Fland Canyon (S27, E19-593)

Hehe, mule.  (I'm gonna get a laugh out of this episode somehow)

Plot Summary
In an attempt to get Maggie to fall asleep, Homer tells the baby a story.  Trying to recall a boring story, Homer eventually recalls a memory from two years prior.  In it, the Flanders' family is rewarded for their charity work with a trip to the Grand Canyon, but its a two-family trip.  Reverend Lovejoy, whose wife definitely does not want to go with the Flanders', suggests they take the Simpsons, who reluctantly agree.

At the Canyon, the Simpson family and the Flanders family find their own ways to annoy one another.  However, on a trek through the inner part of the canyon, the families lose their guide, and lose their way.  Stranded, Homer and Ned make the decision to set out and find help.  Eventually, the two stumble upon a "campsite" full of rich media elites who have an extravagant setup despite the locale.  The two agree to steal some of their bountiful food and supplies, escaping via a raft.  With that, the two families are eventually rescued and Homer and Ned form a friendship, supposedly.

Having finished his story (and putting both Maggie and Lisa - who came in halfway through - to sleep), Ned reveals through the window that he'd been listening in as well.  Homer decides to be a good pal to Ned and take him on a trip: to the postcard museum, which Ned deeply enjoys.

Quick Review
Well, its not offensively bad, nor is it reference heavy.  Its just boring and overall unfunny.  So, it could be worse, but it could've been good and its not.  (I guess you could say it was 'Bland Canyon' but you probably shouldn't, its too corny).

Final Score: 6.3

The Ned-Liest Catch (S22, E22-486)

It wasn't revealed how many people actually voted.  Was it millions?  Did it reach one million?

Plot Summary
A pep rally for the school's girl's basketball team goes awry when the girls on the team get food poisoning.  Skinner promises the hour to be free time, which quickly descends to chaos, but when Lisa tries to fill up that time with something boring, Skinner tries to cancel free time.  Bart then causes trouble by forcing the bleachers back into the wall, with the kids still sitting on them.  Mrs. Krabappel catches up to Bart an, in an emotional act, slaps Bart in the back of the head, twice, stunning everyone.  Superintendent Chalmers suspends Edna with pay, forcing her to attend a holding facility during her work hours until the board reviews her case.  Bart visits Edna on her first day there, somewhat apologetic about what's happened, and shows Edna a way to escape for awhile: though the window even though the room is on the third floor.  Edna tries to go down a nearby ladder, but its unable to handle her weight.  Bart flees the scene, but as Edna falls she's caught by a nearby Ned Flanders.

The two quickly get along, with the topic of the Simpsons being a decent conversation starter between them.  Edna learns Ned's wife has passed on, and Ned learns Edna's husband is a deadbeat, so they have a little in common in that respect.  The two have lunch, then Edna heads back to the holding facility, though the two hope they'll meet again.  A short time later, Edna is allowed to teach again (and forced to take up work as a weekend prison guard as well), giving her a bit more time to spend with Ned, and the two really hit it off.

Edna starts visiting Ned at his house, which poses a problem for Bart.  Well, not just Bart but also Homer, whose antics Edna isn't willing to deal with.  She forces Homer to be nicer to Ned, and to also give back all of Ned's stuff, basically emptying his garage.  Bart tells Homer about Edna being bad news for the two of them, so Homer concocts a plan to make the Flanders' see Edna in a worse light.  Homer has Bart make Rod and Todd think Edna is a fairy tale monster (which he fails to do), while Homer convinces Ned to break up with Edna.  Homer meets Ned at Moe's tavern to talk about Edna, but Ned convinces Homer that Edna is the woman for him.  However, the other patrons at the bar start revealing that they have also spent some "time" with Edna, including drummer Joey Kramer.  Ned realizes he's been played, and "thanks" Homer for revealing this.  He acts hostile towards Edna the next time they meet, seeing all the other men on her face, but Ned doesn't reveal anything.

