7F18 - Brush With Greatness (April 11, 1991)

Summary: While Homer goes on a diet, Marge is hired to paint a portrait of Mr. Burns.

Episode Timeline:
The early 70's:
- High school Marge gets her dreams of painting crushed
- Marge mails a painting to Ringo
Friday:
- Krusty finishes his last show from Mt. Splashmore
- Bart and Lisa bother Homer into the night
Saturday:
- The family leaves for Mt. Splashmore
- Bart and Lisa get in line for H2WHOA
- Maggie plays in the kiddie pool
- Homer goes on H2WHOA and gets stuck
- The family watches the news
- Homer is 260lbs and vows to go on a diet
Sunday:
- In the attic, Homer finds Marge's Ringo paintings
- The diet starts on porkchop night
Monday:
- Marge enrolls in a painting class, Lombardo approves
- Homer is trapped by his exercise equipment
Tuesday - Friday:
- Marge takes her first class
- Homer exercises, Marge paints him
- Lombardo chooses Marge to represent him at next week's art exhibition
Saturday -Tuesday are skipped
Wednesday:
- Marge's painting wins the exhibition
Thursday:
- Burns wants Marge to paint his portrait
Friday:
- Homer is down to 249lbs
- The donut deliverer notices the pileup of donuts at the plant
- Burns visits Marge
- Marge begins painting Burns
- Maggie crawls on Burns's leg
Saturday is skipped
Sunday:
- Burns reads the funny pages
- Marge walks in on Burns in the shower
- Smithers prepares tea
- Ringo opens Marge's old painting
Monday:
- Burns yells at Lisa
- Burns teases a 239lb Homer
- Marge receives Ringo's reply
- Marge paints all night
Tuesday:
- The Burns Painting is revealed

References to Time:
- Lisa is 8

References to Other Episodes:
- There's a Burns for Governor sticker in the attic from "Two Cars in Every Garage..."

SLH Presence:
- Sideshow Mel is on the Krusty Show
- Lisa eats meat
- SLH is present

Minimum Time Spanned: 14 days, most likely in the summer

Canon: Yes

Favorite Moment:
- Ringo's letter back to Marge is pretty sweet, especially the delayed response to her question about hamburgers

Review: Another nice episode. The Mt. Splashmore stuff is funny, and Burns and Smithers greatly resemble the Burns and Smithers we love today. Jon Lovitz plays another amusing character, and Ringo is great as a guest voice. Has that good old , classic charm. A-

7F17 - Old Money (March 28, 1991)

Summary: Grampa's new girlfriend dies and leaves him more money than he knows what to do with.

Episode Timeline:
Sunday, August 19, 1990:
- The family drops off Grampa after their visit to the liquor store
- The family decides that their next trip should be to Discount Lion Safari
- Grampa's medication is switched with Bea Simmons'
- Abe and Bea get to talking
- Abe prepares for his date
- Abe and Bea go dancing
Over the span of a month:
- Abe and Bea go to the park
- Abe and Bea drink milkshakes
- Abe and Bea go to the beach
- Abe and Bea play the piano
Saturday, September 15, 1990:
- Grampa shops at Herman's for a gift for Bea's birthday
- Grampa shops at Grandma's World
Sunday, September 16, 1990:
- Homer drags Grampa away from the home
- The family goes to Discount Lion Safari and gets trapped by lions all night
Monday, September 17, 1990:
- Grampa arrives back home to find Bea has died
Tuesday, September 18, 1990:
- At Bea's funeral, Abe says he has no son
- Lionel Hutz drops off Abe's inheritance from Bea
- Grampa calls Homer to tell him the news
- Grampa buys Napoleon's hat
- Grampa visits a mud-wrestling show
Wednesday, September 19, 1990:
- Grampa goes para-sailing
- Grampa goes to Diz-Nee Land
- Grampa comes by for dinner
- Grampa announces he'll give his money away
Thursday, September 20, 1990:
- Folks line up for Grampa's money
- Otto wants to revamp the bus
- Burns begs for the money
- Moe has a treasure map
- Monroe wants a baby for his Monroe Box
- Bart treats Grampa like Santa
- Frink needs to fund his death ray
- Lisa tells Grampa that the less fortunate need the money
- Grampa walks around the impoverished city
- Jasper suggests Grampa double his money gambling
Friday, September 21, 1990:
- Grampa heads to the Casino
- Homer tries to stop Grampa
- Grampa almost loses it all
- Grampa spruces up the retirement home with his money

