Sunday Cruddy Sunday vs. Hurricane Neddy

[stip]

Sunday Cruddy Sunday

When Bart, Lisa and the students of Springfield Elementary go on a field trip to the post office, Bart gets a coupon book as a souvenir, which he gives to Homer as a birthday present. Homer uses one of his coupons at a tire business on a free wheel balancing, and is told by the "customer care specialist" that his car will not take a balance, and that he will need four new tires because they cannot legally let customers drive off with faulty tires. Homer reluctantly accepts, and meets Wally Kogen, a travel agent. They go to Moe's for a beer, watching a special on the Super Bowl. Wally says his travel agency has a charter bus going to the game and suggests to Homer that he can fill the bus and ride for free. They ask Moe to come to the Super Bowl and he agrees, as do other prominent men of Springfield.

Homer and Bart go to the Super Bowl with their posse at Miami's Pro Player Stadium on the charter bus and arrive for pre-game festivities. Expecting to get in the game, they are stopped when they are told that the tickers Wally had bought were counterfeit. However, Bart notices a rack of costumes meant for the halftime show, and Homer use it to knock over security and rush inside. However, stadium security quickly catches them, and they are locked up in the stadium jail where the group vents their frustration by kicking Homer in the buttocks one-by-one. They are freed when Kogen's friend Dolly Parton uses her extra-strength makeup remover to dissolve the lock and release them. As they are freed, they run into a skybox suite and get a view of the game, until the skybox's owner Rupert Murdoch arrives and confronts them. Homer's posse flee to the field, chased by Murdoch's security, until they get lost in the sea of victorious players. The group ends up in the locker room where they share the celebration, and everyone has a Super Bowl ring on one of their hands at game's end.

Meanwhile, Marge and Lisa try to find their own activity at home. They use the crafting kit, "Vincent Price's Egg Magic", until they realize that the product was shoddy because the feet were not included. Despite the kit being from 1967, Marge decides to call the help-line number listed on the box. Surprisingly, she is greeted with the voice of Price — who assures her that his grandson Jody will bring the missing feet to them. Lisa expresses surprise, believing the actor to be dead. The episode ends with John Madden and Pat Summerall analyzing the events of the episode. Despite endorsing Kogen and the subplot, they are infuriated by a Super Bowl episode guest starring Parton that does not feature "any football or singing". Madden declares the episode a slap to the show's fanbase, who he says have taken "so much nonsense" from the franchise. They eventually leave on a bus driven by Price, which "doesn't make a lick of sense" according to Madden.

Hurricane Neddy

In midst of a quiet afternoon, the wind starts to pick up, which leads Lisa to find out that a hurricane is on the way. Lisa warns Homer, but he is skeptical since there has been no record of a hurricane ever hitting Springfield. Lisa reminds her father that the records only go back to 1978, "when the Hall of Records was mysteriously blown away". The evening news confirms that "Hurricane Barbara" is close, resulting in panicked citizens storming the Kwik-E-Mart and Homer attempting to secure the Simpson home. The hurricane strikes and after a few treacherous hours, the storm ends and the family cautiously leaves the basement. Initially, they are thankful to see that their home is untouched and Marge comments that everything works out if one has a little faith.

Meanwhile, next door Ned emerges from a heap of rubble and sees that his house was destroyed, along with everything else he owned except the family gravestones, while all the houses around his are intact. Ned is relieved that his family escaped serious injury, but it turns out to be little solace since he does not have home insurance, as he considers insurance a form of gambling. The Flanders family is forced to move into the Rescue Center in the church basement, although they appear to be the only family to be affected to that extent. Ned is further discouraged after learning that his business, the Leftorium, was looted following the hurricane. Distraught with annoyance, Ned begins to believe that God is punishing him and, seeking answers, he goes to read the Bible in the church but receives a paper cut. Interpreting it as further punishment, he sits down and laments that he is falling apart, even after doing everything the Bible says, "even the stuff that contradicts the other stuff."

The following day, Marge arrives at the church and takes the Flanders family back to their house, completely rebuilt by the people of Springfield. Overjoyed, Ned inspects the house, but becomes increasingly dismayed as he discovers its extremely shoddy construction. Immediately after the inspection, the house collapses. Ned tries to calm down, knowing that the townspeople tried their best, but is unable to contain his rage and finally snaps, lashing out at all the residents of Springfield, and directing his most vehement invective at Homer (who believes he got off easy because he wasn't yelled at). Ned then drives himself to Calmwood Mental Hospital to seek psychotherapy.

While in the asylum, Ned is visited by his childhood psychiatrist, Dr. Foster, who tells Ned about his childhood life - as a completely out-of-control brat raised by beatnik parents who did not believe in discipline. As a result, the young Ned went through the University of Minnesota Spankalogical Protocol, which involved eight months of continuous spanking. The treatment worked so well that it rendered him unable to express any anger at all, and all Ned's repressed anger built up inside him until he erupted.

Dr. Foster enlists Homer to help Ned learn how to appropriately express emotions, as he is the person who Flanders harbors the most resentful feelings towards. After several failed scripted insults, Homer manages to get Ned to open up about some of his repressed dislikes, finally admitting he hates his parents, after which he immediately feels better. Upon hearing this, Dr. Foster declares Flanders cured and he is immediately released. Outside the hospital, Ned is greeted by the townsfolk of Springfield including the rest of the Simpsons and his family, who cheer him. Ned promises that from now on, if anyone does something he does not like, they will hear about it, which Dr. Foster tells him is very healthy. Ned then adds, "And if you really tick me off, I'm gonna run you down with my car." Homer responds by laughing and saying, "Ned, you so cra-zay!" as he and Ned begin to laugh, before the end credits begin with a crazy clockwork version of The Simpsons theme

[LoathedVermin72]

Now I'm Prune Tracy

[tragabigzanda]

Meh. The Super Bowl ep, I guess.