'The Simpsons' Season 24, Episode 17: 'What Animated Women Want' Recap

“The Simpsons”, season 24, episode 17, “What Animated Women Want”

After a rather clever “Breaking Bad” based opening, Homer prepares for a day date with Marge, boasting about it to his coworkers. Homer takes Marge to the Swanky Fish, a sushi restaurant. Homer gets so caught up in eating the sushi that he ignores Marge as she talks. She takes it to mean that she isn’t interesting. Homer tries to cheer her up, but she says it won’t work. She storms out and gets a cab home. He vows to fight for her.

On the other side of Springfield, Milhouse wishes that Lisa would sit with him at lunch and pay attention to him. He realizes that he’s willing to sacrifice a lot just for a little attention. He thinks there must be another way. In class that day, they watch “A Streetcar Named Desire”, and Milhouse takes notes on how to treat women.

At lunch the next day, he tells Lisa she can’t have his lunch. She immediately changes her opinion about him, and tries to win his affections. He is surprised that having a backbone will get him the girl.

At the Simpson house, Homer brings Marge some apology flowers. She realizes that he makes lots of empty promises, and she’s done with it. She walks out.

As Lisa goes on a nature walk, Milhouse shows up and Lisa swoons over him.

Milhouse talks to the school therapist (voiced by Wanda Sykes), asking her if she thinks Lisa likes him for him, or him for the guy he’s pretending to be. As they talk, she gets fired, and tells Milhouse that he needs to be the new guy, not his old self.

Elsewhere, Homer realizes he must fix things with Marge by doing the stuff she asks him to do.

Back at home, Milhouse and Bart play in the tree house, and Lisa goes out of her way to try and please Milhouse. After he plays another stunt, he ends up tearing down the tree house, injuring himself and Bart. Lisa worries.

Homer continues to fix up the items on Marge’s chore list. She finds him and asks what he’s doing. He tells her that he’s finishing the chore list, and she sighs, pointing out it’s from 6 years ago. Homer retreats to the sushi restaurant, hoping to eat away his sorrows.

Meanwhile, Lisa struggles to help Milhouse. He runs off.

Homer shares his troubles with his sushi chef, who gives him sushi and marital advice. He rushes home at 3 am and wakes her up. He brings her some sushi, saying it represents their marriage for reasons he forgot in the car. She is happy, so long as he doesn’t eat a piece before she does. Which he does, so she goes back to bed, angry.

Later in school, Milhouse goes to Lisa and says that he’s going to be nice to her because he can be whoever he wants to be.

Homer asks Moe what he’s supposed to do. Moe tells him that women are all about “Fifty Shades of Grey”, and if he wants to win Marge back, it’s through being rough in the bedroom. Excited, Homer rushes to the nearest sex shop to pick up some supplies.

At home, Homer brings Marge into the garage, where he set up a Snuggle Dungeon. Marge isn’t too impressed. Homer sits in a bottomless chair and ends up injuring himself. She takes him to the hospital where he is given a muscle relaxant. She realizes that he’ll never stop trying to win her back, and so she forgives him again. At home, they burn all of the Snuggle Dungeon items.

Milhouse wakes Lisa up bring throwing more cupcakes at her house. She finds it sweet.