Kredit Kookies: Flyby – Homer in a balloon-launched lawn chair, drinking a Duff; Billboard: Duffman encourages consumers to avoid facing this Christmas sober; Chalkboard: “I Do Not Have The Hots For My Mom”; Couch Gag: The Simpsons are a primitive family, whose couch is a log settled in the midst of a tar pit.They slowly sink into the bog – flash forward to a hundred thousand years in the future, where the family’s skeletons and the log sit in a museum.

“The Devil Wears Nada” is another romp through the hallowed and oft-repeated “Homer and Marge have a marriage crises” plot, but while the basic plot has been repeated often there are a few fun plot details thrown in (and a return to decent Homer characterization) that make “TDWN” worth seeing.

Homer’s supervisor retires, which leads to Mr. Burns selecting Carl to replace the man.Lenny and Homer think that nothing will change in their easygoing lives, but Carl proves to be a strict, demanding boss.He promotes Homer, who becomes his assistant and takes the brunt of his anger.

Meanwhile, Marge and her women’s auxiliary club (currently calling themselves the “Springfield Charity Chicks”) decide to raise funds by posing for a calendar.Marge catches a glimpse of a news magazine and declares that their theme should be history. There are a series of funny gags involving the Springfield police force’s beefcake calendar in this segment, and only Marge would get the idea of shooting a cheesecake calendar after seeing a magazine headline exploring war atrocities.

During the calendar shoot, photographer Julio (of “Three Gays and a Condo”) decides to loosen up a conservative Marge by dosing her with wine.She ends up tipsy and in her slip; the resulting calendar makes her the toast of Springfield.

Marge is initially ashamed by her exposure.

In a subplot that disappointingly is never solved, her local infamy begins to affect the kids, as Bart defends his mother’s honor vigorously among his peers.Only when she receives the approval of her fellow parishioners does Marge take pride in her accomplishment, the resulting boost in confidence making her feel more confident in her physical appearance and increasing her desire to be with her husband.

Unfortunately, sex is the last thing on Homer’s mind due to Carl’s non-stop hectoring. Things come to a head when he forces Homer to attend a nuclear power plant convention in Paris, leaving Marge at home and high and dry…and vulnerable to a sudden attraction she’s developed for Ned Flanders.

“TDWN” does a decent job of making Marge’s conflict make sense – she’s been awakened to her own sensuality, but it’s been frustrated by Homer’s unavailability.Homer is beautifully characterized, and feels much more like his pre-season 10 self.The resolution to his problem with Carl is handled beautifully and with a great amount of intelligence; later, when he’s given the opportunity to think badly of Marge, he immediately rejects the very notion.

Its biggest flaws include the small dangling plot threads that make no sense when inserted into the larger scheme of the plot.Bart at school, the terrorist who appears after the Homer and Carl plot was resolved – all extra fat that could have been trimmed from the episode.

But all in all it’s a fun, surprisingly touching plot.We may have seen it before, but the little added touches mean a lot.Excellent characterization pushes this to a solid B+

“The Devil Wears Nada” drew a 9.04,

In next week’s episode, Bart discovers that he’s not the greatest prankster Springfield Elementary’s ever seen.Jonah Hill voices Andy Hamilton, now nineteen-year-old, whom Bart tracks down.The two become fast friends in “Pranks and Greens”.