Line #10 Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E17LastExitToSpringfield


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/last_exit_to_springfield_73.JPG]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:[[MemeticMutation Dental Plan! Lisa Needs Braces!]]]]
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4	'''Original air date:''' 3/11/1993 ''(produced in 1992)''
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6	'''Production code:''' 9F15
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8
9	In this episode, cited by ''Entertainment Weekly'' and several other critics as the series' magnum opus, Homer is unwittingly made the leader of the nuclear plant's labor union so he can fight back against Mr. Burns revoking the workers' dental plan, which Lisa needs for invisible braces.
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11	----
12	!!This episode contains examples of:
13	* AbnormalDentalGrowth: Lisa's dentist shows a prediction of what will happen to Lisa's teeth if she doesn't get braces. A series of pictures shows her lower incisor growing larger and larger, until it eventually pierces through her cheek and skull by age 18. Bart, of course, advocates for letting nature take its course, because then Lisa would be a freak who could make money on the carnival circuit.
14	* AccidentalBargainingSkills: Homer is unqualified to lead a union, but events coincide to make him look successful at it. Notable examples include playing hardball with Mr. Burns' offers via needing to go to the bathroom and thinking Burns is hitting on him, and his attempt to quit the job is mistaken as the cue to strike.
15	* AffablyEvil: In between the threats and attempted bribery, Mr. Burns is surprisingly polite to Homer.
16	* TheAggressiveDrugDealer: Mendoza creates "swank", a drug ten times more addictive than marijuana! The hidden joke there being that marijuana is barely addictive in the first place.
17	-->'''Mendoza:''' [[ForTheEvulz To human misery!]]
18	* AIIsACrapshoot: Burns' fantasy sequence of him and Smithers running the plant includes them opening crates marked "Robot Workers -- [[BlatantLies 100% Loyal]]." The scene switches to [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters the robots chasing Burns and Smithers]] while saying "[[MurderousMalfunctioningMachine crush, kill, destroy]]".
19	* AlternateSpeciesCounterpart: Mr. Burns's pet vulture bears a strong resemblance to himself.
20	* AnachronismStew: When Mr. Burns shuts off all the power to the city, one shot of a street shows several people dressed like they're from the 1930s.
21	* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking:
22	-->'''Mr. Burns:''' ''[reading the union contract]'' Benefits? Perks? A green cookie on St. Patrick's Day?
23	** After giving Homer a tour of his estate, which includes the world's biggest TV, an aviary filled with vultures that look like him (at least one does), and [[MonkeysOnATypewriter 1000 monkeys working at 1000 typewriters]], Mr. Burns finishes up inside his otherwise ordinary basement.
24	--->'''Homer:''' Gee, it's not as nice as the other rooms.\
25	'''Mr. Burns:''' Yes, I really should stop ending the tour with it.
26	* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: Mr. Burns, twice:
27	** When a stray dog gets in, he ''literally'' [[KickTheDog kicks the dog]].
28	** When the MonkeysOnATypewriter fail to write "the greatest novel known to man", Mr. Burns yells at one of them, throws the balled-up paper from the typewriter at its head, [[NoSympathy then tells it to shut up after it starts screaming frantically]].
29	* BaldnessMockery: Discussed by Homer and Marge; when the former points out that his coworkers like to rub his bald head for good luck and pinch his stomach to hear his girlish laugh, the latter points how it doesn't sound like they respect him. He gets angry and then vows to punch Lenny in the back of the head, which he does while he unsuspectingly drinks a cup of coffee.
30	* BehindAStick: [=McBain=] hides in a Venus de Milo ice sculpture narrower than his torso.
31	* BigEntrance: In the [=McBain=] scene that opens the episode, [=McBain=] bursts out of an ice sculpture.
32	-->'''[=McBain=]:''' Ice to see you!
33	* BloodierAndGorier: The [=McBain=] movie that begins the episode is ''filled'' with violence and blood going everywhere, including at least one on-screen [[BoomHeadshot headshot]], complete with splatter.
34	* BookcasePassage: Burns uses one to get to his secret control room.
35	* BracesOfOrthodonticOverkill: The trope was originally called "Lisa Needs Braces" after [[Administrivia/FormerTropeNamer the set Lisa is forced to wear]], instead of the invisible ones they could afford with the dental plan. The dentist warns her not to get them wet, as they predate stainless steel.
