Little Big Mom (S11, E10-236)

"Feels like I'm wearing nothing at all - nothing at all - nothing at all!"

Plot Summary
The Simpsons go skiing, and while Homer and the kids have lots of fun on the slopes, Marge isn't having any of that and relaxes at the resort the entire day.  However, a nearby clock falls off a wall and lands right on Marge's leg, breaking it.  At the hospital, its learned that Marge will have to stay in the hospital until her leg has healed.  Lisa decides to lead the family in her stead, though Marge is quick to warn her that Homer and Bart are quite difficult to corral.

Even so, Lisa tries to get the two involved with chores and the like, but neither one really goes with it.  In fact, most of the time the two just pig out and either eat or sleep, and hardly anything else.  Being forced to clean up after them and dealing with their shenanigans, Lisa begins to unravel.  One night, as Homer and Bart are watching I Love Lucy reruns on TV rather loudly, Lisa is visited by the ghost of Lucy (the character, I guess?), who gives Lisa an idea to get back at the two.

Mixing green poster paint together with some oats, Lisa paints the mixture onto the two while they're sleeping.  The next morning, after the two freak out over their new skin marks, Lisa has her doctor program diagnose them with leprosy.  Trying to teach them that by doing chores and being clean that they can be cured, Lisa seems thrilled with the results.  However, both Homer and Bart are still unwilling to work.  Somehow recalling that Jesus can cure lepers, but also well aware that they aren't on good terms with Jesus, the two contact the next best thing: Ned Flanders.

Marge's leg has healed and she returns home to a panicked Lisa, who has lost Homer and Bart.  They ask around, and find Ned who tells them that he shipped them off to a leper colony in Hawaii for treatment.  Upon going to Hawaii, Lisa tries to apologize to the two for tricking them, but they've learned that the didn't really have leprosy and that the free trip to Hawaii more than makes up for it - even though the two guys have to undergo painful electrotherapy for their supposed leprosy.

Quick Review
This episode is a wonderful surprise hidden way down in Season 11.  There are a lot of jokes that just work here.  The ski trip in the first act had several great moments, including "stupid sexy Flanders".  The middle act had its moments too, and the last act with the leprosy was great as well, particularly the "Virtual Doctor" bit as well as the Ned and Maude's panicked crisis with the leper Homer and Bart.  At this point, I think its safe to say this is the best episode of Season 11 and is definitely one of the best episodes in Mike Scully's four-season run.

Final Score: 10

Natural Born Kissers (S09, E25-203)

Homer wanted danger, but not this much danger!

Plot Summary
Homer and Marge wish to celebrate their 11th anniversary, but with Grampa having gone to the wrong house there's no babysitter.  The two are forced to bring the kids to some gimmicky restaurant and neither really have a good time.  The two try to 'have fun' later that night, but neither can really get it going.

The next day, the motor for the refrigerator has burned out as Homer left the freezer door open overnight.  The two have to drive out to the boondocks to get a new one, but Homer gets the car stuck in some mud.  With a storm approaching, the two take shelter in a nearby barn.  A farmer checks it out for trespassers, but he doesn't find the two.  After he leaves, Homer and Marge get turned on from the danger, and 'trespass' on one another.

While that's happening, Bart and Lisa are stuck at Grampa's place at the retirement home, where they come across a metal detector.  Borrowing it, Bart tries looking around for treasure, though there's nothing of the sort in the backyard.  Searching elsewhere, the two kids find what appears to be an alternate ending for Casablanca.  Viewing it at the retirement home, they find this ending to be a happy ending, albeit in odd fashion.  An old man approaches the two and reveals that his studio had considered adding this ending to the movie because they were idiots, then pays the two $20 to rebury it along with a "killing spree" ending to Its a Wonderful Life.

Homer and Marge continue to get sexual thrills by 'snuggling' in public.  They push their luck by going to the minigolf place.  It was here over a decade ago where the two conceived Bart, and so they're back for more fun.  However, they do so in broad daylight with people watching.  Sure enough, a ball gets stuck in the obstacle the two are hiding in, and they're forced to escape.  Nobody sees them in the chaos, but the two are forced to leave their clothes behind, and are now running naked across town.

Fleeing from police, the two head for a car lot which has a hot air balloon, which they escape from.  In a desperate attempt to get clothes, Homer falls over, hanging on by a rope.  Marge lets the balloon down, but it lands inside a stadium during a football game, during "Camera Day" no less.  The two finally give up and let the crowd take pictures of them.  Later, the two try to explain why it happened to the kids, but while describing how all of those eyes were looking at their naked bodies, the two get excited again and make another trip to the minigolf place

Quick Review
I thoroughly enjoyed this episode.  Homer and Marge's naked adventure was the highlight of the episode, while Bart and Lisa uncovering and viewing the alternate ending was a treat as well.  There was plenty of laughs to be had, leaving Season 9 to end on an extremely strong note.

Final Score: 10

Lisa's Sax (S09, E03-181)

Ah, the old pastime of laughing at the elderly.

Plot Summary
After Homer & Marge do the All in the Family opening, Homer and Bart are trying to watch a new documentary on Krusty when Lisa's saxophone practicing gets on Homer's nerves.  He sends Bart to get Lisa to knock it off, but the two have a confrontation, leading Lisa's saxophone being thrown out the window, subsequently run over by a car, a truck and Nelson.

As Lisa cries over her loss, she notes that she's had the saxophone for as long as she can remember.  Homer is astonished that Lisa doesn't remember getting her sax, and begins to tell the tale about how Lisa got her sax... by talking about Bart's first day of school five years ago (in 1990, which is weird because the episode aired in 1997), which was terrible for him.  Homer & Marge do another All in the Family bit, with Apu brought in to finish a rhyme.

Marge takes over the storytelling, though the story still focuses on Bart.  Struggling in school with a downer of a teacher, and having no friends or fun, Bart becomes depressed, and scarily so.  Homer and Marge seek advice from the school's counselor, bringing Lisa along because they have nowhere else to leave her.  As the counselor advices that Bart stop trying to be an individual, he notices Lisa complete a complex jigsaw puzzle.  After asking a couple of questions, the counselor tells the parents that Lisa is gifted, and that they should find some way to nurture that gift as soon as possible.  However, most things that allow said gifts to nurture cost a lot of money, and the Simpsons just do not have much at that time.  However, Homer had saved up $200 for an air conditioner, just in time for an intense heat wave, but Marge has him hold off on buying one until they can figure something out for Lisa.

A short time later, Bart, still depressed, realizes that he can make other people laugh with jokes and such.  Gathering a crowd, Bart makes a five-year old ass of himself, and as Principal Skinner tries to set Bart back on the right path, Bart tells Skinner to 'eat my shorts', thereby turning Bart into the rapscallion we're familiar with today.

Meanwhile, as Homer takes Lisa to buy an air condition, spying one for $200, Lisa points out a shop for musical instruments.  Learning that musical instruments can encourage a gifted child, he takes Lisa in.  Lisa becomes enamored with a saxophone, but it too costs $200.  Homer waffles between the sax and the air conditioner for a few moments, but decides to buy the sax.  In the present day, Marge reveals that they have money saved up in the air conditioner fund again which can buy Lisa a new sax.  Despite Homer's initial protests, he buys a new saxophone for Lisa anyway, and afterward he, Marge and Apu take a moment to laugh at Grampa's temporary blindness.  Good times.

Quick Review
Lisa's Sax is an exceptional episode.  Bart's kindergarten days were fun to watch, with the bullies all wearing such neat shirts, and the appearances of Apu and Grampa really enhanced the comedy as well.  It all combines to make one of the best episodes of the season.

Final Score: 10

Homer's Enemy (S08, E23-176)

Man, he is eating that donut like a pro, goddamn.

Plot Summary
Mr. Burns sees a segment on TV regarding Frank Grimes, a man who has struggled through adversity after adversity yet was still able to work hard and acquire his degree in nuclear physics.  Inspired, Burns has Smithers find Grimes to make him his Executive Vice President.  The next day, Burns has now found similar inspiration in a heroic dog and has Smithers find it instead for that position, having Grimes be pushed off somewhere in the plant.

As it turns out, he ends up right next to Homer.  As Lenny introduces himself, Carl and Homer to Grimes, Homer immediately becomes a great annoyance to "Grimey", as Homer calls him, eating his lunch and messing with his pencils.  Frank is astonished that such an incompetent man could be the plant's safety inspector.  A turning point occurs when Homer is about to unwittingly drink acid.  Frank is able to knock it away, damaging a wall in the process.  Mr. Burns catches wind of this, learning that Frank is technically responsible, and punishes him for the damage done.  Further upset over these developments, Frank officially declares to Homer that they're enemies.

