7F20 - The War of the Simpsons (May 2, 1991)

Summary: Homer and Marge go to a marriage retreat after he embarrasses her at a dinner party.

Episode Timeline:
About 9 years ago:
- Baby Bart drives down his babysitter
A night in the past:
- Homer had fun in bed eating a big sandwich
Saturday:
- Homer and Marge prepare for a dinner party, Flanders mixes a drink for Homer
- The party gets underway, Homer gets drunker
- Homer wears a lampshade
- Maggie tears up people's money
- Homer quits working for some guy he doesn't know
- Homer looks down Maude's blouse
- The guests leave, Homer is passed out
Sunday:
- Homer and Marge fight in the car
- Homer apologizes to Bart about his behavior
- Homer comes late to church
- Marge signs up for the marriage retreat
Monday - Friday are skipped
Saturday:
- Homer finishes packing for the trip
- Grampa agrees to babysit
- Homer stores fishing supplies in the car
- Grampa and the kids say goodbye
- Homer stops at the bait shop and learns about General Sherman
- Bart decides to bleed Grampa dry
- Homer and Marge arrive at the retreat
- The problems of the couples are discussed
- Grampa and the kids go shopping
- 9:30pm, Marge finishes her list of grievances
- Bart and Lisa watch McBain on television
Sunday:
- 5am, Homer tries to sneak out to fish
- Homer gets dragged of the pier by General Sherman
- Sherman drags Homer around
- Bart and Lisa drink coffee
- Sherman knocks Homer out of the boat
- Before noon, Bart invites people to a party at 2pm
- Lovejoy tells Marge that Homer is the cause of all the problems
- 2pm, the party starts
- Homer talks to Sherman
- The party is very destructive
- Homer catches Sherman
- Grampa cries after the party
- Homer throws back Sherman
- Bart and Lisa clean
- Homer and Marge return home, Grampa leaves
- The Legend of Homer is created at the bait shop

References to Time:
- Last year at the Winfields' party, Homer threw up in the laundry hamper
- Barney has met Patty and Selma before
- This is the 3rd Annual Marriage Retreat
- Bart is almost 10 and a half

References to Other Episodes: None.

SLH Presence:
- SLH is present

Minimum Time Spanned: 9 days

Canon: Homer claims that their wedding was a big bash with lots of musicians and holy men. We will later see in "I Married Marge" that this was not true (unless he is referring to the second wedding from "A Milhouse Divided" but I doubt it). This comment is not canon.

Favorite Moment: When Flanders reveals his problem with Maude (she underlines passages in his Bible when she can't find her own), Homer quips "Lucky you don't keep guns in the house."

Review: This is a pretty good episode. This seems to be one of those classic episodes that builds a lot of the dynamic between Homer and Marge. Although Homer vs. Marge episodes become a lot more common,this once pays off well. The whole dinner party sequence is quite entertaining (including Homer's recollection of it). Bart and Lisa taking advantage of Grampa is amusing as well, but it's ultimately a forgettable subplot. B+