Character: Barney Gumble, voiced by Dan Castellaneta
First Episode: Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire (S01, E01-001)
Occupation: Barfly, normally has no job, but still finds a way to get money to waste at Moe's bar
General Demeanor
Of the frequent visitors of Moe's Tavern, Barney has typically been the most drunk of the bunch, much more so than even his best friend Homer. Whether he's slurring his speech, ranting about nonsense, or emitting his famous belch, Barney is almost always drunk, and almost always too drunk at that.
In the rare instances Barney is actually sober, the man is quite competent, able to perform tough physical and mental demands when he's been off the booze for any amount of time. Of course, when Barney eventually relapses, he relapses pretty hard.
Otherwise, Barney is a background character in scenes at the bar, often taking a backseat to Homer, Moe and even Lenny and Carl. This is especially true in newer episodes, where Barney is basically non-existent save for a few appearances over this 13 year span to now.
Key Character Moments
The Rise of the Simpsons
Barney doesn't have many key moments here, though in his aforementioned debut, Barney is depicted with Simpsons-yellow hair and a different kind of belch, though these both become standardized to brown hair and loud respectively later on. Barney also has a minor role in The Way We Was, as Homer's high school friend. Neither of them were good students at the time. Barney was also Selma's date in Principal Charming, when Selma was willing to settle until she learned Patty dumped Principal Skinner, leaving Barney to his booze again.
The Golden Age of the Simpsons
A bit more of Barney's character is revealed in Homer Alone, when Homer asks Barney to help him keep track of Maggie. Barney mistakes Maggie for Bart and has an obsession with making omelets after Maggie goes missing.
Mr. Plow is the first episode to really give Barney's character attention. Its established that Barney was a top student ready to go to college until Homer introduced him to beer, instantly wrecking his career prospects, as well as his life. Barney, in this episode, is having trouble making ends meet when he gets an inspirational speech from Homer - who has established himself as Mr. Plow - to go out there and get things done. Barney does just that, by setting up a rival plow business called Plow King which apparently destroys the competition (i.e. Homer). Jealous of Barney and his success, Homer tricks Barney into plowing along a mountainside, but when Homer learns Barney was caught in an avalanche, Homer rushes out to save his friend, and the two promise to work together, though mother nature effectively ends both of their plowing businesses.
The Season 5 flashback episode Homer's Barbershop Quartet revealed Barney is an excellent singer, especially for barbershop groups. With his voice replacing the god-awful voice of Chief Wiggum, "The Be Sharps" become a big hit for a rather short period of time. Then Barney gets involved with a Yoko Ono-type woman, tries to 'revolutionize' barbershop, and things fall apart.
Later in the season, in Deep Space Homer, Barney's competency when sober is in full display when he and Homer are in the running to be NASA's "average Joe" astronaut. Once sobered up, Barney becomes a top-tier athlete and basically has the job in the bag, but when he takes a sip of some champagne (unaware that its non-alcoholic), Barney blurts out "It begins!" before stealing the bottle and a jetpack on a supposed drunken stupor.
In Season 6, Barney is one of many people to submit a movie in A Star is Burns. His short film brings attention to the hell that is his alcoholism, which moves the crowd and the judges who Burns didn't buy out. As a reward for this cry to help him escape the ravages of alcohol, Barney is given a lifetime supply of Duff beer, which goes right into his veins.
Barney is one of the suspects in Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part 1), angered when Burns' oil rig forces Moe's Tavern to close down. While Part 2 doesn't do anything specific to clear Barney's name, its eventually learned Maggie shot Burns so he was innocent anyway.
The Fall of the Simpsons
In Season 9's premiere The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson, Barney is forced into being the designated driver. Worse yet, its on the same night he wins a night with Duffman to celebrate his love of Duff. Unlike past instances where Barney does okay when sober, this experience drives Barney crazy, leaving him to take Homer's car all the way to New York over the course of a few months.
Later in the season, in Simpson Tide, Barney joins the Naval Reserve alongside Homer, Moe and Apu, and is one of the crew members stuck in a renegade submarine commanded by Homer. His similarly looking and sounding mother is with him on said sub.
From here, Barney's relevance to the show starts to fade. He doesn't get anything dedicated to him again until Season 11's Days of Wine and D'oh'ses, when Barney finally realizes just how drunk he's been and decides to finally sober up, taking up Moe's joke gift of helicopter lessons. Despite some struggles, including a spat with a possibly jealous Homer, Barney is able to stay the course, though he becomes addicted to espressos instead, something Moe just happens to have started to serve.
For some time after that episode, Barney seldom appears in the bar, and when he does he is in a sober state, drinking espresso or whatever instead of being a boozehound.
Zombie Simpsons
So that whole "Barney is sober" bit doesn't last that long because, well, Barney as a character has become useless. Season 14's I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can is the first episode to indicate Barney relapsing back into alcoholism.
In Season 16's She Used to be My Girl, its learned that Barney's girlfriend in high school is the now nationally famous reporter Chloe Talbot. Its revealed via flashback that Chloe left Barney to go to journalism school, realizing that the drunken Barney was not worth staying in Springfield for. However, at episode's end, its Barney and his amateur helicopter skills that saves Chloe's life and the two have pity sex right afterwards.
Zombie Simpsons HD
Barney appears in Season 21's Million Dollar Maybe to help Homer keep his million-dollar lottery ticket a secret from Marge given the circumstances of him acquiring it. Barney 'claims' the money for Homer, then gives Homer the ingenious idea of buying good stuff, but leaving it out in the open for him and his family to 'claim'.
Besides that, other than a minor appearance in Season 23, Barney hasn't seen much action.
Must Watch Episodes That Focus on Barney Gumble
Mr. Plow
Homer's Barbershop Quartet
Deep Space Homer
A Star is Burns
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