In the meantime, Bart is able to acquire an abandoned factory for a dollar in an auction.  The factory is clearly run down and dilapidated, but he 'hires' Milhouse and the two have fun within the decaying structure.  By episode's end, though, the factory does fall apart, its rats running over to Moe's for shelter.

Upset that he has an enemy, Homer gets advice from Moe and decides to bring him over to dinner, though he simply told Frank he had "something important" to tell him rather than send a formal invitation that might've been declined.  At the house, Frank notices just how much better off Homer is despite how lazy he has been.  A beautiful wife, a wonderful home, a son who owns a factory, lobsters for dinner, and having gone on several wild adventures and encounters.  Further agitated from this, Frank plainly calls Homer "what's wrong with America", as well as a fraud before taking his leave.

Homer refuses to go to work the next day because of Frank, but after talking to Marge, decides that he'll act more professional to gain Frank's favor.  Frank isn't affected by Homer's half-assed attempts, but finds that nobody will join him in pointing out that Homer is a moron.  Noting that he could die happy if he can prove to everyone in the plant that Homer is a dope, Frank notices a flier for a children's nuclear plant design contest.  Carefully carving out any reference to children, Frank plants the flier at Homer's station, hoping that he'll enter and embarrass himself in front of the plant by partaking in a children's contest.  Homer takes interest in the contest in hopes of impressing Frank, and thus Frank's plan is underway.

However, Frank's plan backfires as not only does Homer win the contest (as Lenny says, he "beat their brains out"), but gains the applause of the crowd.  Its the final straw for Grimes, as he has a mental breakdown right then and there.  He prances around the plant, promising he can be just as lazy and irresponsible as Homer, to the point where he deludes himself into believing he's Homer.  To further show he's now as 'dumb' as Homer, he tries to handle live wires with his bare hands, which electrocute him to death.  At Frank's funeral, Homer falls asleep, and his murmurs entertain the crowd just as Grime's casket descends into the ground.

Quick Review
For a time, this episode seemed to be rather controversial.  After all, it takes your real life hard-working person, pits him against lazy ol' Homer, and not only does Homer 'win', but the hard worker goes insane and eventually kills himself, and nobody even really cares.  I mean, that's pretty dark.  Its an episode that's more forgiven by younger viewers, who probably view it with a bit of nostalgia, whereas those who first saw it as adults thought it went just a bit too far, a few even considering it a "jumping the shark" moment for the series.

I'm personally in the former camp, and I'm willing to admit that nostalgic bias has a lot to do with how well I'm scoring this episode.  Homer's interaction with Grimes, Lenny and Carl's indifference to Homer's incompetence, Bart's factory subplot, these all add up to become one of Season 8's best episodes, and while the ending was indeed dark, I was not bothered by it at all.

Final Score: 10

Brother from Another Series (S08, E16-169)

I'm surprised there was never an episode where Bob tries to kill Wiggum.

Plot Summary
Bart freaks out when seeing Sideshow Bob on the TV during a prison show, but despite that it turns out Bob has reformed during his latest stay in jail, and Reverend Lovejoy has helped Bob enroll in a work release program.  The person willing to help Bob out?  Bob's brother, Cecil, who had been estranged from Bob for some time but is willing to take Bob on for his work.  Though the town is furious over Bob's release, he's able to calm them by explaining that everyone should get a second chance (never mind that Bob's had several already).  Bart, however, is still suspicious.

At Cecil's apartment, Bob learns he'll be supervising the construction of a dam just outside Springfield.  As Bob notes Cecil's rather superior demeanor, he realizes that Cecil is still angry over an incident years ago that led to the estrangement.  Cecil, as it turns out, was a big fan of Krusty the Klown and wanted to be his sidekick since he was 5.  He got his big shot one day, with Bob having driven him to an audition, however Cecil messes it up and as Krusty demonstrates how to do the 'pie gag' right by having one sent Bob's way, Bob's reaction to getting hit is apparently so funny they hire Bob on the spot.  Though Cecil may still be a bit resentful over those events, he's still willing to allow Bob to work for him.

Bob's frustrations quickly mount, however.  The workers Cecil has given Bob to construct the dam are nothing but slack-jawed yokels, and Bart constantly hounds Bob wherever he goes.  Bob catches Bart (along with Lisa) snooping in a dumpster, and takes them home, claiming he won't be held responsible should he catch them again.  Regardless, Bart and Lisa head to the dam to find clues.  Bart finds a suitcase full of money, but just then Bob enters the scene.  The two escape to an inner room of the dam, where they expose Bob's supposed embezzlement.  While Bob claims he hasn't seen that money before, Cecil enters the scene.  He is the one behind the embezzlement, creating a faulty dam that he's going to blow up, which will be blamed on Bob while Cecil walks away with millions of dollars (also he plans to blow up Bob and the kids in the dam).

With the kids now finding themselves unable to foil Cecil's plan, much to Bob's displeasure, he leads the kids to an escape route.  As Bob and Lisa attempt to disarm the bomb, Bart confronts Cecil, causing him to lose his money.  Cecil is able to grab Bart, though, and toss him off the cliff.  Heroically, Bob uses the dynamite as a rope to grab Bart, then cuts the wire to prevent Cecil from activating it.  Bob and Bart fall, but 'land' on a well-placed pipe.  Bart helps Bob off of it onto a nearby stanchion, essentially saving Bob's life, and the two make amends.

The police arrive to arrest Cecil, but Chief Wiggum arrives, and absolutely refuses to believe Bob wasn't responsible, eventually talking his way into having Bob arrested for 'resisting arrest' despite Bob, Lisa, Lou the cop and even Cecil proclaiming Bob's innocence.  In frustration (and on Cecil's clever tip), Bob accidentally yells out that people will pay for this, thereby establishing himself as a villain later on.  The dam does crumble, though the damage remains minimal.  Though Wiggum theorizes that Cecil and Bob could concoct one hell of a scheme in prison, the two merely just bicker.

Quick Review
I thought this episode was interesting already in the voice casting.  Kelsey Grammer, of course, voices Bob, but also plays Frasier Crane in both Cheers and the spinoff Frasier.  In the latter, Frasier's brother is played by David Hyde Pierce who, in this episode, voices Bob's brother Cecil.  To further show the Frasier connection, the first commercial bump featured a quick bit about the show so that the audience could get that, yes, this episode has the Crane brothers from Frasier as the Terwilliger brothers on the Simpsons.  Well, I found that interesting, anyway.

I found that dynamic between the two to be a strength for this episode, as the dry wit shared between the two I found funny from time to time.  Bart's role in the episode, the slack-jawed yokels, and Chief Wiggum's deductive reasoning all help make this episode one of Season 8's best and one of the best Sideshow Bob episodes around.

Final Score: 10

The Springfield Files (S08, E10-163)

"The following tale of alien encounters is true, and by true
I mean false.  It's all lies, but they're entertaining lies,
and in the end isn't that the real truth?  The answer is no."

Plot Summary
Leonard Nimoy introduces this episode's tale: its Friday, evidenced by several gags that prove as such.  Homer goes to the bar that night and gets drunk on some dog-infused beer.  Too drunk to drive, Homer decides to walk home, but gets lost along the way stumbling into a forested area.  Freaked out by several scary occurrences, Homer stumbles and sees a strange glowing creature, perhaps an alien, bringing love.  The act causes Homer to run away in terror.

Homer tries to tell his tale to others, but nobody will believe him.  News of Homer's story reaches the FBI, where Agents Mulder & Scully (of The X-Files show that FOX had been airing at the time) decide to investigate further.  However, Homer isn't able to identify the alien amongst the ones the FBI have in stock, and an attempt to locate the alien in the forest only yields Grampa, so the two Agents give up, leaving Homer back where he started in terms of credibility.  That night, Bart reveals that he believes Homer's story, because Homer is "so damn sure" he saw an alien.  Rejuvenated, Homer decides to go back to the forest next Friday to see it again.  He and Bart camp out that night, and indeed see the alien again.  Though Homer botches a greeting by stepping in the campfire, forcing the alien to flee, Bart is able to videotape it, giving the two the proof they need.  Nimoy concludes the tale there, but the episode still has 10 minutes to go.  Ol' Spock finds someway to run from his obligation anyway.

