The War of Art (S25, E15-545)

I could make a rock or stone pun here, but I figure I could be boulder (or not).

Plot Summary
Lisa, for some reason, really wants a pet guinea pig to call her own.  Eventually, Homer and Marge relent and allow Lisa to get one.  Predictably, Lisa loses track of it and it gets into the wall, eventually busting through the wall, and the boat painting that hangs over the couch.  Marge is devastated over the loss, but Homer decides to take her to someplace where they can get a replacement work of art for cheap: a yard sale.  Specifically, the Van Houten's yard sale, where they find a piece of art Kirk had acquired during the time he was separated from Luann, which they buy for $20.  Later, after taking off the chrome frame from the painting, Lisa finds out the painting was made by a semi-famous artist, and after appraising it they learn its worth at least $80,000.

Marge is more than happy to split that money with the previous owners, the Van Houtens, but Homer is against the idea, under the "finders keepers" mentality.  Their arguments as to whether to tell the Van Houtens about it is overheard by Milhouse who had come over, and their attempts to buy Milhouse's silence fails when he cracks and tells his parents anyway.  Kirk and Luann confront Homer and Marge over it, and Homer in particular is defiant, unwilling to share the painting or its profits.  The Van Houtens take their complaints to the media, whose news story creates a divide in town between those who want the painting to go back to the Van Houtens and those who want the Simpsons to keep what they earn.  Finally, the painting goes up for auction with Homer's intention to keep every cent, however a complication arises: a former girlfriend of Kirk's during his separation interrupts the proceedings to claim ownership of the painting, as she says Kirk stole it and thus has never been owned by him or the Simpsons.

Unaware that Kirk had been with anyone during the separation, Luann gets so upset at Kirk that they, well, separate.  With Marge officially tired of the ordeal, and with Homer for his part in what's happened, Homer decides to go to the place where Kirk claims he bought the painting to prove as such: Isla Verde.  He and Lisa find the restaurant that sold the painting to Kirk, and they confirm it was Kirk that made the purchase.  However, before Homer can celebrate for too long, an old man nearby makes the claim that he, not the semi-famous artist, made the painting in question.  He takes Homer and Lisa back to his house, which contains a view shown in the painting, and reveals he's a professional forger, and that the painting Homer technically owns is, in fact, a worthless forgery.  Lisa is of course appalled at all this, but the old man doesn't care as he knows his forgeries still bring people happiness from looking at his works of art.  With his potential money gone, Homer instead asks the forger to make a few more as a favor.  Later, Kirk makes up with Luann by presenting her a painting of the Van Houten family, and Homer gives Marge a painting as well: a replica of the boat painting that hanged above the couch for so long and can now do so again.

Quick Review
Well, I liked the episode for the most part.  Homer was mostly in top form for humor, though the episode does take the typical late dive as it went into more exposition.  That keeps the episode from being rated higher than it is, but I did get some good laughs out of it, especially early.

Final Score: 7.2