[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_14.jpg]]
After a radiation scare due to Homer's usual brand of idiocy, Springfield is placed under closed-circuit TV surveillance but has a group of civilian control, which includes Flanders. On the sub-plot, Lisa is forced to dye her hair brown after being called out for not being a DumbBlonde.

!!Tropes featured in this episode include:
* AdHominem: Lisa is humiliated in the debate at the beginning (and thus starts her sub-plot) when the defense the other speaker at the debate uses (which ends up working) is constantly pointing out that she's blonde, so that means that she's a DumbBlonde, so anything she says must be automatically wrong [[CircularReasoning because she's blonde]].
* AdultsAreUseless: Except for Ned and Marge, everyone in Springfield refuses to listen to Lisa due to believing that she’s a DumbBlonde, despite nearly everyone in Springfield knowing that Lisa is a genius.
** When Lisa calls out the judges for agreeing with her deliberately weak argument simply because she dyed her hair brunette rather than the content of her words, the male judges try to deny it, while the female judge all but admits to it, [[HypocriticalHumor because Lisa's brown hair makes an excellent point]]
* BestialityIsDepraved: Mayor Quimby tries to bait people who aren't satisfied with him into admitting to bestiality by saying that those in favor of term limits should say "I...have sex with animals." Cletus Spuckler admits that he actually does have sex with animals, but isn't in favor of term limits.
* BigBrotherIsWatching: Ned Flanders literally nags Springfield into submission in this episode. Even referenced by Ned when he has his MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment, saying that he didn't wanted to be a "Big Brother", but rather a "little sister", tattling on everyone so [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans the town would be a nicer place]].
* CallBack:
** Prince Charles tells Queen Elizabeth II that "My cat's breath smells like cat food". This line was also said by Ralph Wiggum in "Lisa's Rival". Prince Charles says the line right after the Queen comments that Ralph reminds her of him.
** The music heard when Homer and Flanders are destroying all of the security cameras was last heard in Treehouse of Horror ''[[LongBusTrip II]]'' (when Homer and Bart are spending quality time together in the latter's nightmare).
* TheCameo: Shary Bobbins, who [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E13SimpsoncalifragilisticexpialaAnnoyedGruntcious died in her initial appearance]] (although the show is known for {{Retcon}}), is seen in England but transforms into a [[Film/TheTerminator Terminator]]–esque robot.
* ControlFreak: There is no better term to describe Ned Flanders looking through SinisterSurveillance 24/7 and nagging people into correcting minor peccadillos like putting one toe in grass or having butt crack showing.
* DrunkWithPower: The closed-circuit television system is meant to keep track of actual crimes, terrorist threats, and emergencies. Ned instead uses it to literally nag the whole town into becoming a submissive dystopia, while the British terrorist expert who sold it to them uses the footage to have the Springfieldians as unknowing participants in a British reality TV series.
* DumbBlonde: Lisa's sub-plot involves people thinking that she's this. She tries proving to people that she's not this and that generalizing people based on certain traits is a bad thing.
* {{Expy}}: That bomb squad specialist is clearly based on Creator/ClintEastwood.
* EveryoneHasStandards: Marge has two moments of this.
** She soon leaves her job in surveillance because she felt uncomfortable with getting involved with peoples' privacy.
** This is also why she (inadvertenly) tattles on Homer and Bart's leading the civilians' troublemaking in the blind spot to Ned.
* TheFundamentalist: Ned, as usual. He takes over the surveillance station and spends 24/7 watching through the cameras and literally nagging anything and anybody he deems wrong into submission. Being who he is, "anything he deems wrong" is an absurdly long list.
* GeniusDitz: Bart maybe a rebellious student, but he did find a blind spot... the Simpsons’ backyard.
* HeroAntagonist: Ned, crossing this with WellIntentionedExtremist. Due to his constant nagging of the town, he essentially becomes the antagonist of the episode. He "pulls off" a "HeelFaceTurn" by breaking the cameras with Homer at the end of the episode.
* HurricaneOfEuphemisms: After Bart [[{{Mooning}} moons the cameras]] and discovers there is a blind spot, he tests where it is by keeping his pants down and walking around his house marking the moment where Ned tries to nag him by using a barrage of synonyms for "butt" (like "fannie" and "heinie"). The TimeSkip implies that Ned tossed said euphemisms for at least a whole hour.
* HurricaneOfPuns: the book "Sally Circle in Rectangu-land" is full of circle and rectangle puns.
* JerkassBall: Most of Springfield forgets for this episode that Lisa is a genius and treat her like a dumb blonde.
* JerkassHasAPoint: After discovering a blind spot in their backyard where Ned can't see and nag them through the cameras, Homer and Bart exploit it by turning it into a hotspot where people pay them for access so they can do the things Ned nagged them for over the cameras. When Ned finds out through an unwitting Marge and goes to put an end to it, Homer defends his actions by pointing out Ned's invasion of everyone's privacy made them desperate to find a haven where they could be themselves and forced their unwholesome behavior into one small spot, causing them to act out more than if Ned left them alone.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Nelson is like this to Lisa. Being more specific, he's one of the few characters that don't demean her as a dumb blonde in this episode.
* KnightTemplar: Ned tried to force Springfield into a paradise by oppressing them via surveillance cameras and then directly speaking to them by microphone in order to ruin their activities. When Homer finally tells Ned that the town is sick of Ned's actions and demands that Ned should allow them to keep their privacy as well as allow them to have the freedom of choice. Ned tells him that he was trying to mould Springfield into a paradise by tattling on them.
