I just saw The Great Money Caper on video. It was actually a pretty good episode, one of season 12's best. Very interesting episode with lots of attention-grabbing plot twists towards the end, well-done movie parodies/references, some creative grifts, good dialogue between Homer and Bart, and Bart and Homer actually learning a lesson in the end without getting beaten up. If you just took out certain things like the sturgeon falling, Homer leaving Bart on the street, Marge being strangled by monkeys, and the surfing ending, it would have fit right in with older episodes. It was written by Carolyn Omine, who also wrote Little Big Mom. That episode also was one of season 11's better ones (except for Lisa getting attacked by deer and Homers painful skiing) with a lot of down-to-earth humor and Lisa being devious (although some overanalytical reviewers said it was OOC for Lisa).
It's sad, but she's probably the best writer of the current seasons. Little Big Mom was like older episodes about how dysfuctional the family was, and The Great Money Caper was like older episodes with stronger plots and involving the town.
*********************** theabman HOM++ LIS+++ BAR++++ BOB++++ 7G12, 7F10, 8F15, 9F22, 1F04, 2F10, 3F13, 4F14, 5F02, AABF03, BABF05, CABF14 "Is there a word in Klingon for loneliness??........ah yes ...Kaar Daccchhhhhhh." ***********************