"/> Homer watches the [[Canadian College Draft|Canadian Football League Draft]] on television, the names of the teams are real, but ''Simpsons'' writers [[Jay Kogen]], [[Wallace Wolodarsky]], and [[John Swartzwelder]] appear on the draft list. The smoke from Flanders's barbecue forms fingers that seem to come out of the TV, a reference to [[Poltergeist (1982 film)|''Poltergeist'']].<ref name="book">{{cite book |last=Groening |first=Matt |authorlink=Matt Groening |editor1-first=Ray |editor1-last=Richmond |editor1-link=Ray Richmond |editor2-first=Antonia |editor2-last=Coffman |title=[[The Simpsons episode guides#The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family|The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family]] |edition=1st |year=1997 |location=New York |publisher=[[HarperPerennial]] |lccn=98141857 |ol=433519M |oclc=37796735 |isbn=978-0-06-095252-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/simpsonscomplete00groe/page/64 64] |ref={{harvid|Richmond & Coffman|1997}} }}.</ref> Akira's school is located in the mall next to Shakespeare's Fried Chicken, a reference to the English poet and playwright [[William Shakespeare]].<ref name="book"/> Mr. Burns says "My kingdom for a left-handed can-opener!", a reference to the line "My kingdom for a horse!" in Shakespeare's [[Richard III (play)|''Richard III'']]. Akira gives Bart's karate class the ancient Chinese military treatise ''[[The Art of War]]'' by [[Sun Tzu]].<ref name="BBC">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season3/page2.shtml |title=I Married Marge |access-date=2009-06-07 |last1=Martyn |first1=Warren |author-link1=Gary Russell |last2 = Wood |first2=Adrian |author-link2=Gareth Roberts (writer) |year=2000 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> [[Richard Sakai]] is seen in one of the crowd shots at The Leftorium.<ref name="Jean"/> The final scene is based on the ending of ''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]'' (1946), with Maude's dress and mannerisms modeled after [[Donna Reed]]. The episode closes with a rendition of [[Put On a Happy Face (song)|"Put On a Happy Face"]] from ''[[Bye Bye Birdie]]''.
==Reception== In its original American broadcast, "When Flanders Failed" finished 29th in the ratings for the week of September 30 – October 6, 1991, with a [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen rating]] of 13.9, equivalent to approximately 12.8 million viewing households. It was the highest-rated show on Fox that week.<ref name=Ratings>{{cite news |title=Nielsen Ratings /Sept. 30-Oct.6 |work=[[Long Beach Press-Telegram]] |agency=Associated Press |page=D5 |date=October 9, 1991}}</ref>
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. Kirk Baird of the ''[[Las Vegas Sun]]'' named it the fifth best episode of ''The Simpsons'',<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2002/aug/19/dohlightful-the-simpsons-steadily-approaches-tv-mi/ |title=D'ohlightful: The Simpsons' steadily approaches TV milestone |last=Baird |first=Kirk |date=August 19, 2002 |work=[[Las Vegas Sun]] |access-date=2022-01-15}}</ref> and ''[[Central Michigan Life]]'' called it an "instant classic".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://media.www.cm-life.com/media/storage/paper906/news/2003/09/05/Lifeline/8216simpsons8217.Classic.8216identity8217.Gains.Personality.With.Bonus.Features-2490777.shtml |archive-url=https://archive.today/20071109013230/http://media.www.cm-life.com/media/storage/paper906/news/2003/09/05/Lifeline/8216simpsons8217.Classic.8216identity8217.Gains.Personality.With.Bonus.Features-2490777.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 9, 2007 |title='Simpsons' classic, 'Identity' gains personality with bonus features |date=August 5, 2003 |work=[[Central Michigan Life]] |access-date=2009-07-02 }}</ref> Pete Oliva of ''[[North Texas Daily]]'' said the episode "proves that it is possible to laugh and cry at the same time without being able to control either response".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://media.www.ntdaily.com/media/storage/paper877/news/2003/08/29/UndefinedSection/Simpsons.Third.Box.Set.Charming.FeatureFilled-1888369.shtml |title=Simpsons' third box set charming, feature-filled |last=Olivia |first=Pete |date=August 29, 2003 |work=[[North Texas Daily]] |access-date=2009-07-02 }}{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Bill Gibron of DVD Verdict said "When Flanders Failed" shows that even if ''The Simpsons'' is not dealing with famous celebrities or "high profile places", the writers can still "wring uproarious comedy out of their cast of regulars. Flanders is a special creation in the canon of humor, a regular guy who is funny because of how hyper-normal he is compared to his Neanderthal neighbors. The focus on people who are left-handed, and the whole idea of being a lefty, is an unusual basis for a television show. But then again, nothing about ''The Simpsons'' is ever common."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/simpsonsseason3.php |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season |last=Gibron |first=Bill |date=December 15, 2003 |publisher=DVD Verdict |access-date=2009-06-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629194944/http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/simpsonsseason3.php |archive-date=June 29, 2009 }}</ref>
