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| "Ah, ballet..." |
After Marge foolishly gives money to public television, she earns two tickets to a ballet. Homer, mistaking ballet for a circus act where a bear drives around in a mini car, is initially excited, then less so when Lisa clues him in on what ballet is. The night of the ballet, though, a coin-less Homer notices a crystal soda machine and, with no money, decides to put his arm in the machine to grab a can, trapping it. After getting his free arm trapped in a candy machine, Homer somehow finds a way to call Marge to tell her he can't make it home in time. Distraught, Marge gets an opportunity to invite her neighbor Ruth Powers (previously in New Kid on the Block) to the ballet. The two have fun, and as Homer makes it home (turns out, his arms were only stuck because he wouldn't let go of the soda/candy), he becomes somewhat irked that Marge has found a friend to go out at night with.
The next night, Marge and Ruth go out again. Jealous, Homer decides to have fun too, though he needs a babysitter for Lisa and Bart. Lionel Hutz just happens to be outside scrummaging through garbage, and Homer pays him $8 to keep an eye on the kids for the night, which is an adventure of itself. Marge and Ruth, meanwhile, have a great night doing this and that, and to cap off the night, go to the hilltop where a large Hollywood-esque "Springfield" sign stands. After a little reminiscing, the two decide to head on back. Just after they leave, Homer arrives, his previous attempts at having fun not working out, and Chief Wiggum stumbles upon him. Wiggum decides to take Homer home. His cop car ends up behind Ruth's car on the way back. Wiggum notices that one tail light is smaller than the other, and turns on the siren. Ruth then lets Marge know something important: after her ex-husband failed to pay child support, Ruth stole his car. Not wanting to get caught, Ruth speeds off, turning off her lights in the dark to confuse and scare both Wiggum and Homer.
That morning, Ruth drops Marge off at a gas station slash diner combo, advising Marge not to get involved and to take a taxi home. However, after seeing several instances of friends (or waffles) sticking together at the diner, Marge decides to stick with Ruth to the end. Wiggum and Homer see the two head back the other way and call the entire Springfield police force to give chase. The ladies get close to the state line, but a line of cop cars appear in the way. With Ruth about to give up, Marge refuses to let Ruth do so, turning the car into the open. Soon, though, they are heading towards the "Great Chasm", not aware of it either. Homer, still in Wiggum's car, tries to talk to Marge, and warns the two of the chasm. They stop in time, but Wiggum's car drives right into the chasm... and into a giant dump of garbage within the chasm that saves their lives.
In the end, Ruth keeps the car and forces her ex to pay the child support, Lionel Hutz is paid the $8 for 32 hours of babysitting, Marge is forced to pay 5 cents for shooting antique cans plus $2000 in emotional damages, and Homer is sent to an Army chemical facility for testing, which he gladly agrees to do.
Quick Review
Marge on the Lam has its best moments with the sidestories, whether its Homer getting his arms stuck in vending machines or Lionel Hutz spending more time burning away his identity than actually babysitting. The main plot with Marge and Ruth has its moments, but not really enough to claim it among Season 5's best episodes.
Final Score: 8.7
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