I've been watching The Simpsons since I was about 6 years old (I was born in 1992) and I have to say this is one the classic episodes and defining moments in my history of watching this show. Comedy in television is held to a high standard these days. To be truly hilarious almost every line that's delivered needs to be a hit and this episode more than any other of The Simpsons achieves this. Right from the start with some classic Mayor Quimby jokes and with the revelation of Milhouse's Italian background, the writing does not fall short of brilliance. The main plot revolves around Marge joining a group of women, a parody of the Californian Red Hat Society ("not only do I have friends, I now have a hat to prove it") with a plot element revolving around Mr. Burns coming into the mix. Milhouse's attempt to win over Lisa returns as an important plot element. The focus is away from Homer, but each time he does appear it is absolutely random and absolutely hilarious. The jump to his imagining of a possible best friend for Marge is to die for. Chief Wiggum and Lou have a classic moment where we learn how the two really feel about each other. I won't ruin the episode by referencing all the lines - I'll leave their brilliance is to be discovered by the viewer.
If you ever want to convince someone that The Simpsons is a show worth watching, look no further than this episode. Bravo.
If you ever want to convince someone that The Simpsons is a show worth watching, look no further than this episode. Bravo.