In the milestone 350th episode, "Don't Fear the Roofer," Stephen Hawking, playing himself, and Ray Romano guest-voice.

A storm hits Springfield, causing the Simpson roof to leak. Unable to keep a roof over his family's head, a downtrodden Homer seeks companionship at a bar called Knockers. There, he befriends a beer-loving roofer, Ray (guest voice Romano), who agrees to help Homer with the repairs.

When Homer's new best friend never shows up, Marge and Dr. Hibbert conclude that he's a figment of Homer's imagination and place Homer in a mental hospital. But Homer and Ray may have the last laugh.
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ALERT! THE SIMPSONS: What do you give on the 350th anniversary, again? Wood? Paper? Or a hurt-Homer episode?

When a roof leak calls into question his fitness as head of the household (for roughly the 350th time), Homer takes refuge at Moe's and finds himself equally despised (not to mention replaced at the bar by returning guest Stephen Hawking).

All this rejection drives Homey into the arms of new friend Ray Magini (Ray Romano), a roofer so eerily Homer-compatible, he may be too good to be true. ("We think alike, we act alike, we finish each other sandwiches!" gushes the doting d'oh-boy.)

The faithful have long since stopped expecting any sort of long-arc emotional coherence from "The Simpsons," and this episode is no exception -- though it does contain perhaps the best joke ever written on the subject of shingles. -- Scott Brown

EW Grade: B