The Spy Who Learned Me (S23, E20-506)

For a figment of Homer's concussion, this guy can sure be creepy.

Plot Summary
Homer ruins another night out with Marge by blurting out puns during a Stradivarius Cain spy movie.  Marge remains mad at Homer the next day, and Homer tries to call Marge while at work to apologize.  Mr. Burns can't control his personal cart, and drives right into the ladder Homer is standing on, causing him to fall and hit his head.  As Homer comes to, he learns he suffered a concussion, and with recent concussion awareness, Mr. Burns is forced to give Homer eight weeks worth of paid vacation to recover.  He goes home to tell everybody, but everybody is cranky for one reason or another, so Homer decides to keep the news to himself.

Bart is cranky because Nelson's been going on a lunch money crusade as of late.  Some time later, though, Bart sees a documentary where Declan Desmond eats nothing but Krusty Burger for a full month, eventually turning into a fat sack of lard.  Bart realizes that can happen to Nelson as well, and the next day instead of giving Nelson lunch money, Bart gives Nelson actual lunch: tons of Krusty Burger food, and a book full of Krusty Burger coupons to blow.  Soon enough, Nelson becomes fat and feeble.  Lisa catches on to Bart's scheme and decides to help Nelson.  She confronts Krusty over Nelson's problem, and Krusty eventually relents and lets his personal trainer get Nelson back in shape.

Homer goes to the bar on his first day off, somewhat upset that he can't tell his angry wife about his vacation time.  Just then, Stradivarius Cain appears next to Homer.  Revealing himself to be a figment of Homer's imagination induced by his concussion, Cain promises to help Homer improve his marriage anyway.  After some time, Cain sends Homer out into 'the field' to test his new courting skill.  After Cain basically tells Homer what to say, Homer is able to woo an attractive woman... with a murderous drug lord as her husband.  Homer is able to subdue the man with lime juice and he and Cain make their escape.

Marge tries to visit Homer at work, apparently no longer upset at him, but Lenny tells her Homer hasn't been around because of his paid time off.  Marge angrily goes home, ready to confront Homer.  When she does so, Cain skillfully gets Homer to calm Marge down by basically telling the truth: that he did get time off but he's been using it to become a better husband.  Homer takes Marge to some kind of ball or dance and the two are having a lot of fun... but the drug lord is there as well and Homer is forced to flee from him and his still madly-in-love wife.

With Marge basically having no idea what's going on, Homer hits himself with a rock to induce Cain back.  It work's eventually, and Cain advices Homer to use everything he's learned from Cain thus far.  So, Homer gives the same speech he gave the drug lord's wife... to the drug lord himself, and he backs off, gaining some respect for Homer.  Homer and Marge continue their romantic night, and Cain promises to be back in a another lame plot.  The episode ends with nerds across school getting pounded by the all new, all muscle Nelson, whom Lisa admits is easy on the eyes now.

Quick Review
Another subpar episode, but it has a few moments.  Homer's interactions with concussion induced Cain were pretty decent overall, and the Nelson sideplot started off okay before tapering at the end.  The whole thing with the drug lord was mostly boring, holding the episode back.  In all, its about as decent as you can expect from this season.

Final Score: 6.6

Springfield Up (S18, E13-391)

Just like all billionaires, I would imagine.

Plot Summary
Declan Desmond, a supposedly noted documentary filmer, has returned to reveal he's been filming residents of Springfield since 32 years ago, first filming them when they were eight years old and filming how they've done every eight years since.  For instance, he's filmed Clancy Wiggum go from a boy with shoot 'em up dreams to a 16 year old hall monitor, to going to the police academy, then using his excellent pistol back rubs to earn him his Chief of Police title.

Desmond's documentary then focuses on young Homer, whose dreams involve becoming ultra rich and successful.  However, by the time Homer is 24, his dreams of fortune are basically shattered as he's involved in multiple odd jobs, but has found a nice gleam of hope in Marge.  At 32, Homer has now had kids (even though at 24 Homer states he never would), but promises that in eight years Homer will be so rich he'll kick Desmond's ass with a gold boot.  In the present day, much to Desmond's surprise, Homer has become a millionaire, apparently getting rich with a pen that shoots out condiments.

