Moe Letter Blues

"Moe Letter Blues" is the twenty-first episode of the twenty-first season. It originally aired on May 9, 2010. It guest stars Don Pardo.

Plot
Moe's Tavern is the scene of merry-making for the people of Springfield, and Moe relates how his role as bar tender gives him insight into his customer's lives. He notices tension in the marriages of Homer, Apu and Reverend Lovejoy. Mother's Day is approaching, and Marge suggests that Homer take the children on a cruise to Weasel Island. At first Homer is enthusiastic, but becomes concerned when Marge mentions his leaving will allow her to "take care of something." As the cruise ship pulls away from the dock, the three men receive a letter from Moe (via the Squeaky-Voiced teen mailman) informing them that he is running off with one of their wives.

At Weasel Island, the children spend time at a shoddy amusement park while Homer, Apu and Rev. Lovejoy agonize over their situation. At first, each insists their marriage is fine. Homer, however, remembers his mother-in-law's 80th birthday, where Moe was the bartender. Homer, who was angry at Marge for only serving non-alcoholic beer, got into an argument with Patty and Selma and Marge told him that he ruins every event that she plans. Apu notices cracks in his marriage too, recollecting an incident where he and Manjula forgot their son Gheet at Moe's after using the bar's bathroom to change out of rain-soaked cricket uniforms. Manjula drove back to retrieve their son and did not return for hours. Homer mentions that he saw Manjula playing an interactive dance video game with Moe that night. Finally, Reverend Lovejoy realizes that he ignored his wife, Helen's, needs, and Apu recounts how he witnessed Moe confiding in Helen that he was in love with a married woman and that Helen put her hand on his knee.

When the cruise ship returns to Springfield, each man realizes that they are equally likely to have lost their wives to Moe. Otto (who is presumably stoned because every vehicle on the road looks like a character from Cars) drops Homer and his kids off first. At first, Homer thinks Marge is packing a suitcase but realizes that she has painted a portrait of her mother. Marge's mother forgives Homer for the 80th birthday incident, noting that there is "something evil" about Patty and Selma. When Rev. Lovejoy arrives home, he too thinks Helen is leaving, but instead she surprises him with tickets to Istanbul by way of the Orient Express. By process of elimination, Apu concludes that his wife has left. He arrives home to find Moe sitting with Manjula, but she tells Apu that Moe convinced her to salvage their marriage. In the end, Moe reveals that he organized Marge's portrait, the Lovejoy's trip and the Nahasapemapetilon's marriage rescue. He wrote the letter because he believed the three men were taking their wives for granted and implores viewers to value their wives and mothers.

Moe Letter Blues