Married to the Blob (S25, E10-540)

I don't even want to make a caption for this, even though I just did.

Note: this episode shares the title with a Treehouse of Horror XVII story.

Plot Summary
After Bart and Milhouse read a comic detailing the 'death' of Radioactive Man, the two quickly learn the new #1 issue of the reborn Radioactive Man is gonna be sold in a midnight function.  Homer takes the two to the comic book shop to buy the book, last in line.  Just before he can buy the book, the comic book guy (loving all the money he's getting from the book's sales) is visited by that super hipster who may or may not own a comic book shop of his own anymore.  The guy, whose name I never bothered or cared to learn, is now married to his super hipster girlfriend, news that just stuns ol' Jeff Albertson.  Bothering him still, he recalls Homer is also married despite his physical deficiencies.  As Jeff is visited by a vision of Stan Lee (as the two witness the real one stealing his comic books) to turn his love life around, he is visited by a young Japanese woman who quickly reveals she understands and tolerates him and his attitudes.

Smitten, Jeff asks the girl, Kumiko, on a date.  Recalling Homer also has a hot wife, Jeff asks Homer for help and both Homer and Marge decide to help the comic book guy out.  During their first date, Kumiko reveals she's very okay with Jeff's insulting nature, and love begins to blossom for them both with Kumiko deciding to move in to the comic book guy's shop's basement.  Trouble brews, though, when Homer meets Kumiko's father, who isn't happy that Kumiko is seeing such a fat nerd.  Homer unwittingly reveals where Kumiko is staying and the old man quickly takes Kumiko away, breaking Jeff's heart.

Marge gets upset with Homer for basically being at fault here, and demands Homer do something about it.  Homer finds Kumiko's father and the two go drinking at a Japanese bar where the two end up drinking snake rice wine, getting hammered from it.  The two share a hallucination of classic Japanese animations where Kumiko's father realizes he's been ignoring his daughter's feelings and decides to let Kumiko stay with Jeff.  A short time thereafter, Jeff and Kumiko get married with Stan Lee heading the wedding and, all of a sudden, Jeff doesn't quite feel the need to be attached to comic books anymore.

(Not-so) Quick Review
Wow.  Just... just wow.  I didn't think it would happen, but it finally did.

This is a bad episode in every way.  First of all, there isn't much comedy, I mean, actually good comedy.  Stan Lee's appearance was actually pretty good, and its a shame he had to cameo in such a bad episode, but he's the episode's lone highlight.

Otherwise, the entire episode is just nothing but references.  Comic book references, 'modern Japan' references, Japanese anime references, the episode is filled to the brim with them, and that's what they were: just references.  Nothing about them was made to be funny, it was just 'hey look, its comic book references, and hey here's stuff from Miyazaki, isn't that funny? aren't we clever?' nonsense.

Just one episode ago, I was giving praise to Steal This Episode for taking everything this season has done well and making what was the best episode in years.  I had a feeling just last week that my hope towards the rest of this season was misguided, and boy, was it.  This episode, Married to the Blob, takes everything wrong with the show from the past several seasons and condenses it into 20+ minutes of cringe-worthy references and dialogue, creating what I believe is the worst episode in the series.

Yes, even worse than Alone Again, Natura-Diddly.  That episode I never believed could be 'bottomed' in awfulness not just because of how unfunny it was, but because of what that episode did, in killing off a character.  Married to the Blob didn't kill anyone off, and the new canon of Jeff Albertson being married to a Japanese girl isn't bad at all.  That's how unfunny this episode was, and that was with a decent Stan Lee cameo.

When I heard this episode's premise, I wasn't expecting much, but I wasn't expecting this.  I could barely get through the entire episode.  I can't even use the supposedly famous words of the comic book guy to sum up this episode, so instead I'll just say: its even worse than killing off Maude Flanders.

Final Score: 2.8

I Am Furious (Yellow) (S13, E18-287)

All the rage of the Hulk but with the strength of Bruce Banner.

Plot Summary
In an attempt to make its 'career day' not so pathetic, Lisa advises the elementary school to bring in someone the kids can actually relate to.  She advices Principal Skinner to have the creator of a popular cartoon to talk to the kids.  He leaves a pretty strong impression on the kids - an impression that school is worthless and that he gained success by doodling all day.  Soon, many kids in school are doodling as well, including Bart who makes a quick comic.  He tries to show it to the comic book guy for approval but he doesn't like it.  Stan Lee pops in and pretty much shares the same sentiment, but encourages Bart to keep trying.

Bart looks for a new character to create, and finds inspiration in Homer, angrily battling with a lawn chair.  Bart draws up "Angry Dad" which is pretty much just Homer in rage-inducing situations.  Still, the comic proves quite popular with other kids, and he's even able to get the comic book guy to put the book on his shelves.  A short time later, Bart is greeted by the head of an internet company who wishes to make Angry Dad an internet cartoon, and Bart quickly agrees.  He and Lisa go to the company's studio where they see how the cartoon will be made, and Bart is paid in throwaway stock for his efforts.

The cartoon becomes an instant hit on the internet, and Homer quickly finds out Angry Dad is him, and that Bart made the cartoon.  He goes home to confront Bart over it, rather angrily, but Lisa and Marge intervene and make Homer admit that he is, in fact, rather angry.  Homer accepts this and promises to never get angry again.

Despite multiple attempts by life to make Homer angry, he simply represses his rage and continues on, with odd bumps popping up on the back of his head.  Bart can't get any ideas for his cartoon like this, and decides to set up an elaborate trap to get Homer angry.  He goes to the internet company to get them ready, but the company has gone out of business because, hey, internet company stock is worthless.  With the cartoon no longer up, Bart tries to rush back home to take apart the trap, but its too late.

Homer has already fallen into the trap, getting ensnared by a rope and hit with cacti, dirty diapers and falling into a pool of green paint.  Homer can't repress his anger anymore, and lets it all out in a rage-filled, Hulk-like rampage that causes millions of dollars in damage.  Dr. Hibbert reveals that it was good Bart got Homer angry, as all the repressed rage was killing Homer, or something.  Homer thanks Bart by taking him fishing, where Bart continues to incite Homer's anger.

Quick Review
This was a pretty good episode.  Stan Lee provides an excellent guest voice, and though the internet company thing dates the episode some, the episode still has plenty going for it to make it a highlight of the season.

Final Score: 8.0