"Boy Meets Curl" Recap

I love the title of this episode because I get it. I used to love Boy Meets World, the television show. But this episode is more.

Well the episode begins with Homer and Marge trying to enjoy a date night, but Mr. Burns messes it up by having Homer, Lenny and Carl locate and patch a leak. Marge is forced to watch TV including the Real Housewives of Shelbyville. When Homer finally gets get home they go to see the movie Love, Formulaicly. LoL at that, I don't mind them taking swipes at Love Actually because I didn't particularly enjoy or even remember it. Homer and Marge don't mind too much that the movie theater is noisy, but once they see the movie is starring Ben Affleck it's a wrap for them. (Poor Ben Affleck, I'm starting to think his career may be a wrap). So yeah, they leave the theater and decide to go ice skating.

When they enter the skating rink they are told they can't skate because it appears that they are cleaning the ice. But they find out that different families are engaging in a sport called Curling. It is a perfect fit for Homer and Marge because Homer bowling skills and Marges sweeping skills are easily transferable to the sliding of the disc and the sweeping of the ice. Homer then has a long monologue about Curling that I didn't keep track of. Well soon enough, Homer and Marge try Curling and discover that they are very skilled at the sport.

Back at home, Homer and Marge describe Curling to Bart and Lisa who can't believe that it is even a real sport. Skinner then visits the house and tells Homer and Marge about the Winter Olympics Curling Demo and invites Homer and Marge to join his team. Homer response is "there's a Winter Olympics?" He then imagines a small Santa diving like in the Summer Olympics. As Homer imagines Marge finds out that they will be participating in the Olympic Curling trials.

At the trials Mrs. Skinner encourages Marge not to let love come in the way of winning. She then tells the story of how she lost the pole vaulting competition at the Summer Olympics because Skinner (as a baby in her stomach) kicked and knocked the pole, costing her the gold medal. All I could think is why would she blame Tamzarian when it was actually her son Skinner, who they kicked out of town LoL a while ago. But anyways at the trials Lisa becomes obsessed with Olympic pins because of the manipulation of a man dressed as a child. Also, Marge sweeps Homer's poorly thrown disk threw the food court to the center of the circle. As a result, they get to go the Olympics.

So, the Simpsons family drive to Vancouver. Along the way they run into "Boob Lady" on the streets and she and Homer throat sing together. Homer tells Marge that she used to be his therapists and the Boob Lady yells, pay your bill! Homer characteristicallly speeds off.

At the Olympic opening, the annoucer who was on Ghostbusters reads out the name of each country by starting with "Who you gonna call." As you might expect by the time he gets halfway through the list he has lost his voice and sounds extremely groggy. They then release the Canadian dove, the beaver and the beavers chews the whole arena.

At the Olympic Village hoter Bart has made new Canadian friends who closely resemble his friends back at home. On the other hand, Mrs. Skinner tries to convince Marge to drop Homer as her partner. Homer overhears and bobsleds through town as Marge contemplates this decision. Meanwhile, Lisa's obsession with Olympic pins has reached new heights. She trades her pearls for pins and is forced to play her saxophone for money. When Bart she sees her in an old coat and tries to find out why she is playing for money she reveals her obsession. He encourages her to take the pins off her dress and vest, but it turns her dress was made of pins. So sad LoL.

Back at the Olympic arena where Homer and Marge are competing, Tom Brokaw speaks about Lisa's pin dilemma because he loooves Lisa :). During the competition Marge injures her right arm when trying to save one Homer's bad throws and Dr. Hibbert declares she can never curl again. Marge is very upset when she packing to leave.

Meanwhile, Bart is trying to get Lisa clean. Lisa thinks it's tough love, but Bart thinks of it as "soft hate" (Oh how I loveBart) He tells to give him all her pins and to put on her pearls, but he learns that she traded them for pins and she is nothing, but a big Maggie without them (very true). So, Bart takes Homer's drivers license and cuts out his mouth and part of his eyes turns it upside down and creates a pin that he names Fatov. He convinces the pin seller that the pin is for the 2014 Olympics. After the seller fantasizes dancing with Fatov he agrees to trade.

Back at the Arena everyone is watching the Olympic Mixed Curling Competition. Even those in Springfield are glued to the sport...well except everyone at Moe's who are watching Quidditch. A better choice if I do say so myself. Skinner breaks his broom mid competition, but Mrs. Skinner tells him that she is still proud of him. Marge, who is able to compete using her left hand after years of hiding her left-handness, and Homer also participate. They do well and win the Gold medal. As Lisa cheers we see her with a pin a chest suggesting that Bart hadn't completely cured her pin obsession.

Overall, I thought the episode was really good. The main curling story line succeeding in making one of the most boring sports in the world appear a bit more interesting. Well, at least now I can understand why it can appeal to more people. I loved the subplot with Lisa. It showed the marketing tactics that target children and that Lisa does still own and play the sax. I also enjoyed Bart's soft hate. He can be a good brother at times....oh yeah Bob Costas was in the episode, but I don't know who that is...that's why I left him out :-S