Jaws Wired Shut (S13, E09-278)

Homer never did very well taking punches from Tatum, real or otherwise.

Plot Summary
The Simpsons go to the movies, however when the film they see continues to be preceded with preview after preview, Homer goes nuts and tries to incite a riot.  He's chased out by ushers, though, and Homer escapes outside where he ends up running into a statue of Drederick Tatum.  Homer's jaw hits the statue's fist dead on, essentially crushing it.  Later, to repair it Dr. Hibbert wires shut Homer's jaw, leaving him unable to speak or eat solid foods.

Though Homer initially finds it difficult to live with a jaw wired shut, he soon decides to invest his time listening to others, starting with Marge.  Marge comes to like this new Homer, and and is even able to bring him along for a fancy social gathering incident free.  However, at said gathering, Dr. Hibbert sees Homer and tells him that he can remove the wiring the next day, much to Marge's dismay as she's fully aware that this'll mean the return of 'old' Homer.

However, as Homer celebrates the return of his jaw at Moe's, he and Marge are invited to appear on a TV show to talk about his jaw and the person he became while it was shut.  He vows on said show to remain his new, mild self, even stating he won't bother with an upcoming demolition derby in a few weeks.  Marge loves this at first, but as the weeks go on, she grows tired of new Homer, as the days have gotten extremely dull.  One night, she comes to realize that every family needs a wild member, and if Homer isn't going to be wild (and forgetting Bart exists, I guess), then Marge will have to be wild.

Marge signs up for the demolition derby and finds it thrilling at first, but once her car starts getting knocked around its not so fun anymore.  The other Simpsons arrive, but Homer has now become too timid to jump in and help.  Bart finds a quick, simple solution to Homer's dilemma: beer!  Beer loosens Homer's demeanor and he quickly goes down and rescues Marge before her car flips over from the chaos of the derby.  The two resume their roles of wild husband and mild wife, and everything turns out okay.

Quick Review
I liked this episode, there wasn't anything bad about it really, and nothing cringe-worthy either.  Its still not the funniest episode around though, the jokes that did appear worked well for the most part, but its still a fine episode.

Final Score: 7.8