Simpsons Did It!: “Dead Putters Society”

Why does Homer hate Ned Flanders so much?

The world may never know.

What makes “Dead Putters Society” different may be that, this time, Homer gets sufficiently under Ned’s skin that Flanders actually falls into the same rhythm of resentment that Homer does and leads to the only way the two men can figure out to see who’s the better man…by seeing if Bart or Todd (or maybe Rod, I don’t think even the creators of the show could tell them apart) can best the other in a miniature golf tournament.

You know how small a town Springfield is?  This tournament is apparently a big deal.

It’s odd, because Homer flies off the handle for things only he sees Flanders doing.  Everyone in the world can easily see Ned’s just a friendly, God-fearing guy.  In point of fact, this is the first episode to show how religious Ned is.  I think it’s also the first time we see Maude Flanders, who Homer occasionally shows a bit of lust for.

But as much as Homer’s general jerkass ways drag Ned down, there’s enough Flanders decency to word the agreement in a way that would avoid the word “loser” and as a result both Homer and Ned lose the bet.

Homer was a lousy teacher anyway.  Bart only got as good as he did with help from Lisa teaching him geometry and zen.

And that’s how I learned what the sound of one hand clapping is.