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| I think the writers have realized they don't need good endings to their wacky situations anymore. |
The family attends a magic show, and Bart becomes interested enough to get a magic kit. A freak accident occurs when a sturgeon lands on the car, requiring over $6500 in repairs. Bart tries to chip in with his improving magic act, so Homer takes him to the port to get some coin, but the two can't even earn a dollar. Homer is so upset over Bart's failure, he drives home without the boy. This scene occurs out in public, and various people who witnessed the child neglect take pity on Bart and give him generous amounts of cash. Its enough for Bart to take a taxi home, which passes Homer by on the way. Back home, Homer realizes that fake 'charity cases' could be the ticket to free money, and he and Bart team up to be con artists.
The cons go off without any hitches, and soon the two are raking in money. Homer is able to pay for his car repairs but he decides to keep doing it because hey, why not. Their next con is botched, though, when Flanders recognizes the con he is being conned. Homer and Bart hide out in the treehouse where Grampa confronts them. Grampa was the king of the con back in his day, and he's willing to help the two pull the biggest con of all: at the retirement home.
Setting up a ploy where Grampa fakes his death after 'winning' a million dollars, Homer and Bart are caught by a supposed FBI agent while Grampa flees the scene. The agent takes the two to the police station to turn themselves in, and though the two come up with a plan to avoid jail, it turns out the agent was a con man himself, and gets away with both Homer's car and the money from the retirement home con. Unwilling to admit the truth, Homer tells Marge later that he was carjacked, and half-asses up a description of the guy. The next morning, police found somebody that matches the description: Groundskeeper Willie. Homer and Bart go to Willie's trial but neither are willing to admit to the truth to save Willie. Willie is found guilty; in desperation Willie grabs Chief Wiggum's gun and starts shooting, 'killing' Principal Skinner in the process.
Homer finally admits to what really happened with the con. Just then, Marge admits something of her own: that Homer and Bart were still being conned! The retirement home scheme, the arrest, the carjacking, Willie's trial, all of this had been planned by Grampa and the family to stop Homer and Bart from conning others, and everybody was in on it (except poor Willie). Homer asks why everybody would go through such trouble to teach him and Bart a lesson, but just as Lisa begins to explain, Otto comes in to invite everyone to surf, and everybody does so, thus the show avoids the need to explain itself.
Quick Review
The episode has its moments, and there wasn't anything all that bad, besides the cop out ending, but there quantity of jokes just wasn't there.
Final Score: 7.1
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