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| Remember when episodes ended like this all the time? |
Its time for another school science fair! As Bart doesn't have a project ready to go (or at least a good one - seeing the effects of smoking on a dog doesn't count), Lisa shows off a giant tomato, enhanced with anabolic steroids (and judging from the size of it, a ton of steroids). At school, in a regrettable act, Lisa has Bart take care of the tomato as she retrieves something she forgot. Seeing Principal Skinner bent over to tie his shoe, though, leaves Bart with no other recourse. He accurately throws the tomato right into Skinner's butt, leaving Skinner devastated, Bart thoroughly pleased and Lisa mad as all hell.
Angry with Bart, Lisa decides to begin a new project: "Is my brother dumber than a hamster?" In two different instances Lisa finds the hamster to be far more intelligent than Bart, however Bart finds the project journal and learns of the ploy. When the science fair arrives, Bart has the last laugh by having the hamster plopped into a toy plane, with little pilot gear fitted onto the hamster. Despite having no scientific merit, the cute display woos everyone, including Principal Skinner who gives Bart first prize.
Meanwhile, Homer and Barney plan to go to the Duff Brewery, with Homer leaving work early to do so, though he practically blows his plan to Marge. After escaping work, Homer and Barney have a grand time at the Brewery. After, given how drunk Barney is, Homer decides to drive them home, but the police are camped right outside ready to pull over people just leaving the Brewery. Homer is unable the pass the breathalyzer, and is arrested for DWI. His license is revoked, leaving him to ride a bike to work and elsewhere and is forced to attend AA meetings as a result. Later on, Marge is able to convince Homer to not have any beer for a month. Homer reluctantly agrees.
Homer's month without beer becomes rather tortuous, as he's forced to deal with things alcohol was able to otherwise help him through. His desperation came to such a low that at one point he went to a football game just so he could eat the dirt under the bleachers. The constant (and sometimes literal) bombardment of Duff advertising nearly drives Homer over the edge, as well. Yet, Homer is able to last the entire month. Quickly rushing to Moe's, Homer's beer enthusiasm is soured as he notices the other boozehounds: depressed, out of it, wasting away. Opting to get back into beer a later time, Homer heads back home, so he can take Marge on a bike ride at sunset.
Quick Review
Duffless ends up being a fantastic episode. The scenes with the Duff Brewery near the beginning, Bart and his adventures with the rigged cupcake as well as the science fair sideplot, Homer's month without beer (and the origin of how he first started drinking), these were all excellent moments throughout this episode. It ended on such a nice moment as well. Duffless is one of Season 4's best episodes, and maybe a bit underrated as well.
Final Score: 10
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