- After Homer humiliates Marge on her birthday, she takes up bowling out of spite, only to develop a mutual infatuation with a suave French instructor.
- It's Marge's birthday and Homer has to get her a birthday present. Instead of getting a present for Marge, he buys a bowling ball for himself with his name printed on it. Marge is mad that he didn't get her a present and she says she will use it. The following day, she goes to the bowling alley but she doesn't know how to use it. A handsome bowling instructor meets Marge and teaches her how to bowl, but he's really trying to get her to fall in love with him. Marge keeps going to the bowling alley each day to learn and has a deep connection with him. She realizes that she's hanging out with the wrong man and goes to her husband instead.—kevindklenke
- Marge becomes unhappy when her birthday present from Homer is a bowling ball (which he clearly intended for himself), and she does not even bowl. To spite Homer, Marge sets out to learn to bowl, and ends up taking lessons from an instructor named Jacques, who pursues an affair with her.
- Its Marges birthday, and Homer treads thin ice in his marriage after he selfishly buys a gift for himself to give Marge.
Opening Credits: No blackboard joke or couch gag.
Act One:
The episode begins with Bart and Lisa in the kitchen making Marge breakfast for her birthday. The kids bring it upstairs and surprise Marge with breakfast in bed. During the surprise, Homer thinks it is his birthday and then quickly realizes he has forgotten Marge's birthday. He quickly hurries downstairs and takes off in the car with tires squealing. Cut to Homer shopping at the mall for a present.
Back at the house Marge is on the phone with her sisters Patty and Selma talking about Homer's lousy gift giving history and deciding on where to go for her birthday dinner. At the mall, Homer eyes up a bowling ball and has an idea. Cut back to the house where Homer hides Marge's present and she informs Homer about dinner at The Singing Sirloin with the kids and her sisters which makes him shiver in disgust. Later at the restaurant, she receives a bottle of French perfume from Bart and a dried macaroni art piece from Lisa. She loves both and thanks her children for her gifts, Bart for buying her an expensive perfume that she wanted and Lisa for her home made art. When it comes time for Homer to give Marge, his present. His present is a thoughtless gift, a bowling ball complete with drilled holes and his name engraved on it drops onto her cake. Everyone in the restaurant are shocked with Homer's present, including Marge who is visibly upset and reminds him that she had never bowled in a day of her life. However, Patty and Selma aren't surprised by it and knew that he had been thoughtless again.
Act Two:
Back at the house, before going to bed, Homer tries to defend his reasoning for getting Marge the bowling ball. She doesn't buy it and decides to go ahead and use the bowling ball just to spite him for his insensitive gift. Homer is upset because his plan for a new bowling ball has now backfired. The next day at Barney's Bowlarama, Marge goes bowling by herself and clearly does not know what she is doing. A French accented man named Jacques, bowling in the lane next to her, comes over and offers bowling lessons to her and she accepts. It is clear that Jacques is to trying to seduce Marge and she is very flattered.
Back at the house Homer does his fatherly duties and provides pizza for dinner and puts the kids to bed. Later on with everyone asleep, Marge finally comes home. When she tells Homer she will be going bowling again the next night he becomes suspicious but doesn't say anything to her about it. The next night at the bowling alley Jacques gives Marge a wrist guard for bowling, with her name embroidered on it. The seduction continues and shee is clearly enjoying herself. Later on Jacques drops off Marge at home and invites Marge to brunch the next day, she reluctantly agrees. When she comes to bed late, once again Homer is suspicious but doesn't say anything.
Act Three:
The next morning, before school, Marge gives Bart and Lisa large sack lunches with extra goodies inside, and showers them with lots of love. Lisa asks her if she is going bowling later and Marge says yes. Later on the bus, while Bart comments on the cool lunches, Lisa explains to him that Marge is feeling guilty because her marriage with Homer is starting to crumble. Bart doesn't understand and denies the situation even exists.
At brunch with Jacques, Marge is visibly nervous about being seen with another man, and Helen Lovejoy, the Reverend's wife, and local gossip, stops by to chat. She starts feeling even more uncomfortable, and when Jacques asks her to meet with him at his apartment she faints. During her fainting spell, she dreams about the encounter with Jacques at his apartment. In the dream, Marge in a gown and Jacques in a tux dance together and just as Jacques leans in for a kiss, she wakes up from her dream. Marge sees Jacques staring her in the eyes and she agrees to meet him again, this time at his apartment.
Back at home in the bedroom Homer discovers Marge's wrist guard and fears the worst. Bart comes in asks him to play catch. When playing catch in the backyard Homer is too depressed and lost in thought to pay attention. Bart panics and realizes that Lisa is right about their parents' marriage and that Marge has been seeing someone else. When he admited to her she was right, Lisa does rub it in his face before advising Bart to talk to their father about his problems. He offers Homer some advice and tells him to keep his mouth shut to Marge about the situation and maybe it won't get any worse. The next morning while she is making the kids lunches for school, Homer tells her how much he likes her sandwiches and mentions he doesn't believe in keeping feelings bottled up inside. Marge is touched by his words as he heads out to go to work. Cut to Jacques at his apartment getting ready for his meeting with her, it is apparent that he plans on really putting the moves on her this time.
Back to Homer at work, who is to preoccupied to eat his lunch. Meanwhile, Marge is in the car headed for Jacques' apartment, on the way there she sees various couples together clearly in love. When she comes to a fork in the road with one way leading to his apartment and the other leading to Homer at the power plant she can't decide which way to go. Eventually, she decides to go to the Power Plant to see Homer instead of Jacques.
Cut back to Homer who is looking sad and depressed at work when Marge walks in and taps him on the shoulder surprising him and making him forget all his worries. She reaffirms her love for him and he's very happy. As Homer carries Marge in his arms off to the backseat of their car, he announces that, "I won't be back for ten minutes!"
End Credits: The normal Simpsons theme plays as the credits roll over a black background.
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