Episode Recap: Peeping Mom

Well hello there plant smashers!

Wookiee popping in with another episode recap for y’all. This recap covers the episode that aired on April 19, 2015, Season 26, Episode 18: “Peeping Mom”. I must confess I found this episode a little bland and my recap might show that level of enthusiasm. It may have had something to do with all my anticipation for a new episode after a month off or coming home from a day spent with disgruntled Disney guests, but suffice to say, I felt just like Rabbi Krustofski after viewing this one.  Meh.  Here’s what my DirecTV said about the episode for anyone who wants a quick and succinct recap. My bullets follow the break in stream of consciousness mode.

“Marge follows Bart around in an effort to get him to confess to being involved in a bulldozer crash; Homer ignores Santa’s Little Helper when Flanders brings a new dog home.”

– Couch gag: Simpsons as popcorn… Homer’s a little burnt lol

– Marge is having trouble with the on/off button on her phone… off to the Springfield Mal (the extra L fell off) and some weirdo in a blue shirt just tells her that her husband is really fat… funny that she mistook him for a salesman… Marge vows to only talk to people with nametags in the future.

– On her drive home, she sees destruction courtesy of someone joyriding with a bulldozer… the bulldozer supply, an actual building sold by Gil and the Aquarium & Fish supply store sure took a beating. Gotta love the homeless guy BBQing seahorses. Wiggum has a suspect… Bart. He has everything to convict him except motive, means and opportunity. He also has no evidence so Bart is remanded to Marge’s custody.

– Lisa is using a magnifying glass to play. She sees a Monarch Butterfly, an Earwhig, a Rolly Polly, a Doodlebug, a Beer Cap, an Ant, a Beer Bottle, and Barney. Barney may be happy to have finally made a list but the sound of a puppy is more interesting.  Flanders got a new dog… Mahershalalhasbaz… Baz for short. Baz can sit, kneel, pray, play dead, resurrect and sit in glory at the right hand of Todd.  A religion that finally makes sense lol.

NOTE: Mahershalalhasbaz is the name of a son foretold in the Book of Isaiah marking the conquering of Jewish lands by the Assyrians. Just an obscure biblical name that is perfect evidence of Ned’s knowledge of the Bible.

– Marge is trying to find out what Bart did. She’s convinced he’s not telling the truth about the bulldozer… a mother knows. She’s afraid she can’t handle him but won’t give up on him just like she didn’t give up on Homer when he joined the North American Sumo League. Marge tries to get Bart to admit to the bulldozer but he won’t. Marge doesn’t want Bart to wind up in the electric chair so she decides to watch him all the time. Her parenting solution is to follow Bart everywhere.  She even changes Maggie in front of him.  She even plans to follow him to school, well, she would if Bart didn’t escape out the back of the bus.

COMMERCIAL

– Flanders’ new dog loves Homer.

– Marge is sitting with Bart at school. Bart admits he’s told some lies (Martin cheats off him, his mom is dead) but not to the bulldozer. It’s no fun for Bart. Marge switches all his food, even his “ethnic” churro, for healthy stuff and the bullies tease him. Bart has to resort to hiding out during recess in a tube. Bring on Willie to get him out and make me laugh.

– At dinner, Bart is none too happy with his current peeping mom situation. Baz comes to visit and Homer is very attentive much to the dismay of Santa’s Little Helper. Lisa feels ignored and goes to her room to mumble. I love Homer mumbling next to her in bed to let her know she’s valued. Any great father-daughter moment between Homer and Lisa is awesome.  Honestly, this was the highlight of the episode for me.  It’s the only moment I rewound several times just to smile at.

– Baz likes to play with Uncle Homer… well not Rod and Todd’s uncle and Flanders is sick of Todd asking if he can marry Maggie.

– Bart is stuck hanging with Milhouse in the location he might someday get a treehouse built for him by Kirk.  You know you’re desperate when you chill in a loser spot.  Marge finds him there too.  She put a spool of thread in Bart’s pants and extra hair spray in her hairdo for the bowling over of shrubbery. Bart tries to convince Marge to leave him alone by pointing out Superman’s mom would never follow him. I love that Marge reads Bart’s comics that he leaves out everywhere and responds that there’s a statue of Superman’s mom in the Fortress of Solitude. Bart could be free if he only admitted to the bulldozer hijinks but he sticks to his guns. Marge asks Milhouse if he knows anything but all Milly knows is that the bulldozer was invented by James Cummings and J. Earl McLeod in 1923.  At least Milhouse is helpful at respooling thread.

– Bart escapes into the night ninja style but Marge is right behind him. She follows by bike. The chase continues by water including a swan paddleboat. On the other side, Bart has had enough. Marge’s nagging is melting his bones.  Marge finally gives up when Bart still denies the bulldozer incident. Marge paddles away and Bart is stuck on Leper’s island.

COMMERCIAL

– Flanders realizes Baz has spent a lot of time with Homer because Baz has Ned’s slipper lol. He decides his dog would be happier with Ho-Ho-Ho (not Santa, someone fatter). In a sweet moment, Homer can’t stand to see Flanders sad or happy or just see him in general and gives Baz back to Flanders so he’ll have someone when his boys run away.

– Bart shows Milhouse his plan to destroy the Springfield sign with his recently acquired bulldozer. Did we have any doubt he was lying?  The whole scheme is shown in a very detailed diaroma complete with CBG declaring it the Worst. Diaroma. Ever. Bart plans to knock down all letters in the sign except “FIE” to express disgust or outrage. Milhouse declares that is “the worst F-word there is.”

– Bart goes to enact his plan but decides in the end to only partway go through ruining the 50th Anniversary of the sign which was bought letter by letter from other failed towns. Marge’s fried chicken convinces him to just knock down all the letters but F & D. Now the fire department has a tribute to the chili-cooking saints of the city. Somehow this is better since it doesn’t involve archaic cussing.

– Bart finally admits to the bulldozer but avoids a strangling by Marge with a hug. While hugging, Wiggum handcuffs him for the earlier crime.

COMMERCIAL

– The episode ends with Lisa telling Marge that she’s got mono, Maggie getting hurt play whack-a-mole and Homer making up with SLH. The last scene includes SLH and Baz sparring off western-style, smelling each other’s butts and cuddling.

So that’s it. Two meh stories blended together for a meh episode. There are some funny jokes peppered throughout the episode and it is worth a watch to enjoy them but I’ll admit I probably won’t be watching this episode over and over. Two good gags were Ralph pushing Marge on the swing and Willie’s joke about Scottland’s 1200 years of history and only one song. While this wasn’t my favorite episode, they can’t all be monorail episodes. What did you think about it? Did I miss anything you really liked? Have a different opinion about it all? Sound off and stay classy.

TTFN… Wookiee out!