Whistler's Father (S29, E03-621)

Recap: Maggie inherits Grampa's ability to whistle exceptionally and becomes a baby diva before she even hits it big.  Meanwhile, the mafia asks the style-'conscious' Marge to 'redecorate' the old post office into a whore house.

Review: Overall, its a dull episode.  A few jokes worked, a few jokes didn't.  Maggie's plotline was borderline ridiculous which didn't help matters.  Episode could've fared better with more mafia gags as they were the best part of the episode.  Better than the other two episodes of this season, of course that's not saying much.

Final Score: 6.2

Penny-Wiseguys (S24, E05-513)

The episode barely explains why these two know each other, are they even friends or what?

Plot Summary
A game of bowling is ruined for most of the original Pin Pals when their new fourth member, Dan Gillick, is forced to leave in the last frame for work.  It turns out that Dan is a mafia accountant, and is forced to crunch numbers during mafia meetings.  Fat Tony reveals that he's been selected for jury duty, and as a result he must have someone take his place temporarily, and for some reason gives Dan that responsibility.  Dan, of course, has trouble getting the other mafioso to respect him.  At the bar, Dan - whom Homer had met while retrieving a frisbee that landed on Dan's roof - gets advice from Moe to be more aggressive and edgier.  After a swig of beer, Dan does just that and is able to put terrify the other mobsters enough to allow him to enact several cost-cutting measures.

Meanwhile, Lisa collapses during a solo at a school concert, and its learned that she has an iron deficiency, thanks in part to her vegetarianism.  She's given iron supplements to compensate, but she has a tough time swallowing them.  Lunchlady Doris, though, helps Lisa out by showing her a new avenue in acquiring iron: eating bugs, which is okay for vegetarians because of reasons.  Lisa gives it a try, and likes it enough to start growing her own grasshopper colony.  However, in the process Lisa starts to become allured to regular ol' meat again, enough to sleepwalk over to meat items.  Realizing that her new bug diet is that cause of this, Lisa quits eating bugs and has Bart (for some reason) free her grasshoppers.  Bart half-asses it, and the grasshoppers end up hopping around in the basement, which he doesn't care about.

Dan meets Fat Tony during a break and Tony is pleased with Dan's progress in cutting budget, but wants Dan to cut even more.  Dan tells Fat Tony that the only place left to cut is in personnel, and Fat Tony tells Dan that in his business, people don't get laid off, they get laid out.  Dan realizes that he's gotta kill some guys, and for some reason goes to Homer for help - to help stop Dan from killing anyone because he's built up enough edge to actually go through with it.  Homer is forced to agree - Dan has been given a gun - and Homer ties Dan up in the basement... the same basement full of freed grasshoppers.  Homer notices this a few hours later and after freeing Dan from the grasshoppers, Dan has too much edge and escapes, ready to kill him some mobsters.

As Lisa and Marge properly release those grasshoppers, Homer chases Dan across town, preventing him from killing mobsters Johnny Tightlips and Louie.  Dan goes after Legs and associate next, but Homer catches up to him and, after a struggle, Homer takes Dan's gun away from him just as Fat Tony helps give a verdict in court.  Fat Tony comes back, happy that costs have been cut even further now that there's only one gun: his, and Dan has relegated himself to shooting a piercing gun for young girls as he can never get over the thrill of pulling the trigger.

Quick Review
This was actually a pretty decent episode.  I'm always a sucker for mob antics, and this episode had a good amount to offer.  Lisa's side story was, predictably, unfunny but at least it tied into the main story for one scene anyway.  The main story's focus on Dan - voiced by Steve Carell - was kinda odd, but I didn't mind it any.  Overall, its still funnier than anything Season 23 had to offer.

Final Score: 7.3

The Real Housewives of Fat Tony (S22, E19-483)

It starts to get tiresome, going to your sister's various weddings.

Plot Summary
At the DMV, Bart and Lisa create line chaos after Homer stuck them in the line to do fun things.  Planning to sell the front of the line for money, their plans are halted when Fit Fat Tony comes in to declare a change of address.  However, the clerk working at the time, Selma, does her usual DMV bit to even Tony, and Tony is unable to accomplish anything.  Having been slighted in public, Fat Tony has Selma kidnapped, and plans on slicing off her body parts, courteous enough to let her choose first.  Selma insists of them taking off her love handles, and Tony comes to like Selma's brashness.  He gets a doctor to give liposuction to Selma, and the two begin to fall in love.

