The Simpsons find a bunch of keys and try to find a use for all of them, one of which leads to the mystery behind a secret, technologically-advanced classroom at Springfield Elementary.
This episode of The Simpsons provides examples of...
- Accidental Hero: Bart accidentally saves Gil from a suicide attempt and is honored as a hero for doing so. This actually irritates him as he's been trying to use the keys to cause his usual mayhem and only managing to do good deeds in the process.
- All for Nothing: At the beginning of the episode, Homer buys a returned wedding cake for himself and finds himself on a perilous journey home through Suicidal Moron Pass. He makes it home with the cake undamaged, but he accidentally locks Maggie in the car, and she proceeds to ruin the cake by sleeping on top of it. At least Homer eats the frosting off of her when she manages to get out of the car.
- Body Horror: Brandine hasn't bothered to cut off her umbilical chord off from her already-grown kid until Cletus happened to get Bart's discarded city key. Brandine warns him cutting it off means Cletus will just have to feed the kid through his mouth instead of through Brandine.
- Borrowed Catch Phrase: When Bart's attempt to pull a federal crime backfires:Bart: What the...? I tried to do bad and I did good.
Rev. Lovejoy: Haw-haw! - Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs: Lisa found a three-door set. Their labels read: "Band Books", "Banned Books" and "Banned Band Books".
- Brick Joke: When Marge first discovers the farting toy train, she says she hopes it wasn't going to be an anniversary present. Near the end of the episode, when the toy breaks, Homer gets upset, saying that now he has to buy Marge a new anniversary present.
- Broken Record: Nelson when he's teasing Lisa for always following the rules. "Have a nice day, just like yesterday...and the day before that...and the day before that...and the day before that..." He even continues over the intercom while giving the morning announcements.
- The Cameo: The opening titles feature a surprise appearance from none other than Hank Scorpio piloting a fighter jet.
- Can't Get in Trouble for Nuthin': Bart tries to use some keys to pull epic pranks, but each time he ends up helping people.
- Cassandra Truth: Rod and Todd not believing their father when he told them the farting noise wasn't his.
- Continuity Cavalcade: While looking through the keys, Homer finds several from the many jobs he's had throughout the series.
- Crazy-Prepared: Apparently Skinner did plan for Homer buying cakes but not having Maggie locked in the car which Chalmers scorn that he should have expected that too.
- Did I Say That Out Loud: When Otto learned those dead kids were actually dummies, he commented that he killed that hobo for nothing.
- Faking the Dead: To cover up the fake classroom, Skinner and Chalmers arranged a bus accident to explain what happened to the advanced students. The bus was actually full of dummies, but Otto was not informed of that and had been wracked by guilt ever since.
- Interrupted Suicide: During one of Bart’s attempts at causing mischief, he ends up saving Gill from jumping off a building.
- It Was Here, I Swear!:
- When Ned's sons show up to ask if the farting noise came from him, the toy train that made the noise had already left.
- When Lisa tries to show Skinner and several other students the fake classroom, the only find a bookshelf. When goes back to investigate, she finds it's a fake covering up the door.
- Noodle Incident: Invoked when all of the keys are found, as Homer remarks that some of the stories are quite fascinating, but we never learn what they are.
- Shout-Out:
- The fake classroom's chemistry side had the elements (fire, water, earth and air) represented by the symbols used in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
- When Lisa asked Nelson about Bus 23, he called her Goldilocks and told her those were bowls of gruel she'd rather stay away from.
- Skinny Dipping: Homer and Duffman went au naturel for a swim, which was how the former got the keys to the Duff Brewery.
