Review: This was the best episode so far this season. It was plenty funny and managed a pretty good interleave between the two plots. Usually the episodes that focus on Marge aren't this good. I give it an A.
DYN... the Comic Book guy has several autographed portraits of Mark Hamill? Hibbert & Riviera are "golfing buddies"? Homer's snoring shakes the windows in Lisa's bedroom too? Homer offers a "squeaking spring symphony"? Marge taking only a small bag with her for the weekend? Artie has a guest mansion? the foreman smoking in front of the no smoking sign?
References
"Indecent Proposal"
"Star Wars"
Spinster City Apartments: "Spin City"
"Delilah," by Barry Mason and Les Reed.
"Nookie in New York": "Sex and the City" (oops, can't say sex here)
PaZIFFie Prince(ss) is a ref to the Pacific Princess, the ship on "The Love Boat"
The Theme from "M*A*S*H" (Suicide Is Painless) was written for the 1970 film by Mike Altman and Johnny Mandel.
Spy in the House of Moe is a reference to a 1980s song by Steve Winwood, "Spy in the House of Love."
Homer worrying that he'll never be born is a ref to "Back to the Future."
Refs to previous episodes
The blackboard gag is a ref to the last episode, "Sweets and Sour Marge."
"The Way We Was"
"The Front" - Artie admitted he'd give up his money for one night with Marge then.
"Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder" - Homer's 300 bowling score
Goofs
Bart mispronounced so-called Vice President Dick Cheney's name. It rhymes with meanie.
It didn't take Artie long enough to get to OFF's house. It was daylight when he got Marge's e-mail, but he made it to the backyard by 7:35 AM. (See also "Where Is Springfield," below.)
Since we saw the sun rise from Marge & Homer's bedroom in the front of the house in this episode, how did Artie's helicopter make a shadow on the back of the house at 7:35 AM?
If Marge is 36, her senior year would have been 1982-83, not in the 1970s.
Exit doors don't open in. Exit doors don't open in. Exit doors don't open in.
How did Artie get all those Springfield people to Silicon Valley for the prom? (See also "Where Is Springfield," below.)
West Springfield obviously can't be three times the size of Texas.
Freeze Frame Fun
Repo Depot (on the back of the repo person)
Suck-U-Bus Line
Misc.
"All I Have to Do Is Dream," a hit for the Everly Brothers, was written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant.
AOL recently bought Time Warner, but they haven't been so brazen as to laud themselves on the cover of Time magazine.
"Georgy Girl" was written by Jim Dale and Tom Springfield.
"Precious and Few" by Walter Nims, a 1972 hit for the group Climax, would be a better easy-listening song than "Georgy Girl."
"James at 16" was a short-lived 60-minute drama series on NBC in 1977-78 starring Lance Kerwin as a troubled teenager.
Where Is Springfield
One could make a case that it's not too far from Silicon Valley based on this episode. Artie made the trip in not much time by helicopter. Capt. McAllister seems to work on Artie's ship in the Pacific Ocean. And Artie somehow managed to populate his prom in Silicon Valley with Springfield people.
Based on Marge's $912 taxi fare and the $2 per mile rate for taxicab service in San Jose (HEY! HOW MANY CAPSULE WRITERS WOULD BOTHER TO LOOK THAT UP!), we can conclude that OFF lives 456 miles from Silicon Valley, give or take some dollars for sitting at red lights, etc.