* LooseLips: Ned finds out about the blind spot because Marge mutters about it in annoyance right next to a camera when she becomes fed up with all of the debauchery.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Ned feels like this when Homer tells him that he inadvertently drove people to the Simpsons' backyard to do all the things Ned chastised them for doing.
-->'''Homer:''' I don't have to listen to you. If I'm not on camera, you can't see me! [...] Everyone in this town is sick and tired of you looking over their shoulder. [...]\\
'''Ned:''' But neighbor, why did you have to do this? I've tattled this town into a paradise!\\
(''Chalmers runs by with nunchucks in a ballerina outfit'')\\
'''Chalmers:''' This used to be just a little part of me.\\
'''Homer:''' You see Ned, [[JerkassHasAPoint your citywide nagging compressed all of our town's misbehavior into one small place, creating a glittering diamond of super evil]].\\
'''Ned:''' ''(sighs)'' I guess I did create this. Like God created the devil. [...] Oh, I never wanted to turn into [[BigBrotherIsWatching "Big Brother"]]. I just wanted to be "little sister", [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans tattlin' on everyone so the town would be a nicer place]].\\
'''Homer:''' Well, if you ask me, you were trying to [[AGodAmI play God]].\\
'''Ned:''' ''[[OhCrap (gasps)]]'' That's the worst sin of all, for some reason...
* MythologyGag: This episode is basically a less terrifying version of the Dictator Flanders timeline in "Time and Punishment" from ''[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E6TreehouseOfHorrorV Treehouse of Horror V]]'', with Flanders watching over Springfield into a fundamentalist dystopian society.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Bart discovers the blind spot by trying to [[{{Mooning}} moon]] the cameras when he gets fed up with Ned's nagging and ''doesn't'' have Ned instantly tattling on it.
* OverusedRunningGag: When pointing out mistakes in Nelson's logic, Lisa comments, "your '[[{{Catchphrase}} haw-haw]]', through overuse, has lost its power." Nelson actually agrees and applauds her for it.
* PlayingGod: Homer claims that Ned trying to control the whole town's actions came off as him trying to play God. This horrifies Ned.
* PokeThePoodle: Ned's SinisterSurveillance is not "do what we tell you or we will arrest you/kill you", it's "do anything [[TheFundamentalist I]] don't like and I'll click my tongue until you stop." He achieves his goal of turning the city into a PoliceState through sheer relentless pestering.
* PoliceAreUseless: At least we found out who can do better than Wiggum.
-->'''Lou''': Uh, Chief, I think we got a misuse of police equipment on ZZ-99.\\
''(Wiggum looks, before switching the cameras back to normal after looking at Edna sunbathing topless)''\\
'''Chief Wiggum''': Killjoy.
* TheReveal: The entire episode -at least the main story- is a hidden-camera reality show that airs on British TV and is considered the Queen's and Prince Charles' favorite show.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: That bomb squad specialist decides to break up the plutonium rather than do the countdown
* ShoutOut:
** The gay bar is full with Sesame Street like people.
** Flanders becomes a one-man milquetoast Thought Police. ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'' gets a more direct reference once Ned actually understands what he's done, by saying that he didn't wanted to be anybody's "Big Brother".
** While watching Bart's reckless skateboarding, Ned warns him to "Stop [[Film/GleamingTheCube gleaming that cube]]!"
* SinisterSurveillance: Flanders very quickly turns the town's surveillance system into a PlayedForLaughs version.
* StepfordSuburbia: A milder version than usual for this trope, PlayedForLaughs: all Ned has on his side, aside from the SinisterSurveillance, is nagging through tactics like constantly clicking his tongue, things that wouldn't dissuade a rebellious child, let alone a criminal. Springfield is ''still'' forced into becoming a nicer place to live, because he is just ''that'' relentlessly annoying.
* TakeThat: After TheReveal is discovered, the Queen says that she will miss [[TheDitz Ralph Wiggum]], comparing him to her son. Cue Prince Charles coming in with his own cat and spouting Ralph's famous line about his cat's breath.
* TemptingFate: Lisa angrily calls out the debate crowd for adhering to old stereotypes, arguing for example that blondes aren't always dumb and old people aren't always bad drivers. Immediately afterwards, Grampa crashes through a nearby wall and angrily yells that the building cut him off.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Ned's reason for tattling on the entire town is a variation of this. It ends up as an inversion, though, having created the town into a {{Dystopia}} instead.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Ned, crossing this with HeroAntagonist. He nags the entirety of Springfield so that they follow the rules and make it a better place.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Where did the Van Houtens, Helen Lovejoy, Julius Hibbert, and Elizabeth Hoover go after Ned Flanders and Marge Simpson took over with cameras?
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Alluded to by Bart when Lisa points out his [[HypocriticalHumor hypocrisy for laughing at a blonde joke]].
-->'''Bart:''' Blonde ''guys'' aren't dumb, they're ''evil.'' Like in ''Karate Kid'' or [[BreadEggsMilkSquick World War II]].
* WretchedHive: After discovering that the surveillance network has a blind spot located on the Simpsons' backyard, Homer and Bart invite everybody to do whatever they can't do because of Ned's incessant nagging right there. It quickly becomes a miniature den of debauchery, and Homer's [[WhatTheHellHero What The Hell Hero Speech]] at Ned (once he finds out about the blind spot, courtesy of Marge) is that this is the result of his actions, saying that in no uncertain terms that no matter how hard he tries, he can't make evil go away. He just makes it more determined to find a place where it can go on undisturbed.
-->'''Bart''': Welcome to Chaos Corners, the Pleasure Patch, Satan's Triangle. The one place in town where no camera can see you and no laws can touch you.