Brick Like Me (S25, E20-550)

He can't handle all of this co-branding!

Plot Summary
After Homer wakes up from a nightmare to determine whether its "selling out" or "co-branding", he goes out to buy Lisa a gift on a seemingly normal day in a seemingly normal Springfield... except everything and everyone is made out of legos Lego Brand Bricks, where everything fits in and no one ever gets hurt.  Homer initially suspects something is amiss when he attempts to buy a Princess brick-building playset from the comic book guy, where he has a vision of him building that same set with Lisa, actually enjoying doing so, and as their more familiar fleshy forms.  This freaks Homer out and he runs off, but he continues to see certain images, objects, and people as animations rather than bricks.

Meanwhile, Milhouse brings a skunk to show and tell, which runs off.  He and Bart chase it to the basement where it enters a small hole.  The two remove bricks from the wall to retrieve it, but after they co-erce Willie to bust it open, the entire school collapses in a sea of bricks.  As punishment, Principal Skinner forces Bart to rebuild the school brick by brick.  Bart attempts to rebuild it in his own image, but Skinner catches him and forces him to rebuild the school properly, and multiple times over as Skinner possesses multiple sets of the school to build.

Homer's delusions reach critical mass when his hand become fleshy and finger-y, for all to see.  Knowing now that he's not really going crazy, Homer takes Marge back to the comic book shop to come in contact again with the Princess brick set.  Upon doing so, Homer has an extended vision of the animated world.  Here, Homer and Lisa continue to have genuine fun building things with toy bricks, even building a model Springfield, when the two learn of a brick convention coming up.  The two decide to go, but later Homer overhears Lisa with several older girls who invite Lisa to the premiere of a Hunger Survival Games movie, of which the girls are fans.  Homer reluctantly allows Lisa to see the movie, but realizes that his fun time with Lisa has come to an end and that he no longer fits in her world.  Going to the brick convention alone with the model Springfield, Homer begins to wish he could be in a world of bricks, where everything fits in and nobody ever gets hurt.  Its there where comic book guy's massive brick model of the H-Survival Games lead character falls on Homer, knocking him out.

Back in brick Springfield, brick Homer realizes this reality is one he conjured up so that he can spend an infinite amount of time with Lisa.  Ecstatic with this revelation, Homer happily allows the brick world to continue, uncaring about returning to reality.  However, after playing with Lisa for a short time, Homer then realizes that, with things as they are, he'll never grow old and enjoy the relevant benefits, or see Lisa grow up and have memories of her that could be cherished.  Homer realizes his mistake and runs back to the comic book guy's shop to find the Princess brick set - the key to the world - and return things to normal.

However, the comic book guy apparently represents the part in Homer's psyche that wants things to remain in fantasyland, and quickly sets up a fortress around his shop with reinforcements to stop Homer.  Homer calls out for help, and quickly Bart arrives, having built a lego-mech of some sort thanks to all the experience he had building schools.  Bart wipes out the reinforcements and topples the fortress.  Homer is able to find the brick set and becomes fleshy again.  He thanks brick Marge for her support, and comes back to reality.  Lisa is the first person he sees upon coming to, who decided to go to the brick convention after all, but Homer retains his lesson from his dream and tells Lisa to spend time with her friends so she can grow up.

Quick Review
I figured this episode could go one of two ways.  As a complete and utter bow down to the glory that is Lego media these days, I had feared this episode would be a mish-mash of Lego antics and branding that just wouldn't make even a competent episode.  Thankfully, oh so thankfully, the episode's plot, borrowed from the movie or not, was full of quality jokes that made good use of the Lego, hm, 'universe', and it was also a mildly touching Homer and Lisa story that features none of the poor writing that often plagues Lisa-heavy episodes.  I must say I am pleasantly surprised with this episode, and its one of the season's best.

Final Score: 8.1