Labor Pains

Labor Pains is the fifth episode of Season 25.
==Synopsis==
On his way home from a poker game, Homer befriends a pregnant woman, then is forced to help her when the elevator gets stuck and she goes into labor. Meanwhile, Lisa helps the town's cheerleaders unionize so they can negotiate for better wages and on-the-job conditions, leading the Rich Texan to hire scabs.
==Full Story==
Maggie tries to choose a new pacifier because Santa's Little Helper took her old one. After refusing each pacifier, Marge takes the old one back from Santa's Little Helper and washes it, making Maggie satisfied (but not Santa's Little Helper). Lisa comes in and starts to tell facts to Bart about "American Football" (as she puts it) from her book "Pretending to Like Football" since Milhouse asked her to a Springfield Atoms game. Homer lies to Marge, pretending that he has to work late "again". However, he is really going to Carl's apartment in the Plywood Heights Apartments to play poker with Lenny, Carl, Moe, and Barney, because that is what he does every night. Later that night, while everyone folds their cards, Lenny states that Homer is doing particularly well. Homer lies again and claims that it is just a stroke of luck. However, he is playing so well because he can actually see everyone's cards through the reflection of Lenny's sunglasses.
While consulting his conscience about cheating his friends, lying to his wife, and avoiding his kids, Homer imagines what Jesus would do. Jesus, while playing poker in Homer's thought bubble, says that Homer has got to pay to find out. He then asks if he was looking for a tell, but he says that he doesn't have one. However, his halo spins in a circle, revealing his tell, but Jesus tries to hide it by saying, "What? What are you looking at?"
Homer plans to leave because he doesn't want to take anymore of his friends' money. On his way out, he takes two beers, a sandwich, a candle, and tons of poker chips. Homer leaves Carl's apartment and goes to the elevator, but just as it is about to close, a woman named Gretchen calls for him to hold the doors. She, who is pregnant, looks at her watch and notices that her contractions are two minutes apart. But, Homer believes that she is timing the elevators. Gretchen then begins to panic because she thinks she is in labor.
Suddenly, the elevator light goes out and Homer lights the candle he stole from Carl's apartment. Gretchen lays down on the floor with her head in Homer's lap, while Homer tries to calm her down by talking about the movie "Alien" after he asks her if she likes movies. Gretchen tells Homer that she is proud of not going through labor alone and tells him that she hasn't seen her boyfriend in months. Homer tries to comfort her, lying once again by telling her that her boyfriend was just here. Even though she knows he isn't telling the truth, Gretchen still thanks Homer for trying to make her feel better.
Just when Homer begins to tell Gretchen a few lies he made up, Gretchen freaks out and tells Homer that she thinks the baby is coming. Homer tries to remember his Lamaze training back when he and Marge (who was pregnant with Bart) were in a Lamaze class. The teacher of the class was demonstrating a comfortable position for larger pregnant women on Homer. Homer, while in this position, thinks that it feels good at first, but then believed that he was having a baby and freaked out that he haven't even picked a name yet.
Back in the present day, Gretchen, with Homer assisting her, proceeds to give birth to the baby boy, known as Homer Jr.. After Homer Jr.'s birth, Homer takes his coat and wraps it around Homer Jr.. Gretchen tells Homer that it was nice to share this moment with someone who cared, but Homer tells her that the guy in the corner of the elevator didn't even look over this once. The guy in the corner then replied by saying, "Lobby please".
The next day, Milhouse and Lisa are at the Atoms game, when the Springfield Atomettes (the team's cheerleaders) arrive on the field. One of the ladies picks a Jr. Atomette out of the crowd, which happens to be Lisa. With the help of the cheerleaders, Lisa performs with the group on the field. Milhouse proudly states that he is dating a cheerleader, to which Lisa quickly responds that he is not. After the game, Lisa waits to thank the cheerleaders, but the Rich Texan interrupts because he has to pay them. Lisa is outraged when she learns that the girls only get paid $50 a game, which just covers their parking. The cheerleaders are afraid to fight back because they don't want to end up wearing the mascot costume.