36	* BrattyFoodDemand: Homer explains to Marge and Lisa that he has a dental plan due to a strike he and his fellow employees held in 1988. He's not telling the whole truth; his coworkers were certainly participating in the effort, but Homer was merely pounding on the counter of a nearby catering truck chanting "Where's my burrito?!" [[LaserGuidedKarma Instead of a meal, he receives a lasting scar from the shutter door slamming shut on his head.]]
37	* BritishTeeth: The dentist scares Ralph Wiggum into healthy dental habits by showing him a book called "The Big Book of of (sic) British Smiles."
38	* BrokenRecord: The "Dental plan! Lisa needs braces!" sequence playing in Homer's head.
39	* TheCameo: Dr. Joyce Brothers appears in a single scene as the third member of Kent Brockman's discussion panel. Her only line of dialogue is, "I brought my own mic!"
40	* CardCarryingVillain: The bad guy in the [=McBain=] movie ("To human misery!"). Homer reassures Bart there's [[TemptingFate no one that evil in real life]].
41	* ComicallyCrossEyed: Principal Skinner tells a pupil, "Uncross those eyes." When the boy answers, "But I can't," he realizes his mistake and says, "Oops, sorry, Quigley!"
42	* ComicallyMissingThePoint:
43	** Homer, for several seconds, is unable to make a link between the proposed disappearance of the dental plan and Lisa's need for braces.
44	** Homer again during the scene mentioned in the InnocentInnuendo entry.
45	** When Mr. Burns asks Smithers to get him some strikebreakers, "the kind they had in the '30s," [[LiteralMinded he brings actual strikebreakers from the '30s]].
46	* ConstructiveBodyDisposal: When Mr. Burns asks Smithers where the leader of the union is so they can discuss the new union contract, Smithers mentions that he hasn't been seen since he declared his intent to clean up the union -- cue CutawayGag of a football player tripping over a body-shaped mound in the end zone of a football stadium.
47	* ContrivedCoincidence: Mr. Burns hits back at the union workers by removing one of the provisions from their contract. The one he removes at random is the one Homer turns out to need the most, as Lisa went to the dentist at the exact same time ''and'' said dentist just so happened to be a quack who convinced Marge that Lisa's teeth would grow to the point of ''[[BodyHorror piercing her skull]]'' unless she got braces as soon as possible.
48	* ContinuityNod:
49	-->'''Mr. Burns:''' ''[watching Homer tear up the contract on a hidden camera]'' Who is that firebrand, Smithers?\
50	'''Mr. Smithers:''' That's Homer Simpson, sir.\
51	'''Mr. Burns:''' Simpson, eh? New man?\
52	'''Mr. Smithers:''' Actually, sir, [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E4TwoCarsInEveryGarageAndThreeEyesOnEveryFish he thwarted your campaign for governor]], [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E10BartGetsHitByACar you ran over his son]], [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E5HomerDefined he saved the plant from meltdown]], [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E18BrushWithGreatness his wife painted you in the nude]]...\
53	'''Mr. Burns:''' Doesn't ring a bell.
54	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Mr. Burns almost convinces his employees to renounce to their dental plan for a keg of beer, tried to disperse the strikers with a water hose and strikebreakers (even if he fails), and he preferred to cut the power supply to Springfield than provide the dental plan back. As though to further drive home the point, Burns picked the dental plan at random, indicating he didn't care what he was cutting so long as he could get one over on the union.
55	* CouchGag: The family sits on the couch, which transforms into a monster that swallows them all.
56	* DepravedDentist: Doctor Wolfe isn't depraved, but he is unflinchingly strict, and torments Ralph with "The Big Book of British Smiles," which reduces poor Ralph to tears. He also [[LivingLieDetector knows when someone's lying]].
57	** Bart invokes this trope to scare some younger kids in the waiting room. He tells them he pulls kids teeth out to sell them and the rattle in spray-paint cans is a kid's tooth.
58	* DescriptionCut:
59	** While watching the film at the beginning, Homer tells Bart no one could be as evil as the villain from it. Cut to Mister Burns watching a window washer dangling from a wire and laughing.
