Episode AABF11
Written by Dan Greany
Directed by Bob Anderson
Also starring: Pamela Hayden, Tress MacNeille, Maggie Roswell, Karl Weidergott
Special guest voices: Marcia Wallace (as Ms Krabappel), Jan Hooks (as Manjula), Elton John (as himself)

Premise: Moaned at by their spouses for not being romantic enough, Homer and his friends decide to follow Apu, who is going out of his way to impress Manjula. It's not because they want tips on what he's doing right; it's because they want to stop him, because everything he does makes them look even worse.

Features: Carl, Lenny, Moe, Barney, barflies, Grampa, Jasper, Chief Wiggum, Mrs Wiggum, Lou, Eddie, Skinner, Otto, Milhouse, Martin, Nelson, Jimbo, Sherri and Terri, Ralph, Snake, Rev. Lovejoy, Ned Flanders, Maude Flanders, Dr Hibbert, Sylvia, Captain McCallister, Sideshow Mel, Apu, Sanjay.

Couch: The family have hair transplants: Homer has Maggie's, Marge Bart's, Bart Lisa's, Lisa Homer's and Maggie has Marge's.

Trivia:

• The chocolate supplier is called Baron von Munchousen.
• Homer has only once ever placed a small ad; nothing romantic for Marge, but to sell a lawnmower.
• The parrot in the store sings I Love the Nightlife (Disco Round), a hit for Alicia Bridges in 1978, while Elton John performs a new version of his first ever hit, Your Song, from 1971.

Homage: The typing across the screen to identify the location of Homer's car is reminiscent of both The X Files and Millennium, both Fox shows created by Chris Carter. And Apu going into Tiffany's leads to a direct reference by Chief Wiggum about Breakfast at Tiffany's (Blake Edwards, 1961).

Look out for: In a desperate attempt to shut Homer up, Elton John gives him one of his Grammys. It doesn't work.

Notes: Very, very clever and funny, if a little tacky. After all, how nice are these people who want to ruin Apu and Manjula's day just because they're scared of looking bad? Nevertheless, it's executed stylishly and Homer wins in the end; entirely by default of course, but maybe that's his reward for not failing off the skywriting plane until the last minute!