Homer Loves Flanders

"Homer Loves Flanders" is the sixteenth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 17, 1994. In the episode, Ned Flanders invites Homer to a football game and the two become good friends. However, Ned soon grows weary of Homer's overbearing friendship and stupid antics, and actually begins to hate him. The episode was written by David Richardson and directed by Wes Archer. It was the last episode to be pitched by writer Conan O'Brien before he left The Simpsons. The episode features cultural references to films such as Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Deadly Tower, and The Ten Commandments, and songs such as "Two Tickets to Paradise", "Macho Man", and "Helter Skelter". Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 10.9, and was the third highest-rated show on the Fox network the week it aired. Plot Homer unsuccessfully tries to get tickets for a football game, the "Pigskin Classic" between the Springfield Atoms and the Shelbyville Sharks. He misses eight days of work to camp outside the Shelbyville Stadium but the entire allocation of tickets are bought by a scalper and then misses out on winning a pair of tickets in a radio contest. Ned Flanders wins the tickets and invites Homer as his guest. Although he dislikes Ned, Homer accepts because he desperately wants to attend the game. The Atoms win the game with a last play touchdown and Ned persuades the winning quarterback to give the game ball to Homer. Overwhelmed by Ned's generosity, Homer becomes friends with Ned and his family.