Feeling sorry for what's happened, Homer tries to talk to Ned again, able to convince Ned to forgive Edna for her past.  So, later that day, Ned talks to Edna about her past, forgiving her for her transgressions.  Edna takes offense to that, defending her life to this point, and tells Ned that he has to promise that her past will never, ever, get in their way.  Ned isn't willing to relent just yet, commenting that perhaps their relationship will have to be left to a "higher power" to decide.  At this point, the scene shifts to Homer and Marge in a awards show-like setting, advising viewers to visit thesimpsons.com to vote on whether "Nedna" should remain a thing or not, the results of which will be provided in the Season 23 premiere.  Unless you're watching a re-run or a DVD of the episode, in which case Marge is well aware its too late to vote and she recognizes the folly of having people she's never met vote on whether her son's teacher and her neighbor should be a couple.

Quick Review
Comedy wise, its the weakest of the episodes during the season.  Again, humor is pushed aside not just for storytelling, but also to push along the whole "Nedna" bit.  The opening scenes in the pep rally were just awful, and the episode struggles to recover from it, though the episode did hit a mark when Ned imagines all the other men on Edna's face.  Still, this along with 500 Keys brings the season to a dismal close.

This is also the first season finale since Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part 1 to feature a cliffhanger ending with the intention of properly resolving it in the following season's premiere.  Well, I hesitate to use the word "properly".  Who Shot Mr. Burns actually held a contest, with prizes, for whoever could determine the shooter over that summer.  Granted, nobody could because it was the baby that shot him, but that was an actual contest, and it received a full episode that conclude that storyline.  However, with "Nedna", that name sounding so manufactured mind you, there is no contest, just an online vote for one of two options, and the results do not get its own episode: its tacked on to the end of The Falcon and the D'ohman, an otherwise unrelated episode.  I hesitate to apply a bad label to this whole "Nedna" effort because I don't think it's as lazy as it seems, but then again...

Final Score: 6.1

Home Away From Homer (S16, E20-355)

You notice how computer screens in this show always use a mockup of a Mac OS?
Its been happening since Season 8, I think.  I understand why they would use it,
but I don't understand why they think most of their viewers would, especially years ago.

Plot Summary
The Simpsons leave Maggie at Ned's house for him to babysit while they go see a movie Lisa won tickets for.  Afterward, when Marge goes to pick Maggie up, Ned turns down Marge's compensation even though his Leftorium store has suffered since a major left-handed chain came to town.  Marge suggests Ned offer rent to somehow to gain extra income, and Ned agrees.  After a short time, Ned decides to bring in two seemingly innocent college girls.  However, the two have a somewhat sinister motive: when Ned isn't around, they show themselves acting naughty and dirty live on a webcam.

Bart and Milhouse by sheer coincidence find the stream featuring the ladies and quickly figure out they're next door.  Homer catches them watching it, but upon learning about Ned's ignorance of the situation, Homer finds it too funny and spreads word across town.  Eventually, Marge learns about this, and forces Homer to tell Ned what's going on.  Ned kicks the two ladies out, but when doing so the girls are greeted outside by a bunch of people who also take the time to laugh at Ned.  When Ned is about to thank Homer for at least telling him, he then learns that it was Homer who spread the word around in the first place.  Devastated, Ned decides he needs a fresh start.  He looks at some of his precious "Humble figurines" he collects (and showed to Maggie earlier), and decides to move himself and his boys to Humbleton, Pennsylvania.

Homer is saddened to learn Ned's gone.  The man who moves into Ned's old house, a big macho man named Coach Clay, is abusive to Homer and is a far worse neighbor than Ned ever was.  Meanwhile, Ned comes to like his new home town, however the old-tyme, simple ways of the village folk clash with Ned's 'hippie-like' mustache, and gets on thin ice with the town because of it.  Homer comes to visit, desperate to get him back in place of Clay, and Ned decides to return as he's unable to deal with the townsfolk any further.  As it turns out Clay's check bounced, Ned's old house is still his, and Homer celebrates his return by stealing the church organ to set up a party.

Quick Review
This was an okay episode.  It started off fine despite the focus on Lisa, the middle act was pretty decent, but the last few minutes weren't really that funny which hampered the episode some.  Its one of the season's better episodes, but still nothing all that great.

