Dad Behavior (S28, E08-604)

Leinart perfectly spiraled his way out of the NFL, you know.

Plot Summary
Still too lazy to do most chores, Homer learns from Barney about a new app which allows one to summon people to do chores for them.  Homer, of course, abuses the service, even paying extra to have someone without a criminal record to play catch with Bart.  Upon seeing that person, former college quarterback Matt Leinart, have "genuine" fun with Bart, Homer gets jealous.  He attempts to recreate the catch experience with a chore boy, but it goes so poorly Homer gets blacklisted.  That, coupled with him being unaware that the service isn't free, ends Homer's honeymoon with the app.

Lonely, Homer visits his own father, only to find Grampa with his own issues: having hooked up with a new lady via a dating service, Grampa is led to believe the lady he's with is now pregnant and is making preparations to skip town.  Meanwhile, Milhouse and his father have a small falling out and Milhouse goes to visit Bart.  However, Bart and Matt continue to have fun by themselves, which literally pushes Milhouse away and towards Homer, and the two build up a rapport.  Bart soon realizes that Matt was only being paid to let Bart win and he leaves anyway once his time is up.  With no fake father figure remaining, Bart tries to reconnect with his real father, only to find Homer spending time with Milhouse instead.  Increasingly jealous, Bart decides to hang out with Milhouse's father instead.

Grampa ponders whether to actually become a father again, noting that Simpson men have never really been good fathers, but that notion seemingly gets proven wrong when he finds Homer fishing with whom he believes is Bart (but is actually Milhouse).  Invigorated, Grampa goes to his girlfriend, ready to commit, but an ultrasound reveals that the baby is probably Jasper's, not Abe's, which is all good to Grampa.

The tensions between the Simpson and van Houten men reach a head at an amusement park, where Kirk's carelessness gets Bart injured.  Homer quickly tends to his own son, allowing them, and also the van Houtens, to reconcile with one another.

Because there wasn't enough episode to fill the time, the episode ends with a chore negotiator from earlier in the episode failing to get Maggie to give up her pacifier, and a tribute to Vin Scully - who retired from broadcasting a few months back - by doing a bit about Vin (or a caricature of Vin) rambling during a broadcast.

Quick Review
There were some good jokes here and there, but my oh my was the plot dull.  The sidestory with Grampa was short, so short it seemed even more pointless than it was, and it felt like it served only to fill the leftover time from the main story which, despite its modern twist (woah, apps!  s-see, we're m-modern too!), was as predictable as they come.

Final Score: 6.9

There Will Be Buds (S28, E06-602)

Digital animation doesn't really do too well with scale and perspective, does it?

Plot Summary
Youth football in Springfield is cancelled amidst fears of concussions.  A town hall is set up to discuss alternatives.  Kirk van Houten has one, but is to meek to get anyone to pay attention, except for Marge who convinces Homer to help Kirk be heard.  Homer gets everyone's attention toward Kirk, which Kirk takes as a genuine sign of friendship.  He then tells everyone about his alternate sport: lacrosse, which everyone loves.  Kirk agrees to start up a youth lacrosse team on the condition that Homer, his new friend, becomes an assistant coach.  Not willing to disappoint the town or the kids, Homer reluctantly accepts.

As Kirk relives his glory days of lacrosse - shattered literally when he broke his hand high-fiving a knight mascot - Homer is having a worse time.  His role being only to slice oranges, having to wake up early and travel to other towns for tournaments pales in comparison to hanging out with Kirk, Homer finds out.  Kirk's "rice sandwich", an apparent carb booster, is otherwise unappealing.  Kirk also likes to vape and go to strip clubs when Luann isn't around.  Homer gets increasingly annoyed by this but keeps it to himself.  Following a road trip where Springfield won their way to a championship game, Homer walks off on his own and sings about how much he can't stand Kirk, while Kirk simultaneously walks off on his own and sings about how much he likes Homer.  The two meet up at the end of their respective songs, where Kirk learns Homer doesn't actually like him.

Its the day of the championship, but Kirk is nowhere to be seen.  Luann informs everyone that Kirk has indeed gone missing but also took out a large sum of money - all in singles.  Homer realizes that Kirk has gone to the strip club in turmoil and Marge has Homer go and get him, Homer being responsible for Kirk's current state.  In the strip club, Homer finds Kirk spending money on strippers solely to have them listen to him ramble.  Homer again admits to Kirk that he doesn't like him, but thanks to his work with the lacrosse team, Homer has come to respect him.  Remembering that respect is a thing too, Homer and Kirk evade the multitude of fees the strip club has piled on Kirk and with the help of the single mom strippers who also have kids, the two return to the game on time to help Springfield win the title.  Homer and Kirk high five each other afterward, only to break their hands, now Homer has to share a hospital room with the guy he respects but doesn't like.

