The Simpsons: 15 Modern Episodes You Need To Watch
13. The Haw-Hawed Couple (Season 18, Episode 8)
"Haw-haw! I touched your heart" - Nelson Muntz
After Marge forces Bart to attend Nelson's birthday party, the Simpson rogue and the school bully form an unexpected and unlikely close friendship when Bart is the only person who shows up. Things start out great as Bart genuinely enjoys Nelson's company; he even gets an honorary Nelson vest for his troubles. Unfortunately, as Nelson becomes more and more protective of his new BFF, Bart becomes increasingly desperate to escape.
The secondary plot is also a good one as it focuses on Homer and Lisa's father-daughter relationship - always my personal favourite character dynamic on the show - as Homer attempts to shield her from a dark twist in one of her beloved fantasy novels from the Angelica Button series (a parody of Harry Potter).