Final Score: 7.2

Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass (S16, E08-343)

Did they really need to add the players names to their sweatshirts?
Assuming people don't know athletes wasn't worth addressing previously.

Plot Summary
The Simpsons go to a carnival intended to save a bum-infested park.  Homer loses out on a video camera that Ned Flanders outbids him for.  Bart mocks Homer further when he wins the grand prize in a frog-leaping game.  Unwilling to let his son feel happy, Homer completely outshines Bart in the game, and the grand prize is given to him instead.  To further shame the boy, Homer goes on a lengthy celebration dance, which Ned video tapes.  Jeff Albertson - er - the comic book guy, buys the video from Ned and puts it on his website.  As some internet videos do, it becomes a viral sensation across the world.

Although Homer mostly dislikes being the mockery of the world, he is visited by a high profile football player.  This man laments that he never gets on the highlight reel because he never celebrates after touchdowns, and decides to pay Homer to help him come up with a rude touchdown celebration or five.  Homer does so, and as the player had hoped he becomes bigger than ever.  Soon, Homer's newfound business expands to include actual real-life athletes including Tom Brady, LeBron James and, for some reason, Warren Sapp.  While he's being credited as a cancer to sports, the football commissioner is so impressed with Homer's work that he hires Homer to produce the Super Bowl halftime show.  Homer is honored, but becomes worried over the responsibility and is unable to come up with anything.

Meanwhile, Ned becomes increasingly annoyed by all the sex-filth on TV, and decides to use his new video camera to film a movie with his boys, a rather gruesome retelling of the story of Cain and Abel.  He shows it to a group of people, and they love the violent film, all save from Marge.  Mr. Burns decides to finance Ned to film an even bigger film, but during its screening Marge has enough of its violent nature and is able to get Mr. Burns to stop financing Ned's film ventures, essentially preventing Ned from spreading his supposed message.

At the church the late night before the Super Bowl, Homer goes to seek answers to his dilemma when he finds Ned seeking answers for his.  The two realize that Ned's message can be used for Homer's halftime show, and thus team up.  The next day, the two display their halftime show to the nation, retelling a tale about Noah's Ark, that concludes with Ned just citing bible passages.  Unsurprisingly, everyone hates it, and both men's newfound careers are essentially ruined.

Quick Review
This wasn't a good episode.  The multiple sports guest stars really didn't add anything to the episode (except for Yao Ming, he was alright), and the combination of Homer turning athletes into even bigger jerks and Ned trying to force the bloody ways of the bible to people turned out to be less humorous than it probably should've been.

You'll also notice that this was the episode that revealed the comic book guy's real name: Jeff Albertson.  You may have also noticed that, throughout my reviews, I have shown disdain towards use names of characters that have not revealed their actual names, like 'comic book guy', the 'sea captain', and 'bumblebee man'.  From this point on, I'll likely refer to Albertson by his real name more often than not, needlessly confusing anyone who hasn't bothered learning that particular fact previously.

Final Score: 4.6

A Star Is Born Again (S14, E13-304)

I think she might have a 'seducing unassuming men' fetish going on here.

Plot Summary
The town of Springfield celebrates a day when red jellyfish wash ashore.  A dance is also held during this day, at which point Ned Flanders is feeling pretty lonely.  He decides to slink away and fill out some tax forms at his Leftorium store.  There, he's met by a gorgeous lady with an admitted fake nose.  After Ned unwittingly charms the woman, she invites him to dinner, while not telling him her real name.  Ned soon learns, though, that the woman is the popular movie actress Sarah Sloane.

Sarah, in Springfield to film a movie, finds herself fully attracted to Ned's charms, and is very forward with him physically.  The tabloids find out about Sarah, who has been in a relationship with many actors and other such men in her time, and cause trouble for the two, but they get through it.  The filming for Sarah's movie wraps up, so she tries to convince Ned to move with her back to Hollywood, but he quickly turns away that idea.  So, Sarah decides to live in Springfield instead.