Quick Review
This ended up being an okay episode.  Some of the gags were bland or unfunny and the episode's sport-focused plotline felt a little forced but the episode didn't try to force a reference-fest or do anything else stupid, so the episode ends up getting a respectable score.

Final Score: 7.1

Covercraft (S26, E08-560)

Sideshow Mel's family, nothing more than a quick gag.  Sure was worth the wait.

Plot Summary
A dispute between Moe and the owner of the next door music shop ends with both of them going to jail and their businesses closed down.  This forces Lisa to go to the "big corporation" music store for her needs.  Homer takes her there and quickly becomes the target of opportunistic salesmen.  They get him playing the bass guitar and as Homer finds that he's actually good at it, the salesman sell him that plus tons of accessories, the combinations of which cause low-pitched chaos at home.  Marge complains about this to her circle of friends, who then admit they have similar problems with their husbands.  Marge then realizes that the husbands can form their own band, and thus only bother one wife at a time.

The husband crew consists of Homer at bass, Kirk van Houten at piano, Dr. Hibbert at drums, and Reverend Lovejoy at guitar.  After learning they all have the same taste in music, the four quickly gel and jam.  Soon after that, Apu arrives to be the group's singer, and reveals that, due to his time at the Kwik-E-Mart, he has developed the voice of the lead singer from the group Sungazer to maintain his sanity listening to the group's songs nonstop at the store.  With this voice added in, the group decides to become a cover band, dedicated to their craft, thus the name Covercraft.  The group gets a gig at the Springfield Cabbage Festival, but Apu is nervous.  Homer convinces Apu to believe that he's at the Kwik-E-Mart with nobody around, handing Apu his work uniform to help with the setting, and with that mindset Apu helps Covercraft become a popular cover band in Springfield.

Soon, Sungazer - whose lead singer passed away - decides to make Apu their singer for their tour, and Apu gleefully accepts.  Homer becomes envious of Apu's supposed success, and out of panic disbands the remains of Covercraft.  Still, Apu sends the Simpson family tickets and backstage passes to Sungazer's concert in Springfield.  Homer 'realizes' that Apu couldn't of gotten this far without Homer's advice and goes backstage to steal back Apu's uniform.  Forced to hide, Homer witnesses Sungazer treating Apu like crap thanks to a harsh contract Apu signed.  Realizing Apu does not, in fact, have it good, Homer drops his anger and helps Apu enact a little revenge of his own by ordering in a buffet of Kwik-E-Mart quality hot dogs for Sungazer.  They quickly become ill, and Apu takes the opportunity to have Covercraft perform the concert instead.  The police figure out the hot dog scheme, though, and Apu and Homer are arrested in due time.

Quick Review
This episode was pretty boring, I felt.  Not a lot of jokes, but not a lot of "bad" things either.  The focus was clearly on music, and the few attempts at comedy (the opening bit with Moe and the music shop owner, for instance), had a few misses that held the episode back.

Final Score: 6.0

The War of Art (S25, E15-545)

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

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

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

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

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

Final Score: 7.2

Hardly Kirk-ing (S24, E13-521)

Kirk is so unnoteworthy, someone with stubby arms and a stiff walking motion can pass as him.

Plot Summary
Marge stops Homer from letting Maggie watch an "educational" DVD that's even less effective as doing nothing.  To help turn Maggie around, Marge takes her, Lisa and Homer to a kid's library.  Homer comes across a "find the hidden items" book he becomes addicted to.  Meanwhile, Bart - who stayed behind - is spending time at Milhouse's place.  In an attempt to make things not so boring, Bart sprays some epoxy into Milhouse's hair, then promises to get it out.  Eventually, the entire top of Milhouse's hair has to be cut off, leaving him with hair that looks very similar to that of his father, Kirk Van Houten.  Bart realizes this, and has Milhouse try on one of Kirk's suits.  With the tie straightened, Milhouse's voice is fixed to sound just like Kirk and Bart determines that he can pass Milhouse off as an adult to acquire adult things.