Meanwhile, Lisa discovers Bart has a knack for smelling truffles.  The pair encounter Luigi nearby, who pays the two good money for the few truffles they've found, lamenting that the pig he had flown over from Italy was proving worthless at truffle hunting.  Looking to cash in, Bart more than gladly sniffs out more truffles, but Lisa becomes more and more demanding of Bart.  Soon enough as nearly every truffle around has been harvested, Bart tries to quit, but trips and gets knocked out for a second.  Lisa uses this opportunity to cover Bart's mouth and eyes to make him better at truffle sniffing, and indeed it does.  He's able to sniff more truffles... in Lisa's room.  Lisa reveals that she hadn't been selling them, she's been eating them because, as a vegetarian, its the only tasty thing she's had in forever.  With just one truffle left, Lisa lets Bart do whatever with it, and Bart decides to let Luigi's pig eat it, which ends up being a bad idea as the pig becomes truffle crazy and runs amuck in Luigi's restaurant.

Fat Tony and Selma eventually decide to marry, and the family is invited.  During the reception, though, the Simpsons are placed at a faraway table.  Marge is irritated by this, and learns that Selma didn't want Homer screwing things up.  Marge takes offense to this, and the two have an open spat.  Later, Fat Tony decides to invite Homer and Marge to his beach resort in New Jersey so that the two sisters can make up.  After some initial hostilities, Marge and Selma do make up after Selma admits she might've been harsh on Homer out of jealousy that Marge had married.  A short time later, though, as Marge and Homer go back to their room, they overhear Fat Tony getting ready for his "goomar", which Marge knows is slang for a mistress.

Marge tells Selma that Fat Tony is cheating on her, and after Selma cries over yet another failed marriage, she confronts Tony the next morning.  Just then, a woman crashes in with her car, revealing herself to be Fat Tony's actual wife, with a ring to match.  It turns out Selma is the goomar; during the ceremony everything was spoken in Italian, leaving Selma unaware it was to make her Tony's goomar, not his wife.  As Tony's wife and Selma engage in a cat fight, Marge is again glad she's marry to simple ol' Homer, and the two make out nearby.

Quick Review
This episode starts off strong.  I'm a sucker for mob references, and the beginning of the episode had them in spades.  However, once the Jersey Shore references started up, the episode takes a pretty hard fall and there was no recovery from it.  The truffle side story had a little bit going for it at first, but it too suffered from a lame ending, and so the episode ends up as a middle of the road effort for the season.

Final Score: 6.8

Chief of Hearts (S21, E18-459)

Out of context, this is pretty screwy picture, so out of context it remains.

Plot Summary
Homer unwittingly causes a panic at a bank, and is arrested.  In court, Homer is sentenced to community service, Homer's least favorite kind of service.  Chief Wiggum is about to have Homer and a few other detainees do so work at the park, but he's feeling somewhat lonely as his wife is always "at a book club".  Wiggum notices Homer holding something; its several different Parmesan sandwiches, and Homer lets the interested Wiggum have a bite.  As thanks, Wiggum lets Homer just sit with him as the others do their service.  The two get to know one another and by the end of the day, the two become good friends.  With this, Homer also gets the enjoy the perks of being the best friend of the Chief of Police, and Wiggum shows Homer his secret spot on the outskirts of town where the two spend time peacefully.  Forced to duty, Wiggum brings Homer to an armed robbery, though, and a gunman is able to take Homer hostage.  Wiggum jumps in to save Homer, but gets shot in the chest as the robber gets away.

Wiggum falls into a coma, but Homer stays with Wiggum at the hospital until he finally awakens to the sight of his best friend.  However, Homer had been away from his family for quite a bit to tend to Clancy, and the two start bickering over whether Homer can leave for his family or stay with his ailing friend.  Some time later, Homer makes it back to the bar, but has to lie to Wiggum to do so, a lie Clancy is able to figure out.  Wiggum confronts Homer at the bar and the two get into an argument until Clancy gives up and storms off in a tantrum.

