When Marge realizes that everyone views her as boring (again), she takes up competitive lumber-jacking as a hobby (and has a real gift for it). The circuit of competitive timbersports takes her on a month-long retreat to Portland with her trainer, Paula, whom Homer worries is going to steal her away forever.
Tropes:
- The Bore: Marge once again finds out others find her boring. Though this time it's not just her children or her husband, but is dismayed to learn that the whole town considers her boring.
- Chekhov's Skill: Recalling a gag in "Viva Ned Flanders," Homer's laziness means that Marge has developed a knack for the traditionally masculine chore of chopping wood.
- Creator In-Joke: When Homer, Bart and Lisa are touring Portland, a number of street signs are seen, name-dropping other characters, referencing how Matt Groening named the characters after the Portland streets.Homer: Stupid Flanders St.
- Distressed Woodchopping: Marge takes out her frustrations by chopping a fallen tree branch that Homer failed to chop up. Patty is impressed and calls a friend of hers who is a professional lumber sport competitor, and she invites Marge to join her in competition.
- Her Code Name Was "Mary Sue": Lisa' portrayal of herself in her family play has more than a few hints of this.Lisa: It's so hard being a straight "A" student with a social conscience who writes amazing plays.
- I Resemble That Remark!: Bart's reaction to Lisa's play:Database: (playing Bart) Uh, yo, dude, my catchphrases are as outdated as my slingshot.Bart: Ay caramba!
- Masculine–Feminine Gay Couple: Paula and her unseen wife. Both of them are athletes, with Paula being an expert in timbersports, while her wife is in Japan training for Olympic ribbon dancing, a considerably more feminine sport.
- Mistaken for Romance: Homer somewhat understandably thinks there's something going on between Marge and Paula, who spend a month living happily together in Portland and fostering pugs.
- New Job Episode: The Springfield Elementary pageant play about the Simpsons family lampshades Homer taking on a new job on a whim that he leaves just as quickly. Naturally, the play in general pushes Marge on a series of events that lead to her becoming a Lumbersports competitor.
- Take That!:
- Bart's science textbooks that contain blatantly untrue anti-environmental "facts" are provided by ExxonMobil and Monsanto.
- The Springfield Elementary pageant at the start has some kids (Martin, Jimbo, Sophie and Lewis) reenacting a typical reveal from The Masked Singer, basically serving as a Take That! at the show (with the judges pretending to recognize the unmasked celebrity.)
