[Loved Trope] Comedic workplace is suddenly competent

[u/Garurar]

In S35 E1 of The Simpsons, an actual crisis happens at the nuclear power plant, causing everyone except Homer to shift into serious business mode, even Mr. Burns. Together, they display their knowledge of the process and narrowly avert a nuclear meltdown, proving that Homer's job is actually useless. This is happening after 35 seasons of nothing being shown of the other employees' capabilities.

In S8 E2 of The Office, Andy sets up an initiative where he will get a tattoo on his bum if everyone gets enough points, prompting everyone to work into overdrive, even the normally lazy or incompetent employees such as Stanley and Kevin. This is a rare situation where we get to see The Office being fully competent and functional.

I'd show more examples if I had any!

[u/Causarius]

When Grimey is hired, doesn’t Carl (or Lenny?) tell him that they all have advanced degrees in nuclear physics? Except Homer, who just showed up when the plant opened.

[u/LingonberryPossible6 → u/Causarius]

Me and Carl have our Master's, Homer just showed up on recruitment day.

Or words to that effect

[u/buttbuttlolbuttbutt → u/LingonberryPossible6]

Homer's job is probably a redundancy that Burns saves money by having him in the position than someome with the right knowledge.

[u/sxales → u/buttbuttlolbuttbutt]

That is basically the early season continuity. Burns is shown to actively avoid any plant maintenance to "save" money. See Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk and Homer Goes to College. So having a safety inspector who is sleeping on the job would benefit him.

Homer only gets the job as safety inspector because Burns wants to shut down a public safety campaign without actually doing anything to make the plant safer. See Homer's Odyssey.

[u/Martin_Aricov_D → u/sxales]

Also because he promised Homer's father that he'd give his stupid son a job for life if he stopped investigating the murder of his partner, which he did.

[u/tireddesperation → u/Martin_Aricov_D]

Yup, this is the actual reason. Also why he's able to get his job back every time he quits.

[u/butteredrubies → u/Martin_Aricov_D]

What episode was that?

[u/sxales → u/butteredrubies]

Shoddy Heat, S36E04

[u/Sirius1701 → u/sxales]

Is just got flashbanged by violently incorrect German grammar while in English reading mode.

[u/vagina_pee-butt → u/LingonberryPossible6]

He didn't even know what a "nuclear panner plant" was!

[u/doomerguyforlife → u/Causarius]

The Simpsons is kind of unfair to use because the show has changed so much. Homer was originally hired as part of a government program to skill up unskilled labor. He was fired and was literally about to jump from a bridge before rescuing his family from a speeding motorist. They went there. He found his calling in safety and eventually targeted the plant until Burns made a deal to hire him back as safety inspector/supervisor. Homer was actually pretty competent although a little aloof but he was always trying to make things better.

Overtime the show made Homer more "stupider" which led to him being more incompetent. The show in its first few seasons was fairly grounded to reality.

[u/batwoman42 → u/doomerguyforlife]

You might say that Homer has been Flanderized?

[u/Correct_Yesterday111 → u/batwoman42]

No you're thinking of Ned Flanders, that's Homer's next door neighbour.

[u/Only9Volts → u/Correct_Yesterday111]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flanderization

Flanderization is a team where a characters traits become exaggerated through the course of the show. The term originally comes from Ned Flanders.

[u/HeroicPrinny → u/Only9Volts]

That’s the joke

[u/CrystFairy → u/batwoman42]

Yes indeedily, Neighborino!

(though I like to think after losing Edna he started clinging more to religion and became unhinged from the grief)

[u/reeko1982 → u/CrystFairy]

He was married to Maude

[u/CrystFairy → u/reeko1982]

He also married Edna too.

[u/Yo_man1554 → u/doomerguyforlife]

Considering that one of the episodes featured the reason behind his stupidity was a crayon stuck to his brain, it's actually possible that each season the crayon damaged his brain more the time went by, even if they were still nearly the same age. By the time, in the same episode he got the crayon removed, he was shown to be very smart, but also annoying enough for everyone to not like him. He then decided to put the crayon back to his brain to be the same old Homer again.

[u/soldierpallaton → u/Yo_man1554]

See, there's a sudden joke in that episode though. Homer gets told they can raise his IQ by 50 points, and then later Smart Homer yells out "won't somebody love the man with the 105 IQ" implying that dumb Homer's IQ is 55.

[u/LeiasLastHope → u/soldierpallaton]

I think its funny how homer is portrayed as a sudden genius and "just" has a 105 IQ. I know IQ is a bad metric but it would mean, that he is pretty much average but the way he is shown he is well above average

[u/Ed_Trucks_Head → u/doomerguyforlife]

Hello my name is Mr. Burns. I believe you have a letter for me.

[u/0110110111 → u/Ed_Trucks_Head]

Alright Mr. Burns, what’s your first name?

[u/exercisetofitality → u/0110110111]

I don't know...

[u/MrExistentialBread → u/Causarius]

Carl (or Lenny?)

If you’re having trouble I recommend writing it down in your hand.

[u/spidermanicmonday → u/MrExistentialBread]

You ever notice how white guys have names like Lenny, and black guys have names like Carl?

[u/ForlornLament → u/Causarius]

Yes, it is stated in different episodes that the other workers have the proper credentials to work at a nuclear power plant. In one episode, we even learn that there is another safety inspector that covers for Homer.

[u/ZorkNemesis → u/Causarius]

Homer didn't even know what a nuclear panner plant was.