Gil Gunderson
Gil Gunderson
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Character Information
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Contents
Creation
Gil is based on Jack Lemmon's portrayal of Shelley Levene in the film version of Glengarry Glen Ross: a nervous, middle-aged man with the inability to hold a steady job due to strings of misfortunes that tend to hit him at the worst times. Gil made his debut in the episode "Realty Bites", where he played a hapless real estate agent much like Lemmon did in the film. Lemmon himself played a similar part in "The Twisted World of Marge Simpson".
Character Traits
Gil frequently refers to himself in the third person ("C'mon, help ol' Gil out here!") At one point, at least, Gil has been married; in the episode "Marge Simpson in: "Screaming Yellow Honkers"", he mentions that his wife will leave him if he doesn't start "bringing in the green". Later in the same episode, he telephones his wife and overhears her carousing with his friend Fred, and it seems to be implied that she is having an affair which Gil is too weak to put a stop to. In the episode "Kill Gil: Vols. 1 & 2" Gil reveals that he is indeed now divorced from his wife. Gil has several health problems, including bronchitis and a bad back. He's also a strong moocher, and is adept at piano singalongs.
Jobs
Realtor
Gil has been seen holding a number of different jobs, first as a real estate agent in the episode "Realty Bites". The Lionel Hutz line, "Welcome to the big league, Marge. There's over fifty years of experience right in this room! And forty two of those years are Gil's!" seems to imply that before he ran into Marge, Gil actually kept professions. Since the retirement of Lionel Hutz from the series (due to voice actor Phil Hartman's death), Gil has filled the role of Springfield's cheap(est) lawyer. In the third act of "Kill Gil: Vols 1 & 2", Gil returned to his first known job as a real estate agent, and actually became one of the most successful realtors in Scottsdale, Arizona, only to lose his job thanks to Marge.
Lawyer
He found some brief success as a lawyer, assisting Marge with her anti-sugar campaign in "Sweets and Sour Marge". He returned to the legal profession in "The Frying Game", but he was less successful, as Homer and Marge went to prison. He replaced Lionel Hutz as the incompetent lawyer.
Other
In Natural Born Kissers he was seen as a car salesman, while in I Don't Wanna Know Why the Caged Bird Sings he was ready for his first day as a security guard and was later shot.
Homes
In "Old Yeller Belly", Gil apparently lived at the Springfield Men's Mission (a hostel for down-and-outs), although he was forceably ejected from the premises because he had overstayed the "six month occupancy limit." A defiant Gil walked straight into a shady organ donation clinic to sell his eyes for cash.
In "Natural Born Kissers", it is implied that Gil lives in a hot-air balloon, which is stolen by Homer and Marge. Gil's lone possession in the balloon is a hot plate (on which he still had two more payments to make). Gil has also been seen living in a storage locker, as seen by "Day of the Jackanapes".
Death
Actual Death
In I Don't Want To Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Gil is gunned down by robbers on his first day as a bank security guard. It is unknown if he survived or not.
Attempted Suicide
The episode "Tis The Fifteenth Season" includes a brief scene showing Gil attempting suicide by hanging himself with Christmas lights. He appears later in the same episode ice skating at Homer's house with the Christmas lights around his neck.