Back at the Plywood Heights Apartments, Homer leaves Carl's apartment after another night of playing poker, but runs into Gretchen, who returns the coat Homer used when he delivered Homer Jr., and asks him if he wants to hold Homer Jr.. The next night, Homer returns with old baby things that he didn't need anymore. Gretchen asks Homer if he could babysit Homer Jr. because she hasn't been away from him at all. While Gretchen is gone, Homer and Homer Jr. play The Simpsons: Tapped Out on Homer's phone and the game charges $300 to Homer's credit card. Next, they play peek-a-boo and Homer loses "Hoju" while his eyes are closed. He then runs out the window and down the fire escape looking for him. However, Homer Jr. is just hiding under a blanket back in the apartment. Homer also combs Homer Jr.'s hair and puts two M's behind his ears, so he would look like Homer. As Maggie was sitting on Homer's lap, Homer imagined she was Homer Jr., while Maggie imagined Homer was Ned. Homer accidentally runs into Marge at the grocery store, while he is buying baby supplies for Homer Jr.. Marge believes Homer is shopping for Maggie, so once again he gives false information.
Meanwhile at the Buzz Cola Dome, Lisa goes to visit the cheerleaders. The Rich Texan refuses to pay them anymore money, so Lisa convinces them to go on strike. Lisa gathers the Atomettes in Bart's treehouse, causing a crowd of men to circle around them. With Homer missing, Marge goes to Carl's apartment at the Plywood Heights Apartments because she suspects that Homer is playing poker. When she finds out that he isn't there, she walks down the hall toward Gretchen's apartment and over hears Homer talking to Homer Jr., so Marge opens the door and sees that Homer is playing with Homer Jr.. Gretchen and Homer explain the story to Marge, and she says it's probably for the best if he stops seeing Homer Jr.. However, she changes her mind when she sees how close he is to Homer Jr.. Elsewhere, outside of the Buzz Cola Dome, Lisa and the cheerleaders are protesting; therefore the team is forced to get a new group of cheerleaders that consists of Patty, Selma, Mrs. Muntz, and the Crazy Cat Lady. Finally, the Rich Texan gives in and gives the girls a raise.
Later that day, Homer decides to take his kids and Homer Jr. to the Springfield City Zoo. But after Lisa gives Maggie and Homer Jr. ice cream, when Homer Jr. takes a bite out of Maggie's ice cream, she slaps him. Homer tries to make the kids feel better by trying to "out-monkeying the monkeys". It goes fine until the monkeys grab Homer through the bars. Maggie then pushes Homer Jr. out of the stroller and he pushes her, causing the stroller to roll backwards. Maggie barely saves herself by using a Dino wand on the wheel. Afterwards, Marge forbids Homer to see Homer Jr. ever again. Homer then walks Homer Jr. home, only to see that Chase, the baby's real father, has returned from overseas. When Homer comes home, Maggie gives him her doll to cheer him up, picks her up and hugs her. Maggie then imagines Ned with a baby bottle, but it quickly turns to Homer with a beer bottle.
==Citations==
fr:L'Instinct paternel
pl:Labor Pains
pt:Um Parto Inesquecível
Category:Episodes
Category:Season 25 episodes
Category:Homer episodes
Category:Lisa episodes
Category:Sport-themed Episodes
Category:Episodes featuring guest stars
Category:Marge episodes
Category:Moe episodes
Category:Affair themed episodes
Category:Episodes in which Homer almost loses Marge
Category:Flashback episodes
Category:Episodes with alternate end credits
Category:Episodes showran by Al Jean
Category:Written by Don Payne
Category:Directed by Matthew Faughnan
Category:History
Category:Film Roman
Category:Episodes where Homer chokes Bart
Category:Episodes Where Homer cries