Some time later, footage of the alien is sold (or given, probably given) to the news, and that it'll likely reappear on Friday night again.  The forested area has a huge turnout that night, and indeed the alien pops up once more.  However, given Springfield's mob mentality, they advance to attack the alien.  Just then, Lisa (who had been skeptical the entire episode), reveals the true identity of the 'alien': Mr. Burns.  Smithers arrives on the scene to explain that, every Friday night, Burns undergoes a series of treatments - including severe chiropractic procedures, painkillers, and a vocal scraping - that leave Burns twisted, disoriented, and well-meaning.  The glow is attributed to Burns' years working at the nuclear plant.  Just as Burns comes down from his painkiller high, Dr. Nick gives Burns a booster shot, renewing his ecstasy and leads the town in a joyous song.

Quick Review
Its odd that nobody gives this episode flack for crossing over with the X-Files while A Star is Burns is criticised for being a crossover of a different show.  Was it because the X-Files was popular and therefore crossing over with it was okay?  Odder yet was that this episode was guest-written by Al Jean & Mike Reiss, who wrote The Critic, the show crossed over from A Star is Burns.  To find little criticism for this episode after the criticism that occurred for the other episode seems rather odd to me.  Odd.

As for the episode itself, well, it actually ends up being one of the best episodes in the series, oddly enough.  Leonard Nimoy's appearance was well done, the Friday night gags were great, and the references to X-Files and other alien-related things were good as well.  The story behind the 'alien' was hilarious, particularly Dr. Nick's line "the best part was when he gave me my money".  In all, a superb episode, another shining moment in what has been an excellent season thus far.

Final Score: 10

Hurricane Neddy (S08, E08-161)

"Come on in!  It's your master bedroom!"

Plot Summary
A hurricane is coming towards Springfield.  Apparently, Springfield is at a spot where that can happen.  After the mad rush for emergency supplies occur, Homer has everyone go into the cellar to hide (aka the "Grampa" drill).  After some time, the hurricanes finally passes though.  Miraculously, the Simpson home is left mostly unscathed, as is the case with nearly every other home in town with one notable exception: Ned Flanders, whose home was completely demolished, with only the family and the family tombstones surviving the devastation.

The house wasn't insured, as Ned considers insurance 'a form of gambling', so that's a major loss.  As the Flanders family heads to a rescue shelter at the church,  they learn to their dismay that robbers and looters and focused their attention on Ned's Leftorium shop, creating another major loss.  Ned can't even flip a page in the Holy Bible without cutting his finger.  Ned wants to scream out, but finds himself unable to.

The next day, Marge visits the Flanders with big news: the townsfolk has pitched in and worked together to rebuild Ned's home.  At first the family is impressed and grateful, however as they tour the home it becomes apparently, especially upstairs, that the house (built by Springfield townspeople, mind you) is poorly constructed and barely livable.  After the tour is done and everybody is outside the house, it collapses upon itself.  Its the last straw for Ned, who goes on a tirade against any and everybody he comes in contact with.  He then leaves angrily, driving away on his own to a mental institution to have himself committed.

A nurse catches wind of this and contacts one Dr. Foster, who is familiar with Ned.  When the two meet again, some backstory is shown: Ned's parents, previously revealed as beatniks, refuses to punish a young Ned, who as a result is a violent, unruly child.  Having tried nothing and running out of ideas, the two seek Dr. Foster's help, who comes up with an experimental plan: spanking Ned non-stop for eight months.  The method works too well: Ned is no longer capable of expressing anger, speaking gib-diddly-berish whenever he would otherwise be upset.  Realizing Ned needs to healthily release his anger, Dr. Foster brings in the one person Ned can't stand the most: Homer.

The doctor prepares some statements for Homer to say to Ned, including "past instances in which I professed to like you were fraudulent" and "I engaged in intercourse with your spouse or significant other", but Ned isn't bothered by this.  Instead, Homer tries to get Ned to admit he just likes everything, but after a short ramble, Ned blurts out that he hates the post office... and also his 'lousy beatnik' parents.  Realizing that Ned is now capable of expressing anger without expressing too much anger, Dr. Foster proclaims Ned 'cured', and Ned meets a joyous town outside, though this new Ned won't be taking anybody's nonsense anytime soon.

Quick Review
This is one of Season 8's best episodes.  The hurricane bit that started the show, the showing of Ned's shoddy new home, Ned's meltdown on everybody including poor Lenny, and Homer's 'conversation' with him were all excellent moments in this episode, providing a hilarious stream of jokes from beginning to end.

Final Score: 10

You Only Move Twice (S08, E02-155)

I'd work for him, no question.  Wouldn't you?

Plot Summary
A group from a Globex Corporation attempts to hire Waylon Smithers away from the nuclear plant, but when he refuses, they decide to recruit the man with the next longest tenure at the plant: Homer Simpson, who gladly agrees to the new job in hopes of achieving his dream: becoming the owner of the Dallas Cowboys.  As the job is upstate in Cyprus Creek, the family would have to move.  Though Marge is reluctant to leave, Homer uses a video Globex gave him to convince her and the family to move, and abandon their home as selling it would do little good anyway.

Just after reaching their new home, the family is greeted by Homer's new boss, Hank Scorpio.  Scorpio is a wonderful sort of boss, and his warm, kind demeanor helps Homer fit right in, not even laughing at Homer when Homer reveals his Cowboys dream to Scorpio.  Soon, as Homer decides to inquire about work hammocks to Scorpio, Hank sets Homer aside to take care of 'business': as it turns out, Scorpio is a supervillain and his Globex Corporation is building a giant death ray for the purposes of conquest, and Homer's job is to motivate a 'team' to get the nuclear reactor the death ray needs up within a short period of time.  Homer comprehends none of this, though, and finds he's really starting to like his new job and his new boss.

His family, meanwhile, are having some difficulties.  Marge finds herself having no housework to do as the house does a pretty good job of keeping itself clean.  Bart is unable to keep up with a well educated new school and is sent down to a remedial class whose tedium sits poorly with him.  Lisa finds that she's allergic to nearly everything in town.  One night, after Homer tackled a "loafer" at work, the family lets him know their struggles, and their desire to move back to Springfield.  Trouble, Homer decides to talk to Scorpio about it, just as Globex is being invaded by government forces.  During the chaos, Homer tells Scorpio his troubles, and Hank tells Homer that he should do what's best for his family, and suggests he does move back to Springfield.  Homer thanks Scorpio for everything and leaves just as the mayhem starts to get good.

The Simpsons return home, and at that moment Homer gets a telegram from Scorpio, who informs Homer that Scorpio's plan (which involved seizing the east coast apparently) couldn't of succeeded without Homer, and as a present Scorpio gets Homer one step closer to his dream.  While not the Dallas Cowboys, Homer instead now owns the Denver Broncos, which bums Homer out as Denver, at the time, was not good at football.  Then they won two Super Bowls just a little over a year after the episode aired.  Go figure.

Quick Review
You Only Move Twice is a wonderfully genius episode with a character in Hank Scorpio (voiced wonderfully by Albert Brooks) that was very well written as a likable boss regardless of his schemes.  Homer's football team subplot provided a few laughs whenever it was mentioned, and the family's troubles, particularly Bart's, were well done as well.  Its one of Season 8's best episodes.

Final Score: 10

22 Short Films About Springfield (S07, E21-149)

"Skinner with his crazy explanations, the Superintendent's gonna
need his medication.  When he hears Skinner's lame exaggerations,
there'll be trouble in town tonight!"

Plot Summary
Despite the title, there aren't 22 sub stories that fill this episode.  It's close to 22, but not quite.  Not that its a problem or anything.  Here, in minor detail, is every story featured:

1) Prologue: Bart and Milhouse, while chucking stuff at cars from a bridge above, wonder about the tales the people of Springfield have to tell, which sets up the rest of the episode.

2) "Apu in: The Jolly Bengali": As the two boys go to the Kwik-E-Mart to buy candy, Sanjay invites Apu to a party at his house.  Apu, unwilling to leave the Kwik-E-Mart for long, agrees to go for five minutes.  At the party, Apu pretty much has the full party experience in even less time, though he inadvertently locked Hans Moleman in the store in the meantime.

3) Lisa's Hair Problem (Part 1): As Lisa is recycling, Bart zooms along on his skateboard and tosses some gum away, unknowingly throwing it into Lisa's hair.  Lisa runs to Marge for help, but Marge only has oddball remedies for getting gum out of hair, such as applying peanut butter or mayo into the gum, but this doesn't seem to be working.  She has Lisa sit outside to let it sink it, but she's attacked by a swarm of hornets.

