The following contains spoilers for The Simpsons season 36 episode 12, "The Flandshees of Innersimpson," now streaming on Hulu

The Simpsons revisits the Homer and Ned Flanders feud in season 36, even going so far as to tweak the circumstances of their first meeting. In The Simpsons, Ned is the long-suffering next-door neighbor of the titular family. A devoted Christian and generally regarded as the friendliest man in Springfield, Ned has gotten a great deal of character depth and exploration over the subsequent decades of the show. One of the character's most interesting qualities is the relationship he develops with Homer, with their differences setting up plenty of comedy and conflict.

The feud that exists between Homer and Flanders, explaining why the show keeps wanting to reexamine how they first met.

Season 36 Changes How Homer Met Flanders

Why Flanders Wants To Destroy The Simpson Family Couch

"The Flandshees of Innersimpson" ret-cons the first meeting of Homer and Ned Flanders, revealing that Homer used the opportunity to "borrow" what has since become the family's iconic couch. "The Flandshees of Innersimpson" focuses largely on Ned and his decision to never speak to Homer again. After a year of the silent treatment, their feud spills over into overt antagonism after Homer attempts to genuinely apologize to Ned. Furious Homer was capable of such emotional maturity all along, but continued to be a jerk towards him. Flanders lashes out by trying to destroy everything Homer ever borrowed from Ned.

This includes the Simpson family couch. Flanders angrily reveals that Homer asked to borrow the couch the first day they met when Homer moved in. In a moment of kindness, Flanders agreed, and has only been able to watch as Homer became more brazen in "borrowing" things from his neighbor. While this explanation does largely fit with the established continuity of The Simpsons as established in earlier seasons, it does make a big tweak by having Homer only get the family's couch by effectively stealing it from Flanders. That detail is quietly a big ret-con in "The Flandshees of Innersimpson."

Season 4 Established How Ned Met Homer

"Lisa's First Word" Revealed The First Thing Homer Borrowed From Ned

Homer and Ned's first meeting was previously revealed in season 4's "Lisa's First Word." Largely a flashback episode that follows Homer, a pregnant Marge, and a toddler-aged Bart as they move into their family home, "Lisa's First Word" also reveals that Ned and Todd introduced themselves to Homer and Bart right after they moved in. While the scene does feature Homer asking to borrow something from Flanders — thus beginning what would become their standard "friendship" — it's not a full couch. Instead, it's the far more mundane TV tray that Flanders hadn't even opened from the box before Homer takes it.

This highlights how the dynamic at play in "The Flandshees of Innersimpson" still fits the emotional consistency of the characters and their history, even if the specific items being "borrowed" are ret-conned.

This highlights how the dynamic at play in "The Flandshees of Innersimpson" still fits the emotional consistency of the characters and their history, even if the specific items being "borrowed" are ret-conned. Elevating the borrowed item from a TV tray to an entire couch helps to emphasize Flanders' anger and Homer's consistently selfish behavior. It also matches the cartoony nature of later seasons of The Simpsons compared to the relatively more grounded early seasons. This wouldn't be the only time that The Simpsons has changed how Flanders met Homer, with those other ret-cons being more fundamental changes to their relationship.

The Simpsons Keeps Changing How Homer And Ned Met

The Simpsons Revealed How Homer Met Ned In Season 4, But Changed It For Season 20 And Season 30

While Homer and Flanders were established to have only known each other as adults in the primary, other episodes have changed their internal histories to connect them earlier in their lives. Season 20's "Dangerous Curves" explored Homer and Marge's young romance, focusing on a time when they almost split apart during a vacation and ended up with different people. During the episode, a young Ned and Maude give the pair a ride in their car after seeing Homer get injured while bike riding.

Having just gotten married themselves, Ned and Maude try to give Homer and Marge advice about the challenges that face married couples and later complicate their vacation by trying to ensure they can't have premarital relations. Later episodes suggested that Homer and Flanders actually met years earlier and may have never realized it. Season 30's "My Way or the Highway to Heaven" is an anthology episode that explores different forms of faith. For Christianity, Ned recounts his prior job as a door-to-door salesman decades prior.

While not a bad man, Flanders didn't have much faith in spirituality until he risked his life to save a local boy from a dangerous trampoline he sold him. This boy turned out to be a young Homer, which is consistent with the reveal from season 10's "Viva Ned Flanders" that Ned is actually decades older than Homer. This meeting was even more consequential for Ned than his other "first meetings" with Homer, as a brush with death in the process of saving Homer led to his deeply-held Christian faith.

Why The Simpsons Can Keep Changing Homer And Ned's Origin Story

Homer And Ned Is One Of The Simpsons' Best Character Dynamics

Homer and Ned have one of The Simpsons' key dynamics. Even beyond the comedic potential of having the buffoonish and selfish Homer contrasted against the squeaky clean push-over, their quiet appreciation for (and frequent frustrations with) one another has steadily become Homer's most consistent adult relationship in The Simpsons. As such, the temptation to explore how they met and defined their dynamic is tempting, especially if it can inform how they've evolved since. Flanders has reached plenty of breaking points with Homer over the years, but season 36 is able to make it feel like a specific boiling-over moment.

The Simpsons has explored the Homer and Flanders dynamic extensively over the years, going all the way back to season 2's "Dead Putting Society."

"The Flandshees of Innersimpson" cleverly approaches the idea, highlighting how their relationship has remained stunted for years despite numerous episodes where the pair finally learn to empathize with one another​​​​​​. It even draws attention to the way both men settle back into the status quo after each fight. The Simpsons' couch being the first thing Homer "borrowed" is a fitting amplification of Homer's poor qualities, even if it is a little frustrating to see the show changing a classic moment. Regardless, this ret-con speaks to the flexible canon of The Simpsons that nevertheless remains consistent on a character level.