History Recap / TheSimpsonsS10E11WildBartsCantBeBroken

** After the kids' first broadcast, Homer was relieved because they already talked about him...only for Bart to announce they had plenty more dirt on him.
** After the adults confront the kids, Chief Wiggum tells them to come down from the billboard with the promise that nothing would happen to them...only for Homer to declare he was going to kill Bart.

** Chief Wiggum in particular. He took a nastier edge throughout this episode, with him [[ImplacableMan going above and beyond what was necessary to punish the children of Springfield]] and to make sure his rules were enforced by all means (at the expense of more pressing crimes in the city). He goes as far as warning that kids will be ''[[KillerCop shot]]'' if they break curfew before taking it back. The result is him changing from a dim-witted, corrupt but still likable rival of Mayor Quimby to a rogue, irritating jackass who makes certain citizens' lives crap just because he could, evidenced by his unnecessarily gloating how stupid children are and how "Adults always win!"

* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Downplayed. Although everyone in town who is not elderly ends up being smacked with a curfew (which is more of a blanket punishment), Homer and his idiotic gang are never directly punished or even called out on their drunken behavior which set all the episode's events in motion. Nobody even finds out that they were responsible. Until ''way'' later, in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS23E14AtLongLastLeave At Long Last Leave]]" (though only Homer was found to be responsible and Lenny, Carl and Barney are still unpunished).

* [[AsHimself As Herself]]: TheCameo of Cyndi Lauper, singing "The Star Spangled Banner" in the style of "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" in the first scene.

** Chief Wiggum in particular. He took a nastier edge throughout this episode, with him [[ImplacableMan going above and beyond what was necessary to punish the children of Springfield]] and to make sure his rules were enforced by all means (at the expense of more pressing crimes in the city.) He goes as far as warning that kids will be ''[[KillerCop shot]]'' if they break curfew before taking it back. The result is him changing from a dim-witted, corrupt but still likable rival of Mayor Quimby to a rogue, irritating jackass who makes certain citizens' lives crap just because he could, evidenced by his unnecessarily gloating how stupid children are and how "Adults always win!"

* {{Jerkass}}: Chief Wiggum. He blames Homer's (and his friends') drunken antics on children who had nothing to do with them and enforced a curfew in which all children were forced to be back home before sundown. One line implied that he would enforce this curfew by ''shooting'' anyone who was caught breaking curfew, even if the sun set before they could make it back home. In fact, virtually every adult in this episode was a jerk.

* TookALevelInJerkass:
** Chief Wiggum in particular. He took a nastier edge throughout this episode, with him [[ImplacableMan going above and beyond what was necessary to punish the children of Springfield]] and to make sure his rules were enforced by all means (at the expense of more pressing crimes in the city.) He goes as far as warning that kids will be ''[[KillerCop shot]]'' if they break curfew before taking it back. The result is him changing from a dim-witted, corrupt but still likable rival of Mayor Quimby to a rogue, irritating jackass who makes certain citizens' lives crap just because he could, evidenced by his unnecessarily gloating how stupid children are and how "Adults always win!"
** Many of the adults reveled in the curfew more than any adult ever should. Even Marge, who is one of the nicer Simpsons, made a few jokes. When the kids get even, [[NeverMyFault the adults act as if they did nothing wrong and that the kids are to blame.]] Even their half of the song is needlessly cruel with Homer singing that Bart and Lisa were accidents because Marge forgot her pill. Marge doesn't even shout at him like she did in "Radio Bart" or correct him. She just murmurs and gives a guilty or embarrassed smile to the other adults, which is out-of-character, as she will tear the world to shreds if her children are harmed in some way either emotionally or physically. Moe sang about how the all kids should be "drowned like cats".
** Marge also not so subtlety implies near the beginning of the episode that she's staying with Homer out of pure stubbornness rather than any affection saying that her mother told her to stick out a situation to the bitter end even if she picked a "loser", Homer however is too dim to notice.

* InstantlyProvenWrong: When Marge tries to assure Bart and Lisa that nothing really great happens after dark, Homer comes in cheering that there's a carnival in the street.

* NoodleIncident: Apparently, at one point, Homer practiced medicine without a license. And Dr. Hibbert was practicing without one, too.