A short time later, Lou and Eddie tell Homer they can't find Clancy anywhere, but Homer knows where Clancy is.  He goes, alone, to Clancy's secret spot carrying along a bucket of chicken as an apology.  Before Clancy can say or do anything, the two spy the mafia trying to set up another counterfeit scheme, but as Clancy confronts them, he's points a chicken leg at them instead of his gun and both he and Homer are captured.  They're put inside the trunk of Fat Tony's car.  Homer and Clancy forgive each other, and Homer cheers Clancy on to find a solution out of their predicament.  Clancy forces the mafia to check the trunk, then the two are able to subdue the mafia as backup arrives.  Homer and Clancy agree to remain friends, albeit not as close as before, and Clancy lets Homer ride the police helicopter around to mess with Flanders.

Oh, while this was all happening, Bart is taken to a birthday party of some kid he doesn't know, and becomes interested in a new toy/card combo battle game.  Bart takes his toys and cards to school to battle others, but both Martin and Principal Skinner see only Bart taking out unknown materials from his backpack, and assume the worst.  He and Superintendent Chalmers inform Marge of the worst: Bart is dealing drugs.  Marge can't believe it, but when she gets home she overhears Bart and Milhouse talking about a 'fine product' (the game) out of context, and she too assumes the worst.  She goes into Bart's room digging for anything that could be drugs, but eventually Bart tells her about the battle game, clearing up her confusion.  Marge actually takes a liking to the game, which means Bart promptly gets rid of the now uncool materials.

Quick Review
After a string of poor episodes, Chief of Hearts gets the season back on track with a combo of Homer and Chief Wiggum that perhaps took way too long to make an episode of.  The sidestory with Bart's game was pretty worthless in every aspect, but the main story was excellent, both Homer and Wiggum shined as a combo and bringing in the mafia for its brief appearance made things just a little better.

Final Score: 8.0

The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer (S18, E01-379)

These two truly are mobsters born in the bodies of oafs.

Plot Summary
Otto loses his tunes, and is forced to listen to much lamer things during his bus drive.  On the way, he spots Metallica, whose bus has broken down.  He leaves the bus to offer the group a lift, but in the meantime Bart drives the bus away.  He's able to quite competently drive it the rest of the way to school, but Otto catches up and in pure anger spanks Bart for what he did.  Principal Skinner sees this and is forced to suspend Otto (with pay) for his use of physical punishment.  In the meantime, Marge has to set up a car pool with various kids across town, including the shy Michael who, as it turns out, is the son of renowned mob boss Fat Tony.

Apparently this wasn't known until the day Marge picks him up, and word quickly spreads.  Soon the entire school is afraid of Michael because of his father.  Lisa decides enough is enough and talks with Michael.  Neither are particularly fond of the school's food so Michael takes Lisa outside to make her a fresh salad, where Lisa learns that Michael is a top-notch cook, who one day hopes to become a professional chef.  Fat Tony is tasked to carpool the kids home, but has a run in with a rival 'business', eventually riding himself of some competition.  Afterward, Michael invites Lisa and the Simpson family over for dinner.  Fat Tony hosts for awhile, but is forced aside as he has a meeting with another family, the higher ups of the guys Tony dealt with earlier.  Its learned that they were trying to kill Fat Tony because they thought he had become soft with the carpool.  Fat Tony ensures them that if he were to ever go down, his son Michael would wreak a terrible vengeance upon them.  Soon, with Lisa's urging, Michael comes in to give everyone some souffles, telling everyone that he made them and he wants to be a chef.  The other family laughs at this pretty hard, and still considers Fat Tony "whack-able" as they don't think his son will be able to wreak any vengeance.  Lisa tries to assure Fat Tony not to care what they think, but seconds later the other family pops up in a helicopter and guns down Fat Tony.

Fat Tony survives the attack, but won't be able to do anything for a few months.  Homer decides to take over the business in the meantime, but he and Bart get a little too into things, and Michael finally decides he's had enough.  He invites the other family over for dinner, and tells them he'll surrender his business and territory in exchange for the safety of both his family and the Simpson family.  To seal the deal, Michael serves the family some spaghetti, but they quickly keel over as it turns out the dishes were poisoned.  Lisa suspects foul play, but later when Michael is congratulated by a recovering Fat Tony for what he did, Lisa worries as Michael made no effort to explain it was an accident.  It seems, though, that Michael has become part of 'the famiily', and nothing Lisa can do now will change that.

