Season

12

Production Code

CABF16

Episode Number

0

Airdate

13 May 2001

Writer

Al Jean

Director

Mike Polcino

Executive Producer

Mike Scully

Editor

Jimmy Heenan

Plot The family goes to the YMCA to attend one-time-only free classes. Lisa takes gymnastics, Bart gets tricked into taking an etiquette class, and Homer participates in a basketball class for men over the age of 35, but when he is in his class, he suffers a knee blow-out. After Homer gets his surgery, he is told by Dr. Hibbert that he cannot go to work, and he must stay home. Homer finds himself extremely bored, even going so far as attempting to create a breed between Santa's Little Helper and Snowball II. One evening, Ned wants Marge to watch Rod and Todd while he attends a Chris Rock concert (that he misinterprets to be an abbreviation for a Christian Rock concert), but Marge is out identifying a body (which ends up being a very much alive Hans Moleman) so Ned asks Homer instead. The kids like having Homer take care of them, which allows Homer to establish his own day care center.

Homer starts a day care center (under Marge's ownership), "Uncle Homer's Day Care Center", to entertain himself, making Bart and Lisa feel like outcasts. The daycare center is wildly successful, and Homer earns a nomination for the "Good Guy Awards" ceremony. For the ceremony, they make a video of Homer's accomplishments, but Bart and Lisa splice in footage to prove that Homer is an incompetent father and "beer-drinking meanie", using home movies of him. The audience were outraged and Homer angrily strangles Bart on stage. Everyone in the audience becomes more outraged by how Homer strangles Bart, and decided to prevent their kids from being with him. Homer escapes from the ceremony with all the kids on a van, until Chief Wiggum stops him. After going through three mistrials, Homer is sorry for neglecting Bart and Lisa, on whom he now decides to focus his love (don't forget Maggie).