The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3, Episode 5, "Reflections," now streaming on Paramount+.
The bulk of Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3, Episode 5, "Reflections" is taken up by Sam Rutherford's surprisingly poignant duel with his younger self, which stands as one of the season's emotional highlights. But for sheer comedy, Brad Boimler effortlessly steals the episode with his climactic outburst against a bevy of Starfleet naysayers. It lands him in trouble, but also proves to be a surprisingly cathartic experience.
In the process, Boimler takes a cue from Ned Flanders -- the inhumanly friendly next-door neighbor on The Simpsons who had a meltdown in similarly memorable fashion during the Fox sitcom's eighth season. Both characters possess a similar need to be pleasant, which makes the humor in their respective blow-ups so potent. Both scenes also use the opportunity to comment on their subject's respective emotional state, turning the joke into something more resonant.
In Boimler's case, he's at least acting in defense of his beloved Starfleet. "Reflections" puts him and Beckett Mariner in charge of a Starfleet recruitment booth, where they endure endless ridicule from those manning the kiosks around them. While Boimler isn't as relentlessly chipper as Ned, he can patiently endure just about any indignity in the name of duty. "I know it's not exciting," he tells a thoroughly non-plussed Mariner as they embark on the shuttle. "But it's our assignment. What are you going to do?" He remains chipper and on point for the bulk of the episode, even as his partner throws copious shade back at the skeptics.
That changes when their uniforms become the new target of ridicule -- more specifically, when a member of the crowd pulls off his ensign's pip and throws it in the dirt. Boimler promptly snap, smashing the kiosks around him and screaming uncomfortable truths in the most hostile possible terms. ("YOUR SHIPS SMELL LIKE ASS!" he yells at the Collectors Guild.) This behavior naturally lands him in the brig, but also earns him the respect of Commander Jack Ransom, who notes the fervor with which Boimler defends Starfleet's honor.
Boimler's rampage pulls a lot of energy from The Simpsons Season 8, Episode 8, "Hurricane Neddy," which finds Springfield's least angry citizen finally boiling over. The Flanders clan are in desperate straits after the titular hurricane destroys their house. Ned never took out an insurance policy ("He considers it a form of gambling," his wife Maude explains), so his friends and neighbors endeavor to rebuild his home for him. It ends up collapsing moments after they unveil it -- prompting an outburst of hostility at everyone present. The Simpsons get particularly vicious treatment, as Ned gives voice to their various unmentioned social flaws before calling Homer the worst human being he's ever met.
Performance plays a huge part in both jokes. Lower Decks actor Jack Quaid adroitly channels Boimler's twitchiness into pure over-the-top fury. Harry Shearer, who voices Ned Flanders, works hard to contrast the character's anger with the preternatural friendliness he'd displayed in the previous seven seasons. There's a touch of the bullied nerd pushed too hard in both cases, though "Hurricane Neddy" is more pointed since the targets of Ned's attacks are genuinely trying to help.
Above all, both jokes depend on the character and their less-than-healthy approach to negative emotions. Flanders represses every non-positive thought he's ever had -- a result of childhood neglect as "Hurricane Neddy" reveals -- while Boimler's desire to be a good officer translates into similar emotional constipation. Their respective explosions work as comedy because they're marked contrasts from their typical demeanor, but also because the piper is finally being paid for all of that repression. Beyond the laughs, the characters experience legitimate growth, and that makes these scenes instant classics.
New episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks stream Thursdays on Paramount+.