Hock Guan Teh of DVD Town also praised the writers, saying they "are able to craft a downtrodden tale for the perpetually clueless Flanders family that serves to illustrate how dark emotions can eventually be overcome by Homer's guilt. A memorable episode."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdtown.com/review/simpsonsthethecompletethirdsea/10929/1717/ |title=Simpsons, The: The Complete 3rd Season (DVD) |last=Guan Teh |first=Hock |date=August 21, 2003 |publisher=DVD Town |access-date=2009-06-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060319094014/http://www.dvdtown.com/review/simpsonsthethecompletethirdsea/10929/1717/ |archive-date=March 19, 2006 }}</ref> Niel Harvey of ''[[The Roanoke Times]]'' called "When Flanders Failed" a "classic bit of Simpsonia".<ref>{{cite news |title='The Simpsons' Is A Consistent Slam Dunk |last=Harvey |first=Niel |date=September 4, 2003 |work=[[The Roanoke Times]] |page=8}}</ref> The episode's reference to ''It's a Wonderful Life '' was named the 26th greatest film reference in the history of the show by ''[[Total Film]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Nathan Ditum.<ref name="totalfilm">{{cite news |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/the-50-greatest-simpsons-movie-references/ |title=The 50 Greatest Simpsons Movie References |last=Ditum |first=Nathan |date=June 6, 2009 |work=[[Total Film]]|publisher=GamesRadar|access-date=January 15, 2022}}</ref> Nate Meyers of Digitally Obsessed rated the episode a {{frac|3|1|2}} (of 5) and commented that "perhaps it is not profound in its examination of jealousy causing people to behave irrationally, but it handles the topic in a serious manner while not compromising the show's humor. The side story with Bart stems from [[Bartmania|the era]] of the series when Bart was the big star, but it still has some funny bits."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/displaylegacy.php?ID=6129 |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season |last=Meyers |first=Nate |date=June 23, 2004 |publisher=Digitally Obsessed |access-date=2009-06-06 |archive-date=2016-03-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313103432/http://digitallyobsessed.com/displaylegacy.php?id=6129 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson wrote: "Mean Homer equals Funny Homer, so 'When Flanders Failed' presents an above average show. He seems unusually crude here, which makes him amusing. The subplot with Bart and his karate class also adds good material, especially when he threatens to turn the 'Touch of Death' on Lisa. Another sappy finish slightly mars this one, but it remains generally solid."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonthree.shtml |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season (1991) |last=Jacobson |first=Colin |date=August 21, 2003 |publisher=DVD Movie Guide |access-date=2009-06-06}}</ref> Kimberly Potts of [[AOL]] named it tenth best episode of the show and commented: "Schadenfreude is the theme of this tight episode about Homer's joy at the failure of Flanders' Leftorium store. There are few times Homer is more shamelessly smug than he was while imitating Flanders and using Ned's yard sale grill, and we haven't even mentioned Bart's 'Touch of Death' subplot."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aoltv.com/feature/the-simpsons/4 |title='The Simpsons' Best Episodes: No. 10 – 6 |access-date=2022-01-15 |publisher=[[AOL]] |author=Potts, Kimberly |year=2006 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> ''[[Winston-Salem Journal]]'''s Tim Clodfelter called it an "outstanding" episode.<ref>{{cite news |title=Toons For Big Folks, Too |last=Clodfelter |first=Tim |date=August 22, 2003 |work=[[Winston-Salem Journal]] |pages=5}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
==External links== {{wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_3#When_Flanders_Failed|When Flanders Failed}} {{Portal|The Simpsons}} * {{snpp capsule|7F23}} * {{IMDb episode |id=0763042 |episode=When Flanders Failed}}
{{The Simpsons episodes|3}}
[[Category:The Simpsons season 3 episodes]] [[Category:1991 American television episodes]] [[Category:Handedness]] [[Category:Television episodes directed by Jim Reardon]] [[Category:Television episodes written by Jon Vitti]]
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