TVSquad

I'm sorry to all of our geeky readers out there, but no, this episode does not revolve around Marge learning how to program in Linux. Instead, it involves an oft-used plot of The Simpsons; where Homer acts stupid and Marge must come to grips with being married to an idiot. Oh well, go with what you know. At it's best, The Simpsons has always been a perfect balance between Seinfeld and Family Guy for me; able to get away with things that a live action show never could, while also tieing all the plots together for one great punchline. While this week they didn't tie the two main plots together, they were both extremely enjoyable for me. On with the show!

After an unfortunate incident involving Homer and an easter egg hunt, Marge is once again disgraced in front of her pseudo-friends. Post cleanup, Marge realizes that she has no real friends because Homer keeps driving them all away. He tries to make up for it by going on a "recruitment drive", but Marge rebuffs his efforts. As she wanders the streets (was this the second week in a row she wandered the streets under an overcast sky?), she literally runs into a group of fun-loving ladies. Or so it seems. Dun dun dun.

Meanwhile, Lisa's trying to figure out what to do with her summer vacation. Her dreams are answered, and she comes across a flyer for a "Summer in Rome" program. There's one little problem though -- Lisa can't speak Italian. She contacts a linguistic agency for help, and they send Milhouse over as her tutor. After some initial hesitation, Lisa opens to him, and he teaches her. There are some great scenes in Springfield's Little Italy, very reminiscent of the Godfather, as Milhouse "shows her the ropes", that had me rolling.. Oddly enough, Lisa finds herself with feelings towards Milhouse, but they're quickly squashed when she sees him with another girl. She goes off on him, but in italian. Mission accomplished.

Marge is having a great time with her new friends, and they induct her as a full member into the group. Once that's done, however, they reveal that their annual fundraiser is actually a robbery of Mr. Burns' estate, something Marge isn't comfortable with. Peer pressure's a bitch though, and she folds, going along with the heist. Homer stumbles across her plans at home and races to rescue his wife, unfortunately bringing the police in tow because of his reckless driving. After a round of crying from the ladies, Mr. Burns asks for his valuables back and decides not to press charges. Even though she manages to stow an heirloom in her hair, Marge's new group still shuns her, but she realizes she has all the friend she'll ever need in Homer.

The Simpsons seems to be embracing it's sillier side again, and I know you guys are probably getting sick of me saying "The Simpsons are on their way back up", but I honestly believe that's a very big part of why things seem to be working for me recently. I don't know about you, but the "kicks are for ribs" line, when Homer was wrestling with the referee bunny at the begining, had me in stitches. The Crazy Cat Lady throwing the cat over the house, into the horizon, great stuff! These goofy little side-notes, and the heart, I think, are this show's greatest draw. Let me know what you think.

Couch Gag of the Week:
The Family comes running in and the couch is replaced by a giant nest. They all sit down before a humongous pigeon comes in, feeding a worm to a waiting Homer.