4) Smithers' Bee Problem: One bee flies off from Lisa and heads to the park, where it lands on Smithers (who is deathly allergic to bees), who is in the middle of a bike ride with Mr. Burns.  Burns, irritated that Smithers has slowed down, tries to shoo the bee away, but it stings Smithers instead.  With Smithers in dire need for help, Burns gets Smithers help the only way he knows how: by commanding Smithers to pedal the two all the way to the hospital.  The two make it but both collapse.  Rescue workers come out to help, but only grab Burns.

5) Dr. Nick's Malpractice Problem: After Nick confuses Smithers as a bum ("Holy smokes!  You need booze!"), he goes to a meeting with other doctors who confront him on a malpractice suit against him.  Just then, a crazy old man (Grampa) is causing havoc and insists on seeing a quack.  Nick steps up and 'calms' Grampa by telling him he has a condition where his skeleton is trying to escape the body, and uses 'electrotherapy' to 'cure' him.  The doctors drop the suit in forgiveness, and Nick gives Jasper a free nose job in celebration.

6) Moe's Burglary Problem: Moe officially calculates Barney's bar tab to be in the billions, but gets $2000 from him right away.  Snake runs in to rob Moe, holding Barney hostage.  Moe runs to safety inside a hidden, bulletproof compartment (with little air), which just allows Snake to loot Moe's newly acquired tab and run off.

7) "Skinner and the Superintendent": Skinner invites Chalmers for lunch, but burns his roast by mistake.  Using a series of lies and fabrications, Skinner is able to convince Chalmers that a bunch of Krusty Burgers he desperately bought is a family recipe and that the fire in the kitchen from the roast in actually Aurora Borealis in his own kitchen.  In all, it was a successful luncheon.

8) Homer's Maggie Problem: Hands full of groceries and Maggie, Homer sees an importantly headline in a newspaper stand, and goes to buy it right away, fumbling his possessions in the process.  He gets his paper, but accidentally gets Maggie stuck in the stand.  Having no usable quarters left and unwilling to leave Maggie to get more, Homer decides to just uproot the stand completely and take it home.

9) The Police's Hamburger Problem: Lou describes his time at a Shelbyville McDonalds, a restaurant that has zero presence in Springfield.  After hearing horrors about Krusty Partially Gelatinated Non-Dairy Gum-Based Beverages being called simply "shakes" at McDonalds, Wiggum has heard enough and goes out for donuts.

10) Bumblebee Man's Clumsiness Problem: After a hard day playing the bumbling bee at work, the actor tries to have a relaxing moment at home, but an incident involving oranges causing his clumsiness to take full effect, destroying the house and forcing his wife to divorce him.

11) Snake's Wiggum Problem: Coming off the heist, Snake is in a bind when he sees Wiggum, who just bought some donuts.  Panicking, Snakes tries to run over Wiggum, but crashes into a wall.  The two get into a brawl which goes into Herman's store, where he holds the two hostage for some reason.

12) Lovejoy's Flanders Problem: Reverend Lovejoy brought his dog to Flanders' yard for the sole purpose of having the dog do its business there.  Class act, Reverend.

13) Lisa's Hair Problem (Part 2): As Flanders goes to retrieve his shovel from Homer, he spies Marge still trying to get gum out of Lisa's hair.  He offers to help, but it doesn't seem to work.  Other townspeople chime in to give advice to Lisa's predicament, which only irritates the poor girl.

14) "Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel": Cletus finds a pair of boots for Brandine's job interview, but as they wouldn't really work well on the topless dancing runway, he has to return them where he found them: dangling on a wire.

15) Milhouse's Bathroom Problem: Milhouse desperately needs to use the bathroom, trying to do so at the comic book shop, but a transaction is required, and as Milhouse is doing that his dad gets him in trouble and takes him away before he could use the bathroom.

16) Wiggum and Snake in a Problem, Featuring Milhouse: Milhouse's next attempt is at Herman's shop, where his father notices both Wiggum and Snake beat up and tied up with Herman just standing there.  As Herman readies to take the elder Van Houten hostage, Milhouse accidentally knocks Herman out with a mace he grabbed.  Wiggum then tries to make his escape.

17) Lisa's Hair Problem (Part 3): Lisa passes Wiggum but is far too concerned about her hair to think about anything else.  She goes to the barber who cuts that part of her hair off, then stylizes it to make it look good.  Lisa starts feeling good again, but is immediately laughed at by Nelson.

18) Nelson's Tall Man Problem: Afterwards, Nelson laughs at Mrs. Glick tripping into a trash can, then laughs at a man driving a rather tiny car.  The man stops and steps out, revealing himself to be rather tall.  Nelson tries to escape, but the tall man catches him.  After a failed attempt at reasoning with the boy, the tall man decides to publicly humiliate Nelson instead, pulling down his pants and having townspeople laugh at him instead.

19) Epilogue: As Bart and Milhouse squirt condiments on Nelson from above, Bart realizes that there are indeed plenty of tales to be told by the townsfolk, but there simply just isn't enough time to hear them all.

20) "The Tomfoolery of Professor Frink": The professor runs in, his skit having been delayed by literal monkey trouble at the lab, but as he tries to sink his bit's theme song, the episode goes into credits and Frink promises that the monkey'll pay for this.

Quick Review
22 Short Films About Springfield, a rather experimental episode at the time, is one of the best episodes of the series.  There is just so many things that work right here.  I think part of it is that there are a good number of jokes in every bit that the writers forced in to make sure each bit is gold, but with so many bits there ends up being a lot of quality throughout.  Its a wonderfully written episode and its a shame more episodes like this were never made afterward.

Final Score: 10

Homer the Smithers (S07, E17-145)

How many nightmares has Burns had with this guy in them?

Plot Summary
After hosting his employees at a drag racing function, Mr. Burns retires to his car afterwards.  Upon sending Smithers to retrieve a smaller foam hand, a drunken Lenny approaches him, terrifying the old man beyond belief.  Smithers eventually returns to escort Lenny away, but not being there at the start haunts Smithers.  Smithers tries to make it up the following morning, but another mistake further pushes him in the pits of despair.  Burns insists Smithers take a vacation, much to Waylon's horror.  Needing to find a replacement while he's gone, Smithers tries to find someone who would be too incompetent to outshine Smithers, and as such he picks Homer Simpson.

Apparently there are 2800 duties Smithers performs for the otherwise self-incapable Burns, from brushing his teeth, to lying to congress and notably stopping his 122-year old mother from calling and berating Burns (the two aren't on good terms, to say the least).  As Smithers takes his leave, Homer finds himself overwhelmed with everything he has to do for Burns, and the old man takes notices of Homer's tomfoolery, noting out loud to Smithers during phone calls of Homer's incompetence, right in front of Homer.  Becoming sleep deprived combined with the abuse lashed out by Burns, Homer finally snaps and punches Burns square in the jaw.

Freaking out over the possibility of having killed him, Homer flees back to his house.  He collects himself, and returns to Burns' office.  While Burns did survive the attack, he does have a black eye and is now deathly scared of Homer, shooing him off at every opportunity.  Though Homer tries to reconcile by making Burns coffee, Burns refuses and makes the coffee on his own in a painstaking attempt.  Burns then insists on driving himself home, upon which he realizes that, hey, doing things for yourself isn't so bad after all.  In rather short time, Burns is able to make coffee and shred incriminating documents with ease.  As Homer wonders if there's anything left for him to do now, Burns thanks Homer, as Homer's brutal attack helped Burns learn to be self-reliant.  Just then, Smithers returns, stunned at seeing Burns thank Homer.  Sure enough, Burns no longer 'needs' Smithers, and fires him on the spot.

Smithers tries to get a job elsewhere, but nothing is panning out.  Desperate, Smithers applies for the bottom of the barrel, rock-bottom job others have contemplated in their darkest hour: guarding Barney so that he doesn't raid the Duff beer truck at midnight.  Homer intervenes just in time, and convinces Smithers to get his old job back, though Smithers asks Homer to help him out.  Smithers is fairly sure that as capable as Burns has become, he still wouldn't be able to deal with his own mother, and sets up a ploy where he 'saves' Burns from his mother's ramblings.  However, Homer botches the call and his poor attempts at acting don't fool Burns, and as Burns quickly learns that Smithers is behind the scheme, Smithers finally has enough of Homer, and gets into a fight with him.  Burns tries to stop the fight, but nothing he does works, and crawls on top of a large bear figure to avoid getting hit.  However, Homer is knocked back by a clever ploy of Smithers, and backs into the bear, causing it to crash into the window, sending it - and Burns - down three stories outside.