60	** Later on, the trope is inverted when Homer discusses his work relations with Marge:
61	--->'''Homer:''' Guys are always patting my bald head for luck, pinching my belly to hear my girlish laugh.\
62	'''Marge:''' Hmm, that doesn't sound like they like you at all.\
63	'''Homer:''' You know, I think you're right. First thing tomorrow morning, I'm gonna punch Lenny in the back of the head!\
64	''[The next morning, Homer does exactly that.]''
65	* DisproportionateRetribution: Mr. Burns blacks out the entire city when his employees go on strike.
66	* DoubleEntendre: See InnocentInnuendo. Homer announces that he's not interested in "backdoor shenanigans" as he's convinced that Burns [[MistakenForGay is coming on to him]]. Burns instead takes it as a sign that Homer is a tough negotiator.
67	-->'''Homer:''' Sorry, Mr. Burns, but I don't go in for these backdoor shenanigans. Sure, I'm flattered, maybe even a little curious, but the answer is no!
68	* DramaticIrony: Despite Mr. Burns thinking Homer is [[AccidentalBargainingSkills immune to bribery]], it's heavily implied Homer actually would have accepted the bribe had Burns been more upfront about it instead of merely hinting at it:
69	-->'''Homer:''' Hey, what does this job pay?\
70	'''Carl:''' Nothing.\
71	'''Homer:''' D'oh!\
72	'''Carl:''' Unless you're crooked!\
73	'''Homer:''' Woo hoo!
74	* DumbassHasAPoint: Homer notes that Mr. Burn's basement looks plain compared to the rest of the house. Burns admits he's right and that he should stop ending the tour there.
75	* EntitledBastard: When Mr. Burns falls out of a helicopter, he asks Homer to help him... even though this was right after he threatened Homer.
76	* EpicFail: After going through all those security doors, the underground control room has a falling apart screen door that leads outside, which was left open and a stray dog came in.
77	* EveryScarHasAStory: Homer tells us where he got his scars.
78	* EverybodyLaughsEnding: The family laughs in the dentist office in response to Lisa's lame pun (see below). Then it turns out they are laughing because the dentist left the laughing gas on.
79	* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Mr. Burns cuts the power to the town during a strike, and is shocked that the union doesn't break.
80	* EvilLaugh:
81	** Mendoza in the FakeActionPrologue, which then fades over to Monty Burns laughing the same way.
82	** Later Lisa laughs like this on the dentist chair, parodying the Joker in ''Film/Batman1989''.
83	* EvilStoleMyFaith: {{Parodied\|Trope}}. When the school photographer sees Lisa's braces, he goes from being happy-go-lucky to gasping, "There is no God." For extra esteem-shattering points, he encouraged her not to be shy to smile because he assumed it'd be a beautiful one.
84	* FailedASpotCheck: How did nobody notice the human-shaped lump on the football pitch?
85	* FailedAttemptAtDrama: After Burns returns Homer after abducting him to negotiate the employees' contract, he threatens to crush him, flies off in his helicopter and delivers an EvilLaugh...only to immediately fall out of it and badly injure himself. The next scene sees him being flown away via an ''air ambulance'' as he once again threatens him.
86	-->'''Burns:''' ''[weakly]'' Simpson, be a dear and rub my legs until the feeling comes back...
87	* FantasyTwist: The moment in Mr. Burns' fantasy of how easy it would be for himself and Smithers to run the plant alone when their robot workers attack them.
88	* Franks2000InchTV: Mr Burns owns the largest TV in the free world, which he has in his mansion.
89	* FunnyBackgroundEvent: When Homer has to go to the bathroom, while Mr. Burns uses a lot of euphemisms for urination, a pipe is leaking a lot and Smithers is pouring coffee from a really long spout.
90	* HesitationEqualsDishonesty: Homer hesitates before telling Mr. Burns he found the bathroom.
91	* {{Homage}}: Plenty, including:
92	** Hubert Selby Jr.'s novel ''Last Exit to Brooklyn''.
93	** The urban legend of Jimmy Hoffa being buried at Giants Stadium.
94	* IdiotBall: Why, after gunning down all of the members of Mendoza's party ([[InnocentBystander including the waiters and musicians!]]), does [=McBain=] then take a salmon puff from Mendoza?
