After being challenged to come up with an original idea by a school assignment, Charlene winds up in trouble by proposing the theory that the Earth is round.
- Artistic License – History: The episode claims Copernicus was the one who initially had the idea that the Earth was round, but he is credited instead with heliocentrism. The Earth was believed to be some sort of "round" (whether a perfect sphere or imperfect spheroid) for over a thousand years before Copernicus was born.
- Batman Gambit: After being sentenced to death, but being allowed to choose the method, Charlene wishes for herself and Robbie to be tossed off at the "End of the Earth", knowing there isn't one.
- Big Brother Is Watching: Charlene's teacher is put under heavy surveillance to ensure no one else believes into Charlene's theories or develop anymore radical ideas. Robbie ends up developing these same ideas in defense for her and is similarly tried.
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Earl tells Fran that none of the events of the episode would have happened if she never told Charlene to actually think, while she's on trial.
- Courtroom Episode: Most of the episode takes place in one, run by a Hanging Judge who clearly just wants to get to the death sentence.
- A Fool for a Client: Played with, Earl is representing both of his children during the trial and it goes about as well as you'd expect with someone as bumbling as he is. Charlene also attempts this early on in the trial, only to make things worse until she pulls off her Batman Gambit.
- Idiot Houdini: Earl gets off scot-free despite doing a bang-up job trying to defend his children.
- Insanity Defense: Earl tries to pull a "Temporary Intelligence" plea as an excuse for Charlene's thoughts during the trial.
- Karma Houdini: Fran is never suspected or accused by anyone, except for Earl obviously, to be the reason why Charlene got the round Earth idea in the first place. Though this is mostly because the judge is running a Kangaroo Court and is more into sentencing people over the slightest provocation than actually hearing anyone out.
- Let Us Never Speak of This Again: The Elders allow the Sinclairs go free as long as they keep secret of their discovery.
- Shout-Out: It takes Robbie and Charlene 80 days to be taken across the world and back.