References to Time:
- The third Sunday of every month is when the family spends a day with Grampa
- The family's already been to Olde Springfield Towne
- Herman says that Bea shares her birthday with the Battleship New Jersey. This ship was completed September 16, 1940, launched December 12, 1942, and commissioned May 23, 1943. When referring to a ship's birthday, usually the launch or commission date is observed. However, neither of those days could be "the third Sunday of a month." Therefore, I'm sticking with September 16, 1990 as my reference point.
- Frink has a wife
- Lisa wants a pony named Princess
- It's the 20th century

References to Other Episodes:
- Kent Brockman married Stephanie the weather lady (they we're rumored to be dating in "Bart vs. Thanksgiving")

SLH Presence:
- SLH is not present
- Bleeding Gums Murphy is alive
- Marvin Monroe is alive
- The retirment home is made nice

Minimum Time Spanned: 1 month and 5 days

Canon: Grampa seems to be barely familiar with Burns, despite their history in WWII together. Also, I forsee issue with the fixed date. Those two things may not be canon.

Favorite Moment:
- Homer rushing through the Krusty Burger is amusing, but the garbled response he gets always cracks me up.

Review: This episode starts slow, but really picks up half-way through. It is amusing seeing all the characters wishes. And the trip to the casino is frantic and funny. The dramatic scenes and the moral of the story balance well with the funny moments. It is the best look into the lives of the old folks, without making any jokes at the expense of senior citizens. It's also nice to see Grampa before he evolves into a blithering old coot. A-

7F16 - Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? (February 21, 1991)

Summary: Homer learns he has a successful half-brother who creates cars.

Episode Timeline:
The past (Over 31 years ago):
- While dating Mona, Abe had an affair with a carny girl
One Year Later:
- The carny girl comes back with a new son
One Year Later:
- Abe and Mona get married
- Homer is born
Present Day, Wednesday:
- Grampa and Jasper watch "McBain"
- Grampa has a heart attack
- Meatloaf night, the family eats dinner
- At the hospital, Grampa tells Homer about his half-brother
- Bart sings about bastards
Thursday:
- Homer looks for the orphanage
- Homer learns Herb lives in Detroit
- Homer calls all Herbert Powells in Detroit
- Herb invites Homer to Detroit
Friday:
- On the way to Detroit, Homer gets pulled over and recognized for his brother
- Herb yells at his employees
- Herb meets the Simpsons
- Herb shows off his house
Saturday:
- The kids play in the pool
- Herb, Homer, and Bart skip rocks
- Homer calls Grampa
- Herb, Homer, and Bart fly in a balloon
- Homer calls Herb's cook at night
Sunday:
- Herb wants Homer to design a car
- Homer meets the engineers
- Bart and Lisa go on a boat/pony ride
- The engineers get Homer out of the room
- Herb tells Homer to get self confidence
Monday:
- Homer starts making demands
- Bart and Lisa play croquet while Herb watches
Tuesday:
- Homer makes more demands
- Bart, Lisa and Herb watch Itchy and Scratchy
Wednesday:
- Homer's build is tested
- Bart and Lisa go to the zoo
- Homer draws his concept
Thursday:
- The Homer is unveiled
Friday:
- Herb loses everything
- Grampa arrives
- Bart thinks the car was cool

References to Time:
- The next McBain movie is called "You Have the Right to Remain Dead"
- The Shelbyville Orphanage was torn down 30 years ago
- Herb worked his way through Harvard as a janitor
- Maggie still has that new baby smell, yet can stand on her own
- The Homer is the car of the 90's

References to Other Episodes:
- Grampa may be watching the McBain movie reviewed in "The Way We Was"

SLH Presence:
- SLH is not present
- Homer meets his half-brother

Minimum Time Spanned: 10 Days, assuming it doesn't take long to design a car. It appears to be summertime.

