# When Flanders Failed

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3rd episode of the 3rd season of The Simpsons

"When Flanders Failed" The Simpsons episode Episode no. Season 3 Episode 3 Directed by Jim Reardon Written by Jon Vitti Production code 7F23 Original air date October 3, 1991 (1991-10-03) Episode features Chalkboard gag "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 Al Jean Mike Reiss Jon Vitti Jim Reardon Episode chronology ← Previous "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington" Next → "Bart the Murderer" The Simpsons season 3 List of episodes

"**When Flanders Failed**" is the third episode of the [third season](/source/The_Simpsons_season_3) of the American animated television series *[The Simpsons](/source/The_Simpsons)*. It originally aired on [Fox](/source/Fox_Broadcasting_Company) in the United States on October 3, 1991. In the episode, [Homer](/source/Homer_Simpson) makes a wish for [Ned Flanders](/source/Ned_Flanders)' new [left-handed](/source/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 [repossessed](/source/Repossession), Homer feels guilty. He helps the store flourish by telling all of Springfield's left-handed residents to patronize it. Meanwhile, [Bart](/source/Bart_Simpson) takes [karate](/source/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](/source/Jon_Vitti) and directed by [Jim Reardon](/source/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](/source/It's_a_Wonderful_Life)*. The title is a reference to the poem "[In Flanders Fields](/source/In_Flanders_Fields)".

Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a [Nielsen rating](/source/Nielsen_ratings) of 13.9, and was the highest-rated show on Fox the week it aired.

## Plot

[Ned Flanders](/source/Ned_Flanders) invites the [Simpson family](/source/Simpson_family) to a barbecue where he announces plans to quit the pharmaceutical business and open the [Leftorium](/source/Leftorium), a store for [left-handed people](/source/Handedness). While pulling a [wishbone](/source/Furcula) with Ned, [Homer](/source/Homer_Simpson)—jealous of Ned's material success—wishes for the Leftorium to fail and go out of business. Undeterred after [Lisa](/source/Lisa_Simpson) scolds him for indulging in *[schadenfreude](/source/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](/source/Mr._Burns)) and considers telling them about the Leftorium, but decides not to.

In the B-story, [Bart](/source/Bart_Simpson) begins taking karate lessons at [Akira](/source/List_of_recurring_The_Simpsons_characters#Akira_Kurosawa)'s [karate](/source/Karate) school. He soon finds himself bored with karate, so he decides to skip each lesson and play video games at the mall [arcade](/source/Amusement_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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/Underwear) from a nearby [playground](/source/Playground) basketball hoop rim by the bullies with his pants down. Having reclaimed her saxophone, Lisa wistfully notes that sometimes [two wrongs *do* make a right](/source/Two_wrongs_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](/source/Roadster_(automobile)) 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"](/source/Put_On_a_Happy_Face_(song)).

## Production

[Mike Reiss](/source/Mike_Reiss) said he remembers "When Flanders Failed" as the episode with "a thousand mistakes in it".[1]

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.[2] [Show runner](/source/Show_runner) [Mike Reiss](/source/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".[1] 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."[2] Though it aired in season three, "When Flanders Failed" was produced during [the previous season](/source/The_Simpsons_season_2). 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.[3] Unlike the season premiere "[Stark Raving Dad](/source/Stark_Raving_Dad)", which was originally the final episode in the season two production run, this episode was not presented in [Dolby Surround](/source/Dolby_Surround) and uses the season two [Danny Elfman](/source/Danny_Elfman) arrangement of the [opening and closing themes](/source/The_Simpsons_Theme) rather than the [Alf Clausen](/source/Alf_Clausen) arrangement.