95	* IgnoredExpert: During Burns' flashback back to 1909 as a child, he witnessed his grandfather detaining a teenage worker for having six atoms in his pockets, and the boy warned about the rise of the workers' union, to which Burns' grandfather ignored. However, as time grew, Burns learns that the teenager worker's predictions to be correct; even admitting his brief remorse in letting his grandfather locking the boy up in a coke oven.
96	-->'''Burns:''' If only we had listened to that boy, [[DisproportionateRetribution instead of walling him up in the abandoned coke oven]].
97	* ImagineSpot: When the family points out that union leaders had links to organized crime, Homer imagines himself as a [[Film/TheGodfather Fanucci-esque]] mob boss receiving favors from the people while listening ot their pleas.
98	--> "Mmm ... organized crime ..."
99	* InherentlyFunnyWords: Kent Brockman begins his news broadcast by asking if the Power Plant Strike is "argle bargle or foofaraw". While these words may sound silly at first, it turns out these are ''real'' words in the dictionary.
100	** Argle Bargle means "copious but meaningless talk or writing; nonsense". [[note]]Definition courtesy of Google[[/note]]
101	** Foofaraw means "a great deal of fuss or attention given to a minor matter". [[note]]Definition also from Google[[/note]]
102	* InnocentInnuendo:
103	** When Mr. Burns proposes a bribe to Homer, he mistakes it for a romantic pass.
104	--->'''Mr. Burns:''' We don't have to be adversaries, Homer. We ''both'' want a fair union contract.
105	--->'''Homer:''' ''[thinking]'' Why is Mr. Burns being so nice to me?
106	--->'''Mr. Burns:''' And if you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.
107	--->'''Homer:''' ''[thinking]'' Wait a minute. Is he coming on to me?
108	--->'''Mr. Burns:''' I mean, if I should slip something into your pocket, what's the harm?
109	--->'''Homer:''' ''[thinking]'' Oh my God! He ''is'' coming on to me!
110	--->'''Mr. Burns:''' After all, negotiations make strange bedfellows. ''[Winks with a chuckle]''\
111	''[Homer screams in his mind.]''
112	** Later, Mr. Burns watches Homer apparently exercising (he's not, he's trying to get a Sugar Daddy off his back).
113	--->'''Mr. Burns:''' Look at him, strutting about like he's cock of the walk. Well, let me tell you, Homer Simpson is cock of ''nothing''!\
114	'''Mr. Smithers:''' ''[who's caught the innuendo]'' Hrrm.
115	* InstantlyProvenWrong: Marge tells Lisa she looks fine in her braces. Cue [[ScareTheDog Santa's Little Helper taking one look at them and running from the room]].
116	* JapanTakesOverTheWorld: A boy at the atom-smashing plant warned Mr. Burns' grandfather that the American workers would one day form their union, get the fair and equitable treatment they deserved, grow corrupt and shiftless, and allow the Japanese to overtake their industry. The elder Burns had a hard time believing it.
117	-->"The Japanese? Those sandal-wearing goldfish tenders? Ta-ha! Bosh, flimshaw!"
118	* JerkassHasAPoint: Mr. Burns isn't exactly wrong that some of the provisions in the union contract are ridiculous ("a green cookie on St. Patrick's Day"?).
119	* JobStealingRobot: Mr. Burns tries to replace his workers with robots. They turn on him.
120	* KarmaHoudini: The small guy who never plays along with his coworkers and blames the muscular guy sitting next to him, who gets beat up by just about everyone else in the room, while the actual dissenter chuckles to himself. The coworkers are another example because they never receive any sort of punishment for beating up the muscular guy.
121	* KentBrockmanNews: Averted, for once Brockman's newspiece isn't frivolous, since it's covering the power plant strike. But he does brush off Mr. Burns' ranting about hellish vengeance.
122	* KickTheDog: A literal version when Burns and Smithers head towards the underground control room which gives Springfield its electricity, and find a stray puppy had wandered into the room. Burns says "Oh, for God's sake!", kicks it out of the shack, and slams the door shut.
123	* LargeHam:
124	** Doctor Wolfe takes his dentistry {{serious\|Business}}ly.
