The Frying Game (The Simpsons)

The Frying Game is the 21st episode of the 13th season of The Simpsons and was aired on May 19, 2002.

Plot
Homer gets into trouble with the Environmental Protection Agency when he accidentally injures an endangered caterpillar, and is sentenced to community service. He and Marge end up working for Myrna Bellamy, an elderly socialite, and soon find themselves accused of another crime: her murder.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The episode is basically nothing but torture for Marge and Homer.
 * 2) * Despite Marge's claim of "the man with the braces" being the killer, she and Homer end up on death row.
 * 3) Not only is it a torture episode for Homer and Marge, but they're also treated as butt-monkeys, as they not only got falsely accused for "killing" Myrna Bellamy, but they also got put on death row over something they didn't do.
 * 4) Some of the characters in this episode are completely unlikable:
 * 5) *Chief Wiggum is very unlikable in this episode as he falsely accuses Homer and Marge for the death of Myrna Bellamy.
 * 6) *Myrna Bellamy is also unlikable in this episode due to treating Homer and Marge as slaves.
 * 7) The Screamapillar can be annoying to some viewers, hence its name.
 * 8) * Same goes for the "Yeeeeeeeees!" Guy.
 * 9) The plot changes quite frequently in the episode, much like in Saddlesore Galactica, Kill the Alligator and Run and Simpson Safari.
 * 10) * At the beginning of the episode, the episode seems to be about protecting an endangered insect. Then out of nowhere, it's turned into Homer doing community service.
 * 11) * Homer is then enslaved by an old woman named Myrna Bellamy. Shortly afterwards, Marge faces the same issue.
 * 12) * Bellamy is then "murdered", and Homer and Marge are falsely accused for murder.
 * 13) ** The police in the episode don't do much in the way of checking evidence. A will being signed to someone and a stolen diamond necklace would not be enough to convict someone in real-life.
 * 14) * Homer and Marge are sentenced to death, only for the ending to throw another curveball (see below).
 * 15) Absurd ending: It turns out that Homer and Marge were unknowingly contestants on some reality TV show called Frame-Up.
 * 16) * None of the people involved in making Frame-Up were ever punished in the end, which should definitely sound familiar.
 * 17) ** Even after Chief Wiggum called them out, he asked if he could be on the show!
 * 18) ** Sappy music is played out through the ending of the episode, even though viewers will already be aware that Homer and Marge would never be killed off.
 * 19) **It turns out that Myra Bellamy was actually Carmen Electra this entire time and the man with braces was the host of Frame-Up.
 * 20) **This nonsensical ending overall makes the entire episode completely pointless.

Good Qualities

 * 1) The scene where Homer's angel tries to tattle on Homer and the devil Homer kills him is pretty funny.
 * 2) Marge is spared the death penalty thanks to Homer, although the ending reveals that they weren't in any danger at all.
 * 3) There's only a small amount of Homer being a jerk; he's implied to have eaten a cobbler that wasn't intended for him, but that's about it.

Reception
"The Frying Game" has gotten mixed reviews, and holds a 6.9/10 on IMDb. Some fans have chastised the episode for its cruelty and cop-out ending, and it was on NoHomers.net's worst episodes list in 2003 and 2006, but did not appear on the updated 2011 list.

Trivia

 * The EPA would again play an antagonistic role in The Simpsons Movie.

Videos
AOg0Dd7EMEU