[The long of it]
Well, if nothing else, the women ought to be happy with tonight's episode. They've been advancing the idea of an "emotional affair" where, in lieu of the usual physical expressions of affection, a husband strays by simply being too friendly with some woman other than his wife. I never quite bought this (it sounds too much like, once you're married, you can never again be sociable with someone of the opposite sex), but after watching "Mommie Beerest" I can see the point a little better.
The lesson begins when Homer helps out his pal Moe with a loan to bring his bar up to city code. Marge, incensed that Homer didn't consult her first about the loan and hoping to have some say in how the money is spent, insists on overseeing the renovations. Her suggestion is to reposition Moe's dive as an Olde English pub. The wonderfully-named Nag and Weasel opens on the site of the old tavern and succeeds far beyond expectations. So much so that Marge spends most of her time at the pub with Moe, growing increasingly distant from her husband. Seeing Homer as the neglected spouse is a nice turnabout, and there are some pretty good scenes in here even though there's no knock-your-socks-off laughs. I liked, for instance, the scene were Marge demonstrates how she learned the "bum's rush" from Moe, tossing Homer out the bedroom door. A trip with Lenny and Carl to discuss the state of Homer's marriage is good, as is Homer's attempts to make amends to Marge on board an airplane.
The whole episode is like that: It has enough funny moments to be worth watching, but nothing that pushes through to that next level of greatness, like "Homer's Night Out (7G10)" or "Colonel Homer (8F19)." Perhaps what was needed was a little more tension to make the humor "pop" out more. Emotional affair aside, we never doubt for a second the strength of Marge's love for Homer, so when Moe eventually plots the traditional kind of cuckoldry, it doesn't register as a threat to the marriage.
As for those funny moments, one that stands out for me is when Homer is trying to imagine what Marge would say to loaning Moe the cash. A thought bubble appears, but instead of Marge we see Moe, thinly disguised to resemble Homer's wife. After he advises going ahead with the loan, the "real" Marge shows up, and Moe hastily closes the bubble. Some of the quickie gags are good, too. On board the airplane, a steward announces, "If you require wheelchair assistance, you picked the wrong airline." And while it isn't exactly a joke, I liked the new hairstyle Marge adopted for her work at the pub. Speaking of visual elements, one of the animation high points of the episode is a trailer for "Cards," a computer-animated movie where playing cards come to life. Pretty as it is to look at, though, the dialogue is mundane; if it weren't for the animation, I probably wouldn't be mentioning it here.
Aside from the educational experience, "Mommie Beerest" is an average episode by "Simpsons" standards. That may sound like damning it with faint praise, but remember that these are pretty high standards. When an "okay" show is more solidly humorous than many other comedies' better episodes, that says a lot for what the producers have built over the years. And, I suppose, is why I remain with the show, for better or worse.
[The short of it]
Well, I understand the concept of an "emotional affair" better now that I've seen it demonstrated (and from the man's point of view, no less), so this episode can qualify as an educational experience. As a "Simpsons" show, it's about average -- but remember, that's a pretty high average. Some more of the tension that, say, or "The Last Temptation of Homer (1F07)" had might have made the humor stand out more. As it stands, there are enough good moments to make "Mommie Beerest" a good, if not spectacular, episode. (B-)
[DYNs]
... some of the brunch buffet is served out of the piano in the center of the room? ... Bart threw a whole lobster at Lisa during the food fight? ... it's extra-dark at Moe's before the first health inspector shows up? ... Wiggum bribes the bar patrons with a fistful of USD100 bills? ... Dr. Nick was at the "wake" for the tavern? ... Moe has one of those old-fashioned credit-card imprinting machines? ... Marge just barges into the bedroom and switches on the lights at 4:00am? (That seems more like something Homer would do.)
