It all started with Homer's misinterpreted armed robbery at the Springfield bank. I thought his hidden candy apple and his caramel-filled mouth were a great way to get the story rolling. I also loved his rants against doing community service. "I want to go to jail. Free food! Teardrop tattoos! Library books that come to you! I'll serve anything but the community!" That it was a cooler full of food that made Homer and Wiggum fast friends was no surprise.
Their misadventures together were entertaining. It was fun to learn about the versatility of police pants. Learning that Wiggum's underwear is specially made by a village in the Ukraine was another standout. ("They call me Daddy Round Round.") I wasn't expecting to see Chief Wiggum get shot, but Homer's bedside vigil made for a satisfying montage of bits. The episode took an interesting turn as Wiggum became needy and their friendship hit the rocks, and then the pair needed to work together again to free themselves from Fat Tony. Overall, the story had an interesting path and there were a good number of successful bits throughout to keep things entertaining and funny.
Bart's "Battle Balls" storyline was also fun, even though there was absolutely nothing to it. It mainly consisted of a few well-placed bits about Marge's misinterpretations of things said about the Japanese game. In a very Three's Company way, Marge began to think Bart was a drug dealer. Just as funny were a couple great lines about why Bart couldn't possibly be dealing drugs. First was Marge with, "He doesn't have the math skills," and then later was Bart with, "Not until you raise my allowance."
An episode with Chief Wiggum as a central character means there's a chance we'll get a few Ralph bits to enjoy, both directly and indirectly. Ralph's bet with Bart during a game of "Battle Balls" was classic: "And if I win, you have to teach me how to play this game." And I loved Chief Wiggum sharing a couple of Ralph's major worries: "What if the bed wets him," and "What if Superman decided to kill everybody." Those were a few of the bonus Ralph-isms in an enjoyably solid episode.