Bart puts Milhouse on paint cans so he can appear as tall as Kirk.  Quickly, both Bart and even Milhouse take advantage of Milhouse's portrayal of Kirk by doing all sorts of adult things: buying beer, learning where babies come from, voting, that kind of stuff.  Later, Lisa is upset that Marge won't take her to a jazz show because it's in dangerous downtown Springfield.  Bart decides to help his sister out by using Milhouse to provide adult supervision.  Lisa's jazz show has a cover cost, but is aware that the company that made the aforementioned DVD has lost a lawsuit over its product and that people can go to its office to get money.  "Kirk" takes Bart and Lisa to a bus station to get a ride to that office, but it turns out they only got back $20, which isn't enough to get into the jazz show.  Upset, Lisa just wants to get breakfast, when the three see a Condo Sales Presentation which offers free breakfast.  With "Kirk" around, the three decide to get some grub.

Marge learns that their kids aren't at the Van Houtens as she was led to believe, so she gets Homer, now a searching expert thanks to the "find the item" books he's solved, to help find the three.  At the presentation, Bart, Lisa and "Kirk" are the only ones left, but the saleswoman comes on to "Kirk", and takes him to a back room.  Homer and Marge arrive just in time and quickly spot Milhouse, whose hair has begun to grow back.  Later, Milhouse confesses to his father the things he did under his name, but reveals he had a great time pretending to be him and hopes to become his father when he becomes older.  Kirk takes pride in this and lets Milhouse represent himself at the parent-teacher conferences while the Simpsons just take these developments in stride, I guess.

Quick Review
An episode where Bart gets Milhouse to pretend to be his own father is a fun idea for an episode, but its a shame this episode doesn't provide a good enough level of comedy to back it up.

Also, in this episode's initial airing, Maggie Simpson in: The Longest Daycare was broadcasted for the first time, so the episode's running time is a little low.  In future airings, the time is made up with the extra long Game of Thrones couch gag which transitions into this episode's couch gag, which did seem kinda rushed.

Final Score: 6.5

Little Orphan Millie (S19, E06-406)

In this frame, Bart continues to never understand how anything works.

Plot Summary
The Simpsons go on a picnic with the Van Houtens, where its revealed that Kirk and Luann have agreed to remarry, much to Milhouse's delight.  Before the wedding, Homer makes a mistake by implying he doesn't know Marge's eye color, so Marge refuses to let him see her eyes until he can either remember or figure it out.  After the wedding, Kirk and Luann go on a honeymoon cruise for a week, while Milhouse stays at the Simpson house.  Milhouse has so much fun with Bart, he almost wishes his parents never come back.  In short time, he learns that his parents - who were shown to have gone overboard accidentally - are lost at sea.

Milhouse, of course, is deeply saddened by this, but realizes he can't keep crying about it, and finally decides to get over the loss.  One day at school, the kids see the new Milhouse: a deep, poetic loner that no longer cares about his own well being.  He quickly becomes the most popular kid in school, which really bothers Bart.  Realizing that Milhouse will stop being cool if he's happy again, Bart finds one of Milhouse's relatives to take care of him: his uncle Norbert, who actually turns out to be pretty cool himself because he's a Danish Van Houten, not a slimy Dutch Van Houten like Kirk.  Despite that, Norbert, an adventurer who calls himself Zack instead, is more than willing to adopt Milhouse, and Milhouse openly accepts Norbert's aid.  The others still love Milhouse, though, and now Bart is worried that Milhouse is going to leave soon, distressing himself over that.

Homer is eventually able to recall a song he wrote which details the colors of Marge's various details, but still can't remember the part of the song about her eye color.  Regardless, Marge forgives Homer and lets him see - through the power of HD! - her eye color: hazel.  Meanwhile, Milhouse announces he's moving to live with his uncle, and as they ready to depart via a hot air balloon, Bart can't deal with it and hitches a ride as well.  The three decide to travel the world.  The balloon gets near a tropical island where, as it turns out, Kirk and Luann had washed ashore upon, and just as they were going to escape via a makeshift hang-glider, they crash into the balloon.  Milhouse is happy his parents are alive, and as Norbert makes a call to his Danish relatives for rescue, he and the Dutch Kirk get into a heritage fight.

Quick Review
This ends up being a pretty decent episode as well, continuing a nice streak for the season.  The subplot with Marge's eyes was basically nothing, but it did get in a chuckle or two.  The main plot with Milhouse picked up near the end with the introduction of the Dutch-hating Norbert, which brought the episode to respectability.

Final Score: 7.2

Milhouse of Sand and Fog (S17, E03-359)

He did come back, most probably indeed.

