History Recap / TheSimpsonsS2E20TheWarOfTheSimpsons

* BabysittersNightare: Homer and Marge try to hire a babysitter while they go to a couples retreat. She runs off screaming at the sight of Bart ("Back for more?"), so they decide to have Grampa babysit instead.

** A minor example for Homer, but during the first group therapy session at the couples retreat Reverend Lovejoy asks the Flanders' why they are there and the reason that Ned gives is that Maude underlines passages in his bible because he can't find her own, to which Homer makes a [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] comment that it's [[SarcasmMode lucky that they don't keep guns in their house]]. While Homer was being rude, he is right that the Flanders' are [[SeriousBusiness taking such a small issue and making it out to be worse than what it is.]]

* JerkassHasAPoint: Marge is right to be mad at Homer for his idiocy. She rightfully explains why he's a terrible husband.

* ContrivedCoincidence: At the climax, Homer gets to the lake's pier and gets doubts about fishing... but he gets hold of a kid's fishing rod as the kid goes do something else (he asked Homer to hold on to it) and it is then that the General bites the kid's bait, dragging Homer offshore.

* WhatTheHellHero: Marge wakes up to find Homer sneaking out to go fishing. She angrily calls him out on it, telling him they're trying to save their marriage. She then berates him for ''still'' thinking about fishing even when she's yelling at him.

''(drops Homer in annoyance, who then passes out)''

** Marge had no reason to object to Homer going fishing at 5 AM, as there were no retreat activities scheduled that early, and Homer planned to be back by 7. In fact, the only reason he felt the need to sneak out was because Marge was being unreasonable. Although Marge tells him he can go fishing anytime, but he should be more focused on trying to fix their marriage first.

* WhatTheHellHero: Marge wakes up to find Homer sneaking out to go fishing. She angrily calls him out on it, telling him they're trying to save their marriage. She then berates him for ''still'' thinking about fishing even when she's talking to him.

'''Marge:''' ''([[MeatOVision imagined as]] [[FishPeople a fish person]], while aggravated)'' Yes!

** Marge had no reason to object to Homer going fishing at 5 AM, as there were no retreat activities scheduled that early, and Homer planned to be back by 7. In fact, the only reason he felt the need to sneak out was because Marge was being unreasonable. Although Marge tells him he can go fishing anytime, but he should be more focused one trying to fix their marriage first.

** Marge had no reason to object to Homer going fishing at 5 AM, as there were no retreat activities scheduled that early, and Homer planned to be back by 7. In fact, the only reason he felt the need to sneak out was because Marge was being unreasonable.

* WhatTheHellHero: Marge wakes up to find him sneaking to go fishing. She gets angry and berates him, telling him they're trying to save their marriage. Then she calls him out for ''still'' thinking about fishing even when she's talking to him.

'''Marge:''' ''[[MeatOVision (imagined as]] [[FishPeople a fish person)]]'' Yes!

* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: When Marge and Homer go to couples counseling, another couple is shown bickering, and throwing mean, petty insults at eachother. Then Lovejoy asks them to look into each others' eyes...
* TheBore: Even if she obviously was given free reign to say whatever she needed to say (to Tim Lovejoy's eventual regret), Marge still managed to drive everybody to boredom by just not ''stopping '''for a whole afternoon''''' with her rant of what she hates of Homer.
* BreakTheMotivationalSpeaker: Downplayed example, but still there. Lovejoy's couples retreat is mentioned to work well, and to provide an example the Reverend manages to help a couple (an {{Expy}} of [[Film/WhosAfraidOfVirginiaWoolf George and Martha]], to boot) in a few seconds. Marge drives the whole group to despairing boredom in the first day of the retreat by giving off the absurdly LongList of flaws Homer has and in the only scene taking place with the group afterwards Lovejoy is pretty glad Homer isn't around because he doesn't wants to know what would happen if the group had to deal with his immense obesity in trust-building exercises.

''(drops Homer in annoyance, who then pass out)''

* ContrivedCoincidence: At the climax, Homer gets to the lake's pier and gets doubts about fishing... but he gets hold of a kid's fishing rod as the kid goes do something else (he asked Homer to hold on to it) and it is then that the General bites the kid's bait, dragging Homer off shore.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Marge gets annoyed at Homer for mentioning a single, minor thing about her that he doesn't like, but has no problem lauching into a list of things she hates about him several hours long.

* HarpingOnAboutHarpies: The husband of the feuding couple at the marriage retreat repeatedly refers to his wife as the Queen of the Harpies.

''(Drops Homer in annoyance, who then pass out)''

* NoodleIncident: A drunken Homer tells Bart to do that "cute thing". Bart doesn't know what that is, so he tells him to go to his room.

'''Marge:''' ''(hoarsely)'' He drinks out of the carton. He never changes the baby. When he goes to sleep, he makes chewing noises, and when he wakes up, he makes honking noises. Oh, oh, and he scratches himself with his keys. I guess that's it. Oh no, wait, he kicks me in is sleep and his toenails are too long and yellow. That's all I can think of right now. I guess you're all tired, and I want to thank you for letting me get some things off my chest.\\

* TheBore: Even if she obviously was given free reign to say whatever she needed to say (to Tim Lovejoy's eventual regret), Marge still managed to drive everybody to boredom by just not ''stopping'' ''''for a whole afternoon'''' with her rant of what she hates of Homer.

-->'''Marge:''' Well... I-It's not that I don't love the guy. I'm always sticking up for him. It's just that he's so self-centered.
-->'''Homer:''' ''(gasps)'' Wait! Oh!
-->'''Rev. Lovejoy:''' Now, Homer...
-->'''Marge:''' He forgets birthdays, anniversaries, holidays both religious and secular, he chews with his mouth open, he gambles, he hangs out at a seedy bar with bums and lowlifes.
-->'''Homer:''' ''(sobs)'' It's true! It's all true!
-->'''Rev. Lovejoy:''' Homer don't interrupt.
-->'''Homer:''' Sorry.
-->'''Marge:''' He blows his nose on the towels and puts 'em back in the middle!
-->'''Homer:''' I only did that a couple of times!
-->''(following a cut to another scene, we cut back to the retreat hours later; Marge is still ranting)''
-->'''Marge:''' ''(hoarsely)'' He drinks out of the carton. He never changes the baby. When he goes to sleep, he makes chewing noises, and when he wakes up, he makes honking noises. Oh, oh, and he scratches himself with his keys. I guess that's it. Oh no, wait, he kicks me in is sleep and his toenails are too long and yellow. That's all I can think of right now. I guess you're all tired, and I want to thank you for letting me get some things off my chest.
-->'''Homer:''' ''(groans)''

'''Marge:''' ''[[MeatOVision (imagined as a fish person)]]'' Yes!

* OffModel: This episode contains the infamous animation error where [[http://i.imgur.com/XMFIZm8.png Ned's nose disappears, his shirt collar overlaps his neck, and part of his neck disappears]].

* JerkAssHasAPoint: Marge is right to be mad at Homer for his idiocy. She rightfully explains why he's a terrible husband.

* LongList: When Lovejoy asks everyone to say what they don't like about their partners, Homer mentions one minor thing that annoys Marge. However when it's Marge's turn, she ends up rattling off a list so long it takes several hours to finish (Lovejoy actually says the day's been wasted and asks the couples to go to bed) and leaves her with a hoarse voice. Even then that's only what she can remember at that point in time.