Episode 18: Chief of Hearts

A Simpson and Wiggum are friends? Where have I hear that before? *"I Love Lisa" and "This Little Wiggy"* Yeah we have all been waiting for this pairing of Homer and Clancy and this episode delivers... to the wrong address. Seriously at times this is a good episode but having the relationship be more like a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship really detaches me from this episode. Also this episode has a terrible subplot that makes you wonder what drugs the writers were on. Let's get on with it and review this episode.

We begin with Marge taking Bart and Lisa to a party for Dylan (Who apparently nobody know if Dylan's a boy or girl based on the two separate parties going on in the front yard). This does have a point as Bart is introduced to "Battle-Balls" which is essentially the closest Japanese fad here (Even though it wasn't a fad anymore and they insult Pokemon and Digimon which were two of my favorite shows growing up. Thanks Fox, really appreciate that pissing of my childhood). By the way, that's the only screen time Lisa gets, she never shows up again and she didn't even get a line, we've reached a new low people.

HE HAS HIS HAND IN HIS POCKET!!!!!!

After that moment of stupidity, we get another as Homer enters the bank with a candy apple in his coat which a woman overly mistakes for a gun (I didn't know there were people in Springfield dumber than Homer but apparently we found them). Homer is then found guilty for bringing food into a bank (Makes more sense than the actually crime) as he's sentenced to 100 hours of community service (There's a funny bit with Homer begging for jail, but not getting it). Homer then goes to his community service as he gets out of it by bribing Wiggum with food (By this point, the writers are completely clueless about the concept of continuity as Krusty's there with no explanation about what happened in Paris).

I'm not a dirty cop! I'm not! *Sob* I need a sandwich.

Homer and Wiggum then become great friends as we see our first glimpse of the boyfriend/girlfriend motif shown as Clancy is shy about Homer looking back at him (I'm sorry but I don't really like these jokes). After a scene showing Wiggum and Homer together, we see Bart at the playground as he challenges Ralph for a rare card (Yeah Pokemon encouraged gambling on the schoolyards I know, I know. I won my Venusaur that way). Martin then reports this to Skinner as he assumes that Bart is a drug dealer... Wait What?! Where does this come from?! He looks out the window and assumes that Bart would deal narcotics ON SCHOOL GROUNDS to RALPH!

Hmm. Ralph, Bart, and Nelson playing together. Drugs MUST be in play

This is only the second scene for this subplot and already I hate it. Back to Homer and Wiggum, after Homer gets Moe on Amber Alert, Clancy decides to reveal to Homer he's very lonely and his friendship with Homer is all he's got (Jailbird then kills the moment by explaining he's been in the back for 10 hours *lol*). Skinner and Chalmers decide to tell Marge of their suspicions of Bart being a drug dealer (Nope, I wont go any further. This plot? It's too stupid to deserve an ending. If they really did suspect Bart of this, they'd pull him to the office before bringing his parents in. Writers YOU FAIL!) OK fine, Marge decides to take this shaky information and she will pay more attention to him for suspicious talk. After Marge hears convenient dialogue, we see Wiggum and Homer on the edge of a rock looking over Springfield.

Clancy: Say Homer, can we possibly be deep with this plot?

Homer: *Farts*

Clancy: Nevermind 

They are then brought back after Fat Tony commits an armed robbery and Eddie and Lou detain them. After a little argument, Tight Lips grabs Homer as a hostage, this leads to a struggle between Clancy and Tight Lips which results in Wiggum being shot. As a montage shows Homer being there for Clancy, he wakes up to Homer next to him (Even though Lou was there longer and slept in the next room for a week). After Homer asks to leave, we see Wiggum become possessive as he says Homer can't leave him. Marge goes searching through Bart's room for drugs (Where can I get some drugs to help me forget this?) Bart comes in and finds Marge invading his privacy (Marge everyone! A woman who'd rather invade her son's privacy rather than ask him about this problem). Marge then finds out about Battleball and likes it prompting Bart to flush his toys down the toilet.

Well, time to send this plot back where we found it.

As Homer complains to the bar about having to be with Wiggum, Clancy breaks in to bitch out about how Homer's a bad friend (Seriously, this is a pretty stupid scene when you break it down). After Homer watches guilt TV, Eddie and Lou go to Homer explaining they haven't seen Wiggum in days. Homer then finds Clancy on the rock as they find Fat Tony and his mafia are creating knock-off clothing. They fail to detain them and are instead taken captive by Fat Tony and mafia. As they sit in the trunk apologizing for what they've done Wiggum, in an out-of-character moment is actually competent (Who knew?) after Homer convince him he can do it.

Idiot Power!

Clancy happens to change the CDs with his tongue (Just roll with it) as that causes them to pull over and it allows Wiggum to get free and arrest Fat Tony. Eddie and Lou show up as Homer and Clancy decide to lessen the friendship as Homer harasses Flanders in the end with the police copter.

Final Judgment: This episode is OK, not what you'd expect from a Homer-Wiggum pairing but it does have its moments. The subplot though is terrible and fails to do its job and at points makes you want to shut off the episode. I never thought a main voice actor would be shut out from an episode but here we are (This is actually the second time a main character has been shut out as Bart wasn't in "4 Great Women and a Manicure").

Final Grade: 7.4/10 The pairing we've all been waiting for