Plot Summary
Maggie gets the chicken pox.  Homer, who hasn't had gotten chicken pox yet, gets the idea to hold a pox party (for profit, of course) to get other kids across town infected.  Milhouse is one such kid, who is dropped off by his dad, Kirk Van Houten.  Marge insists Kirk stick around and have one of her alcoholic slushes, and Milhouse's mom Luann comes by (she was to pick up Milhouse later).  Kirk learns that Luann isn't seeing anyone and, with the two a bit drunk, begin to finally reconcile their differences, much to Milhouse's initial joy.

Homer ends up getting the chicken pox, and so Marge goes through the effort to nurse him back to health (as chicken pox can be trouble for adults).  Meanwhile, Milhouse's joy is lessened when he sees his parents spending more time with one another than with him.  Milhouse starts to worry that now his parents won't shower him with love and presents like they used to, even when separated.  Bart, who also benefitted from Milhouse's parents, decides to spring into action and decides to get Milhouse's parents separated again so they can pay attention only to Milhouse.  After a few initial attempts fail, the two get an idea from TV to plant a bra in Kirk's room.  They do so, but when Luann notices it, she finds that the bra belongs to Marge, concluding that she's been sleeping with Kirk.  Luann confronts Homer about it, showing him the bra, and he's devastated.  Homer confronts Marge over it, and though she is adamant she hasn't done anything, Homer doesn't trust her, and the two separate for a time.  Bart's plan to separate Milhouse's parents ends up separating his own instead.

Lisa figures this out and forces Bart to confess his ill deed to Marge.  Even so, Marge is still upset that Homer didn't trust her, and continues to refuse Homer back in.  Bart and Milhouse try to concoct another crazy scheme to get Homer and Marge back together, despite Lisa's interference.  The two force Homer and Marge to meet up at a river bank, and Bart plans to send a dummy of him falling into the river.  He tasks Milhouse to push the dummy in, but Milhouse's sight fails him and he pushes Bart in instead.  Homer rushes in to save Bart, but doesn't do a good job at it and the two continue to head toward a waterfall.  Marge comes in to help, forcing Homer to trust she can save them, and save them she does.  Homer and Marge reconcile yet again, and though Milhouse jumps into the river over Bart supposedly dying, Bart doesn't particularly care.

Quick Review
So ends the nine year saga of the separation of Kirk and Luann Van Houten.  Sure, things don't look too good after the bra incident, but a later episode marries them again so its all good.  What this episode ends up being is yet another marriage episode, though this was wasn't too bad by any means.  Oddly, the episode starts off slowly but picks up near the end (during the main marriage plot line), and is able to salvage a decent score because of its last act.

Final Score: 7.5

Pranksta Rap (S16, E09-344)

Bart, excelling at something he's never shown to even wanting to do previously.

Plot Summary
Bart, suddenly into rap, wants to go to a rap concert featuring a rapper he likes in Alcatraz.  Homer initially lets Bart go if he came up with the money to buy a ticket himself.  Bart does so, but Marge stops him from going anyway.  Upset that Homer 'sold him out', Bart decides to go anyway, sneaking out through the window.  At the concert, a rather fortunate mic drop allows Bart to go on stage to rap alongside Alcatraz.  He gets a ride home with the rapper, and gets a shirt from his as well.  As he sneaks back in, he overhears Homer and Marge.  They know Bart's gone, and if its to the concert he's going to get it.  Bart comes to face two option: be an adult and admit his wrongdoing, or be a kid and worm his way out of trouble.  Bart chooses the latter, sending the two a 'letter' informing them that Bart has been kidnapped.

Bart gets help from Milhouse on a place to hide out, going to Milhouse's dad's apartment.  Chief Wiggum promises to find Bart, but is laughed away by the press because Wiggum has been so incompetent at his job.  After a dream where he gets encouraged by Barney Fife (or Don Knotts, Wiggum isn't sure if he's in character or not), Wiggum buckles down and starts to track Bart.  Bart starts to stage a phony kidnapper phone call to keep up appearances, cooking up "Chintzy Pop" oven-top popcorn in the process.  Bart is forced to hang up early as Milhouse's dad returns from his scarecrow job, but Wiggum is able to identify the Chintzy Pop noise in the background.  He goes to the Kwik-E-Mart to figure out who buys his favorite brand of popcorn, when Apu gives him the names of the only two people dumb enough to buy such crappy popcorn: Clancy Wiggum and Kirk Van Houten.  Wiggum enters Kirk's apartment, finds Bart and arrests Kirk on kidnapping charges.  Milhouse gets on Bart for what happened, and Bart decides to confess.

