While the Simpsons visit Ogdenville's Outlet Mall to buy a new TV (that looks just like the old one), Marge finds a fancy Chanel suit and begins wearing it around the house and around town so she can feel like a rich housewife — and an old friend from high school sets out to make Marge's wish of being high-class come true by inviting her to a country club. Meanwhile, Mr. Burns challenges Homer to a golf game at the same country club for modeling children and perfect dancers for young girls, Marge is trying to get into, and Homer discovers how Mr. Burns wins at golf despite being a decrepit, old man.
Full Story[]
When Grampa Simpson tries to "fix" the family's television, it breaks, so the family drop Grampa off at the retirement home and travel to the Ogdenville Outlet Mall (after Bart suggests The Sharper Image and Lisa suggests The Nature Store) for a new TV. Marge and Lisa wander off to a discounted store and Marge locates a beautiful Chanel suit, which has been marked from $2,800 and is now $90. Marge is first reluctant to buy the suit, but after Lisa mentions that it is a great buy, Marge purchases the suit. She becomes infatuated with it and wears it constantly, begging Homer to take her somewhere fancy so the suit can be put to good use. However, one day when Marge wears it to the Kwik-E-Mart, she runs into an old classmate, Evelyn Peters. Evelyn is impressed by Marge's fashion sense and invites her to come to the Springfield Country Club for modeling children and perfect dancers for young girls (even though Marge has married Homer, as Evelyn originally assumes with horror). Marge, intimidated by the wealthy club members during a game of croquet, works hard to fit in with their snobbish ways. Along the way, Marge loses interest in her family and becomes obsessed with both impressing the club members and altering her suit so she comes off as wealthy.
Burns is "shocked" at Smithers actions
Meanwhile, the rest of the family is uncomfortable at the country club because the kids are sick for being perfect and models until Lisa finds the stables to not be a model and Homer begins playing golf. Homer is revealed to have a knack for golf, and Mr. Burns, having seen Homer's skill in the bathroom at work, challenges him to a match. Burns believes that he is the best golfer in Springfield, and is determined to take down Homer. However, once they begin playing, Homer, who is in disbelief at one of Burns' shots, runs over to the green and finds Smithers replacing the ball Burns hit with a new one that is close to the hole. Homer wants to reveal the cheating and cease forever to the entire club, but Smithers tells Homer that Mr. Burns is a valued member of the club and has a sway in deciding if the Simpsons can be in the country club but Homer says that his family is not interested. However, Mr. Burns says that his wife cares (Marge).
Marge realizes her family is more important
In the meantime, Marge is offended by a crack made by one of the snobby club members to become perfect dancers and is eager to change the suit even more to impress at a party. However, due to Lisa's annoyingly inquisitive nature, Marge accidentally destroys the suit on the sewing machine. She rushes back to the Ogdenville outlet mall, but there are no Chanel suits left. She goes to her sisters' house but they have terrible dresses, Marge, having nowhere left to turn, goes to the actual Chanel store and purchases a $3,300 dress. She arrives downstairs and everyone is amazed at how beautiful she is, she tells them to hurry up. Lisa asks lots of questions excitedly about the dress, eventually leading Marge to sternly tell her daughter to stop. When she and the rest of the Simpsons arrive at the party, Marge criticizes the behavior of everyone in her family, including Maggie, because of this, she forced her children to attend beauty pageants for models and her daughters will be becoming perfect dancers when they grew up. Homer tells Marge that he and the kids will be silent and just stand in the corner the entire night so she can have a nice time. Homer then tells the family that they should be grateful to Marge for making them see how terrible they really are. Marge realizes that she has changed for the worst, and tells the family their good points, like Homer's in-your-face vulgarity, the way Lisa speaks her mind and Bart being a good person too. She then confesses about the dress but says that they have a $3,300 credit at Chanel. Meanwhile at the country club, everyone is shocked that the Simpsons don't come to the initiation; instead they go to Krusty Burger which is their comfort zone after the kids are now freed from modeling and Marge quits to be the perfect dancer.
Behind the Laughter[]
Production[]
This was the first episode in the series to be written and directed by two women.