Though Sarah quickly learns that Springfield is pretty dull, she doesn't mind.  As the two go out for a night, though, she decides to convince Ned to have sex with her, because she's been ready to do it for, I dunno, days.  Ned is, of course, hesitant, but with Homer's advice and a snippet from that ever-so-contradictory bible, Ned agrees to consent, and the two go all the way out in the woods somewhere.  The morning after, Ned tries to get Sarah to marry him, as he's unwilling to continue the relationship without doing that, but Sarah declines and decides to go back to Hollywood.

Quick Review
I have to be honest here, there were parts in the episode I had trouble watching through, it got pretty cringe-worthy.  The only real good portion of the episode was James L. Brooks' cameo during Ned's vision of Hollywood, but most other things - especially Helen Fielding's rather out-of-place Benny Hill routine because 'this is British comedy, all of it' - I couldn't find funny.

I might have developed a bias against episodes focused on Ned's love life post-widowing as I haven't even given any such episodes a score above five yet, but this was pretty bad as well, regardless of that.

Final Score: 4.3

I'm Goin' to Praiseland (S12, E19-267)

In this creepy moment, Ned assumes the form of his beloved dead wife.

Plot Summary
At a church-hosted ice cream social, Ned Flanders comes across Rachel Jordan, whom he met at the end of the episode where his wife died.  At the end of that episode, it seemed like Ned was ready to move on from Maude's passing, however this episode makes it abundantly clear he hasn't.  After the Simpson family coerces him into having Rachel stay at his house for the night rather than a hotel, Ned's continued obsession with Maude becomes apparent.  Pictures of her all over the house, all of Maude's stuff still left where they were, even the bed still has Maude's indentation.  Rachel tries to sleep through it anyway but wakes up alarmed when she discovers that Ned is cutting her hair to make it look like Maude's.  Rachel leaves in disgust, and Ned realizes he has a problem.

As Ned takes his boys to the eye doctor, he asks the Simpsons to remove anything that reminds him of Maude.  They 'sort' out everything, but forget to 'sort' one item that Ned uncovers: an old book of Maude's featuring pictures she drew.  As Ned looks through it, he sees designs of a Christian-themed amusement park called Praiseland, perhaps Maude's final dream or some such.  With both of his sons imploring him to build it, Ned decides to do so, able to acquire the old Storytime village which had been out of business for some time.  Ned puts in great effort to build the park, and soon enough its open for business.  With masks of Maude's face and a giant statue of Maude, it seems like her dream is about to come true.

However, Praiseland turns out to be about as fun as one would expect from a Christian-themed park.  Rides consisting mostly of bible verse tellings, plain flavored treats, no beer, no fun at all.  People leave the park en masse, and Ned is forced to deal with the fact that Maude's dream has failed.  Just then, a Maude mask rises from the ground, floating up near the face of Maude's statue.  People view it as a miracle, but eventually the mask falls back down.  Principal Skinner is about to be skeptical, but he collapses to the ground and speaks in tongue.  When he comes to, he admits he had a vision: a vision of his own personal heaven.  People begin to believe the miracle to be real, and Homer convinces everyone to pay $10 to get their own vision, though Marge is able to get the money to go to the orphanage so that Ned would be okay with it.

Things are going along great now, and this time, maybe, Maude's dream will come true.  However, Ned overhears that a grill isn't getting any gas, and that there's probably a leak somewhere.  Ned goes to investigate and, to his horror, learns the leak is right under the Maude statue, meaning the the 'visions' people are having are just them getting high off gas.  Ned considers telling the truth about the matter, but with so much money going to the orphans he opts not to.  Although, you know, gas is poisonous, Ned tries to convince himself that its okay as its making people happy.  Just then, Ned and Homer see a pair of orphans place candles near the statue - near the busted gas line - and remembering another property of gas, rush in to stop the orphans.  They end up tackling the orphans, a rather offensive sight to the uninformed, and they all decide to leave the park in anger.  With no business and the gas leak, Ned is forced to close Praiseland.  At this moment, Rachel Jordan reappears, having read about the park in a paper and wearing a wig to cover up the unmentionable incident.  She and Ned reconcile, and together they finally remove the last creepy thing that reminds Ned of Maude: the imprint on Ned's bed.