Burns survives this as well, though is rather injured from the fall.  Smithers regains his job to nurture the broken Burns back to health, and though Burns has Smithers 'deal' with Homer for his second violent act, Smithers instead sends a gift basket thanking Homer for getting his job back.

Quick Review
Homer the Smithers is the best episode of the season thus far.  Everything about this episode really works well.  From things as silly as Lenny's "attack" to Smithers' vacation preferences, to Homer's attempts at cooking breakfast, this episode has a lot of good going for it, with no real gaps that drag it down at all.  Its another highlight of this stellar golden age of Simpsons.

Final Score: 10

A Star is Burns (S06, E18-121)

Burns: "Are you saying 'boo' or 'boo-urns'?"
Crowd: "BOOOOOOOO!  BOOOOOO!"
Moleman: "I was saying 'boo-urns'..."

Plot Summary
Its learned that Springfield is the least popular city in the nation, ranking dead last in science and culture.  Worried that what little tourism the city actually has will diminish, the town has a meeting to determine how to fix this problem.  Marge, much to everyone's chagrin, has a suggestion but unlike past suggestions people like this one: a film festival where Springfield's locals can submit films to judging.  The town takes to the idea and soon everyone in town starts filming.  Needing someone to help judge the event, Marge along with Lisa look for viable film critics on TV, finally settling on one Jay Sherman for how smart and sensitive he is.  Marge writes to Jay and asks him to visit Springfield, and decides to go, if only because Rainier Wolfcastle wants his blood for insulting him on TV.

As Bart senses "another cheap cartoon crossover" approaching, he meets Sherman, The Critic, as he stays at the Simpsons place up until after the festival.  Homer is quickly put off by Sherman, as he seems more capable than Homer in everything, including belching, and especially including the ability to recite the entire Oscar Meyer song.  With Marge not particularly defensive of Homer's intelligence, Homer insists Marge put him on the film jury, a list that includes Marge, Jay, Mayor Quimby and Krusty the Klown.  Marge relents, and puts Homer in.

As the festival nears, Mr. Burns decides to take part, as he learns profits are dropping because he's seen as an ogre-like individual.  With Steven Spielberg unavailable, Burns calls upon Señor Spielbergo, Spielberg's non-union, Mexican equivalent to direct the film and opts to play the role of himself after finding no suitable actors.

The day of the festival arrives, and things start well enough.  One movie, aptly named "Man Getting Hit by Football" features Hans Moleman getting hit in the groin with a football, a movie that quickly becomes Homer's favorite.  Next, Barney Gumble made a film that chronicles the pain and sorrow of his alcoholism.  The powerful film quickly becomes a crowd favorite, though Homer was getting a beer and missed the film.  The final film is Burns' movie, a seemingly epic film that has him bringing in factory jobs from America to Mexico, filling the role of ET for some reason, and giving water to Judah Ben-Hur somehow.  Everyone hates the movie, booing (or in one case, 'boo-urns'ing) the film and Burns.

During judging, though, Burns was able to bribe both Krusty and the Mayor, and thus the two of them vote for Burns' film.  While Jay and Marge both vote for Barney's rather poorly titled "Pukeahontas", Homer is insistent on voting for "Man Getting Hit by Football".  With the judging in recess, Marge shows disgust towards Homer, while Jay comments that there must be more to life then guys getting hit in the groin by footballs (just before getting hit by one himself).  Homer decides to finally see the film, and agrees it to be the best of the festival, giving Barney the award and its prize: a lifetime supply of Duff beer.  The festival is a success, and Jay heads back to New York offering the Simpsons a chance to be on his show (which Bart quickly declines).  Marge notes that Burns had learned his lesson, though six months later an attempt to get his film an Oscar via bribing fails when it loses to George C. Scott's "Man Getting Hit by Football".

Quick Review
This episode is a controversial one, in that, well, its a crossover.  Now, its not the only crossover the show would do (see: Season 8's The Springfield Files featuring the X-Files crew or Season 22's Elementary School Musical featuring the cast of Glee), but unlike those other episodes, this episode features a crossover with The Critic, a show that was produced by Al Jean and Mike Reiss, showrunners of the Simpsons for Seasons 3 and 4 before leaving to work on The Critic.  Furthermore, its the only crossover that featured a mix between two animated comedies, which I think is the sticking point.  Series creator Matt Groening was not pleased with that, so it was reported, and left his name off the credits for this episode.  The Critic, funny as it was, lasted a total of two seasons, only one of which was on FOX, as the show never really caught on, so having a show that wasn't very popular crossover with the Simpsons at the time must've raised a few eyebrows as well.

Despite all of that, the episode is still very funny.  Wolfcastle's new film, McBain: Let's Get Silly, featuring lines such as "Do you ever notice how men always leave the toilet seat up?  That's the joke." was the best part of the episode, I believe, but many of the films or the productions thereof really gave the episode the meat of its comedy.  Say what you will about the crossover, but Jay Sherman fit right into the episode (even if most of his comedic failings from The Critic didn't transfer over), and Jon Lovitz again provides an excellent voice over.  Even if you're not a fan of the concept, the quality of the jokes and humor in this episode make it one of the best of the season regardless of whether the crossover enhanced or detracted from your experience.

Final Score: 10

And Maggie Makes Three (S06, E13-116)

Truly, one of the most memorable images of the early seasons of the show.

Plot Summary
As the family watches another thrilling installment of Nightboat, the crime solving boat, Marge turns off the TV as the family had agreed to one hour of "family time".  With the hour moving along at a crawl, Marge decides to look in the family album, specifically baby pictures, specifically pictures of baby Bart sleeping.  However, there seems to be no pictures of Maggie in the album.  The story behind that, as Homer tells, takes about the length of an episode.

Two years prior (no longer setting solid dates for these things), Homer finally pays off all of his debt, enabling him to begin his grand plan.  He quits his job at the nuclear plant, making a public mockery of Mr. Burns and literally burning the bridge on his way out.  Next, he easily gets a job at his dream place: the bowling alley.  Working as a pin monkey, Homer doesn't make nearly as much money as before but with no debt he is able to set up a budget that will work for him, Marge, Bart and Lisa.  To celebrate, he and Marge have a night out, which results in the ever successful act of procreation.

As Marge quickly becomes pregnant, Homer has the time of his life at the bowling alley.  Not only is he enjoying his work, he's actually good at it, too.  Still, Marge decides not to tell Homer about the new baby until the time is just right, which may as well be never.  Patty and Selma learn about this, and while promising not to tell Homer about it, they instead tell two of the biggest gossips in town, who quickly spread the news.  Despite being congratulated for "hard work", "a bundle of joy" and "way to get Marge pregnant", Homer takes these all to refer to his work at the bowling alley - even the last one - and remains ignorant of what's happened.  He comes home to a baby shower held by Marge's sisters, still not figuring out what's going on.  Maude finally actually congratulates Homer for his work at the alley, and only then does Homer figure out that Marge is pregnant.

Distraught, Homer knows that his current salary at the alley isn't enough to pay for the new baby.  He tries to get a raise at the alley, actually deserving one for once, but business at the alley isn't busy enough for Homer to get one.  One failed attempt at getting business later, and Homer has no choice but to quit his dream job and literally crawl back to his old job at the nuclear plant.  As punishment for Homer's previous departure, Mr. Burns has a plaque placed in Homer's work station that says "Don't forget: you're here forever."

Complete demoralized, Homer finds himself unable to bear the burden or even get excited about the baby.  Soon enough, Marge goes into labor, and though Homer remains lethargic about it, once the baby is born he perks up and shows love and care towards the newborn Maggie.  Back to the present, Bart points out that the original query of where Maggie's pictures are remains unanswered.  Homer remarks that those pictures do exist, but are at his workstation to remind him that he's working at the plant for Maggie, having covered up the plaque to read instead: "Do it for her".

Quick Review
This episode, a rather compelling tale of tragedy and triumph, is one of the season's best episodes.  Its funny enough on its own, but its the touching ending that really gives the episode its cherry on top, another heartwarming spectacle that really showcases the best of what the series has to offer.