Desmond continues his film, focusing on Professor Frink, whose career path has left him unable to find a woman.  He goes back in time to warn his younger self and set him on a new path, but is run over before he can reach himself, probably dying.  The film then focuses on "Eleanor" whom at age eight wishes to be both a lawyer and a doctor, and accomplishes this at 24 after graduating from both Yale Law and Harvard Medical.  However, by 32 the woman has become burned out, losing her sanity and finding the comfort in booze and cats.  In the present day, the woman has become the person well known as the 'crazy cat lady'.

The film then focuses on Marge, whom at age eight is interested in photography.  This interest of hers continues into high school but by 24, Marge's photography is limited to use at some store she works at.  Still, in the present day, Marge is happy with her husband's success, when suddenly its learned that Homer's millionaire mansion is actually Mr. Burns' summer house.  It turns out Homer - gasp! - lied about his success!

Desmond tries to confront Homer about the lie back at his normal house, when Homer reveals that he's so disappointed his life is still as 'miserable' as it was eight years ago.  Desmond can't help to find such a statement odd, and after consulting Moe, invites Homer to his editing studio.  There, Desmond shows Homer footage of people across town who are actually envious of Homer's family, success and even some of his character.  Homer realizes that in his fruitless pursuit of his supposed dreams, he already has accomplished his dream: being with Marge each and every day.

Quick Review
I appreciate what the episode tried to do, presenting most of it in a documentary style, and I did find much of it interesting.  Of course, sadly, this episode still doesn't have all that much going for it in terms of comedy, so the score is lower than it probably should be, but I do like what the episode attempted to do.

Final Score: 6.8

'Scuse Me While I Miss the Sky (S14, E16-307)

Desmond is just upset he didn't bring his camera guy here to film this.

Plot Summary
Declan Desmond, a supposedly noted documentary filmer, decides to film his next documentary on Springfield Elementary.  He observes Bart becoming massively uncool, with Nelson becoming top dog around the playground thanks to a hood ornament he stole.  Principal Skinner attempts to show Desmond that the school isn't full of dopes by introducing him to Lisa, but he's not impressed with her either, criticizing her lack of direction in that if she doesn't set herself to a career path soon, she won't have much of a career at all.

While Bart continues to struggle to earn the respect of the bullies, Lisa goes to the museum to decide on a career path, ultimately deciding on astronomy.  She gets Homer to buy her a telescope, however she finds stargazing rather difficult at night as the bright lights in town make stargazing rather impossible.  Even when gazing from the outskirts, Springfield emits an orange glow which blocks out the stars.  She comes across Professor Frink who has the same problem.  With a meteor showing coming up, the two decide to start a petition around town to have the lights dimmed at night.  It works rather well, and soon Mayor Quimby shuts down the lights at night, revealing the stars in all their glory.

However, the darkness allows the bullies at school to go around town clipping off hood ornaments to add to their collection.  Bart tries to nab one for himself, but can't find any except for one extravagant ornament that graces the car of Fat Tony.  He and Milhouse come up with a ploy to get it.  Meanwhile, the town becomes angry about the hood ornament crimes, and demands the lights be brought back on.  Quimby caves to the pressure and turns them back on, but overdoes it to where not even natural sunlight is as bright as the night lights are now.  Bart and Milhouse are caught, and they run off without their trophy.

With the Simpsons family undergoing sleep deprivation from the lights, Lisa and Bart team up under a common goal to get rid of those lights again.  Borrowing Homer who is just unable to process things, the two sneak into the nuclear plant and overload the power grid, destroying the lights across town.  Quickly, an angry mob advances on them, but the meteor shower arrives and they become content.  Bart is able to steal his ornament, Lisa gets her stargazing, and Desmond makes another successful documentary.  Everybody wins!

Quick Review
This episode was alright.  Nothing was particularly bad about the episode, though a few jokes did fall flat from time to time.  A common theme nowadays, the quality of the episode dies down at the end, as the episode tries too hard to come to a conclusion (with some song to accompany it) rather than ensure said ending is also funny, though Desmond's documentary at the very end makes a decent effort to salvage things.

Final Score: 7.3