Airdate: November 16th, 1997:
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| Well, there’s 1 Mrs, Nahassapeemapetilon. |
Synopsis: At a bachelor’s auction (think the auction from Batman and Robin, with more humor), Apu receives a wide variety of bids, and begins realizing the positives of his bachelor lifestyle… just in time to be reminded of his arranged marriage to Manjula. Apu’s mother comes over to remind him herself, and Apu fakes a marriage with Marge, much to Marge’s chagrin and the disappointment of Apu’s mother. Homer hides out at the retirement house, stealing the identity of somebody else. When Homer returns, Apu’s mother realizes the truth and declares the wedding proceed as planned.
Review: One of the pitfalls of the Mike Scully era was that it tried to alter the characters and their dynamic with other characters in an attempt at character development. However, these newfound characterizations were not focused on as much because, during the Scully era, the world revolved around Homer Jay Simpson. This is not a huge problem in this episode, but you can still see the signs of Scully’s era setting in with the long-form changes being put on the back burner.
Really, this episode also felt like a Jean-era episode in some aspects… as in the plot. It just seemed far too close to standard sitcom fare. Granted, there still is a good twist (the wedding must proceed as planned, instead of the “follow your heart” twist that the cliche sitcom would add). Also, the plot went everywhere. It seemed like, in the second act, that Homer became the center protagonist in a “hanging out in a retirement home” plot.
We must also mention that the characterization seemed to be a tiny bit off. Homer and Apu weren’t too bad, but Marge, Bart, and Lisa seemed to not do much of anything.
Where is this episode redeemed? Well, the humor. This episode contains tons of funny lines. Even at the retirement home, there is a good amount of humor, even if the plot is resolved in a cliche way. And besides, at least there is some substance in the plot. Not something I can say for the Jean-era episodes.
Favorite Moment: Even if I thought it was filler, the idea of the retirement home plot was good, if only because it still shows the cynicism of the show.
Least Favorite Moment: The wedding scene. It seems like they could’ve mocked it quite a bit more rather than the “Apu and Manjula get married and live decently” ending that occurred.
Zaniness Factor: 1
Zaniest Moment: Not available. It’s a rather pedestrian episode.
Jerkass Homer Meter: 1.5
Jerkass Homer Moment: Why did Homer feel the need to commit identity theft to try and escape Apu’s mother?
Final Score: 6.
The Review Nebula 