The Simpsons: 10 Exceptional Episodes From The Last 10 Years

10. "Catch 'Em If You Can" - Season 15

Plot: In a parody of the 2002 Leonardo DiCaprio/Tom Hanks' film Catch Me If You Can, Homer and Marge skip out on a planned trip to Uncle Tyrone's birthday in Dayton, OH, and take a second-honeymoon to Florida. Bart and Lisa - thinking their parents have been killed in the televised destruction of their hotel in Dayton by tornado - discover their trickery, and convince Grandpa to take them on a cross-country trip to catch their parents. This episode won the 2005 Writer's Guild of America Award for Best Animation Screenplay, and it is well earned with the two "A" storylines - Marge and Homer skipping to Miami only to be discovered and chased by their disobedient children - converging so spectacularly. The "B"-story - involving Grandpa attempting to pick up retirees in Florida only to get picked-up by a homosexual Latino - was lacking, but at least had the visual of Grandpa showing off his "acting skills": he apparently played "The Wicked Witch of the East" in The Wizard of Oz, or at least her curled feet after the house fell on her. The argument between the Niagra Falls rescue team of USA ("Beat it, you puck-slapping maple suckers!") and Canada ("Take a hike, you Shatner-stealing Mexico touchers!") is one of the best, random arguments in the show's history. Funniest Moment: To pay for their respective trips, Homer and Bart use stolen credit cards from Ned and Rod Flanders, respectively. At the end of the episode, we see both father and son Flanders opening their bulky credit card statements for the month, screaming when they see the totals.