Canon: Yes

Favorite Moment:
- While the kids play Marco Polo, Homer shouts "Will you kids shut up?" as if they are being rowdy

Review: Another okay episode. Homer's car design is pretty funny and pitiful, and Bart and Lisa enjoying the rich life is nice. Danny Devito does a good job as Homer's brother. This episode could've easily fallen into the trap of having Herb be just another Simpson, but it didn't. However, there were no really memorable, exciting moments. B

7F15 - Principal Charming (February 14, 1991)

Summary: Principal Skinner dates Patty while Selma looks for love.

Episode Timeline:
Sometime in the recent past:
- Stanley meets Selma at lunchtime at the DMV
Friday:
- 8am, Barney calls Homer to tell him about a barbecue joint
- Marge does morning exercises, and Homer plans for a Saturday night dinner
- Marge calls Patty and Selma at work to ask if they can babysit
- Patty cancels Hans Moleman's license
Saturday:
- 2:00, Patty and Selma attend Stanley and Martha's wedding
- Selma sings Lisa to sleep
- Homer and Marge come home from dinner
- Selma asks Marge to help her find a man
- Homer has to help Selma find a husband
Sunday is skipped
Monday:
- Bart learns about a herbicide in chemistry class
- Homer searches for a man at work
- Bart vandalizes the school grounds at recess
- On his lunch break, Homer continues to search for a man at the Kwik-E-Mart
- Skinner notices Bart's vandalism
- After school, Bart has to call Homer to deal with his punishment
- Homer invites Skinner to dinner that night
- Skinner arrives at the Simpson residence
- Skinner falls for Patty
- Skinner asks Patty out to see Space Mutants tomorrow night
- Patty and Selma drive home and stop at the Kwik-E-Mart
Tuesday:
- Bart resods the field, but Skinner lets him off the hook
- Patty removes her lip hair
- Skinner picks up Patty
- They eat at the revolving restaurant
- Selma clips coupons with Marge
- Skinner and Selma watch Space Mutants
- Skinner tries to arrange another date. Patty says he can join her Thursday.
Wednesday is skipped
Thursday:
- Bart throws eggs at Skinner at school
- Skinner doesn't get a kiss from Patty
- Selma looks at pictures of her and Patty
Friday:
- Skinner takes Patty to the school playground
- Skinner gets to kiss Patty
Saturday and Sunday are skipped
Monday:
- The kids run amuck at school, and Skinner reveals his plans to marry Patty
- 5pm, Barney agrees to date Selma
- Skinner and Bart ring shop
- Selma learns of Skinner's intentions and decides to date Barney
- Barney picks up Selma
- Skinner proposes and is denied
- Skinner rues to get the school back from Bart's control
- Patty rescues Selma from Barney
Tuesday:
- Bart resods the entire schoolyard

References to Time:
- Homer promised to limit pork intake to 6 servings a week
- Homer once made the family take a trip to see a car shaped like a bowling pin
- Patty and Selma went to Egypt recently
- Space Mutants 5 is being released
- Patty hasn't dated for 25 years
- Skinner recognizes the waiter as being from the class of '71. Since Springfield Elementary goes up to 6th grade, we can assume the waiter was in 6th grade from 1970-1971 and Skinner was principal then. The waiter is nearly 30.
- Selma wears a Springfield University sweatshirt, implying she went there
- It is dark at 5pm, implying it is late fall or winter
- Barney was in "the service" followed by a few years of something

References to Other Episodes:
- Bart's graffiti reads "I am still a wiener," referencing his graffiti from "Bart the Genius"

SLH Presence:
- SLH is not present
- A woman named Ms. Finch works at the Power Plant (Mindy Simmons was supposedly the first female to work at the power plant in quite a long time)
- Bart prank calls Moe
- Skinner is single (not dating Krabappel)

Minimum Time Spanned: 12 days

Canon: Yes

Favorite Moment:
- In the Australian themed Space Mutant movie, the Space Mutant has a baby in its pouch