Quick Review
This episode was hampered quite badly by how it started.  The entire bit with Otto just wasn't good at all.  From there, though, the episode really picks up.  I usually enjoy episodes featuring Fat Tony and the mafia, and their main presence in the episode was greatly appreciated.  Unfortunately, it wasn't able to fully recover from its dismal start, which explains why it has the low, albeit decent, score it ended up with.

Final Score: 7.0

Moe Baby Blues (S14, E22-313)

Nobody pulls off 'creep' like Moe.

Plot Summary
The entire town, it seems, congregate to Springfield's botanical garden to witness the blooming of a rare, giant flower.  At the bar, Moe is unaware of this but sees on the news that all of his customers are at the garden, so he decides to go as well.  However, his presence at the garden puts the area one over the allowed capacity, and so Moe is asked to leave.  The flower bloom, but shoots out a rather toxic pollen which forces everyone to flee.  With traffic jamming along a bridge, Homer accidentally crashes his car against the one in front of him.  In an odd series of events, Maggie's safety belt breaks and she flies out through the car's sun roof as it crashes.  Meanwhile, Moe is also at the bridge, preparing to jump to a pathetic death, when Maggie literally falls right into his arms.  The people stuck on the bridge witness this, and Moe is declared a hero.

Some morning later, Moe goes to the Simpson house to see Maggie.  With Homer late for work, Marge is forced to have Moe take care of Maggie for a bit to tend to the latest round of Grampa's senility.  Upon returning, Marge finds that Maggie has taken quite a liking to Moe, and vice-versa and so Moe becomes the go-to babysitter for Maggie.  Moe does a lot of stuff for Maggie, even reenacting the first Godfather movie for her.  However, in typical fashion, Moe gets a little too close to Maggie for her parents' liking; Homer is upset that Moe has become her father figure instead of him, and Marge is starting to get upset that Moe has learned more things about Maggie than she has.  It comes to a head one late night, when the two learn that Moe has both a video camera and a baby monitor in Maggie's room and rushes to Maggie's side when she's crying.  Homer forces Moe out, and tells him to stay away from Maggie.

Moe once again battles through depression afterward.  A night later, Maggie overhears some mobsters discussing a hit.  To cheer up Louie, Fat Tony does the gag with the orange peel from The Godfather.  Maggie recognizes the bit from when Moe did it, and mistakes Fat Tony for Moe.  As the mafia take their leave, Maggie exits her room through the open window and gives chase.  Marge finds out a short time later, and Homer quickly concludes that Moe must've taken her.  One police sting later, it turns out that Moe is innocent, but Homer and Marge decide to let Moe help them find their baby.  At the house, Moe finding a discarded orange peel and realizes what has happened.

Maggie chases the mobster to a restaurant, where Fat Tony and his gang engage in a standstill against another mob, with Maggie caught inbetween.  Moe, Homer and Marge arrive just in time to see this, and Moe decides to enter the restaurant to grab Maggie, openly describing his sob story to the mobsters, bringing them to tears.  Afterward, though Moe makes no effort to get his babysitting 'job' back, Homer does agree to bring Maggie around whenever the two meet up (or something to that effect, anyway).

Quick Review
This episode is a strong finish to what has been a very disappointing season.  Moe episodes can be hit or miss, but somehow an episode focused on him as well as Maggie works out just fine.  It helps that Fat Tony and his gang are involved, as they usually give an episode a nice boost of comedy, but otherwise the episode contains plenty of jokes and hilarity to make it one of the better episodes of the season.

Final Score: 8.1

Insane Clown Poppy (S12, E03-251)

Krusty, playing a tune for his (not-to-be-seen-until-16-seasons-later) daughter.

Plot Summary
At a book fair, Krusty learns that he has a daughter, Sophie.  She helps him remember an instance during the Gulf War where he had to hide in a random tent during a dust storm.  There, he met a woman soldier - Sophie's mother - and the two got intimate for no apparent reason.  However, he interferes with her mission to assassinate Suddam Hussein (mostly because it'll ruin his act), thereby instilling an intense hatred of clowns into her, though Sophie is more interesting in bonding with her father.

