After Bart convinces all his friends not to go to Nelson's birthday party, Marge forces him to attend. After the party, Bart becomes Nelson's new best friend and under Nelson's protection no one dares to mess with Bart. There's only drawback to his newfound friend/bodyguard ; he can no longer pal around with Milhouse.
FAN DESK VERDICT An all-timer. This is the episode you show someone to explain why The Simpsons matters — clear the evening and watch it properly.
The Simpsons S18E08 (“The Haw-Hawed Couple”) first aired on December 10, 2006.
In the US, The Simpsons season 18 — including this episode — is available on FX, Hulu, Disney+, fuboTV, DirecTV On Demand, Spectrum On Demand, YouTube TV, FOX One Amazon Channel, Hulu on Disney+, Amazon, Fandango at Home, and AppleTV.
Guest stars include Karl Wiedergott (Additional Voices (voice)), Pamela Hayden (Milhouse Van Houten / Jimbo Jones / Richard (voice)), Russi Taylor (Martin Prince (voice)), and Tress MacNeille (The Wizard Twins / Dolph (voice)).
The Simpsons S18E08 (“The Haw-Hawed Couple”) was directed by Chris Clements and written by Matt Selman.
Fans rate The Simpsons S18E08 (“The Haw-Hawed Couple”) 8.8/10, which puts it in the essential tier for The Simpsons.