Episode Recap: Opposites-A-Frack

Oi oi oi… how y’all doing? One of the features we like to have on the site is Episode Recaps of the newest Simpsons episodes. Of course with all the holiday goodness, we’ve fallen a little behind and I aim to fix that over the next week or so. Bunny was here for you with Episodes 1 , Episodes 2 & 3 and Episode 4 but before we fall too behind, here’s a recap for Season 26, Episode 5: “Opposites-A-Frack”. I know some people prefer to watch these on their own so only click more if you don’t mind SPOILERS. I know everyone can’t watch them so sometimes reading them can be a nice replacement.  Also fun to see what others took away from an episode.  I read a bunch every week honestly.

Wookiee note: Since I was re-watching the episode in real time and typing things up, it all ended up in note format and I thought I’d leave it that way. Let me know what you think. I can easily go back to narrative format if folks like that better.

– No opening sequence but there were pork chops and Canadian on Canadian violence aka hockey.

– Patty & Selma need a place to stay since their house is infested with black mold. Leave it to them to kill Mona Lisa’s smile in Paris ending their vacation early. I agree with Homer, smoking shouldn’t be done in the house but can Patty & Selma stop whenever they want? Let’s just say no and some things seen can NOT be unseen.

– Not only do Patty & Selma fail at not smoking (even e-cigs couldn’t do it), courtesy of sneaking a smoke in the bathroom, they discover the water is flammable.

– Homer is ticked and drives them to the perfect place for smokers to live aka the dog track aka Springfield’s version of the City of Lights.

– So the water is on fire. Lisa figures it has to be from fracking based on a documentary she saw. I’m sure everyone can guess who the evil mastermind behind fracking under Evergreen Terrace is, right?

– Nope… not the Rich Texan. If he can’t dance in it, he’s not drilling for it. It’s always been about the dancing.

– Mr. Burn’s has been drilling for who knows how long. “All that poor natural gas trapped under your shantys and lean-tos.” All he had to do was hide his fracking site by disguising it as the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Evergreen Terrace was built on a giant shale deposit ripe for fracking natural gas btw.

– Mr. Burns may not care about the environment, but Lisa knows who to reach out to… her environmental hero, Democratic Assemblywoman Maxine Lombard, first female speaker of the state assembly.

– NOTE: We also learn Lisa has a book report due for Beezus and Ramona. Anyone else remember those books?

– Maxine Lombard is all about defending Springfield’s “Bay Area Values” and calls Montgomery Burns to a Committee on Energy, Natural Resources and Blimp Safety. Committees are apparently a politician’s most powerful weapon.

– Burns is furious with that “capitalism-busting suffragette”. She is none too pleased with him either. Obviously they fight leading to kissing and have a dream sequence after ensuring neither is having a stroke.

– Waking up in the morning draped in the stars and stripes, they realize the affair was an impulsive, reckless, knee buckling, spat snapping, spank shredding mistake. But was it the best they ever had (including Nelly Taft)? Can they stay enemies by day and paramours by night?

– Obviously some lovin doesn’t impact Burns’ agenda. He’s off to buy the mineral rights of Everygreen Terrace with Homer as his spokesman. Homer isn’t too sure, fracking is a scary Lisa word. He says yes to the raise, promotion and flannel shirt and is off to do his job. Homer’s actually good at it too. Marge and Lisa aren’t thrilled. The water was on fire!

– And the romance between Burns and Lombard continues. Burns apparently is “one sexy Nosferatu”.

– Everyone agrees to sell their gas rights for 5,000 dollars despite Frink’s clear reasons against it. Burns is happy but needs advice about his “beneficial friendship”. How long can he sustain his high wire act of loathing and lust? Burns decides to harden his heart against the relationship. Easy as stopping his heart softening medication.

– Burns goes to frack but is stopped when it’s found out Marge didn’t sign away her rights. Their water was on fire! Homer is as mad at Marge as she usually is at him.

– Meanwhile Burns ends his fiery romance.  Now Homer and Marge and Monty and Maxine are at each other’s throats. Could they have nothing in common? Monty doesn’t miss the politics lady at all and she decides to tear down his Manor to create a recycling center/Native American history museum/condor sanctuary… totally the work of an angry liberal using eminent domain,

– Burns’ only true payback is to frak illegally. It’s about fracking time! Homer and Burns set off to do this but one of the side effects is of course earthquakes (and messing up beautiful unicorn drawings on etch-a-sketches). Homer and Marge face off at the fracking center. Home finally gets it… THEIR WATER WAS ON FIRE! Homer sees the “error of his ways”, well sort of as only Homer can, and does the right thing and burns down the fracking center.

– Monty and Maxine see Homer and Marge’s reconciliation and realize that it’s ok to have nothing in common but passion. Their lives will never be boring, well, maybe not.

– The end scenes with Burns and Maxine in bed talking to each other are priceless. So reminds me of my Grandparents at times.

All in all, a decent episode with a definite environmental message. I’d say 7 stars out of 10 if I had to judge it.  I wonder if Maxine will feature anywhere in the future? Jane Fonda provided the voice of Assemblywoman Lombard and despite any qualms I have with her, it was alright to see Burns with a love interest again. Biggest take-away is water lighting on fire is bad. Seriously bad… listen to Marge people!!!

That’s it for this episode recap. We’ll be catching up on them just as fast as we can. Until I see ya again… stay classy and TTFN… Wookiee out!