"When Flanders Failed" features the second appearance of the character Akira, voiced by [Hank Azaria](/source/Hank_Azaria). He was previously seen in the season two episode "[One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish](/source/One_Fish%2C_Two_Fish%2C_Blowfish%2C_Blue_Fish)", where he is a waiter at a Japanese restaurant and was originally voiced by [George Takei](/source/George_Takei).[3] It is revealed in this episode that the characters Ned Flanders, [Moe Szyslak](/source/Moe_Szyslak) and [Montgomery Burns](/source/Montgomery_Burns) are left-handed, just like *The Simpsons* creator [Matt Groening](/source/Matt_Groening).[3] *The Simpsons* writer [George Meyer](/source/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.[4]

## Cultural references

The title is a reference to the poem "[In Flanders Fields](/source/In_Flanders_Fields)".[3] Homer watches the [Canadian Football League Draft](/source/Canadian_College_Draft) on television, the names of the teams are real, but *Simpsons* writers [Jay Kogen](/source/Jay_Kogen), [Wallace Wolodarsky](/source/Wallace_Wolodarsky), and [John Swartzwelder](/source/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*](/source/Poltergeist_(1982_film)).[5] Akira's school is located in the mall next to Shakespeare's Fried Chicken, a reference to the English poet and playwright [William Shakespeare](/source/William_Shakespeare).[5] 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*](/source/Richard_III_(play)). Akira gives Bart's karate class the ancient Chinese military treatise *[The Art of War](/source/The_Art_of_War)* by [Sun Tzu](/source/Sun_Tzu).[6] [Richard Sakai](/source/Richard_Sakai) is seen in one of the crowd shots at The Leftorium.[3] The final scene is based on the ending of *[It's a Wonderful Life](/source/It's_a_Wonderful_Life)* (1946), with Maude's dress and mannerisms modeled after [Donna Reed](/source/Donna_Reed). The episode closes with a rendition of ["Put On a Happy Face"](/source/Put_On_a_Happy_Face_(song)) from *[Bye Bye Birdie](/source/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 rating](/source/Nielsen_ratings) of 13.9, equivalent to approximately 12.8 million viewing households. It was the highest-rated show on Fox that week.[7]

Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. Kirk Baird of the *[Las Vegas Sun](/source/Las_Vegas_Sun)* named it the fifth best episode of *The Simpsons*,[8] and *[Central Michigan Life](/source/Central_Michigan_Life)* called it an "instant classic".[9] Pete Oliva of *[North Texas Daily](/source/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".[10] 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."[11]

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."[12] Niel Harvey of *[The Roanoke Times](/source/The_Roanoke_Times)* called "When Flanders Failed" a "classic bit of Simpsonia".[13] 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](/source/Total_Film)*'s Nathan Ditum.[14] Nate Meyers of Digitally Obsessed rated the episode a 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 [the era](/source/Bartmania) of the series when Bart was the big star, but it still has some funny bits."[15]

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."[16] Kimberly Potts of [AOL](/source/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."[17] *[Winston-Salem Journal](/source/Winston-Salem_Journal)'*s Tim Clodfelter called it an "outstanding" episode.[18]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Reiss_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Reiss_1-1) Reiss, Mike (2003). *The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "When Flanders Failed"* (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Reardon_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Reardon_2-1) Reardon, Jim (2003). *The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "When Flanders Failed"* (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Jean_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Jean_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Jean_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Jean_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Jean_3-4) Jean, Al (2003). *The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "When Flanders Failed"* (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Vitti_4-0)** Vitti, Jon (2003). *The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "When Flanders Failed"* (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-book_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-book_5-1) [Groening, Matt](/source/Matt_Groening) (1997). [Richmond, Ray](/source/Ray_Richmond); Coffman, Antonia (eds.). *[The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family](/source/The_Simpsons_episode_guides#The_Simpsons:_A_Complete_Guide_to_Our_Favorite_Family)* (1st ed.). New York: [HarperPerennial](/source/HarperPerennial). p. [64](https://archive.org/details/simpsonscomplete00groe/page/64). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-06-095252-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-06-095252-5). [LCCN](/source/LCCN_(identifier)) [98141857](https://lccn.loc.gov/98141857). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [37796735](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/37796735). [OL](/source/OL_(identifier)) [433519M](https://openlibrary.org/books/OL433519M)..