-->(''Listening in his home, Dr. Hibbert nervously pulls his collar.'')

* DecidedByOneVote: The curfew for people under 70. Turns out that there are still enough old people left in Springfield to win the vote... [[WhatAnIdiot if people like Homer decide not to vote because they believe otherwise]].

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: A rare [[AvertedTrope aversion]] for the show; the "Kids/Adults!" song uses the same tune as the number it parodies from Theatre/ByeByeBirdie.

* ArtisticLicenseLaw: The child curfew law that Chief Wiggum enforces is nowhere close to how most cities enforce similar child curfew laws. For starters, these laws usually state when a child can't be out at night without adult supervision (as kids do tend to be out late to attend sporting events, movie screenings, and other activities), not when a kid must be at home. Second, most cities' curfew time is usually a set time (i.e. 9:00 p.m.), not as soon as the sun sets (and even if the time is based on when the sun sets, the curfew starts at least ''an hour after'' this).

* FalseReassurance: When the adults trace the source of the kids' radio station, Chief Wiggum assures the kids they won't be fine, [[NotHelpingYourCase only for Homer to contradict him by saying he wanted to kill them]].

** Many of the adults reveled in the curfew more than any adult ever should. Even Marge, who is one of the nicer Simpsons, made a few jokes. When the kids get even, [[NeverMyFault the adults act as if they did nothing wrong and that the kids are to blame.]] Even the song is needlessly cruel with Homer singing that Bart and Lisa were accidents because Marge forgot her pill. Marge doesn't even shout at him like she did in "Radio Bart" or correct him. She just murmurs and gives a guilty or embarrassed smile to the other adults, which is out-of-character, as she will tear the world to shreds if her children are harmed in some way either emotionally or physically. Moe sang about how the all kids should be "drowned like cats".

* KickTheDog: Wiggum's treatment of the kids (except for Rod and Todd)

* TakeThat: What drives Bart and Lisa to the breaking point? Sassy primetime TV, like ''Don't Go There'' (a parody of NBC sitcoms at the time, the characters patterned off ''Mad About You'', and the set literally lifted from ''Friends'') and ''Talk to the Hand'' ("starring" David Faustino. [[note]]a.k.a. Bud Bundy from ''Series/MarriedWithChildren.''[[/note]])

** Chief Wiggum in particular. He took a nastier edge throughout this episode, with him [[ImplacableMan going above and beyond what was necessary to punish the children of Springfield]] and to make sure [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem his rules were enforced by all means (at the expense of more pressing crimes in the city.)]] He goes as far as warning that kids will be ''[[KillerCop shot]]'' if they break curfew before taking it back. The result is him changing from a dim-witted, corrupt but still likable rival of Mayor Quimby to a rogue, irritating jackass who makes certain citizens' lives crap just because he could, evidenced by his unnecessarily gloating how stupid children are and how "Adults always win!"

* {{Jerkass}}: Chief Wiggum. He blames Homer's (and his friends') drunken antics on children who had nothing to do with them and enforced a curfew in which all children were forced to be back home before sundown. One line implied that he would enforce this curfew by ''shooting'' anyone who was caught breaking curfew, even if the sun set before they could make it back home.

* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Downplayed. Although everyone in town who is not elderly ends up being smacked with a curfew (which is more of a blanket punishment), Homer and his idiotic gang are never directly punished or even called out on their drunken behavior which set all the episode's events in motion. Nobody even finds out that they were responsible. Until ''way'' later, in "At Long Last Leave" (though only Homer was found to be responsible and Lenny, Carl and Barney are still unpunished).

-->'''Moe''': That sniper at the all-star game turned out to be a blessing in disguise!

-->'''Bart''': ''([[[EvilBrit in a faux British accent]])'' Tune in tomorrow, and ''every day'' until the curfew is lifted because we’ll be revealing embarrassing secrets about Springfield's other adults.
-->'''Homer''': Well, at least they’ve already done me.
-->'''Bart''': [[InstantlyProvenWrong And we'll have plenty more on Homer Simpson]].
-->'''Homer''': D'oh!

* AstonishinglyAppropriateInterruption: Minhouse sings "Adults, why don't you..." is interrupted by Abe Simpson telling him to shut up.