Quick Review
So, when Maude died in Season 11, it was done for a few reasons.  One of the reasons was that with Ned now single, it would open up new storylines for him.  This episode would be the first such storyline, and frankly its not very good.  Ned's obsession with Maude is creepy.  Homer's obsession with Ned's love life is creepy.  Letting people get high off gas because they're mistaking it for miraculous visions and the proceeds are going to orphans is, well, not creepy but just plain stupid.  A lot of poorly delivered jokes add to that and it makes for one of the lesser episodes in the series, though its kinda sad that its not even the worst episode of this season.

Final Score: 4.7

Alone Again, Natura-Diddly (S11, E14-240)

I have pinpointed the moment where my heart breaks for this show.

Plot Summary
The Simpsons go on a nature walk when, to Lisa's horror, the preserve has been mostly converted into a racecar track.  In time to see the time trials, the family then gets free tickets to see the big race.  At said race, Homer is astonished to find Ned Flanders and his family there sitting right behind him near the top of the stadium, as they enjoying seeing other oddities that come with car races.  At one point, a group of ladies are shooting out t-shirts with cannons.  Homer practically taunts them to shoot some his way, but when they finally comply, Homer gets distracted and ducks.  The t-shirts instead hit Maude Flanders, and she falls over the back of the stadium, and dies.

As Ned and his two sons try to cope with the tragedy, Marge urges Homer to open himself up to Ned (or at least stop acting like a jerk to him).  Homer obliges, but soon realizes that the best way for Ned to move on from Maude's passing is to get him hooked up with another woman.  In a process that takes two months, he secretly tapes Ned doing mundane tasks and combines the footage into a dating video.  Though Ned initially turns down Homer's idea, the loneliness gets to him and he decides to mail it in.  The subsequent dates, though, don't do much good for Ned.

Ned still has difficulty moving on from Maude, and still questions how she could've been taken from him.  He even quarrels with God, refusing to go to church the next day.  Ned eventually relents, and rushes to church anyway.  There, he hears a Christian rock band led by a woman who reaffirms his devotion to God.  Afterwards, Ned has a talk with the woman, Rachel Jordan, and it seems as though Ned may or may not be ready to move on.

Quick Review
Worst episode ever.

hyuck hyuck

No, really, though.  It really is that bad.

Obviously, the offending moment of the episode is Maude's death, but there's a lot more about it that oozes offensiveness than the actual death of Maude Flanders.

First off, the manner of her death.  Hit by t-shirts shot out of a cannon after Homer unwittingly ducks, tumbling over the back of a racetrack stadium, with no rails to stop her fall.  Its so ridiculous it gives elf jockeys a run for its money.  There is no emotional buildup whatsoever, it is by all intents and purposes a shock death.

Second, the real-life reasons behind her death.  Her normal voice actress left the show, and despite the fact that Maude had been voiced by someone else during this season and despite the fact that actress had voiced other characters, they decided to kill Maude.  Then it had been admitted that the move was made as a ratings grab.  To think, the almighty Simpsons machine needs the senseless death of a character to grab ratings.  Lastly, the move was made to open up new storylines for Ned, and we all know how smashing a success that "Nedna" campaign was (ironically, there was a bit in this episode where Ned dates Edna).

Maude's funeral was also not one of the series' high points.  Did they really need to put the phrase "Grampa's girlfriend" in Beatrice Simmons' grave?  Did they really need to have the t-shirt girls and the racecar advertising on Maude's casket as part of a settlement suit?  Well, Reverend Lovejoy's summation of Maude's character was nice, but still the entire thing seemed completely unnecessary.  To me, this was when the Simpsons jumped the shark, when it passed the point where it could no longer redeem itself even if it has a few more gems down the line.  I remember this episode being completely unfunny when I first watched it 13 years ago, and my feelings toward it remain unchanged.  It really is the worst episode of the Simpsons, ever (until Season 25, which is really, really sad).

Final Score: 3.0

Viva Ned Flanders (S10, E10-213)

"Chop, chop!  Dig, dig!  Chop, chop!  Dig, dig!"