Review: This episode is okay. The story is decent and realistic, but nothing really blows me away. It's a pretty average episode. Bart and Skinner's relationship is better explored in the 100th episode. Here, it's just blah. B-

7F14 - Bart's Dog Gets an F (March 7, 1991)

Summary: Santa's Little Helper must pass obedience school or else the family can't keep him/

Episode Timeline:
Monday:
- SLH rips the morning paper
- SLH eyes Homer's breakfast
- Lisa is sick and SLH eats Homer's food
- SLH digs in the yard
- Marge arranges a doctor's appointment for 2:00, Bart heads off for school
- SLH follows Bart to the bus
- SLH eats a bug
- SLH goes to the Kwik-E-Mart
- SLH frightens ducks at the park
- Mrs. Winfield calls Homer about SLH in her pool
- Homer checks out Flanders's new shoes
- 2:00, Lisa visits Dr. Hibbert and will miss a week of school
- Lisa calls Homer at work to pick up some magazies for her. He leaves early.
- Marge shows Lisa the Bouvier Family Quilt
- Homer buys the magazines at the mall, then looks at the tennis shoes
- Marge shows her patch, Bart returns with homework and Homer with new shoes
- SLH chews up Homer's new shoes at night
Tuesday:
- Marge looks in the yellow pages for a dog school
- Bart takes SLH to Winthrop Academy
Wednesday:
- Marge and Lisa watch a soap opera, SLH chases Snowball II
- Montage of SLH struggling to learn
- Homer tries to return the shoes, then buys a big cookie
- Homer places the cookie on top of the cookie jar, SLH eats it
- Lisa finishes her patch
- SLH destroys the quilt
- The destroyed quilt and cookie are discovered
- Homer says the dog has to go
- SLH must pass dog school
Thursday:
- At dog school, SLH won't roll over
- Homer and Marge write the flyer for SLH's sale
Friday:
- SLH won't sit at dog school
- Homer tries to sell SLH over the phone
- SLH won't stay
Saturday:
- The prospective buyer checks out SLH
- Bart goes back to the academy to convince Winthrop to pass SLH
- Lisa starts a new quilt
- Bart has fun with SLH in his remaining hours, and SLH finally learns
Sunday:
- SLH passes

References to Time:
- Lisa is in Miss Hoover's class
- Lisa "wasted" the chicken pox by doing homework while sick
- 5 Generations of Bouviers worked on the quilt, apparently going back to pioneer times, with patches from WWI and the Great Depression
- Marge's patch is from 1973 at the earliest
- The family has never had a family meeting before

References to Other Episodes:
- Botz from "Some Enchanted Evening" has escaped from prison

SLH Presence:
- SLH is present
- The Simpsons live next to the Winfields (they moved out in "New Kid on the Block")
- Marvin Monroe is alive
- Lisa has met Bleeding Gums Murphy

Minimum Time Spanned: 7 days, assuming SLH takes all his classes in one week

Canon: Yes, although I'm not sure what is up with the first day. Homer doesn't go to work when Bart goes to school, has enough time to deal with SLH's antics, then is at work by the time Lisa comes home from the doctor and leaves early. Usually Homer goes to work when the kids leave for school, so on this day, Homer both came in late and left early. Maybe safety inspecting isn't as important on Mondays. Also, this episode would make the most sense if it immediately followed the Christmas episode.

Favorite Moments:
- The way Flanders keeps saying "Spoy yourself" in Homer's mind
- One of the dog training ads claims, "We taught a dog to drive"
- The end of the soap opera, with the minister coming back from the dead
- Lisa explaining the musical inspiration behind her patch, including how Mr. Largo ruins classical pieces

Review: I put four favorite moments because those are the only four moments of the episode I like. I'm not very attached to the storyline, and the resolution with SLH "suddenly" learning the commands isn't very well thought out. I do like Marge and Lisa bonding over the quilt, and Bart's dedication to his dog, but Homer seems very obsessed with stupid things (Since when does he care about shoes? And why didn't he just eat the cookie himself?). I also find the character of Winthrop to be annoying and boring to watch. C-

7F13 - Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment (February 7, 1991)

Summary: Homer acquires illegal cable television and Lisa worries that the family will go to Hell for stealing.