1. **[^](#cite_ref-BBC_6-0)** [Martyn, Warren](/source/Gary_Russell); [Wood, Adrian](/source/Gareth_Roberts_(writer)) (2000). ["I Married Marge"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season3/page2.shtml). BBC. Retrieved June 7, 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Ratings_7-0)** "Nielsen Ratings /Sept. 30-Oct.6". *[Long Beach Press-Telegram](/source/Long_Beach_Press-Telegram)*. Associated Press. October 9, 1991. p. D5.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Baird, Kirk (August 19, 2002). ["D'ohlightful: The Simpsons' steadily approaches TV milestone"](http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2002/aug/19/dohlightful-the-simpsons-steadily-approaches-tv-mi/). *[Las Vegas Sun](/source/Las_Vegas_Sun)*. Retrieved January 15, 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["'Simpsons' classic, 'Identity' gains personality with bonus features"](http://media.www.cm-life.com/media/storage/paper906/news/2003/09/05/Lifeline/8216simpsons8217.Classic.8216identity8217.Gains.Personality.With.Bonus.Features-2490777.shtml). *[Central Michigan Life](/source/Central_Michigan_Life)*. August 5, 2003. Retrieved July 2, 2009.{{[cite news](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_news)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Olivia, Pete (August 29, 2003). ["Simpsons' third box set charming, feature-filled"](http://media.www.ntdaily.com/media/storage/paper877/news/2003/08/29/UndefinedSection/Simpsons.Third.Box.Set.Charming.FeatureFilled-1888369.shtml). *[North Texas Daily](/source/North_Texas_Daily)*. Retrieved July 2, 2009.[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Gibron, Bill (December 15, 2003). ["The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090629194944/http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/simpsonsseason3.php). DVD Verdict. Archived from [the original](http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/simpsonsseason3.php) on June 29, 2009. Retrieved June 6, 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Guan Teh, Hock (August 21, 2003). ["Simpsons, The: The Complete 3rd Season (DVD)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20060319094014/http://www.dvdtown.com/review/simpsonsthethecompletethirdsea/10929/1717/). DVD Town. Archived from [the original](http://www.dvdtown.com/review/simpsonsthethecompletethirdsea/10929/1717/) on March 19, 2006. Retrieved June 6, 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Harvey, Niel (September 4, 2003). "'The Simpsons' Is A Consistent Slam Dunk". *[The Roanoke Times](/source/The_Roanoke_Times)*. p. 8.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-totalfilm_14-0)** Ditum, Nathan (June 6, 2009). ["The 50 Greatest Simpsons Movie References"](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-50-greatest-simpsons-movie-references/). *[Total Film](/source/Total_Film)*. GamesRadar. Retrieved January 15, 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** Meyers, Nate (June 23, 2004). ["The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160313103432/http://digitallyobsessed.com/displaylegacy.php?id=6129). Digitally Obsessed. Archived from [the original](http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/displaylegacy.php?ID=6129) on March 13, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** Jacobson, Colin (August 21, 2003). ["The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season (1991)"](http://dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonthree.shtml). DVD Movie Guide. Retrieved June 6, 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Potts, Kimberly (2006). ["'The Simpsons' Best Episodes: No. 10 – 6"](http://www.aoltv.com/feature/the-simpsons/4). [AOL](/source/AOL). Retrieved January 15, 2022.[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** Clodfelter, Tim (August 22, 2003). "Toons For Big Folks, Too". *[Winston-Salem Journal](/source/Winston-Salem_Journal)*. p. 5.

## External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to ***[When Flanders Failed](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Simpsons/Season_3#When_Flanders_Failed)***.

- [The Simpsons portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:The_Simpsons)

- ["When Flanders Failed episode capsule"](http://www.simpsonsarchive.com/episodes/7F23.html). *[The Simpsons Archive](/source/The_Simpsons_Archive)*.

- ["When Flanders Failed"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0763042/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

v t e The Simpsons episodes Seasons 1–20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Season 21–present 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 Season 3 "Stark Raving Dad" "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington" "When Flanders Failed" "Bart the Murderer" "Homer Defined" "Like Father, Like Clown" "Treehouse of Horror II" "Lisa's Pony" "Saturdays of Thunder" "Flaming Moe's" "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" "I Married Marge" "Radio Bart" "Lisa the Greek" "Homer Alone" "Bart the Lover" "Homer at the Bat" "Separate Vocations" "Dog of Death" "Colonel Homer" "Black Widower" "The Otto Show" "Bart's Friend Falls in Love" "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" See also Treehouse of Horror list The Simpsons episode guides "The Simpsons Guy" Category

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