Trash of the Titans (S09, E22-200)

When someone gets beaten up in front of everyone, you just know you're at a concert.

Plot Summary
After Love Day, another holiday devised by a corporation, the Simpsons have a lot of trash left over but nobody willing to actually take it outside.  Homer is finally forced to do it, but at the very last minute, and just as he runs the trash outside the garbage men drive right past him.  Homer yells at them some, but then they overhear him and get into a fight.  Ultimately, they cut off Homer's service, and Homer is more than happy to not have any trash picked up to prove he's in the right, though the rest of the family is less than eager to agree.

With trash piling up, its seems like things will only get worse before it gets better, however one morning its all gone.  Homer thinks he's won, but it turns out Marge sent in an apology to the sanitation department with Homer's signature.  Offended, Homer angrily goes to said department to have his apology retracted.  There, he and sanitation commissioner Ray Patterson get into an argument (though its mostly Ray trying to figure out what Homer's is trying to say/do), and Homer decides to run against Ray for the position.

Homer's biggest problem, though, is that he has no plan or mission, and as such his campaign isn't going anywhere.  Moe, though, gives him the idea of using a catch phrase and then going with it.  The two quickly come up with: "Can't someone else do it?"  Promising that garbage men will come into homes and pick up trash and clean up other necessities, Homer's campaign takes off.  Ray tries to have voters be reasonable here, but of course they aren't, and Homer's crazy promises gets him the position.  On his way out, Ray tells Homer that his general incompetence will cause him to crash and burn soon enough.

Homer still tries to fulfill his promises by ordering new uniforms and round-the-clock service for his garbage men, again explaining their increased presence via a song.  However, as one would figure, Homer runs out of money just a single month into office, and sure enough Homer is crashing and burning.  After getting 'help' from his family, Homer comes up with a solution to the budget problem: letting other cities dump trash inside an abandoned mine, paying Homer to do so.  Of course, this solution doesn't last long as the trash compiles and complies and soon there's too much under Springfield to bear, leaking and spilling out all over town.  Homer is quickly outed of his position, and though the town welcomes back Ray Patterson with open arms, he declines the position as he is enjoying watching the town pay for its poor decisions.  Left with no choice, Mayor Quimby reveals a "Plan B": relocating the entire town five miles away.  The natives weep, no, shriek over what was once Springfield.

Quick Review
I didn't enjoy this episode too much which is shame given that its the show's 200th episode.  Ray Patterson brought a realistic person into the fray that I actually enjoyed, and Homer's struggle with the garbage men early on was pretty funny, but a few other things, notably that whole scene at the U2 concert or how the episode ended, I didn't enjoy as much.

Final Score: 8.1