Krusty reluctantly decides to spends time with Sophie, and finds fatherhood to be more demanding than he anticipated.  He seeks aid from another father, and asks the first one he comes across at the beach: Homer.  Although I don't think Homer gives Krusty any actual advice, Krusty does a better job at spending time with Sophie, and she decides to entrust her violin with him for some reason.

Later, Krusty is at the bar gambling with Moe, Homer, Snake and Fat Tony.  Thinking he's got a hand won with four aces, Krusty needs extra money when Fat Tony raises the pot.  Looking desperately for something of value, he decides to throw in Sophie's violin under the premise that he won't actually lose it when he wins.  However, Fat Tony has a straight flush, and wins the hand and the violin, devastating Krusty.

Krusty tries to make amends with Sophie, but Sophie wants her violin back, losing respect for Krusty.  Krusty goes to Homer for help again, and Homer decides the two should just break into Fat Tony's house to get the violin back.  As it turns out, Tony is hosting some kind of mafia summit, leaving him busy with hosting duties.  The two sneak in and find several violin cases, but most of stuffed with guns.  With no time to search, the two try to sneak off with all of them, but accidentally sneak into the room where the summit is being held. causing a series of events which ultimately lead to Krusty recovering the violin.  He returns it to Sophie who regains some love for her father.

Quick Review
Despite some oddities with the premise (and dating it with the Gulf War reference), I still found this episode fairly enjoyable, as the jokes were funny for the most part.

Final Score: 8.0

Mayored to the Mob (S10, E09-212)

Mark: "Luke, be a Jedi tonight!  Just be a Jedi tonight!"
Chorus: "Do it for Yoda, while we serve a guest a soda!"
Mark: "Uh, and do it for Chewie and the Ewoks... and all the
other puppets... Luke, be a Jedi tonight!"

Plot Summary
The Simpson family sees a commercial for the Bi-Monthly Science Fiction Convention, "Bi-Mon-Sci-Fi-Con" for short, featuring Mark Hamill, Alf, and supposedly others.  That's enough for Homer and Bart, and so that family goes there.  As Hamill greets the crowd, they become restless when Mark tries to do a cheap marketing ploy for Sprint, and as Mark tries to salvage the effort by setting up a bit where someone can play as Obi-Won, the crowd goes nuts, sparking a nerd riot.  Mark, as well as Mayor Quimby, are surrounded and the mayor's bodyguards are outside neglecting their duties.  Homer has enough, and bullrushes the nerds to save Hamill and Quimby.  Firing his two bodyguards, Mayor Quimby decides to hire Homer to the same position, much to his delight.

After a short stint training for the job, Homer starts his job protecting the mayor.  For the most part, its just Homer witnessing the mayor accept bribe after bribe after bribe.  One such bribe involves the mafia, where Fat Tony somehow becomes the supplier of milk for the elementary school.  Homer stumbles into the 'milking room', where he learns that the mafia is milking rats.  Horrified that so many kids are drinking rat milk, Homer confronts the mayor while he's on a treadmill over the issue, but accidentally increases the speed of the thing, flying the mayor out the window.

Homer rescues the mayor, dangling outside the window, under the condition that he busts the mafia for it.  This, despite the fact that the mafia will likely kill the mayor for the betrayal.  Still, Quimby has the police shut the rat milking operation down, arresting Fat Tony in the process, but Fat Tony gets released on bail a short time later.  Homer goes to Quimby's house to guard him, convincing him to take in a show despite the immediate danger.  They go to see a rather inaccurate performance of Guys and Dolls with Mark Hamill playing the 'role' of Nathan Detroit.  Sure enough, Fat Tony is there along with Legs, and after Hamill does a Jedi-related song, Legs makes his attempt on the mayor's life.  Homer is able to intercept, and eventually overcomes and disarms Legs.  However, at the same time, Fat Tony is beating the mayor with a bat, so Homer ultimately failed his duty though the mayor ends up living.  Depressed over losing his job, Homer is cheered up by Hamill, and agrees to carry Mark out the back amidst another Hamill-crazy crowd.

