"The Way We Was" is the twelfth episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 31, 1991. In the episode, Marge tells the story of how she and Homer first met and fell in love. Flashing back to 1974, it is shown how Homer falls in love with Marge in high school and tries to get close to her by enlisting her as his French tutor. After several hours of verb conjugation, Marge falls for Homer too, only to become enraged when he admits he is not a French student. Marge rejects Homer's invitation to the prom and goes with Artie Ziff. Artie turns out to be a terrible date and Marge realizes that it is Homer she really wants. The episode was written by Al Jean, Mike Reiss, and Sam Simon, and directed by David Silverman. It was the first flashback episode of The Simpsons. Jon Lovitz guest-starred in it as Artie Ziff. The episode features cultural references to songs such as "The Joker" and "(They Long to Be) Close to You", and the television series Siskel & Ebert & the Movies. The title itself is a reference to the 1973 film The Way We Were. Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 15.6, and was the highest rated show on Fox the week it aired. Plot When the Simpsons' television set breaks, Marge tells her children how she and Homer met in a flashback. Marge and Homer were both high school seniors in 1974. Homer and his close friend Barney earned detention for smoking in the boys' restroom. Unlike Homer, Marge was studious, but she was also sent to detention for burning a bra at a feminist rally. Homer instantly fell in love with Marge the first time he saw her in the detention room. Despite his father Abe's warning that he was aiming too high, Homer was determined to win Marge's heart. To impress Marge, Homer joined her debate team, where he learned she was romantically interested in the more articulate Artie Ziff. Homer asked Marge to tutor him in French and she accepted his invitation to the senior prom. When Homer confessed that he was not enrolled in French class and was only using the ruse to