This episode brings a lot of great things to the table, including a tongue-and-cheek critique of The Simpsons’ episode by episode formula. The great bit of irony is that while Ned finally gets Homer to like/love him, Ned absolutely cannot stand Homer’s ‘friendship’. The only gripe I have with this episode is that Homer comes off as overly annoying, to the point where I want Ned to punch him, but the episode ends on a very sweet note. The scene where Homer chases Flanders’ car Terminator II style is also one of the funniest of the season.
However, what’s most memorable about the episode is Lisa’s breaking the 4^th wall with her self-referential observation: “by next week, we’ll be back to where we started from, ready for another wacky adventure”.