'Tis the 30th Season

"'Tis the 30th Season" is the 10th episode of season 30. The story was written by Jeff Westbrook and the teleplay was written by John Frink and Joel H. Cohen. It was directed by Lance Kramer. Jane Lynch guest stars as Jeanie.

Plot
After Thanksgiving dinner, Bart and Lisa give Marge and Homer their present list, asking for a smart TV, the GL 50 9K Smart TV, that costs $2,400. Marge and Homer then see an advert for Sprawl-Mart Black Friday sales, where the TV was on sale. They then make a plan to get the TV on Black Friday. Marge was to get in the line that night and Homer would relieve her at 3am to take her place. Marge gets to Spawl-Mart and joins the line behind Gil Gunderson, who wanted a Futon Friends for his granddaughter, who she takes pity on. When it was time for Homer to relieve Marge, he managed to get his scarf stuck in the door of the house and knocks himself unconscious.

At 6am, the store opens and all the customers charge in to get their deals. As Marge reaches the electronics department, she notices that Gil is on the ground, getting trampled on. Marge again takes pity on Gil and helps him get a Futon Friend, but misses out on the last TV as the Spuckler family takes it. Gil then sells the Futon Friend to Reverend Lovejoy for $100. Homer finally arrives at Sprawl-Mart, crashing the car into a lamppost. Marge tells Homer that she's not mad at him and Homer manages to crash Marge's car into the same lamppost.

When Marge tells the kids that they won't be getting a smart TV for Christmas, the kids were disappointed, saying that they figured that would be the case. Homer then tells Bart and Lisa that Marge tried her hardest to get a TV for the kids, so they were going to make her Christmas special this year. Homer and the kids then book a room at the Kissimmee St. Nick Theme Park and Resort, without looking into it because there was only one room left. Marge was stressed, saying that they had to spend Christmas at home. Homer then sedates Marge so they can get her to go with them on holiday.

Marge then wakes up in the car as they are heading to the resort. However, upon arriving, they find that the place is a dump. Marge feels disappointed about it, thinking that she won't be able to give the kids a decent Christmas. The family then decides to pretend that they love the holiday to make Marge feel better. The family then goes to the theme park to find that it's run down and full of mascots of cartoon characters nobody had heard of. That night, the family hears a couple arguing, then making out. Homer goes to shut them up only for Hug-A-Bull to approach him and offer him a hug. In the morning, Bart and Lisa go to complain to Jeanie, who owns the place. Jeanie tells them that they can't compete with the likes of Disney's new Family Guy World, and sprays them with ammonia to get them to leave.

Back in the theme park, they go to the horrifying Tunnel of Love, the Gator Petting Zoo and in the end at the Hall of Vice Presidents, where they all finally break and tell Marge how they hate the place after Marge tells them that she's not having a great time. To get their money back and go home, Bart took the heads of the vice presidents and left them under the cover of Jeanie's bed, scaring her. They then drove back home.

However, on the way home, they run out of fuel. They carry on walking to town and discover that Moe has been holding a dinner for the old and needy at his tavern, which the family joins in with. At the end Jeanie refunded them, and with the $2.400 she added, they bought the smart TV they wanted and, on it, they watch a burning fire place on it, in HD.

Reception
"'Tis the 30th Season" scored a 2.8 rating with an 11 share and was watched by 7.53 million people.

Dennis Perkins of gave the episode a C- rating, saying that there was "nothing specifically clever about the decrepit motel they wind up at, or the equally low-rent theme park included in Homer's chosen package". She also thought that Jane Lynch's character of Jeanie wasn't "given anything interesting to play". Perkins then says that the ending is "just a hand-wave at even the barest concern for the plot, a barely-there insult added to already-forgotten injury."

As of November 2019, the episode has a 6.8 rating on and a 7.8 rating on.