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| In this candid moment, we learn Burns isn't packing much. We needed to know this. |
A disastrous trip to a water park leaves Homer depressed over his weight, but he vows to get back to his scientifically determined weight of 239 pounds no matter what. While looking for exercise equipment, Homer stumbles upon a bunch of paintings of Ringo Starr that Marge painted back when she was still a schoolgirl. Marge explains that her art teacher disapproved of the subject of Marge's strokes, which discouraged Marge from continuing. She sent one of her paintings to Ringo himself, then gave up on painting. With Lisa's encouragement, however, Marge decides to pick it back up, signing up for a class taught by a man with a rather familiar voice.
As Homer's exercise routine is going along smoothly, Marge does well in the class, so much so that her painting of Homer is sent to an art contest, where she wins first prize. She's told that her ability to find 'inner-beauty' in a person is what makes her paintings so great.
Meanwhile, Mr. Burns has just dedicated a wing to the museum and it requires a painting of him in six days. Failing to find a painter who does the job he wants, Burns turns to Marge to paint for him, which she agrees to. The process turns out more difficult than expected. Marge finds it extremely difficult to find any 'inner beauty' in Burns as he continuously gets angered at Maggie, Lisa, or whoever else gets near him. It reaches a head when Homer, ecstatic about reaching his goal of 239 lbs, is mocked by Burns for still being fat. Marge has Burns leave, with the painting due at the museum in just two days.
Marge finds herself discouraged again, but she receives a letter from Ringo Starr, who has been replying to every letter he can recently, and says Marge has a real talent for painting. Rejuvenated, Marge finally finds a way to present Mr. Burns: in his thin and scrawny birthday suit. With the crowd stunned, Marge quickly explains that even though Burns seems intimidating and vicious, behind all of that is still a frail creature not unlike anybody else (although likely more frail than others). The crowd then likes the painting, even Burns who thanks Marge for not mocking his genitalia (though Marge thought she did).
Quick Review
I liked this episode. Jon Lovitz as the ever enthusiastic art teacher was great as usual, and Ringo Starr's brief appearance was well used also. Its hard to mess up anything involving Mr. Burns, and that much is true here as well. Homer's diet subplot, which is believed to be the main plot early on but is pushed aside for Marge's painting career later in the episode, fades at the end, but it was still a pretty decent storyline while it lasted. Overall its one of Season 2's better episodes.
Final Score: 8.3
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