Plot Summary
Various townsfolk, including the Simpsons, attend the implosion of the Monty Burns Casino.  However, nobody is really aware of what occurs at an implosion, and when the building does implode, soot and dust get everywhere.  Upon taking the car to a car wash, Homer notices Ned Flanders getting a senior citizen discount for his wash, which draws his suspicion.  Homer tries to bust Ned at church, where its learned that Ned is 60 years old.  How does a guy look so good at 60?  By doing absolutely zero risk-taking, absolutely zero means of fun.  Slighted by the crowd's reaction to his secrets, Ned wonders if he has, indeed, wasted his life.

Noticing Homer doing some crazy thing or another, Ned realizes he can ask Homer for help to get him some 'fun'.  Homer agrees to do so, though he gets Ned to sign over his power of attorney in the process.  Recalling that gambling is a good way to have fun, Homer tries to take Ned to the Monty Burns Casino.  Recalling that it was just imploded, Homer takes Ned to Las Vegas instead.  Ned is overwhelmed by the bright lights and attractions of the city.  Urged by Homer to let loose, Ned decides to have a decent drink.  Somehow it turns into a bender for both Homer and Ned and after a wild night that neither man can remember, Ned declares success in his mission to have more fun.  However, during that wild night the two men also married the cocktail waitresses that served them the drinks.

With video proof that the two drunk men married the waitresses last night, both Homer and Ned start to freak out, with Homer eventually deciding to just make a break for it.  The two try to escape the casino, but are eventually caught, beaten up, and tossed out of the state (though their marriages to the waitresses are never annulled, which will come back up a few seasons from now).  The two walk back home, coming up with an excuse for their regular wives while vultures tail them.

Quick Review
I enjoyed this episode, even if it did take Ned's character into some strange places this time around (60?  That would make his beatnik parents too old for them to be beatniks for a 90s episode), but there's enough laughs once Homer and Ned reach Vegas to carry the episode to respectability.

Final Score: 8.2

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

Homer Loves Flanders (S05, E16-097)

Guy can't play basketball no more without neighbors walkin' through bushes.

Plot Summary
The big football game is nearing between the Shelbyville Sharks and the Springfield Atoms.  Homer attempts to buy tickets, being second in line to do so, but the first guy in line, probably a scalper, buys all of them, leaving Homer out of luck.  A radio station then offers two tickets to the game to the 13th caller.  Homer rushes to work to be that caller, but by the time he reaches a phone Ned Flanders of all people is the lucky recipient of the tickets.  As Homer prays for a way to go the game, Ned offers to take Homer, which Homer ultimately accepts.  Homer has a good time at the game, moreso because Ned is paying for all the concessions, and even moreso when Springfield wins the game at the last second.  To top it off, Ned knows Springfield's quarterback as Ned's bible group helped the player find spiritual peace.  With Ned's urging, the quarterback gives Homer the game ball.  Touched by this gesture, Homer becomes friends with Ned.

Then, of course, Homer over-welcomes his stay, popping up at the Flanders' house whenever possible it seems.  One night, Homer insists on coming with Ned to a homeless shelter, with Moe's being closed.  With Ned's plodding pace of serving food, an impatient Homer takes over and delivers grub faster than ever before, earning him town-wide praise for his efforts.  Later, the Simpson family attempts to confront Homer over how much time he spends with Ned, but instead Homer insists the two families have a picnic at a lake, at which point Bart and Lisa ponder whether the status quo will be restored by the following week.

Homer is really the only one interested in the picnic, but the picnic happens anyway.  All sorts of bad things happen for Ned, the biggest of which occurs at the end when Homer crashes Ned's boat into Ned's car.  That night, Ned has a nightmare where he realizes that he actually - *gasp* - hates Homer Simpson!  Attempts to avoid Homer thereafter include lying to Homer (which his kids find indefensible), and then speeding away before Homer can catch them (which has Ned being pulled over and accused of "being heffed up on goofballs", in front of a church bus no less!).

