Bart the Mother (S10, E03-206)

So long, Troy, we'll always remember you for your work in The Simpsons Seasons 2-10.

Plot Summary
At a family fun center, Bart witnesses Nelson "earn" a BB gun as a prize.  Though he's eager to try it out, Marge forbids him from visiting Nelson, having witnesses a display of his bullying earlier.  Really wanting to try out the gun, though, Bart disobeys and sneaks off.  There, after seeing Nelson do some target practice, Bart is pressured by Nelson to shoot a bird nested in a tree.  Bart is unwilling, of course, even trying to aim away from the bird at the last instant, but the gun has a crooked sight, and even though Bart aimed a bit off, the shot still hits the bird, killing it.

Marge learns that Bart went to Nelson's, and comes in just in time to see Bart trying to hide the bird.  Upon realizing what he did, Marge gives up on Bart, believing that he's beyond saving, and leaves.  Bart is saddened by this series of events, but realizes that the bird left behind a nest containing two eggs.  Looking to redeem himself, Bart decides to look over the eggs, getting info on how to do so from the library.  He sets up a 75-watt light bulb in his treehouse to warm the eggs, but Marge catches on and, still despondent towards Bart, tries to get his to stop whatever it is she thinks he's doing.  However, upon learning what Bart actually is doing, Marge gives in and forgives Bart, agreeing to help him hatch the eggs.  Sure enough, the eggs are about to hatch anyway, and hatch they do: revealing a pair of lizards.

The family is, for the most part, puzzled, even Lisa can't explain what's going on other than confirming that they are, in fact, lizards.  Marge takes Bart to a group of bird watchers to figure out the mystery.  Principal Skinner, the head of said group, informs the two that the lizards are actually Bolivian Tree Lizards, bird eaters who also eat bird eggs, then lay eggs of their own in the bird's nest, with the bird unaware so that when they hatch, the newborn lizards can eat the unsuspecting bird as well.  There is an ordinance which prompts for the deaths of such lizards, but Bart refuses to let them do so.  With Marge's help, Bart runs to the roof of the building, but Skinner catches up and the two struggle for the lizards until they accidentally fly up and over the side of the building.  Just then, the lizards show off wing flaps, and glide to safety.  Although Skinner chides Bart for potentially ruining the ecosystem or what have you, it turns out the lizards gain a taste for pigeon, and the eventually wiping out of said pigeons instead allow Bart to earn praise from the town, though the irony of him not caring about hundreds of birds dying from his actions after caring so much about killing one bird is mostly lost on him.

Quick Review
Bart the Mother is notable for one thing: its the final time Phil Hartman's voice graces the show, as Hartman was killed four months before this episode's airing.  The circumstances of the murder would remain controversial even to this day.  As a service in Hartman's memory, both of his recurring characters - Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz - would be retired with neither character returning with a new voice actor.  It truly is a shame as not only were both characters vital to the success the show has had to this point, but it was Hartman's contributions that aided to the success of both characters.  I don't think the show has ever really recovered from the loss of Phil Hartman, and his tragedy remains one of the saddest stories in showbusiness.

The episode itself turns out fine, a nice bonding moment between Marge and Bart (though Marge's attitude toward Bart upon learning he shot that bird is a bit extreme for her), and there were quite a few laughs throughout.

Final Score: 8.4

Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment (S02, E13-026)

Its okay to steal cable from faceless corporations!

Plot Summary
Homer sees Flanders run off a guy offering to install cable for free, and immediately gets that same guy to do that service for him.  Everyone in the family is initially happy with this, even Marge gives in despite initial hesitations.  Homer watches it all day and night, and suddenly the next day its time for church.  While there, Bart and Lisa get a Sunday School lesson about hell.  They're told that they would go to hell if they were to break one of the ten Commandments.  Lisa immediately takes notice of the 8th Commandment: "Thou shalt not steal", and now fears that she and her family will go to hell for the cable line unless she does something about it.

After some advice from Reverend Lovejoy, Lisa decides to protest by actively not watching cable, but still telling everyone she isn't, which bugs Homer.  Also complication matters is Bart who finds "the Top Hat Channel", an adult network, and after Homer gets him to knock it off, Bart wishes he could grow up so he can break rules too, which frustrates Homer as well.

Despite all of that, one of the cable networks is going to broadcast a big time boxing match, and Homer invites friends, co-workers and even his dad to come see it.  He panics, though, as when Moe arrives, Homer has to hide all the mugs he's stolen from Moe's, and then when Mr. Burns makes a surprising visit to watch the fight, Homer has to quickly hide all the things he stole from work.  All the while, Lisa looks at him almost accusingly.  Ultimately, just before the fight begins, Homer gives in, and joins Lisa and the rest of the family outside, promising to cut the illegal line following the fight's conclusion, though he actively laments missing what turns out to be a great fight.

Quick Review
This is a weird episode.  First of all, its the first episode I've come across in this run that really seems dated, and the episode just previous to this one had Homer and Marge as teenagers in the 70s.  This episode seems dated because it deal with the piracy of cable, which may or may not of been a big deal in its original form twenty years ago.  Nowadays, though, thanks to our friend the internet, cable piracy is but one of the many 'illegal' options available to nearly everyone with a fast broadband connection.  So for this episode to make a big deal about stealing one cable line, nowadays, seems a bit out of place.

Another odd thing this episode has going for it is that, as basically a Lisa episode, it expands on her character a little more, but it also kinda meshes with later Lisa episodes which set her character up somewhat differently.  In this episode, Lisa is against stealing, but because she's been scared by religion into thinking that stealing would send you to hell.  Its weird seeing her like that as in later episodes she wouldn't be swayed so quickly by Sunday School teaching like that.  Or even be in Sunday School.

So, like I've said, its a weird episode to watch nowadays.  Stealing a cable line, and being against stealing for religious reasons rather than financial ones, it all seems out of place in this day in age.  Ignoring that, however, the episode had itself several good laughs and its a solid episode when it comes to hilarity.

Final Score: 7.7