The Blue and the Gray
I have to admit, this was a somewhat average episode, I didn't see what they were talking about. While they were some good jokes, most of the jokes were miss and there's also the problem of taking the gags from the episode, when that's gone the story doesn't really hold up that well (again 3 acts is better.)
Marge having letting her hair become naturally gray is a nice storyline. I could see the potential but I was mostly felt disappointed. The scenes at the salon were decent and the grey hair reveal is alright but the gay stereotype is really pushing it. While they were some smart lines about the age barrier, most of it was just the reaction to the gray hair. The girls commenting on the hair was mostly hit a miss, Ralph being a mostly hit for me. The AARP gag goes on for way too long (this is a cartoon, not a comedy club.) and I couldn't really get into the whole Marge turning into a witch from Oz after she crashes her car (no comment.) The ending was alright but placing Maggie and Gerald into it is just stressing it.
Moe and his wingman Homer had potential but Marge finds this out too late (it would of really worked better if this was placed earlier.) Most of the gags I felt were a miss and I did find the Dr. Kissingher jokes really funny. Moe felt really underused in this episode and while it was nice to see Moe getting chicks, it really went nowhere until the end where Moe just reappears. Homer seems to be able to fit to a wacky job well as he managed to look hot (not better looking to Moe btw) and knew the stuff as if he had done this before. Also the Homer brain gag isn't really as clever and original as people think. (though none have apparently did this in an office like setting.) No, Arthur did it before. In one episode where Buster is in some math tournament with Brain and another where Brain is thinking of nicknames. It's a good joke for those who haven't seen Arthur but for the latter, it's not. (EDIT: I also forgot this gag last appeared in an early Family Guy episode, guess I forgot about that...) Homer thinking of a bond villain really should of ended with the girl, not with the other bond villians.
This ties into the problem in which Jokes last longer then they should, they don't end naturally (like that leg eating gag.) Some of the jokes have potential but they should really have some of the fat trimmed so they can deliver their punchlines more effectively. The Bart plotline also went nowhere. It started off interesting with Marge running after a Macaroni diagram that Lisa made and Bart getting pissed off that her hair is gray, the teasing was nice but Bart beating up Milhouse just went on for too long. The therapy session was mostly hit and miss. Another teasing scene was a miss, so was Bart and Skinner but the camera gag was a hit. I really wanted to know what happened to Bart but alas, I guess it'll never happen.
Patty and Selma having different hair colors was clever and seeing the city in full Valentine mode was interesting but I disliked the various characters being introduced that were opposites (I mean come on, invent some original characters once and a while.) The couch gag where Homer broke his leg and he was replaced is alright and I liked the hairline gag. The main problem where it lies is it doesn't do much with the whole plot it's given, it would of been better if it focused on Homer's fear of Marge and Marge's worry of Homer and Bart's teasing but I guess this is what we got. For what it's worth, it's average and in my opinion not worth the 4/5's it's been getting.
In the immortal words of Flava Flav. "Don't Believe the Hype". That doesn't mean it's unwatchable, just don't expect anything special or mindblowing.
5.0/10