Final Score: 10

Homer Badman (S06, E09-112)

"No, Mr. Simpson, don't take your anger out on me!
Get back, get back!  M-Mr. Simpson, nooooooooooooooooo!"
Dramatization: May not have happened

Plot Summary
Homer 'earns' two tickets to a candy convention and opts to bring Marge along, as she is the most capable of the rest of the family to store and hide loads and loads of candy; they hire a feminist graduate student, Ashley Grant, as a babysitter and off they go.  At the convention, Homer stuff tons of candy into an oversized trenchcoat featuring multiple huge pockets he had Marge wear.  Eventually, in the gummy section he spies a special piece of gummy carved to look like a miniature Venus de Milo.  Homer attempts to steal the candy, using a combination of soda and pop rocks as a bomb to ensure his and Marge's escape.  That night, though, Homer misplaces the Venus, but has to take the babysitter home in the meantime.  Ashley is disgusted by Homer's demeanor and demands he just drop her off wherever.  There, he sees the gummy Venus stuck right on Ashley's ass.  Homer pries it off but Ashley, unaware of any gummy, mistakes the act as Homer "making a move" as it were, and runs off screaming.  Homer, having enjoyed his sacred gummy, is content.

The next morning, though, the house is met with an angry mob.  Believing it to be the candy conventioneers, Homer is instead stunned to learn its a protest group led by Grant who accuses Homer of sexual harassment.  Though the family believes Homer when he tells them he was just grabbing the gummy, the attempt to tell this story to Grant and friends falls on deaf ears.  The protesters won't give up and continuously hound Homer throughout each day.  At one point, Homer receives a call from "Godfrey Jones" at a show called Rock Bottom willing to show Homer's side of the story.  Homer agrees to do the show, but the show warps Homer's story to make him seem like the pervert the grad students believe he is.  Now, Homer's got national media attention going against him, with every show making a theme or story around Homer's supposed act.  Even the kids are starting to hesitate around Homer with how much Homer-bashing TV is doing.

Lisa gets the idea to use public access television to get Homer's story across.  However, it is met with little fanfare, but one such viewer, Groundskeeper Willie, decides to help out.  Willie, like all Scotsmen apparently, enjoy taking amateur videos out at night, often of couples in cars.  Willie just happened to catch Homer and Ashley on tape, which clearly shows Homer grabbing the gummy, not any ass.  The family shows this to the grad students including Ashley, and all is forgiven, I guess.  You'd think Homer would've learned a lesson about trusting TV, but another Rock Bottom report about Willie being a "Rowdy Roddy Peeper" gets Homer against his savior as well.

Quick Review
As an aside, this episode has the first use of my favorite coach gag: the one where the couch and everything continuously goes backward and the Simpsons chase it indefinitely.  I always found it hilarious despite how simple it is.

Anyway, this episode could've gone wrong at a few different moments, and probably would have with a different creative staff.  However, keeping the focus on corrupted media and Homer's struggles really keeps Homer Badman together, so much so that it is one of the best episodes of the season.  Homer's "live under the sea" escape scenario, Willie, the candy convention and the makeshift bomb, there was so much that worked well in this episode there was hardly anything that could slow it down.

Final Score: 10

Lisa on Ice (S06, E08-111)

The Maple Leafs could use Milhouse's adequate blowing abilities.

Plot Summary
Bart mistakenly believes the next day to be a snow day based on a weather report, only to find the next day to be unseasonably warm.  With a book report due that day, Bart's ass is saved (for awhile I assume) by an assembly where Principal Skinner announces the use of "Academic Alerts", which inform parents right away if and when a child is failing a particular subject, such as Ralph in English ("Me fail English?  That's unpossible!"), or Bart on pretty much everything.  A shock occurs when Lisa gets an alert, as it turns out Lisa is failing gym due to her lack of physical capability.  She learns she can avoid failing the class if she picks up an extracurricular sport outside of school, but neither basketball nor volleyball work out.

At the same time, Bart is participating in peewee hockey, a star player on Chief Wiggum's Mighty Pigs team.  Homer showers all of his praise on Bart, though he also threatens to punish Bart mightily should Bart fail or his team even lose.  One night, the Pigs are playing against Apu's Kwik-E-Mart Gougers, and one of Bart's shots concusses the Gougers' goalie, the poor Milhouse.  Receiving more praise from Homer later on, Bart taunts Lisa further by shooting garbage at her.  Noticing Lisa deflect each and every shot, Apu decides to take Lisa on as his new goaltender, with Lisa only obliging due to her failing gym grade.

Lisa's first couple of games go alright, but she plays terrified.  As the games go on, though, Lisa picks up a competitive streak and turns into a fierce fighter in net, quickly receiving Homer's praise rather than Bart.  Bart is further put down when his friends start hanging out with Lisa instead, who also defends him from bullies.  Suddenly finding himself on the wrong end of the popularity and success spectrum, Bart begins to despise Lisa, and the two form a heated rivalry against one another.  Though Marge attempts to cool heads, Homer reveals that Bart's team and Lisa's team are due to play each other, pushing the rivalry to new heights.

With glory, respect and Homer's adulation at risk, the game begins.  Bart gets a shot past Lisa for a goal, but Lisa stops one of Bart's later attempts.  The two get roughed up along the way as well, fueling an already bloodthirsty crowd.  With the score tied at 3 late, Bart is tripped on a breakaway and is given a penalty shot with time somehow expiring.  With the ultimate sibling showdown in place, and the crowd either chanting "Kill, Bart!"  or "Kill Bart!", Bart and Lisa begin to remember the good times they had with one another, and decide to take off their gloves and helmets, and hug each other, both claiming a good game had been played.  However, with time expired, the score remains 3-3 (which would've been the score had Lisa blocked the shot, mind you), inciting rage in the crowd, prompting a destructive riot.  Homer couldn't be more disappointed in his kids, but Bart and Lisa skate off the ice in good relations once more.

Quick Review
This is one of the most enjoyable episodes of the season.  Homer fills the role of the "projecting, over-competitive parent of sport-playing child", and he fills it very well as he somehow only has enough room in him to praise one child at a time.  The use of the many secondary characters throughout the episode was well done as well, and the episode ends on a warm note despite everything that happened leading up to it.  Its one of Season 6's best episodes.

Final Score: 10

Treehouse of Horror V (S06, E06-109)

"This is, indeed, a disturbing universe."

Plot Summary
The annual holiday tradition is back, with a few minor changes.  No more tombstones, with this year being the last year of that.  No more segways between stories, the only things between the three now are commercial breaks.  Also, these three stories are more graphic and bloody than your average Treehouse of Horror, but luckily its still as funny as the best.

The Shinning
An obvious parody of The Shining (but lets keep that on the down low, lest we wish to be sued), Homer and the family head to a winter mansion owned by Mr. Burns to maintain it during the cold months.  An odd, haunted mansion, Burns only complicates matters by cutting off TV and beer from the house and its residents, a move intended to keep them honest towards work but, as Smithers suggests, has driven previous tenants insane and murderous in the past.  Regardless, Burns only states that he'll owe Smithers a Coke if it happens again and the two make their departure.  Meanwhile, Bart messes up the hedge garden with Groundskeeper Willie nearby, and Willie soon realizes Bart has the "shinning", an ability to contact Willie telepathically.  Willie informs Bart of this and tells him to contact Willie in the inevitable case of Homer going on a murderous rampage.

Upon learning about the lack of TV and beer, Homer quickly goes mad.  At the bar, a ghost of Moe appears, telling Homer he'll only serve alcohol after Homer kills his family.  Homer scribbles "No TV and no beer make Homer go crazy" all over the walls in one room, and his tries to go after Marge, knocking himself out after looking at himself in a mirror and falling down stairs.  Marge puts him in a food locker, but Moe and the other ghouls get him out (after prying him away from the food there).  Grabbing an axe, Homer makes a more honest attempt at murder, prompting Bart to "shin" Willie over.  Willie runs from his shack during a snowstorm, dropping his portable TV along the way, but as soon as he arrives, Homer hits him in the back with an axe, killing him.  The family makes their way outside in the storm to escape Homer, when Lisa finds the TV and displays it to Homer.  Homer's urge to kill eventually fades, and the family gets back together to watch TV out in the frozen snow.  Then they freeze over and find themselves unable to change the channel when the Tony Awards come on.  True terror.
Individual Score: +1.5

Time and Punishment
After getting his hand stuck in the toaster - twice - Homer has to repair it.  Somehow, he fits the toaster with all sorts of weird gadgetry, and upon testing it out, Homer is sent back to pre-historic times.  Recalling now-vital advice from his father, who informed him to not touch anything on trips to the past, Homer still accidentally kills a bug.  Upon his return to the present (which happens when the toast is done), Homer finds out in horror that the world is now completely ruled by Ned Flanders, who forces obedience via lobotomies and "re-Neducation".  Homer is barely able to escape this world by returning to the past.  This time, Homer is forced to escape from a T-Rex, but falls onto a walking fish, killing it.  The new present has Bart and Lisa as giants, opening up the house to kill Homer, who they mistake as a bug.

