I'd like to propose a toast to the coming together of the Simpsons and the Flanders. If this were a more perfect world, we'd all be known as the Flimpsons
Homer loses out on winning tickets to an upcoming Springfield Atoms football game. What's worse, his goody-two-shoes neighbor, Ned Flanders, wins the last pair. After a failed attempt at bashing Flanders' skull in so he can take the tickets, Homer decides to spend the day with his neighbor at the game — and Homer realizes that Flanders is not such a bad guy after all...but all the time Homer spends with Ned puts a strain on both families.
Full Story[]
Homer attempts to get tickets to the Pigskin Classic football game between the Shelbyville Sharks and the Springfield Atoms. Unfortunately, despite being second in line for the ticket booth (and missing eight days of work), Homer is unable to get a ticket. The one man in front of him turns out to be a scalper and buys all 30,000 tickets available. Homer then tries to win tickets on the radio, only to have Ned Flanders win the tickets. Ned asks Homer to join him, which he does reluctantly. However, they have a great time, and after the game, Ned succeeds in getting a signed football for Homer.
Homer responds by being overly grateful, annoying Ned and his family to no end. Bart finds it weird, but Lisa tells Bart that this kind of thing happens to the family every week and to just ride it out with the usual brand of quick wit and sarcasm and, by the end of the episode, everything will be back to normal. The Flanders family and the Simpsons go on a road trip to Lake Springfield, where antics by Homer cause problems (such as causing a food fight and destroying Ned's boat and car).
Ned soon realizes that he hates Homer after having a nightmare where he goes to the top of a bell tower and opens fire on innocent civilians (including a mailman who returns fire with his own assault rifle). In order to get away from Homer, Ned and his family try to escape in their car, while Homer chases them, Terminator II-style. Soon Ned is pulled over by Chief Wiggum for speeding and possible driving under the influence of "goofballs". The Flanders reluctantly go to church on Sunday, where they are shunned. After a huge outburst by Ned and looks from parishioners confirming the stereotype that Ned is a crook, Homer shouts that everyone ought to be ashamed of themselves. Homer tells the congregation that he realizes he was too clingy with the Flanders family and that his personal habits can be tough to deal with sometimes, but Ned has been extremely patient with him. Homer exhorts the parishioners that the world would be a better place if they could learn some of Ned's virtues. The parishioners apologize for not getting the full story and misjudging Ned, who appreciates Homer sticking up for him, and the two walk out of church together. Bart tells Lisa that nothing went back to normal by the end. Lisa takes this as a sign that this could be the end of the family's wacky adventures.
One week later, all is seemingly back to normal. While Homer is telling his family he just inherited some cursed land, Ned drops by, and Homer tells Ned to get lost, causing Bart and Lisa to sigh in relief. The Simpsons end up spending the night in a haunted house. While in the house, Homer scoffs, "See? I told you there's nothing to worry about. This place isn't --" but he gets cut off when the lights go out, which is followed by the family screaming while the episode finishes.