125	** [[EvilIsHammy Mr. Burns]] during his "opening tirade" on the news.
126	--->'''Burns:''' Ten minutes from now, I will wreak a terrible vengeance upon this city! No one will be spared! '''''NO ONE!'''''
127	* TheLastTitle: The name of the episode.
128	* LaughingMad: Lisa upon first seeing her BracesOfOrthodonticOverkill.
129	* LivingLieDetector: Dr Wolfe instantly knows when Ralph is lying to him about his brushing routine, and when Marge lies about Maggie using a pacifier.
130	* MisplacedRetribution: The workers who voted for the strike beat up the guy they believe to be the one who voted against it. He didn't.
131	* MistakenForFlirting: When Homer becomes the head of the union, Burns tries using the standard euphemisms to offer him a bribe. Homer, stupid as ever, thinks Burns is flirting with him.
132	* MistakenForProfound: Throughout the episode Burns interprets Homer's idiocy and oafish behaviour as the work of a tough and skilled negotiator. Only right at the end does he realize he was mistaken.
133	* MonkeysOnATypewriter: Burns shows Homer a room containing a thousand monkeys chained up to a thousand typewriters. He's hoping that they'll write "the greatest novel known to man". He also appears to have gotten them addicted to nicotine, as one has a cigarette and another is seen with a pipe.
134	* MonochromePast: Burns' flashback to his youth is shown in shades of [[RealIsBrown sepia]].
135	* MoodWhiplash: The triumphant scene of the strike ending is followed by the power going back on across Springfield... including at the Red Light district and the fake vomit factory. Yay?
136	* MushroomSamba: The gas the dentist give Lisa make her hallucinate and enter a dream in the style of Yellow Submarine from The Beatles.
137	* {{Mutants}}: Mr. Burns' fantasy of how easy it would be for him and Smithers to run the plant by themselves includes them encountering and playing with a dog that has AHeadAtEachEnd, implicitly having been mutated by the radiation.
138	* NationalStereotypes: "''The Big Book of of (sic) British Smiles''" mocks the idea that British people have bad teeth.
139	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: For legal reasons, the "Beatles" in the ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine'' parody were drawn so they don't completely resemble John, Paul, George, or Ringo. They look close enough to tell who is supposed to be whom, but different enough to allow plausible deniability should the scene get in any legal trouble. Also, the submarine is purple.
140	* NoodleIncident:
141	** What exactly happened to the last union representative that wound up with him buried in a football field. It's implied later that his colleagues know ''exactly'' what happened to him.
142	** Homer keeps asking Lenny to get his Sugar Daddy (the candy, not a rich, old man who dates a young gold-digger) off his back.
143	* OhCrap: At the end of Lisa's MushroomSamba, Music/TheBeatles get this when their submarine is about to crash into a drawing of UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria.
144	* OneDialogueTwoConversations: Mr. Burns attempts to bribe Homer, but Homer thinks Mr. Burns wants him sexually. Averted in the Brazilian Portuguese dub, which portrays Homer realizing Mr. Burns wants to bribe him. It actually fits.
145	* OneLinerNameOneLiner: Burns' line before the flashback to his youth: "Oh-ho, it didn't used to be this way, Smithers. No, it didn't used to be this way at all."
146	* OnOneCondition: Mr. Burns decides to give in to the union's demands and reinstates their dental plan, but on the condition that Homer resigns as union president. Homer is ecstatic.
147	* OverlyLongGag:
148	** Homer mentally replays Lenny saying "Dental plan!" and Marge saying "Lisa needs braces!" back to back for quite some time.
149	** Grandpa's rambling speech about onions, which drags on for almost a full minute.
150	* PaperDestructionOfAnger: Homer rips up a copy of the union's new contract after realizing what the lack of a dental plan will mean for his family.
151	* TheParody
152	** Homer has an ImagineSpot that's a parody of Don Fanucci's first appearance in ''Film/TheGodfather Part II'' (Homer as a mob boss, taking bribes and tribute in the form of donuts).
153	--->'''Homer''': That's-a nice-a donut.
154	** Lisa's surreal dream under narcosis is a parody of ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine'', complete with an appearance by Music/TheBeatles.