A third return to the past really messes things up for Homer, as he sneezes on the T-Rex, causing it to die while spreading the cold all over the place, essentially killing the dinosaurs.  On the return trip this time, everything seems better than expected: the family and the house are extra classy, they own a top of the line car, and Patty and Selma are dead.  However, upon asking Marge for a donut only to learn she doesn't know what that is, Homer can't deal with that and goes back in time again, just as it starts to rain donuts.  Willie pops in the next time around offering to help, but is hit in the back with an axe by Maggie, who sounds disturbingly like James Earl Jones.

Angry and with nothing to lose, Homer's subsequent trips have his roughing up anything and everything in the past to return his former present.  Eventually he thinks he's done it, but there's just one glaring difference in this world: people have lizard tongues with which they eat.  Homer no longer cares.
Individual Score: +1.7

Nightmare Cafeteria
With detention rooms overstuffed and the low budget reducing lunches to Grade F meat, Principal Skinner has a big set of problems.  However, when a pot of some kind of sauce falls on Jimbo, Skinner takes a taste and likes what he finds.  Soon he lures Jimbo into a trap, and serves his remains as a burger to the faculty, who do not care and even like how the burgers came to be.

Soon, nearly every kid in school is going to detention for flimsy reasons so that Skinner and the staff can eat them.  Bart and Lisa try to get their mother to help, but she insists they solve the problem on their own.  With nearly every kid in detention, Bart, Lisa and Milhouse try to make their escape, but are caught by Lunch Lady Doris and are forced to flee.  Again, Willie tries to help, and again Willie is hit in the back by an axe, by Skinner this time.  The kids are cornered above a giant blender and are ultimately forced to fall into their liquefied fates.

Turns out, though, Bart was just having a nightmare, and Marge reassures him that he's safe... except for that fog that turns people inside out, which happens to seep into the Simpsons house.  Now with everyone inside out, they've got nothing better to do but to sing their way to the episode's conclusion.
Individual Score: +1.1

Quick Review
This is one of the best Treehouse of Horrors in the series, with all three parts bringing some good humor and horror to the table.  The joke about Willie getting axed in every segment was brilliant, and James Earl Jones' cameo was well done too.  An excellent episode from top to bottom.

Final Score: 10

Lady Bouvier's Lover (S05, E21-102)

What vile, disgusting monsters Homer imagined this time.

Plot Summary
You notice how Homer has a dad and no mention of his mom (at least not yet), while Marge still has a mom while her dad has been dead for awhile?  Haven't you ever thought that there should be an episode where, because of those facts, Homer's dad and Marge's mom hook up?  No?  Well too bad, 'cause here it is!

It's Maggie's first birthday, and in lieu of baby friends because, well, Maggie has no baby friends and only one baby enemy, Marge invites her family and Homer his dad over for the festivities.  After Maggie goes to bed following the party, Abe Simpson and Jacqueline Bouvier (that's Marge's mother as though you didn't know), have a good time discussing the old times with one another.  Marge takes notice of this and, knowing how lonely the two of them are usually, begins to hatch a plot to get them together.  She invites the two of them for lunch, and despite Grampa's copyright infringement he and Mrs. Bouvier have another good time, eventually leading to Grampa falling in love with the elder Bouvier.

In a subplot, Bart steals Homer's credit card to buy a $350 Itchy & Scratchy animation cell.  In a moment of bad luck, the cell Bart receives feature's only Scratchy's arm, which definitely wasn't worth the investment.  Getting rid of it in exchange for a Mary Worth phone, Bart tries to figure out how to recover the lost money to keep Homer off his ass later.

Grampa invites Mrs. Bouvier to a Senior Ball, but as the two come close to sharing a kiss, Mr. Burns sneaks in and essentially steals Abe's girl.  Depressed, he leaves the ball while Burns and Bouvier have a grand time.  Homer and Marge learn about it with shock, with Marge adamantly opposed to the pairing, as is Smithers coincidentally.  Grampa remains depressed, finding himself unable to get over the breakup.

Meanwhile, to finish up the subplot, as Burns comes over to pick up Mrs. Bouvier, Bart forces Burns to pay him the $350 as Barts ruins his shirt with condiment guns.  He gives the money back to Homer later, and with Homer more than content Bart can go back to making stupid decisions without worry.

Soon, though, Burns proposes to Mrs. Bouvier, and she accepts knowing how Burns will be able to take care of her despite Burns' rather evil demeanor.  At the wedding, Burns displays that demeanor in an attempt to hasten the ceremony.  Before she can say "I do", Abe interrupts the ceremony in one last desperate plea to claim the woman.  Though the elder Bouvier refuses Abe's offer, she also declines to marry Burns, which is good enough for Grampa.  The two run off to a senior bus, and all turns out okay, I suppose.

Quick Review
Apparently, this episode doesn't have that many fans.  Apparently, people are turned off by an episode that features that ever-so-lethargic Jacqueline Bouvier in a leading role, and that as a result the episode doesn't turn out so well.  That is simply unfortunate, for I found this episode to be one of the best episodes of the season.  Ignoring the above, the episode is still packed full of jokes and lines throughout, moreso than other episodes this season.  Grampa is always a great character, and he doesn't disappoint here, Burns' role in the episode was fine, and Bart's sidestory was well done too.  I guess you could say its an underrated episode, and I suppose it does fly under the radar for most, but once you actually listen to all the jokes, the dialogue that occurs you'll realize too just how good this episode truly is.

Final Score: 10

Homer the Vigilante (S05, E11-092)

Wiggum: "No, no, dig up, stupid."

Plot Summary
The Simpsons are the latest victims in a spree of robberies orchestrated by a mysterious cat burglar.  Lisa is devastated most of all; her saxophone was taken in the robbery.  As Homer's replacement, a blowin' jug, doesn't appease Lisa any, Homer vows to get Lisa's sax back.  At an informal meeting at Flanders' house, its agreed that the police aren't doing enough to catch the burglar, and Homer volunteers to lead a group to act and take care of business around town.  Quickly, a group consisting of him, Barney, Principal Skinner, Moe and the Sea Captain, among others, form around Homer, however when Grampa tries to join Homer refuses, citing that Grampa is too old to be of any use.

Despite their original intentions, Homer's group quickly devolves into a vigilante group, brandishing their own version of justice throughout town.  Appearing on TV to defend his group's methods, Homer gets a surprise on-air call from the cat burglar, who states his next crime: to steal the museum's cubic zirconia, the world's largest.  Homer vows to keep watch on the museum at all times.  At the museum, after Homer refuses the help of Grampa, Jasper and an associate of their named Molloy, Homer is distracted by a group of underage drinkers.  While Homer is getting drunk off his ass with them, the cat burglar sneaks into the museum and easily takes the zirconia.

Homer is given full blame for the incident and his house is mobbed by angry townsfolk and former vigilante members.  Grampa makes his way in, revealing that he knows the cat burglar's identity.  Having noticed Molloy wearing sneakers (for sneaking), walking rather vertically at the museum, and also housing the world's largest cubic zirconia in his nursing home room, Grampa is able to conclude that Molloy is the cat burglar.  Armed with that knowledge, Homer and the town quickly advance on the home, and Molloy is quickly caught.  A charming man, Molloy displays regret for the inconvenience, and gladly returns everyone's stolen possessions, including Lisa's saxophone.  Though the town is now willing to let him go, Chief Wiggum finally shows up to arrest Molloy, disregarding the town's new fondness towards Molloy.

As Homer taunts Molloy in jail, Molloy lets on about a large sum on treasure he had hidden under a large "T".  Homer and Wiggum quickly run out to start looking for it, with Homer letting the news break out around town quite easily.  After getting more specific directions from Molloy, the town is able to find the T outside town, under a T-shaped palm tree.  After some time, they find a briefcase with but a single note: that there is no money, and Molloy has since taken this opportunity to escape imprisonment.  However, nobody can make out the signature, and the mayor urges people to continue digging, which goes into the night.

Quick Review
This rather zany affair ends up being a superb episode.  The antics of Homer's group, Grampa's role and eventual "in your face" moment, and that wild goose chase at the end combine for a wonderful episode that's as fun and lighthearted as it is funny.  One of Season 5's best episodes.