Ned is reluctant in going to church because of the probably attitudes towards him now, but he goes in away, with Homer, being praised for his charity work again, having saved a seat for Ned.  During a prayer, Homer's nose makes a shrill sound while breathing, which is a snapping point for Ned.  He lashes out at Homer, but the town turns on Ned for his recent supposed misdeeds.  Homer quickly stands up to defend Ned, noting that if everyone was Ned Flanders, there would be no need for heaven as they'd already be there.  The town forgives Ned, and Ned is touched by Homer's gesture.  The two solidify their friendship, baffling Bart and Lisa as their status quo might be done for.  Sure enough though, next week Homer has the family go to his late uncle's house to stay the night, also its haunted, brushing Flanders away in the process.  The kids are relieved that things are back to normal.

Quick Review
This was another fun episode, nothing that really sticks out as an all time classic moment or anything, but there's a lot of laughter to be had with the idea of Homer being friends with the neighbor he displeases so.  The dynamic works out well, especially when its Ned that becomes sick of Homer, and the kids pointing out the status quo every now and then was a nice touch.

Final Score: 8.8

When Flanders Failed (S03, E03-038)

Homer, enjoying his wishbone victory whilst enjoying a hamburger.

Plot Summary
Flanders invites a lot of people to a barbecue of his, including the Simpsons.  Its there that he announces he's quitting the pharmaceutical industry and is going to try his hand at running a store for left-handed people.  Later that day, Flanders asks Homer how he thinks of the idea, which Homer replies is a stupid one.  Maude comes in and has the two pull at a wishbone.  Homer tries to come up with cool ideas for a wish, but when Ned rushes him, Homer comes up with the wish that Ned's business flops and goes out of business (after deciding that Ned flat-out dying was too far).  Homer wins the wishbone tug of war, and laughs heartily at its implications, though the Flanders' don't really understand why.

In a subplot, Marge is concerned about Bart's weight, so Bart convinces Marge to have him take karate lessons after watching a commercial.  However, Bart's interest in karate quickly drops when the first class involves reading Sun Tzu's Art of War.  So, Bart keeps ditching classes to play at the arcade.  When asked by Marge what he learned, Bart claims he learned the "Touch of Death" (taken from one of the games he played), and spends some time threatening Lisa with said touch in order to get her to obey.  However, this plan backfires when Jimbo and his bully friends mess with Lisa, taking her saxophone in the process, and she gets Bart to fight them back believing he had learned some karate.  Bart gets beaten up, however, and Lisa laments over how two wrongs made a right in this instance.

While Homer was dropping Bart off for those "lessons", he would check in on Flanders' business, only to see it floundering, only getting publicity because Flanders would validate parking tickets without purchase.  During Homer's day he comes across many people who could use left-handed itemry, but Homer declines to tell them about Ned's shop despite the opportunities to.  Quickly, Flanders finds himself having to see off his possessions (and Homer taking full advantage by buying them for dirt cheap), and having to face debt collectors.  Homer is enjoying all of this, until he sees Flanders' shop going out of business.  Feeling bad, Homer goes to return Ned's $300 grill that Homer got for only $20, to find out that Ned has just lost his house.  Believing it to be his fault because of the wishbone thing, Homer sets out to make things right.

After telling Ned to reopen his store tomorrow, a move Ned figures to be pointless, Homer makes a series of calls, and soon the whole town, or parts of it, learn about Ned's left-handed store.  Ned returns to the store the next day to find it packed full of left-handed patrons ready and willing to spend for his merchandise.  One such person, Mr. Burns, is delighted to of found left-handed can openers, and also opts to purchase a car with a left-handed stick that Ned had displayed in the shop.  With the car's purchase, Ned's house and business are saved, and he and Homer consider one another friends.

Quick Review
In the continuation of the development of Ned Flanders' character, we learn that he - and what seems like several key members of Springfield - are left handed.  In addition, we see that Homer's willingness to like and help Ned is somewhat inversely proportion to how successful Homer perceives Flanders to be at a given moment.  In the end, Homer's gesture help the two become friends, a fact that only holds true about half the time in future episodes.

This was a good episode, a bit lacking on the laughs, but I still enjoyed it as it did end on a warm note, and Bart's antics were fun to watch as well.  I'm rating it a bit low here because the quantity of jokes just wasn't there, but be sure of this: it was a good episode.

Final Score: 7.4