Original air date: 11/27/2005
Production code: GABF-22
Homer ruins Marge's chance to make friends, after getting into a fight with the Easter Bunny. Just when she thinks she will never have friends, a woman called Tammy (Lily Tomlin) offers her to join a group called "The Cheery Red Tomatoes". But as it turns out, her new friends are planning to rope her into a plan to break into the mansion of Montgomery Burns.
Meanwhile, Milhouse tutors Lisa in Italian so she can go on a summer trip to Rome, and she starts to develop feelings for him.
Tropes:
- Abusive Parents: It turns out that Milhouse is fluent in Italian because his grandmother beat the everliving crap out of him with a branch if he dared talk in English around her.
- Berserk Button: Do not speak English in front of Milhouse’s grandmother. (She was abandoned while pregnant by an American GI during the war). Her reaction to Milhouse talking to her in English was to grab a branch and chase him for hours on end with intent to smack him silly.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Tammy and the other Cheery Red Tomatoes are a downplayed version of this, as they act nice to Marge and compliment her while recruiting her into their club, but once they reveal it was to rope her into their heist scheme and she proves to be reluctant to do so, they drop the flattery and threaten to kick her out if she doesn't go along. That said, Tammy is never outright hostile to her and they do have good intentions for robbing Mr. Burns.
- Caper Rationalization: When Marge learns that the Cheery Red Tomatoes plan to break into Burns' mansion and steal Burns' Fabergé egg collection, she tries to convince them not to because she dislikes the idea of stealing from others. However, Tammy then tells Marge that the robbery will be so that Burns will pay the group what he owes them, as a year before he promised to give them $1 million so that it would be donated to charity, but decided to instead keep the money and use it for a procedure to extend his life.
- Call-Back: To "Summer of 4 ft. 2". Both episodes had a scene where the main focal character (Marge here, Lisa in the earlier episode) walks through town alone, lamenting the possibility that she's not meant to have friends.
- Blatant Lies: When the Easter Bunny referee catches Homer taking other kids Easter Eggs to give to Maggie he orders him to put her down. He then tells him not to worry and that he just wants to talk. The moment Homer does so he immediately leaps at him and holds him down.
- Compact Infiltrator: this is Marge's role in the robbery.Tammy: Okay, Marge, you're the only one of us skinny enough to squeeze through this vent.Marge: That's my special skill?Tammy: Well, what'd you think, you were a master of disguise? Not with that 'do.Marge: I thought you liked my hair...Tammy: It's alright.
- Coordinated Clothes: The group of friends called "The Cheery Red Tomatoes" wear red dresses and pink hats. Marge is very happy when they accept her as their member.Marge: I feel a happiness I've never felt. I not only have friends, I have a hat to prove it.
- Dye or Die: Played for Laughs. Tammy reveals that she isn’t a natural redhead, which shocks Marge into fainting.
- Easter Episode: The episode starts with the characters having an Easter Egg Hunt, with the main plot kickstarting when Homer embarrasses Marge at said hunt.
- Fictional Counterpart: The Cheery Red Tomatoes are based on the Red Hat Society
(hence the episode title, even though the Tomatoes wear pink hats). In fact, the Red Hat Society does designate "pink-hatters", perspective future members under 50, usually invited by a current member. - Hairy Hammerspace: At the end of the episode, as Tammy laments the apparent failure of the Cheery Red Tomatoes' heist, Marge reveals she smuggled out at least one of Mr. Burns's twelve valuable Faberge eggs within her Beehive Hairdo.
- Hidden Depths: Milhouse is fluent in Italian thanks to summers spent with his grandmother, who refused to let him speak English around her.
- Kick the Dog: Instead of donating the check for $1 million like he had promised, Mr. Burns uses it to extend his own life by ten minutes and then releases the hounds (who were being brought to their groomers) at an angry crowd.
- Pet the Dog: After Mr. Burns catches Marge, Homer, and The Cherry Red Tomatoes at gunpoint, they manage to convince him to let them walk away after little water works, in exchange for giving him back his property.
- A literal example occurs when Mr. Burns gives one of his hounds a good snuggle.
Mr. Burns: *chuckles* Who's a stinky dog? You are! Michelle's going to work on you today! Yes, she is! - Running Gag. Moe constantly landing on hot air balloons.
- Shout-Out:
- When the Easter Bunny referee holds Homer down, Homer responds “Silly Wabbit, kicks are for ribs!” before kicking him in the ribs as stated.
- Smart Ball: After being his usual idiotic self most of the episode, Homer manages to realize somethings wrong towards the end and goes to help his wife.
- Special Guest: Lily Tomlin as Tammy
- Spotting the Thread: Homer realizes that Marge isn’t birdwatching when she doesn’t take any equipment with her.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: When Homer gets tossed through the window into Quimby's office, the referee is not shown with him. We never see what actually happened to him between the start of brawl to the window getting shattered.
- Considering Homer taunted him about not being able to take a kick to the crotch after he got up, it's probably safe to assume he ran away to not get a shoe to the man-purse again.