Quick Review
This is another solid episode.  Mark Hamill, who plays both himself and the bodyguard instructor, really made this episode.  Being forced to star in Guys and Dolls in his Jedi gear while singing "Luke, be a Jedi tonight" was the highlight of the episode, at least to me.  The inclusion of the mafia hardly ever goes wrong and this episode is no exception.

Final Score: 8.5

The Twisted World of Marge Simpson (S08, E11-164)

The "Whitey-Whackers", contributing to a dark day in baseball.

Plot Summary
Marge is a member of the "Springfield Investorettes", a group that includes Helen Lovejoy, Maude Flanders, Agnes Skinner, Edna Krabappel and Luann Van Houten.  The group seems to have made a wise investment previously, but now want to take those profits and invest in a small business.  Marge is the only one of the group to oppose the idea, and because it was apparently a final straw, the group kicks Marge out.  Later, Marge is convinced by her family that she should invest in a business herself to show the Investorettes what she can do.

Marge goes to a franchising expo, but is initially unable to find something that suits her.  She's discouraged further when the Investorettes take interest in a Pita stand, something Marge might have possibly of thought about taking an interest in.  Just then, a man at a Pretzel Wagon stand is able to convince Marge to start up a pretzel business.

Although marketing and making the pretzels aren't difficult, selling them is a whole different game.  An attempt to sell that at the power plant, with Homer's help, fails when the Investorettes' Pita van steals her customer base.  Faulty coupon creation coupled with an incident at a baseball game where all of her sampler pretzels are wasted to be thrown at Mr. Burns (and later Whitey Ford), Marge gives up.  Unwilling to see Marge like this, Homer decides to help.  He tries to contact the Pretzel Wagon guy, but he has died in a car accident.  Out of options, Homer decides to ask the mafia for aid.

The mafia is quick to work, sabotaging non-pretzel food options in Springfield, including the Pita van.  Marge's sales go through the roof, blissfully unaware of the mafia's hand in it.  Soon, though, Fat Tony tries to collect from Homer, but when Homer escapes, he goes after Marge instead, giving her 12 hours to cough up all of the profits from her pretzel sales.  After Marge and Homer come to an understanding over what happened, they confront the mafia the next morning, refusing to give in.  Just before the mafia advances on them, the Investorettes appear, having 'caught on' to Marge's 'game', and hired a mafia of their own: the Japanese Yakuza.  As the two mobs engage in battle, the Simpson couple retreat into the house to avoid getting caught in the middle.  Good times.

Quick Review
This episode has its moments, like Skinner's supposed "boaking" accident, or the scene at the baseball game.  The mafia and its battle with the Yakuza was a superb way to the end the episode as well.  Still, besides those moments there wasn't too much funny going on, with a few other good jokes here and there.

Final Score: 8.9

Homie the Clown (S06, E15-118)

Homer is shocked to learn he can't just escape unharmed with his diploma.

Plot Summary
Homer and Krusty the Klown have similar builds and appearances and are voiced by the same person.  You would think that at some point there'd be a storyline where Homer becomes or disguises himself as Krusty or something at some point.  Well, here it is!

Krusty spends a ton of money, either on rare expensive stuff to burn as a cigarette lighter, or on various gambles on sports or the opera that never pan out for him, so much so that he's in debt to the mafia.  In an attempt to get more money, Krusty is advised to franchise, but there's only one thing left he has yet to franchise: a clown college, oddly enough.

Some time later, its the first of the month, which means new billboard day for Homer.  Eager to see all of the new billboards for food and such, Homer is turned off by a billboard for Krusty's clown college as it can't be eaten.  Still, Homer can't shake the thought from his mind, and soon enough he begin hallucinating about clowns, finally deciding to attend the college.  Homer does fine there, but he is unable to grasp Krusty's "ride the tiny bike through a loop and then eat the bike" technique.  Still, he is able to graduate the college, his best and perhaps only clown-related skill is squirting water from a flower.

Homer, now dressed up as Krusty, begins to attend various functions and low-tier awards shows around Springfield in Krusty's name but with it comes no glory or satisfaction and Homer begins to wear down.  However, one night, Homer gets pulled over while still wearing the clown outfit, when Chief Wiggum mistakes Homer for Krusty and, because the two are apparently pals, Wiggum lets "Krusty" off the hook.  Realizing what this means, Homer quickly takes full advantage by using Krusty's name to get all sorts of perks everywhere.

