History Recap / TheSimpsonsS5E3HomerGoesToCollege

* CannotTellFictionFromReality: Homer thinks that real college life is similar to what's on ''School of Hard Knockers'' (the raunchy college film he watches).

* RealityEnsues: Homer is convinced that college is nonstop WackyFratboyHijinks, and he learns the hard way that's not true. When his prank of kidnapping a rival school's mascot goes awry, his nerd classmates get expelled.

* SnipeHunt: During the inspection, Smithers puts the three least incompetent employees (including Homer, naturally) in charge of guarding a bee inside a bottle. Needless to say, they fail miserably. The other two are actually smart enough to question what they're doing, but Homer dismisses them.

* TrapDoorFail: When the safety inspectors turn down Burns' bribes, Mr. Burns tells them, "I have the feeling you'll be... ''dropping'' the charges", and he presses a button to open the trap door, except the trap door's on the other side of the room. Smithers reminds Mr. Burns that, "The painters moved your desk."

* NoodleIncident: What caused Homer to throw up so much, and how did it change his life?

** Apparently the dean didn't want to expel the nerds, but Sir Oinksalot had powerful friends (i.e. Nixon).

** When Homer glues a picture of him gorging on a cake like a madman on his admittance form, Lisa points out that it's a picture which will cause a bad first impression and Homer tells her that the admittance group will see past that. Instant cut to them looking at the picture and rejecting him, saying that it's the longest ''seconds'' that they have ever wasted denying someone's admittance.

Of note, this is the last script that Creator/ConanOBrien was credited with writing, as he became the new host of ''Series/LateNight'' around this time. [[note]]He is listed among the (many) writers in "Treehouse of Horror IV", but he only wrote the wraparounds.[[/note]]

* AsYouKnow: Parodied in ShowWithinAShow "School of Hard Knockers", [[DeanBitterman the Dean's]] guest informs the viewers about his position as the President of the United States by reminding the Dean of it.

** When the Nuclear Regulatory Comission arrives, Mr. Burns tries to claim the plant is just a cookie factory. The NRC don't buy it for an instant.

* BookDumb: Inverted with Benjamin, Doug, and Gary, who while intelligent in regards to their studies, have got no common sense or ability to function in the real world.
* BrickJoke: "School of Hard Knockers" has a scene where the rebellious jock has set up a bra-bomb to cover the school with bras. This happened to coincide with the President's visit to the college. Homer is seen taking notes after this particular scene. Over the end credits, during Homer's second round of college, a montage of Homer's antics is played. One of the still photos seen is UsefulNotes/RichardNixon with a bra on his head, with Homer and the Dean triumphantly playing guitar in the background. Apparently Homer got revenge.
* CannotTellFictionFromReality: Homer thinks that real college life is similar to what's on ''The School of Hard Knockers'' (the raunchy college film he watches).

* LaserGuidedKarma: When Homer causes a nuclear meltdown, Mr. Burns immediately evacuates into a two-man escape pod and refuses to let Smithers in because he likes to put his feet up on the other seat. The pod promptly runs out of fuel after being launched, crashes onto the ground, and rolls down the street, roughing him up.

* MysteryBox: When it is clear to Mr. Burns that he is about to be sanctioned for gross violations at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, he tries (unsuccessfully) to play Monty Hall (of ''Series/LetsMakeADeal'') and offer a bribe to the inspectors into forgetting about Homer not being properly certified or qualified. The male inspector very nearly takes it.

* NoOSHACompliance: The power plant obviously. The episode starts with ''everyone'' (Smithers and Burns included) taking a nap at the same time. Homer pushed a self destruction button in his sleep, which only avoided because of the actions of a ''dog''. The fact that computer says "Good Boy!" suggests this is exactly why the dog is even there.

* PuttingThePalInPrincipal: Dean Peterson, to the point he's TheAce (he used to play for Music/ThePretenders, for example), in "realistic" contrast to all of the archetypical DeanBitterman-types (including the TropeNamer) in Homer's "research". Homer hates his guts, [[WrongGenreSavvy thinking he's the other type.]]