Wiggum, though, has been promoted to police commissioner for saving Bart.  When Bart goes to confess to Wiggum, Wiggum decides to keep it a secret between them, not just for Wiggum's sake, but Kirk's as well; Kirk's new status as well-known felon has gotten him a following of groupies who just want to do him over and over again.  Bart decides to follow along.  However, Lisa uncovers the shirt Bart got at the concert, but threw away as he began his kidnapping ploy.  Lisa goes to Homer to inform him of her suspicions, but Homer tosses the shirt into the fireplace as it turns out Homer's been paid lots of money (which he's already lost) for the movie rights to Bart's story which must be kept as true as possible.

Undeterred, Lisa gets help from Principal Skinner to uncover where Bart was the supposed night of the kidnapping.  Wiggum becomes aware of this, and gathers Homer, Bart and Kirk to figure out what to do about Lisa.  They figure out that they need to talk with whomever Bart was with that night to uphold the lie, so they go to visit Alcatraz.  However, Lisa and Skinner are already there, having seen footage of the concert which confirm's Bart was there at the right time and date.  Bart tries to convince Lisa to keep the lie going as its not hurting anyone, but Lisa sticks true to the truth.  Alcatraz notices this deadlock and decides to offer a solution: a pool party, which satisfies everyone except Lisa somewhat, but whatever.

Quick Review
Well, this episode was better than the last three, but that's not saying much.  I liked how the plot was developing during the middle of the episode with Wiggum and the cover up, but the beginning of the episode was cringeworthy to sit through, and the episode ended on such a stupid cop out (uh we don't know how to resolve this normally, so pool party time!) it really hindered this episode's quality.

Final Score: 6.5

Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore (S15, E12-325)

Living in the big city automatically makes one gangster.  Did I say that right?

Plot Summary
During a field trip to the Museum of TV, Bart notices that Milhouse has become rather edgy, and can't get an answer as to why other than Milhouse not caring what people think anymore.  After school, Bart learns the real reason why Milhouse is acting oddly: his mom has a new job in Capitol City, and Milhouse is moving with her there.  Though Milhouse's father vows to fight his ex's attempt to take away Milhouse, it leaves Bart without his best friend.

Meanwhile, Homer and his work pals go to Moe's, and Homer in particular gets pretty drunk.  He's shown out the door eventually, and sits on the ground remaining wasted.  He gains the pity of a rich woman, who gives him money, but Homer refuses to be given charity without dancing, and starts dancing his drunk ass off.  Homer doesn't return until late that night, much to the ire of Marge, but Homer returns with a bouquet of flowers, which softens Marge's heart, and Homer is bailed out for the night.

Bart goes to Capitol City to visit Milhouse, but he learns that Milhouse is trying pretty damn hard to fit in with the kids there, and Bart is used only for those purposes.  Unwilling to go through that again, Bart goes back home to mourn the loss of his friend.  Marge has seen enough of Bart's sorrow and suggests he help Lisa clean the car.  Somehow, in some way, Bart and Lisa bond over it (though all they did was goof off), and the two spend more time together.

Homer needs more money to buy Marge an anniversary present, then remembers how well begging did, so goes back out on the street to do it again, getting advice from a bum he knows to act like a crazy man for charity.  It works pretty well, and Homer ends up getting enough money to buy Marge diamond earrings.  However, Homer continues to go out and panhandle, hoping to get enough money for a second house.  The bum Homer knows gets tired of his act, and goes and shows Marge what Homer had been doing.  Marge yells at him, but unwilling to get rid of her earrings to prove moral superiority, Marge simply has Homer buy her an accompanying brooch, and everything's okay.

Bart and Lisa continue to bond, and though both realize they're now each other's best friend they don't seem to mind.  However, to Lisa's shock, Milhouse is back, his father having won Milhouse in court.  Sure enough, Bart spends all of his time with Milhouse again, and Lisa is left crushed.  Homer sees this and wakes Bart up over the issue, and that night Bart promises he'll continue to be a good brother to Lisa, which Lisa is happy with.

Quick Review
Homer's subplot about him panhandling was the better of the two storylines, but the main plot wasn't half bad either.  My favorite part of the episode was Willie's rant about how the Scots are enemies with everyone including other Scots, giving the episode a big boost on its own, but the episode altogether isn't all that special.

Final Score: 7.7

The Bart of War (S14, E21-312)

Nothing gets kids in line like promoting old stereotypes and violence!