Meanwhile, Krusty's debts are getting worse, having bet all of his franchising money on the Harlem Globetrotters losing to the Generals for once, insisting "they were due".  Unable to pay up, Krusty flees before the mafia can kill him.  Now on a search for Krusty, the mafia instead finds Homer, still loudly insisting he's Krusty, and try to kill him, though nobody in the mafia can aim well apparently.  With that fact, they just end up kidnapping Homer.  The mob don appears and decides to spare "Krusty" only if he performs the bike trick.  Homer tries to do so, but fails once again.  Just in time, though, the real Krusty appears, ready to face the mafia, but when he tries to trick the mafia into not being able to tell him and Homer apart, the don threatens to kill both of them unless they do the bike trick, together.  Despite some difficulties and other neat tricks along the way, the two are able to pull it off, and both lives are spared.  Krusty, though, still has to pay what he owes to the mafia for all of his gambling losses: $48.

Quick Review
Homie the Clown was a fun episode, full of laughs and hilarious situations.  Homer beating up the Krusty-burglar, Krusty's wasteful spending, Dick Cavett, there's a lot of good this episode offers and it makes for another stellar entry into this season.

Final Score: 9.5

Bart the Murderer (S03, E04-039)

It makes so much sense.

Plot Summary
Bart wakes up to find himself in the middle of a particularly bad day.  The dog literally ate his homework.  He misses the bus to school and has to walk, amidst rain only around during his walk and no other period.  He rips his pants and takes a tumble at recess.  Worst of all, he forgets his permission slip to go the chocolate factory, apparently the only kid in school to do so.  After licking envelopes with Principal Skinner for a couple of hours, Bart's bad day culminates after he leaves school (with the rain returning of course), as his skateboard falls apart and he happens to fall into what is a mob hangout.

In danger of something happening to him, Bart is able to gain some trust with Fat Tony, the mob's leader, by correctly picking Don't Have a Cow in a horse race, and then by making a great Manhattan somehow.  So instead of dying, Bart ends up taking up a part time job as a bartender, something which worries Marge.  Bart gets a lot of money on the side, but after covering for a cigarette truck robbery, Bart wonders whether the mob is bad, though Fat Tony is able to rationalize Bart's worries away.

Bart's inflating ego gets him in trouble with Skinner at one point, and has to stay for detention, and on the day Fat Tony tries to give a rivaling mob boss one of his delicious Manhattans, too!  After learning that Skinner is to blame for Bart's delay, Fat Tony and the gang pay him a visit.  Wouldn't you know it, the next day Skinner is missing and presumed dead.  Bart connects the dots, and although the mob claims they didn't kill Skinner, they along with Bart get charged with Skinner's murder and the trial begins.

The mafia does not even hesitate to pin all of the blame on Bart, making him out to be the ringleader of the whole operation.  Even Homer mistakenly falls susceptible to the game, and pins Bart as the ringleader too.  Just before Bart is convicted, however, Skinner appears alive if not a bit unwell.  He explains that he shooed away Fat Tony's bunch just as they were simply trying to complement Bart, but then upon returning home accidentally toppled over a stack of newspapers.  Unable to escape the pile that lay on top of him, his pleas for help do not reach the police searching through his house.  Ultimately, Skinner makes a makeshift rocket attached to a vacuum cleaner that he uses to ensure his escape.  With Skinner alive, the charges are dropped and Bart disassociates himself with the mafia following their attempts to rat him out.  A movie based on the incident is made, with Neil Patrick Harris playing Bart, but because its just different enough from what really happened, the Simpsons can't get paid for it.

Quick Review
There was a lot of stuff going on in this episode, a lot of different arcs, each of which had a lot of laughs going for them, and it all combined to make one of the best episodes of the season.

There were a lot of laughs to be had in this episode.  Whether its Bart's bad day, or his day to day with the mafia, or the trial itself, the episode was almost non-stop with its well executed supply of jokes, and as a result becomes one of the best episodes of the series.

Final Score: 9.5