Episode Timeline:
1220 B.C.
- At Mt. Sinai, Homer the Thief sins with his friends, until Moses reads the 10 Commandments
Saturday
- Flanders throws a sleazy cable guy off his property, and Homer chases him down
- The cable guy hooks up illegal cable for Homer
- Homer shows off the cable TV to his family. Marge brings in a baby plant.
- Homer and Lisa watch Mexican wrestling. The plant grows a bit.
- The family watches Jaws. The plant grows.
- The family watches Die Hard. The plant grows.
- The family minus Lisa watches Wall Street. The plant grows.
- At night, Homer switches from C-SPAN to cockfighting.
Sunday
- Homer watches Davey and Goliath. The plant is dead. It's time for church.
- The parents sit through Lovejoy's sermon.
- The kids learn about Hell in Sunday School
- The family drives home.
- The family watches an infomercial. Lisa imagines her family in Hell.
- At the grocery store, Marge eats two grapes.
- Marge gets a price check on two grapes.
- Lisa and Homer discuss stealing. A boxing match is advertised for Friday.
Monday
- Homer invites his co-workers to watch the big game at his house. Burns decides to stop by.
- At Moe's, Homer invites his buddies to come watch the game.
- Homer invites Apu
- Lisa speaks with Reverend Lovejoy about stealing cable
- At night, Bart tries to watch the adult channel, and Lisa announces her abstinence from watching cable
- Marge asks Homer to cut the cable, Homer refuses
Tuesday
- The cable guy stops by the house to sell more illegal wares and possibly rob Flanders
Wednesday
- Homer installs multiple locks and window bars on the house
Thursday
- Bart invites the neighborhood kids over to watch the adult channel
Friday
- Homer's guests start arriving, they watch the pre-show entertainment, Moe arrives, Burns arrives, and the police arrive
- Lisa non-violently protests outside, Homer's guilt catches up with him, and he takes Bart to go join Lisa
- Tatum wins the fight, the guests leave, Homer cuts the cable

References to Time:
- Tatum was in prison for 5 years for manslaughter, and was recently released for the fight
- Burns once watched a fight that lasted 113 rounds, but back then, fights usually lasted over 50 rounds

References to Other Episodes:
- One of the cable channels is showing the wholesome, lemonade Itchy and Scratchy episode from "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge"

SLH Presence:
- SLH is present

Minimum Time Spanned: 7 days, Saturday - Friday, assuming Marge bought one of those fast-growing magic plants. If not, the montage of cable watching could last days, weeks, or months

Canon: Yes, although, once again, Homer and Apu's relationship is presented as being casual acquaintance. Also, Tatum appears much different in future episodes.

Favorite Moments:
- When Lisa and Lovejoy discuss when it is okay to steal, and a hypothetical situation involving a loaf of bread for a starving family. When Lovejoy asks if Homer is stealing bread, Lisa wouldn't put it past him.
- Watson and Tatum both dedicating the fight to Watson's deceased manager
- The whole scene of Homer hiding his stolen items as the guests arrive and Lisa constantly staring at him in her non-violent protest is excellently directed

Review: A pretty good episode. Lisa's moral plotline is classic, and there are some wonderful moments of humor along the way. The cable TV aspect kind of loses its punch in today's digital age, so it's hard to imagine a whole community bonding over the illegal cable hookup of one man. But it just sets this episode in a certain time, when cable channels were still new and impressive. The dated feel lowers my overall score of the episode, though. B+

7F12 - The Way We Was (January 31, 1991)

Summary: Homer and Marge tell the story of how they first met in high school.

