Flashbacks reveal Homer's involvement in the events leading to the birth of Todd Flanders.
Tropes:
- Away in a Manger: Shortly before Christmas, Homer helps Maude give birth.
- Babies Make Everything Better: In this case, Homer delivering Todd saves his marriage to Marge.
- Call-Forward:
- Grandpa gets worried when Marge comments that he’s only staying with them temporarily, forcing her to hide the retirement home brochures.
- Homer’s attempts at baking incinerate the good drapes, causing him to lament that they’ll have to get the corn cob drapes they have in the present.
- Homer's brain talks to him for the very first time, claiming that up until now it was drowned out by his stomach.
- Comic-Book Time: The floating timeline puts six years ago at a point where Uber was in common use.
- Delivery Guy: With Ned out running charitable errands and no way to get to the hospital, Homer steps in to deliver Todd Flanders.
- Innocent Swearing: Rod joins Homer in calling Ned a "jackass" after asking Ned what it means, with Ned defining it as "a silly person".
- Karma Houdini: Whether or not Lenny or Carl knew what would happen when Homer got drunk from the spiked soda, Marge never finds out and no one ever blames them for being the ones responsible for Homer ruining the party. Though in their defense, everyone else was just as drunk.
- "Near and Dear" Baby Naming: It's revealed that Todd's middle name is Homer, after his father's neighbor Homer Simpson.Homer: And for similar reasons, Maggie’s middle name is “Lenny”. But that’s a story for a different day.
- Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title: The title is a parody of Stranger Things.
- Platonic Declaration of Love: 2-year-old Lisa's response to learning Homer won't be back for a while is to sweetly declare her love for Bart repeatedly while Bart fires it right back.
- Retcon: In "Lisa's First Word," Todd was already born and capable of walking and talking when the Simpsons moved in while Marge was pregnant with Lisa, yet here he's about two years younger than her.
- The Reveal: Todd's middle name is Homer.
- Series Continuity Error: Maggie's middle name is changed from Evelyn to Lenny and Todd isn't the same age as Lisa.
- Silly Prayer: Ned asks Homer to lead grace and gets exactly what he should have expected.Homer: Dear God, how you doing? I know your son's birthday's coming up. Oh, with his mother, you say? Oh, that's too bad.Ned: Now, Homer, in this house, grace is personal, pious, and at least 500 words.Homer: Fine. Thank You, O Lord, for my wonderful home, which I'm not in. And my beautiful family, which I can't see. I mean, Flanders is great and all, but even you must think he's kind of a jackass.
- Unsuspectingly Soused: Homer promises Marge not to drink at the office party. Lenny and Carl find sober Homer boring, so they spike his can of Buzz Cola. Soon, Homer is singing drunkenly, angering Marge.
- Whole Episode Flashback: Most of the episode takes place six years earlier.