Plot Summary
Bored, Bart and Milhouse decide to tie a string to a fly.  The fly heads into Flanders' house via an open window, and boys go in to find its been eaten by a cat.  None of the Flanderses are home, so the two decide to cause chaos inside, even finding Ned's secret Beatles tribute room, causing loads of trouble within.

Ned eventually comes home and calls the police, but doesn't file charges in hopes that the two will simply get constant adult supervision, and Marge makes it a point to follow, separating Bart from Milhouse and starting up a Springfield chapter of the "Pre-Teen Braves", some youth group.  Homer is initially the head of the group, but after he fails to do a good job, Marge takes over.  Under Marge, the group - which consists of Bart, Nelson, Database and Ralph - meets an actual Native American who tells them about the blight of litter, and the group decides to chip in.  Before they can, however, the park they planned on cleaning is already taken care of by a rivaling youth group: the Cavalry Kids, led by Milhouse and his father.  With the Girl Scouts already in control of the south side of town, the two groups realize there's not enough room left for both of them and they go to war.

Soon, a contest is announced where the youth group that sells the most cookies will be invited as honorary bat boys at an upcoming baseball game.  Homer takes the reins of the group again to lead a plan to ensure the Braves' victory.  They secretly inject laxatives into the candy sold by the Cavalry Kids, and at first it seems they're ruined.  However, the Cavalry Kids win anyway, as their candy became a big hit with the elderly.  Homer isn't finished yet, though.  On the day of the baseball game, Homer diverts the Cavalry Kids away from the stadium, then has the Braves dress up as the Cavalry Kids so that they can make the Kids look bad.  The real Cavalry Kids arrive just in time anyway and get into a fight with the Braves, inciting a riot.  Marge can't help but cry over what's happened to everyone, which gets caught on the jumbotron.  Everyone feels deep regret and sings a national anthem that promotes peace instead of violence: Canada's, giving the lesson that violence isn't the answer unless you're America.

Quick Review
Meh.

I really do just want to say meh and end it, and hell I can probably get away with it, too.  Not much went right for the episode, as the Pre-Teen Braves portion really didn't do much, and that shoved-in 'hey being anti-American is funny now' bit at the very end was awkward, too.  The episode was hardly ever funny.

This (maybe?) is also the first episode which really delves into the supposed saga of Nelson's missing father, last seen in Season 9, which becomes a bit of a running gag until an episode is devoted to it in Season 16.

Final Score: 6.3

A Milhouse Divided (S08, E06-159)

"I'll be back!  Pro- probably."

Plot Summary
Tired of the drudgery of everyday life, Marge decides to host a dinner party, and invites the Flanders, Hibberts, Lovejoys and Van Houtens.  The dinner, however, quickly turns sour as the Van Houtens, Kirk and Luann, have no qualms about insulting one another in front of company.  The tension only increases after dinner, when a game of pictionary goes wrong.  Luann finally has enough and announces she wants a divorce.

Later, Milhouse gets some sympathy from the school's bullies, all having dealt with divorce in one way or another.  While Luann enjoys her newfound single life, having already found an American Gladiator boyfriend, Kirk has been kicked out of the house and loses his job at the cracker factory for no longer being a family man.  After Homer turns down an invite from Marge to go with Luann to a play, Homer spends time with Kirk, hearing Kirk regret not caring for Luann throughout their marriage, lamenting that instead of enjoying his wife's dinner every night, he now has to thaw hot dogs in a sink.  Homer tells Kirk that will never happen to him, but later on he returns home very late, and sees that Marge left Homer... hot dogs thawing in the sink.

Depressed that he may be in Kirk's position as well, Homer recalls his wedding with Marge to be subpar at best.  He attempts to make it up the next day, but his well intentioned efforts do not help any.  Realizing that Marge needs a 'fresh start', Homer makes a tough decision and files for divorce.

That night, Homer calls for Marge in the dark.  When she arrives and turns on a light, she is met with surprise as a group of people are in the room for what Homer has planned to be a second wedding, using the divorce to ensure the wedding as legit.  The wedding goes off beautifully, and the two are more in love than ever.  The two Van Houtens are there, and as Kirk sees this, he attempts to win back Luann, but she promptly denies his efforts and her boyfriend shows him the door.

Quick Review
In truth, A Milhouse Divided was a bit short on laughs compared to other episodes thus far in the season, as some focus was given to the marriage and divorce plots that were developed.  Still, the quality of the jokes that were there were top notch and the divorce story does not detract from the comedy of the episode.

Final Score: 8.8