Plot

Homer's laziness begets the ire of his industrious but arrogant new co-worker Frank Grimes; Bart buys a run-down factory for a dollar.

Mr. Burns hires Frank Grimes (the human interest subject of Kent Brockman's report) as executive vice president at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Grimes meets the employees and is immediately stunned at Homer's lackadasial work performance and his co-workers are nonchalant about it. Grimes - already annoyed by Homer's habits - becomes horrified when he observes Homer nearly drink a flask containing a toxic acid in absent-mindedness; however, Grimes is harshly reprimanded when he knocks the vial away and causes damage. Grimes tells Homer that they are "enemies," but Homer - still wanting to be friends - invites "Grimey" over for dinner. However, the attempt only makes matters worse when Grimes sees that Homer is living in a nice home and has a family. Resolved to expose Homer as a fraud once and for all, he hands out a flyer announcing a "design your own power plant" contest, which has all references to this being a contest for elementary school students. However, Homer easily wins the contest, causing Grimes to go crazy. After running amok through the plant and mocking Homer, Grimes touches some electrical wires and is electrocuted. In the subplot, Bart wanders into public auction and submits the winning bid ($1) for an abandoned factory. Bart and Milhouse play around inside until the place crumbles.—Brian Rathjen <briguy_52732@yahoo.com>

The episode opens with a news report about Frank Grimes, an orphan who was abandoned by his parents at age 4 and experienced many other hard times in his life, yet he self-educated himself to enter the workplace. Mr. Burns sees the newscast and orders Smithers to hire him at the nuclear plant as Executive Vice President. The next day, Burns forgets this decision and gives the job to a courageous dog, and assigns Grimes to a low-level position. Shortly thereafter, Grimes crosses paths with Homer and doubts him. It may have something to do with the fact that Homer is lazy and thoroughly unqualified for the job he has, yet he is so well off in life.

Back at the plant, Grimes' dislike for Homer heats up as he furthers witness Homer's ineptitude. When he brings this up to Lenny and Carl, they see his point but say not to think about it is best. When Homer accidentally almost drinks sulfuric acid, Grimes knocks the beaker out of his hand and ends up damaging the cafeteria wall, for which he then gets blamed by Mr. Burns after Homer, without mentioning Grimes saving him or his own carelessness with the beaker, instantly points him out as responsible and is given a second chance at his job, although at a decreased salary. Grimes approaches to Homer, confessing his hatred of him and declaring that they are enemies.

Getting advice from Moe, Homer plans to invite Grimes to dinner at his house to try and be friends. He has Marge prepare a lobster dinner and the family dresses in their usual church clothes. However, when Grimes arrives, he becomes angrier; this wasn't the life he believes someone like Homer should have; he sees the house which he describes as a palace, the two cars in the driveway, Bart owning a factory (he isn't thoroughly informed), Lisa having a high Intelligence level, his beautiful wife, lobsters for dinner and learns of Homer's unlikely accomplishments like becoming an astronaut, winning a Grammy, going on tour with the Smashing Pumpkins and being friends with former president Gerald Ford. Grimes complains that it's inconceivable that a man who had lived nothing but a life of gluttony, sloth and stupidity, could achieve so much, while he had worked hard for everything since he was four years old and the only things he had to show for it was his briefcase, his haircut and a single room apartment between two bowling alleys, which impresses Homer. Grimes says to Homer that people like him are what's wrong with America and that if he lived anywhere else in the world he would have starved long ago.

The next day, Marge comforts Homer telling him that Frank doesn't hate him, Grimes is just frustrated that life has always been hard to him while it was so easy for Homer and tells him if he cleaned up his act a little, maybe Frank would be less hostile. After hearing this, Homer decides to clean up his act, in his own way, and appear more professional on the job. At break, Grimes once more tries to convince Lenny and Carl that Homer's an idiot once more by pointing out that the number of accidents and meltdowns have respectively doubled and tripled every year since Homer got his job; Lenny and Carl clearly understand but say that it's best not to think about it, insisting that despite all of his faults, Homer's essentially a decent person.

Frustrated, Grimes declares that he would die a happy man if he could just convince them that Homer has the intelligence of a six year-old. To do so, He tricks Homer into entering a "Design Your Own Power Plant" contest for kids through a flyer by removing areas that show its juvenile theme. Homer decides to participate, unaware that it's for kids and that Grimes is trying to humiliate him.

At the contest, Homer's diorama is a crudely-created representation of the current plant, but with fins to lower wind resistance and a racing stripe. To Grimes' horror Mr. Burns, impressed by Homer's effort, awards him first prize, beating out Ralph Wiggum (whose 'model' was in fact a Malibu Stacy Dream House) and Martin Prince (whose futuristic model was actually generating the power for the auditorium). To rub more salt into the wound, Homer also receives a standing ovation from everyone present, except Grimes who points out that it was a contest for children, a claim which unsurprisingly falls on deaf ears, of course.

His plan having backfired, a horrified and outraged Grimes ends up declaring the entire plant insane before suffering a nervous breakdown. He begins to rampage through the plant, imitating Homer as he loses his sanity and goes around saying he is Homer Simpson, both mimicking and mocking his actions such as peeing on the toilet seat, eating like a slob, saying he's lazy and how these actions should be rewarded instead of punished because he's Homer Simpson. Grimes rushes into Homer's office, there he sees an extremely high voltage cable. Claiming that he doesn't need safety gloves because he is Homer Simpson, Grimes grabs the cable but ends up electrocuting himself.

At Grimes' funeral, during which Reverend Lovejoy states Grimes liked to be called "Grimey", despite the fact he hated the nickname, Homer falls asleep and talks in his dream, making all the attendees and Reverend Lovejoy laugh as Grimes' coffin is lowered into the earth.

Meanwhile, on a trip to a local government building, Bart wanders away from Marge and ends up buying an abandoned warehouse at a tax auction for a single dollar. He moves right in, and then hires Milhouse to act as a security guard. Unfortunately, the warehouse collapses in the middle of the night, leaving the rats to swarm Moe's tavern.