Original air date: 3/26/2006
Production code: HABF-08
Desperate for a plasma TV, Homer enrolls the family in Fox's latest reality show, which swaps the wives of the Simpsons and the Heathbars, a British family.
Tropes:
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Bart and Lisa visit Lenny's apartment to tell Homer to come home. They quickly abandon this when they notice the plasma HDTV, and join him on the couch.
- Awful Wedded Life: The Heathbar's marriage, with Verity belittling Charles and Charles hating his wife. Verity even says that she enrolled in the wife swap reality show just so she could humilate her husband.
- Bait-and-Switch: The episode ends with Homer singing a love song. It turns out he's singing to the new plasma TV.
- Bait-and-Switch Comment: Zig-zagged when Lenny gives his big announcement.Lenny: I know you're all wondering why you're here. The fact is, I'm dying... to tell you that I have adopted... a new faith... in the power of technological advances to make me happy! That's right, I've got a new plasma screen HDTV!
- Biting-the-Hand Humor: The family wins a trip to the studio for the Fox Network. All of the jokes you'd expect ensue, from crappy reality shows to overly cheap executives.
- Celebrity Paradox: Dan Castellaneta is introduced as the star of The Tracey Ullman Show.
- Dude, Not Funny!: Charles tells Marge a joke about a man who finds a genie, and is told that whatever he wishes for, his wife will get double. Marge is interested, but is horrified when Charles reveals the punchline: the man wishes, "beat me half to death". They discuss the joke some more, with Marge enjoying the setup.
- Enemy Mine: Patty and Charles's wife hooked up because of their shared hatred of Homer.
- Garrulous Growth: Homer watches a commercial with a dancing and laughing cold sore. It looks annoying as all hell.Cold Sore: Break out! Ha-ha! Hoo-hoo! Ha-ha! Break out! Ha-ha! Hoo-hoo! Ha-ha! Ha! Hoo-hoo! He-he-ha! Ha-ha!
- Lady Looks Like a Dude: Charles's reaction when he learns his wife is leaving him for Patty.Charles: You're leaving me for HIM?!Homer: So it seems. However, Cousin It there was born a woman.
- "Knock Knock" Joke: According to Marge, she always ruins them by saying, "Come in!"
- Last-Second Word Swap: When Homer and Marge are driving to Lenny's party in anticipation of a big announcement, Marge thinks that he could be getting married. Homer scoffs, "Why the hell would he want to do that?" Noticing Marge glaring at him, he finishes his sentence with "...blessed sacrament that has made my life so rich?"
- Medium-Shift Gag: The episode's Couch Gag is a live-action recreation of the opening.
- Mistaken for Gay: After meeting Charles, Homer loudly whispers to his children, "I'll bet the twist is he's gay!" As it turns out, he got the wrong half of the couple.
- Product Placement: Lampshaded. Frito-Lay's airplane flies Lisa over to visit Marge. After the ride, she's legally required to advertise their chips, which she does in a completely deadpan tone.
- Self-Deprecating Humor: Episode writer Ricky Gervais' character speaks in Gervais's trademark rambling manner. Homer isn't impressed.Homer: You take forever to say nothing!
- Take That!:
- One of the first shows Homer watches is Two and a Half Men. He comments, "You can see the soulless emptiness in Charlie Sheen's eyes."
- Homer finishes a collection of 40 years' worth of The Family Circus comics. He reads one, is unimpressed, and throws his collection into the fireplace.
- The Thing That Would Not Leave: When Lenny gets a flat-screen TV, Homer stays parked on his couch for days. Lenny resorts to flicking lit matches at him to drive him out.
