(S18E01) When Bart refuses to let Lisa sit with him on the bus, she tries to complain to Otto, but he'd rather rock out to his Grand Funk Railroad tape than bother with her. She tries to get his attention but manages to break his tape in the process, leaving him with no musical options except the kids' rendition of "Old MacDonald Had a Fart" and whatever crap his bus radio is spewing out. At that moment, he sees Metallica's tour bus stranded on the side of the road, but they opt to get a lift from Moleman, who once slept with Lars' grandmother. Oh yeah, and Bart steals the bus.

Enraged, Otto encounters Bart outside the school and spanks him. The corporal punishment is witnessed by Skinner, who instructs Otto to turn in his beaded seat cushion and gun. Until Otto is reinstated, the kids will have to rely on car pooling to get to school. On the first day, Marge takes Bart, Lisa and their friends, including Fat Tony's son, Michael. Since he's the son of a mob boss, everyone is afraid of Michael and wants nothing to do with him, but Lisa sees he's not the hardboiled criminal his father is and befriends him. Michael reveals he wants to be a chef, which upsets his father who wants him to take over the family business.

This is a great way to spend 10 minutes of your Friday. A preview of season 18 of The Simpsons is online today in advance of this weekend's season premiere. FOX made the first seven minutes of Sunday's episode available on various websites, including MySpace.com, FOX.com, and IGNTV.com. The episode is about Homer joining the mob but, in true Simpsons fashion, the first seven minutes are more about Otto than the larger story. And it's pretty damn hilarious-- including a cameo by Metallica. Stick around after the clip because there's more-- a look at a scene as it first appears in pencil and then as the final product. Ahhh... all will be right with the world when The Simpsons return.