[References]
"Mommie Dearest" (movie) - episode title a spoof
"M is for Mother" (poem) - Homer borrows the concept for his "M is for Moe" tribute
"The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" (movie and comic book) - bar across the street from Moe's is, "The League of Extra-Horny Gentlemen"
Visa (credit card) - Judge Snyder has a VIZA card
"A Few Good Men" (movie) - Jack Nicholson's character in "Cards" gives the same "you can't handle the truth" speech as his character in this movie
"Love Will Keep Us Together" (song) - Homer and Marge sing a version of this Captain and Tenille hit during the closing credits - Homer even dresses as the Captain
[Previous Episode References]
[9F02] Krusty does a similar "acrostic"-style song ("L is for the losers in her wake ...") [2F02] "You can't handle the truth" tirade parodied
[FFF]
Classy brunch sign:
DELUXE
SUNDAY BRUNCH
IT'S BREAKFAST
WITH BOOZE!Gay bar sign:
[Two "male"] THE LEAGUE OF
[ symbols ] EXTRA-HORNY
GENTLEMENSign at the Bank of Springfield:
VAULT HOLDS
LESS THAN
$20Newspaper at Moe's:
TRIPLE MURDER AT MOE'S
Revamped tavern sign:
THE NAG AND
[Marge as] WEASEL
[horse, Moe as weasel]Judge Snyder's credit card:
+------------------------+
+------------------------+
Banner at Itchy & Scratchy Land:
BUILT BY IMAGINATION
AND
NON-UNION LABOR!"Life" cover from Lenny's birth week:
BLOODBATH
IN LAOSHomer's calling card:
HOMER SIMPSON
PLUS-SIZE
BUTT MODEL[Oops!]
On the flight to the convention, Marge has some soda while the plane is taking off. On the airlines I've flown, drink service doesn't begin until the plane is in the air.
[Personal Comments & Observations]
(... that weren't spoofing anything, and thus aren't "true" references.)
Barney sings "Danny Boy" at the "wake" for Moe's Tavern.
After Marge blows him off, Homer plays "Greensleeves" (another traditional tune) on the trombone.
When Homer tries to get out of baby-sitting the kids, Marge tells him to "stop playing dumb." Quite a few members of the Internet fan community were telling him the same thing, especially around the sixth or seventh season when Homer's IQ started to sink noticeably.
During his act, Homer calls himself "jerkass Homer," an epithet fans commonly applied to the Homer during the Scully years, when many felt Homer had become too mean-spirited.
After paying off a mortgage (typically a 15- or 30-year task), it's the custom in some circles to have a mortgage-burning party to celebrate the homeowner's newfound freedom from loan payments. Often, the homeowner will, as a symbolic gesture, set the loan paperwork on fire, just as Homer did. Bad idea, say some financial experts -- the mortgage paperwork may be needed later for tax purposes, or to prove that you paid everything. To avoid problems, financial advisors recommend burning a photocopy of the mortgage, instead.
The health inspector's car, parked in front of Moe's, looks like a Saturn SL.
At the theater, Homer and Marge see a trailer for "Cards," a computer- animated film, ostensibly released by Dreamworks. The Dreamworks (well, PDI Dreamworks) studio released such computer-animated hits as "Shrek," and its imaginatively-titled sequel, "Shrek 2." To me, "Cards," which focuses on the secret lives of mundane objects, actually looks more like something that would come out of the Pixar/Disney studio, which released "Toy Story" and "Finding Nemo."
Before their partnership with Dreamworks, PDI (Pacific Data Images) did the animation for the "Homer^3" segment of "Treehouse of Horror VI (3F04)." I would not be surprised if the did the "Cards" trailer, but when I checked the credits, I didn't see them -- or any other animation house, for that matter.
A "cuckold" is a man whose wife is cheating on him. Both it and "cuckoo" derive from the same root word (Old French "cucu"), by the way.
Johnny Carson was a guest voice in "Krusty Gets Kancelled (9F19)," playing himself. In addition to giving Krusty advice on how to handle life after a successful television show, he also appeared on Krusty's tribute, hoisting a Buick over his head. (That's where they got the "In memory of" still shot.) Oh, and I think he had some successful talk show or something back in the 60s. And 70s. And 80s.