** After the meltdown, Mr. Burns tries to bribe the safety inspectors with either "a washer and dryer where the lovely Smithers is standing," or trading it all in "for what's in this box", spoofing ''Series/LetsMakeADeal''.

** Mr. Burns' escape pod launch is a direct shout out to tbe launch of the escape pod C-3PO and R2-D2 used in ''Film/ANewHope''

* ShowWithinAShow: "School of Hard Knockers", the ''Film/AnimalHouse'' rip-off wherein DeanBitterman gets pelted with a ''bra bomb''.

* TrapDoorFail: When the safety inspectors turn down Burns' bribes, Mr. Burns tells them, "I have the feeling you'll be... ''dropping'' the charges," and he presses a button to open the trap door, except the trap door's on the other side of the room. Smithers reminds Mr. Burns that, "The painters moved your desk."

** Throughout the rest of the episode, Homer learns that college is not at all ''Animal House''-style fratboy pranks and antics, although he never does get taken aside and asked to knock off the immature behavior [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone and while he makes amends for the nerds' unjust expulsion]], [[AesopAmnesia he never truly learns his lesson]] and spends his second semester pulling a variety of insane pranks, including a tank rampage and flashing the audience when he graduates.

* AsYouKnow: In "School of Hard Knockers", [[DeanBitterman the Dean's]] guest informs the viewers about his position as the President of the United States by reminding the Dean of it.

** Snake steals the nerds' wallets by just walking up to them and saying he's a wallet inspector. He does absolutely nothing to conceal he's a crook otherwise and even mutters that they are idiots before running off while they are within earshot.

** Homer's admittance form is so badly-made that it only took ''seconds'' for the college to reject him.

* SnipeHunt: During the inspection, Smithers puts the three least incompetent employees (including Homer, naturally) in charge of guarding a bee inside a bottle. Needless to say, they fail miserably.

* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: The nuclear plant inspectors refuse to take Burns's money in order for him to escape penalties.

--->'''Homer:''' I am so smart! I am so smart! S-M-R-T! I mean S-M-A-R-T![[note]]The word was spelled correctly in the script; Creator/DanCastellaneta flubbed it, but it was decided to ThrowItIn.[[/note]]

** Mr. Burns' escape pod launch is a direct shout out to tbe launch of the escape pod 3-CPO and R2-D2 used in ''Film/ANewHope''

* KarmaHoudini: {{Defied}} by Homer, who feels guilty that his hijinks got the nerds expelled from college, and steps forward to accept blame, but Bart, who originally brainstormed the prank, has nothing happen to him.

'''Burns:''' ''(reopening the door)'' I like to put my feet up!

* HowIsThatEvenPossible: The nuclear inspectors are baffled by Homer causing a nuclear meltdown in a ''simulator''.

* TooDumbToLive: The needs have absolutely no knowledge of how to function outside of the campus. They buy Snake's "wallet inspector" hook, line and sinker and end up poor about ten seconds after being expelled and Homer defends bringing them to their home by telling Marge that they probably would get killed if he didn't.

* BlatantLies: When the Nuclear Regulatory Comission arrives, Mr. Burns tries to claim the plant is just a cookie factory. The NRC don't buy it for an instant.

** Throughout the rest of the episode, Homer learns that college is not at all ''Animal House''-style fratboy pranks and antics, although he never does get taken aside and asked to knock off the immature behavior.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Not necessarily even intentional but at the very end there is an uncensored (if very heavily muffled) F-bomb. It comes from the use of the recording of the song "Louie Louie" by The Kingsmen (which was famously studied by the FBI to check for the supposed profanity-laden lyrics). Whilst the former rumour was untrue the FBI, and presumably the censors, missed the drummer shouting the word after making an error (later confirmed by the drummer himself). For those curious it can be heard at the very end of the credits during the 'Executive Creative Consultant' credit.

* WrongGenreSavvy: Homer goes into college convinced it's nonstop WackyFratboyHijinx, and is amazed it's not.