155	** The scene where she checks her reflection in the mirror and laughs demonically is a parody of the Joker looking into a mirror after his facelift in Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/Batman1989''.
156	** The montage Burns and Smithers heading towards the power grid is a parody of ''Series/GetSmart''.
157	** Mr. Burns quotes Captain Ahab in ''Literature/MobyDick'' (or [[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan Khan Noonien Singh]]) when he shuts down the power in Springfield.
158	** The scene where the power plant workers sing in a big circle, overheard by Mr. Burns, is a parody of ''WesternAnimation/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas''.
159	--->'''Mr. Burns''': Look at them all, in the darkness I'm bringing!\
160	They're not sad at all! They're actually singing!\
161	They sing without juicers! They sing without blenders!\
162	They sing without flunjers, capdabblers and smendlers!
163	** The closeup of a bird giving a Burns-like shudder references the infamous loudly-squawking parrot with a transparent eye from ''Film/CitizenKane''.
164	* PottyEmergency: Homer is brought to Mr. Burns's mega-mansion to engage in union negotiations. The negotiations are quickly cut short by Homer's overindulgence in coffee and watermelon and his subsequent need to rush to the nearest bathroom. Unfortunately for Homer, the nearest bathroom is about a hundred doors away and down a long hallway. (Homer ''does'' eventually relieve himself, although it is implied that he ''didn't quite make it'' to the bathroom.)
165	* ProsceniumReveal: The episode opens with a villain revealing a new drug and making a toast "to human misery!" Suddenly, [=McBain=] appears and kills the villain's accomplices, only to be gassed by a salmon puff. During the EvilLaugh, it is revealed that Bart and Homer are watching a [=McBain=] movie.
166	-->'''Bart:''' That is one evil dude.\
167	'''Homer:''' It's just a movie, son. [[TemptingFate There's nobody that evil in real life]].
168	* ProtestSong: A parody of a 30s style union folk song, though the main refrain is good enough to pass for the real thing:
169	-->"So we'll march day and night\
170	By the big cooling tower\
171	They have the plant\
172	But we have the power"\
173	'''Lenny''': Now do "Classical Gas"!
174	* {{Pun}}:
175	** "And that's the tooth!"
176	** Also, [=McBain=]'s PreAssKickingOneLiner in the beginning sequence:
177	--->'''[=McBain=]:''' ''[having burst out of an ice sculpture at a supervillain's party]'' Ice to see you!
178	* PutOnABus: This is the only episode in which the workers at the power plant are unionized. The union is never mentioned again after this and they are treated more like minimum-wage workers.
179	* RageAgainstTheReflection: Lisa does this upon seeing her horrific BracesOfOrthodonticOverkill when the family has no dental insurance.
180	* RamblingOldManMonologue: Grandpa's favorite tactic in how to break up strikes is to tell stories that don't go anywhere.
181	-->"Like the time I caught the ferry to Shelbyville? I needed a new heel for m'shoe. So, I decided to go to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. 'Gimme five bees for a quarter,' you'd say. Now where were we? Oh, yeah. The important thing was that I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. They didn't have white onions because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones..."
182	* ReluctantRuler: Homer as president of the Springfield Power Plant Union. When Burns "pressures" him to resign to have the dental plan reinstated, he is overjoyed.
183	* ResignationsNotAccepted: Homer wants to step down as local union president, but the other members misinterpret his resignation speech as a call to strike action.
184	* RiddleForTheAges: How the hell did [=McBain=] get inside that ice sculpture?
185	* RousingSpeech: When it finally sinks in that giving up the dental plan will mean he won't be able to pay for Lisa's braces, Homer rallies the union into rejecting Burns' proposed contract, citing the times the dental plan helped his co-workers.
186	* TheRuntAtTheEnd: That one guy with the Droopy-esque voice who keeps voting "nay" on everything.
187	-->'''Homer:''' Who keeps saying that?\
188	''[the crowd parts to show a beefy blonde guy and a little guy]''\
189	'''Little guy:'''...It was him. Let's get 'im, fellas. ''[everyone dogpiles the beefy guy]'' Heh-heh-heh.
190	* ScareEmStraight: Dr Wolfe uses a picture book of people with deformed BritishTeeth to terrify Ralph into brushing his teeth.