Final Score: 10

Homer Goes to College (S05, E03-084)

"I am so smart!  I am so smart!  S-M-R-T, I mean, S-M-A-R-T!"

Plot Summary
At long last, Homer has to answer for his vast incompetence at his nuclear plant job.  A worker inspection team comes to the plant to gauge worker competence.  To ensure high marks, Mr. Burns has Smithers slink away the less capable off somewhere.  Despite that, Homer still finds his way to the inspection truck where, despite the truck not having any nuclear material, still undergoes a meltdown.  Burns is told that Homer will have to take a college course on nuclear physics or face legal action.  Homer attempts to apply to various colleges, but none will have him.  Burns, who has "a chair" at Springfield University, is able to help Homer get into that college despite being vastly unqualified, and as such Homer is a college man.

Along the way, Homer prepares for the experience by watching college-themed programming, the type that portrays the stereotypes of jocks, nerds, and the "crusty old dean", and exudes that attitude as he begins college.  After an accident with a proton accelerator creates another meltdown, Homer is advised by this school's dean to get some physics tutoring.  While the three young men who are to tutor Homer are clearly nerds, Homer doesn't pick up on this until later, when he is shocked to learn as such.  Seeing them holed up in their studies or the early 90s Internet, Homer decides to show them the true meaning of college life: partying down!

Homer intends to take the three out on a road trip, but when Marge forces the kids to come along, that idea goes down in flames.  Homer goes back to the nerds' dorm with the kids, where Homer gets a hankerin' for some dean prankerin'.  Bart advises them to kidnap the mascot of the nearby Springfield A&M: Sir Oinks-alot, a pig.  They do so, but after Homer shares some malt liquor with the pig, it faints loudly near the three nerds (with Homer nowhere around), which the dean overhears.  With the pig having mighty allies, notably Richard Nixon, the dean has no other option but to expel the nerds.

With the nerds being duped by a fake wallet inspector, Homer decides to let the nerds stay at his house, where their habits become an instant nuisance for Marge and the kids.  With them quickly urging Homer to get them to leave, Homer decides that an even zanier scheme than the pig kidnapping is required to get them back in.  This time, Homer will attempt to run down the dean with his car while the nerds jump in to save him.  However, the nerds lose track of time discussing wind resistance, and Homer runs over the dean.  While at the hospital, Homer admits his blame in both this and the pig prank, and the dean forgives all involved, readmitting the nerds in the process.

Of course, there's still the matter of Homer actually passing his nuclear physics course.  Despite the nerds having Homer cram like one has never crammed before, Homer still ends up failing the final exam.  The nerds suggest that Homer could "fix" his grade using computers, which Homer happily agrees to.  Marge picks up on this immediately, though, and encourages Homer to retake the course and pass it legitimately.  Homer reluctantly agrees, but is happy that he'll have another chance to "party down" with the nerds.

Quick Review
Homer Goes to College is another superb episode full of classic bits.  The nerds are bit stereotypical, uh, 90s nerd stereotypical anyway, but they're only a complement to the humor.  Bits such as "Hello, dean, you're a stupid head!", "Curly, straight!  Curly, straight!", "The bee bit my bottom, now my bottom's big!" or the scene after Homer burns his GED in celebration as pictured above, really give this episode a lot of quality and makes it one of the best episodes of the season.

Final Score: 10

Cape Feare (S05, E02-083)

This was the most maniacal laugh I could find.

Plot Summary
For some crazy reason, Bart is getting death threats to start this episode.  Death threats written in blood.  Attempts to figure out who's sending the threats prove fruitless.  Soon, however, its revealed to the viewer that, yes, Sideshow Bob is the one behind the letters.  In a parole hearing, after testimony from Chief Wiggum and Selma prove to help Bob rather than hurt him, a question about his chest tattoo ("Die Bart, Die") has him replying that its German for "The Bart, The".  As the parole board fails to recall any "evil" German person in the past, they approve Bob's parole and he's back on the streets.  Right away, he begins terrorizing Bart by appearing around him or going around town reading a list of names of people he won't kill (excluding Bart of course).

With options to keeping Bob away failing, the Simpsons try the Witness Relocation Program.  There, they get renamed the Thompsons and are sent to live at "Terror Lake" in a house boat.  Given a new car by the WRP, the "Thompsons" are off to their new home, not aware that Bob has hitched a ride under the car.  While not exactly smooth sailing for Bob, with the car being driven through cactus patches and walking into several rakes lying around upon reaching his destination, Bob lets Bart know right away he's there.

That night, Bob makes his move, and sends the boat drifting into the river, tying up the family in the process, leaving Bart by himself.  Unable to jump into the river because of crocodiles and electric eels, Bart sees that the boat is drifting towards Springfield, 15 miles away.  To stall for time, Bart is granted a last wish by Bob: to have Bob sing the entire score to the H.M.S. Pinafore, which Bob gladly does.  The ploy works, and by the time Bob finishes and resumes his advance on Bart, the boat crashes near a brothel where the police are conveniently near.  They take Bob away, and the Simpsons can return home, with Grampa having turned into a woman because his pills were locked away within the house.  Good times.

Quick Review
Cape Feare is one of Season 5's best episodes, its also one of the best Sideshow Bob episodes as well.  There are a lot of memorable parts, like Bob running into nine rakes in a row, Homer writing a "I Kill You Scum" threat letter to Bart just because Bart managed to write "Wide Load" on Homer's ass, or Wiggum saying "Bake him away, toys" after Bart stole his thunder.  It all makes for an exceptional episode.  I should also note that, until the last couple of Sideshow Bob episodes, this was once the only one where Bob makes an effort to actually kill Bart.  Every other episode he has a different plot and/or motive and usually its either Bart or Lisa that foils it, but this was the only one for a long time where Bart was the target of Bob's angered strategems.

Final Score: 10

Last Exit to Springfield (S04, E17-076)

Homer enjoying his total victory.

Plot Summary
This episode tackles the hard, serious issue of contract negotiation.  Mr. Burns, who remembers his time as a child when there were no unions and workers who tried to steal atoms were shoved into coke ovens as punishment, refuses to accept the latest offer from the plant's union (the union head having "mysteriously disappeared" after trying to clean up the union).  Deciding to take things back into his own hands, Burns decides to eliminate the dental plan.

Coincidentally enough, its learned that Lisa requires braces, else her teeth seemingly mutate and grow large enough to pierce her head.  Homer doesn't mind paying, as he recalls the plant earning a dental plan in previous negotiations (receiving a 'battle scar' when a flap of a catering truck fell on him).  At the next union meeting, Carl notes that Mr. Burns has offered them a new contract: basically the same deal as before, but now they get a free keg of beer for union meetings.  In exchange, they lose their dental plan.  Everyone is just happy to get some free beer but, after some "extensive thinking", Homer realizes that if he loses the dental plan, he'll have to pay for Lisa's braces.  Quickly, he sways the union, helping them realize just how helpful the dental plan has been, and tears up the proposal.  Mr. Burns, again forgetting who Homer was before this point, believes Homer to be a challenging adversary in upcoming negotiations.

As Lisa gets fill-in braces with no plan (huge metal jaws that make her look rather awful), Homer and Burns begin negotiating.  In the first attempt, Homer mistakes Burns' initial kindness as Burns coming on to him, and quickly leaves.  The second attempt, where Homer is guided to Burns' home by hired goons, Homer is unable to listen to Burns because he needs to use the bathroom.  Upon Homer's return ("Did you find the bathroom okay?"  "Uh... yeah!"), Burns sends Homer away again.  Tired of these meetings, Homer (somewhat unintentionally) gets the union to go on strike.

While Burns and Smithers run the plant happily by themselves, it doesn't seem to be affecting the union any.  Deciding to try and deal a deciding blow, Burns decides to cut off all power to the town.  Though the looting and rioting in town is immediate, the union remains strong and the move does not affect them at all.  Witnessing this, Burns decides to negotiate with Homer again.  Burns this time is willing to give the union the dental plan, but under the condition that Homer resigns.  Homer more than happily accepts, and Lisa finally gets a good set of braces.

Quick Review
Last Exit to Springfield is yet another example of Season 4's glory.  So many classic bits are in this episode, from "Dental Plan!", "Lisa needs braces!", to Grampa's union busters who can really only tell long-winding stories these days, to that guy who says that opposing "me" in the union meetings, to the montage of Burns and Smithers running the plant, to each and every negotiation between Homer and Burns, this episode is packed with great moments and superb comedy.  Its one of the best episodes of the series, and it really showcases a lot of characters at their best.

Final Score: 10