History Recap / TheSimpsonsS5E3HomerGoesToCollege

* TakeThat: According to Lisa, Creator/KatharineHepburn's autobiography ''Me'' ''doesn't'' count as actual book.

-->'''Marge:''' Homey, here the responses from the colleges you applied to.\\

* CouchGag: The family sits and is crushed by the foot from the opening of ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus''.

* OffModel: A few moments fall into this, likely due to Creator/RoughDraftStudios still getting a handle on how to draw the characters. In [[https://frinkiac.com/gif/S05E03/1096478/1101483/ one shot]] while Homer is buttering his toast, he has buggy FishEyes.

* JerkAss:

** Homer's general behavior in the Nuclear Physics 101 class is this. He laughs when the professor drops his notes, sarcastically addresses him as "Professor Brainiac", brags about how he "knows" how a proton accelerator works, and generally acts very rudely towards him.

* 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]].

* WrongGenreSavvy: Homer goes into college convinced it's nonstop WackyFratboyHijinx, and is amazed it's not. He never truly learns his lesson, though, and the closing credits montage shows that he performed crazier stunts throughout his second semester.

* ZanyScheme: Homer's constant antidote for everything, much to the nerds' confusion.

** While [[SnipeHunt guarding the bee]], Homer dismisses the other two employees as pathetic and declares himself "head bee guy". He then immediately breaks the jar, releasing the bee.

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

* DerangedAnimation: [[https://deadhomersociety.com/2010/08/02/animation-showcase-homer-goes-to college/ This pictorial blog post]] breaks down many of the moments quite well.

--->'''NRC Inspector:''' [[AnAxToGrind Get the axe]]. ''(Another inspector starts breaking down Burns's door)''

* CaptainObvious: "Wait a minute, that's not the wallet inspector..."

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

* JerkAss: After Bart points out to Homer that he is hanging out with nerds, Homer immediately demands that Bart take it back and holds a knife to the little boy's throat. Pretty harsh considering that all Bart did was point out the reality of the situation to his father.

* LaserGuidedKarma: When Homer causes a nuclear meltdown, 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.

* SchoolGradeHacking: Mr. Burns sends Homer to Springfield Community College so Homer can earn his Master's degree and keep his job at the Nuclear Power Plant. Several nerds help Homer study for his test, but unfortunately, Homer still gets an F, so the nerds hack into the college's computer to change his grade. When Homer's family finds out, Lisa points out that Homer only passed the test by cheating, which he always taught her was wrong. Marge then makes Homer go back to college so he can pass the test for real and set a good example for his family.

'''Homer:''' Marge, try to understand. [[ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld There are two kinds of college students]]: [[JerkJock jocks]] and {{nerd}}s. As a jock, it's my job to give nerds a hard time. ''(to nearby student athlete)'' Hey, did you get a load of that nerd?\\

* IgnorantAboutFire: Homer is completely oblivious to the fact that burning his high school diploma caused the wall it was hanging on to catch fire.

-->'''NRC Inspector:''' [[AnAxToGrind Get the axe]]. ''(Another inspector starts breaking down Burns's door)''

Episode - 1F02\\
First Aired - 10/14/1993

* 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. The credits montage shows Homer pulling off six months of chaos that should have gotten him expelled even without a politician like Nixon influencing the dean's decision, but he still manages to graduate (heck, the time he pranks Nixon the dean is ''celebrating'' with Homer).

** Might be a case of PragmaticVillainy. It's been established that Mr. Burns likes Homer to be his safety inspector since Homer is so incompetent at his job it lets Mr. Burns get away with cutting corners on the plant's safety.

* KickTheDog:
** When Burns enters the EscapePod and closes it behind him, Smithers (who was left out) begs him to let him in, pointing out that there's two seats. Burns opens long enough to explain that he likes to put his feet on top before closing again and launching. LaserGuidedKarma soon follows.
** If not for the fact he's too weak to pull it off, he would have smashed the brains of a man who's only crime is (rightfully, because he's a LethalKlutz and an idiot) deny Homer admittance to his college.

*** Given the maps and the ice scraper were in the glove compartment they were presumably used for travelling and [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin scraping ice]].

* HardWorkMontage: The nerds help Homer study hard for his test. Unfortunately, he still gets an F.

-->'''Inspector''': We're still not sure how he caused the meltdown. There wasn't any nuclear material in the truck!

--> '''Mr. Burns''': One more thing. ''(ominously)'' You must find the Jade Monkey before the next full moon.\\
'''Smithers''': Sir, we found the Jade Monkey. [[FailedASpotCheck It was in your glove compartment]].\\
'''Mr. Burns''': And the road maps and ice scraper?\\
'''Smithers''': They were in there, too.\\
'''Mr. Burns''': Excellent. It's all falling into place...
* NoodleIncident:

** Benjamin, Doug and Gary greet Homer with the line: [[VideoGame/{{Berzerk}} "Intruder alert. Intruder alert. Get the humanoid! Get the humanoid"]]

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

* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Scratchy has Itchy bound to a pole, puts dynamite sticks in his eyelids and ears, outfits him with an Abraham Lincoln style-hat and beard made of plastic explosives, attaches grenades to his ears like earrings, aims nuclear missiles with pointed tips inches from his face, and surrounds him with crates of explosives, before escaping in a taxi. The only result we see is a gigantic mushroom cloud acting as [[TheEnd the end title card.]]

-->'''NRC Inspector''': Oh, no! This... can't be happening!

--> '''Nixon''': Oh, you'll pay. Don't think you won't pay!

** {{Deconstructed}}. The plan to steal Springfield A&M's mascot Sir Oinks-a-lot goes horribly wrong, and it gets Benjamin, Doug and Gary expelled immediately (at UsefulNotes/RichardNixon's behest).

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 "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E5TreehouseOfHorrorIV Treehouse of Horror IV]]", but he only wrote the wraparounds.[[/note]]

* MysteryBox: When it is clear to 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.

* 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." (Observant viewers will note that Burns' desk is indeed, not in its usually place in front of the window.)