Episode Timeline:
1974, Tuesday:
- Homer listens to the car radio, driving to school. He meets Barney outside, late for English.
- Marge and a friend discuss equal rights for women, then pass by the boys room, where the shop kids are smoking
- Those kids are Homer and Barney, who are late for Wood Shop, then get 3 days detention when the principal catches them
- Marge burns a bra in protest and also gets detention
- In detention at 3pm, Barney gets rejected to the prom, then Marge walks in and Homer falls for her
- Homer talks to Marge and gets 6 more days of detention
- At dinner, Homer and Abe discuss girls
1974, Wednesday:
- Homer meets with the guidance counselor to discuss Marge. The counselor gives Homer a pamphlet for the new power plant opening soon.
- Homer in a Power Plant? "Heh, heh, KABOOM!"
- Homer signs up for the debate team
- That evening, Homer researches for the speed limit debate
1974, Thursday:
- During the debate, Homer presents his rebuttal
- On the track field, Homer asks out Marge.
- Marge talks to Homer's shot putting coach
- Marge talks to Homer's shop teacher
- Marge talks to Barney at lunch, but still decides not to date Homer. But she tutors French part-time.
- Homer prepares for his "date"
- Marge arrives at 6:18pm
- At 9:22pm, Marge tries to finish the study session (she has a big forensics meet tomorrow)
- Marge and Homer do the hustle
- At 1:07am, Homer asks Marge to the prom, then blows it by telling her the truth
1974, Friday:
- Marge is too tired during the meet
- Artie Ziff asks Marge to the Prom
1974, 3 weeks later, Saturday:
- Marge's mother helps Marge get ready for prom
- Patty and Selma let Homer in, he meets Marge's father, then Marge comes down surprised, and Artie Ziff arrives
- Homer tells the limo driver to take him to the prom
- Homer arrives at prom
- Prom pictures are taken
- Barney streaks, Marge and Artie are crowned, Homer leaves when they dance
- Homer talks with Marge, but she says she's with Artie for good
- The limo takes Homer to a make out point
- Artie gets physical, Homer decides to walk home at 1:00am
- Artie and Marge drive past Homer
- Marge arrives home, listening to her family badmouth Homer
- Marge picks up Homer
A day in the past, about 9 Months before Bart is born:
- A young, afro'd Dr. Hibbert congratulates Homer and Marge on Marge's morning sickness
One Night (Present Day):
- The family watches a movie review show, but the TV stops working. After Homer fails to fix the TV, the family starts talking. Lisa asks how Homer proposed to Marge.
- Marge would rather tell the story of how she and Homer met.
- Lisa and Bart comment on the love at first sight
- The family reacts to Homer's rebuttal
- Bart tries to continue fixing the TV.
- Lisa is enthralled, Bart quickly sums up the rest of the story
- Bart gags at the end of the story

References to Time:
- The new "McBain" movie is reviewed on television
- Before they got married, Homer and Marge would shoot pool and go dancing instead of watch TV
- Homer and Marge were both seniors in high school when they met
- Artie Ziff uses an article from the January 8, 1974 issue of TIME as a source
- Marge had known Artie for 8 years before he asked her to prom
- Homer skipped school for 3 weeks, and hoped he could graduate that summer

References to Other Episodes: None

SLH Presence:
- SLH is not present

Minimum Time Spanned: The main story lasts 4 days in 1974, then continues 3 weeks later on prom night. This part probably occurs during May. There is a brief flashback that occurs before Bart is born. The story is being told on one night.

Canon: Yes, although there is something strange about Homer and Marge's age. They are both seniors at the same time, yet Homer is usually mentioned as being older than Marge. I shall assume that at some point in Homer's education, he was held back a year. Also, 1974 is the first fixed year referenced in the show. This year will always be the class of Homer and Marge.

Favorite Moment:
Every moment with Artie Ziff is wonderful. From him quoting TIME Magazine when he asks out Marge, to his belief that everyone at the school loves him, Artie steals every scene he's in. Jon Lovitz created a unique character by having fun with the educated way Artie speaks. His final "Good night!" is especially inspired.

Review: This is the first "flashback" episode and it set the tone for those to follow. It's interesting seeing the backstory of the characters we are familiar with, and it tells a good story as well. Later flashbacks will be funnier, but this one had a heartwarming, realistic story that is rarely touched on in The Simpsons. High school life is not often represented in the series, so it's a nice change of pace. A