191	* ShaggyFrogStory: Since the strikebreakers can't bust heads like they used to, their main tactic is to tell pointless, rambling stories, like the time Grandpa took the ferry to Shelbyville...
192	* ShoutOut: The fate of the previous union boss ending up buried under a football stadium is a reference to the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. An urban legend says that he was buried underneath Giants Stadium.
193	* SkewedPriorities: The power plant workers gave up their dental plan for a free keg of beer. ''Homer'', of all people, has to remind them how important the dental plan is.
194	* SlowElectricity: The BigBlackout caused by Burns shutting down the plant is traveling from neighborhood to neighborhood.
195	* StalkerShot: After Homer slowly realizes that he has to pay for Lisa's braces if they give up their dental plan, he rejects the contract and convinces everyone to reject it too. The camera cuts to the keg to reveal the beer tap has a hidden camera inside and Mr. Burns watching them through the monitor.
196	* StatusQuoIsGod:
197	** Thanks to recovering the Dental Plan, Lisa's BracesOfOrthodonticOverkill are replaced with braces so high quality you can't even see them.
198	** Homer resigns as union president in a deal with Mr. Burns.
199	* StrikeEpisode: Homer becomes the leader of the power plant's union and leads a strike against Mr. Burns when he revokes their dental plan (because Lisa needs braces).
200	* StrongFamilyResemblance: During the flashback to Mr. Burns' youth, Burns' grandfather looks just like him, only with facial hair. Also, one of the thugs who drags away the young thief is identical to one of the hired goons from the present. [[note]]Hired goons?[[/note]]
201	* StoryboardingTheApocalypse: The DepravedDentist laying out Lisa's future without braces does so with computer-generated images of what she'll look like.
202	* SureLetsGoWithThat: Homer has to excuse himself during a union negotiation with Burns to use the bathroom. This leads to an OverlyLongGag of Homer looking through doors to find the bathroom, which cuts back to Burns discussing how the negotiation is going with Smithers. When Homer comes back:
203	-->'''Mr. Burns:''' Find the bathroom all right?\
204	'''Homer:''' Uh... yeah.
205	* {{Symploce}}: A ShoutOut to the first lines of ''Literature/ATaleOfTwoCities'', "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times": Mr. Burns shows Homer his thousand MonkeysOnATypewriter who are writing him the greatest novel ever written. He scolds one of them after typing "It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times."
206	* TakeThat: One of the pictures in the "Big Book of British Smiles" shows [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily then-Prince Charles (now King Charles III)]].
207	* TemptingFate: Homer comforts Bart during a [=McBain=] movie by claiming nobody as evil as the movie's villain exists in real life. Cue Mr. Burns performing an EvilLaugh very similar to the one the bad guy let out.
208	* TooDumbToLive: [=McBain=] eats a snack offered by the drug dealer he's trying to arrest. It doesn't end well for him.
209	* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: In Burns' fantasy sequence, he and Smithers find crates containing 100% loyal robot workers. Suffice to say, the robots turn out to be anything ''but'' loyal; they chase Burns and Smithers throughout the plant.
210	* UncattyResemblance: One of the vultures in Burns' aviary looks (and even sounds) like him.
211	* UnionsSuck: Mr. Burns' decision to revoke the dental plan stems from him becoming fed up with the various stipulations in the plant's union contract (the workers are guaranteed a green cookie on Saint Patrick's Day). It's also implied that the previous union president was murdered for trying to clean up the corruption in it.
212	* {{Unishment}}: Homer resigning as president of his union's chapter in exchange for the dental plan's restoration. Mr. Burns intends for this to be Homer having to give up something, but he doesn't know [[ReluctantRuler Homer]] wanted to quit.
213	* WorthyOpponent: Mr. Burns comes to regard Homer as this, as all his attempts to buy off or thwart Homer fail spectacularly. Of course, it's really all because Homer is TooDumbToFool.
214	-->'''Mr. Burns:''' ''[as Homer enthuses about the successful conclusion to the strike]'' Smithers, I'm beginning to think that Homer Simpson was not the brilliant tactician I thought he was.
215	* WretchedHive: Springfield, best exemplified when the power comes back on.

Context Recap / TheSimpsonsS4E17LastExitToSpringfield