While Lisa implements a recycling program, Mr. Burns discovers that he's lost his fortune and now must live like a common man. But with Lisa's help, Mr. Burns devises a plan to regain his fortune.
This episode contains examples of:
- Call Back: When Lisa and Mr. Burns were arguing about recycling and it went to how wealthy Burns was, Lisa produced a copy of the biography Burns made in that episode where Bart donated him some blood.
- Comically Missing the Point: Homer
Homer: Please be Flanders, Please be Flanders...
- Also, when Lisa showed herself disgusted at knowing what the slurry named after her was made of, Mr. Burns thought a spoonful of it would have made her better. Sure, he didn't understand why Lisa didn't like the idea but he should have noticed she didn't.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good / Hero with an F in Good: Mr. Burns has genuinely found a desire to do good, but he doesn't realize how wrong it is that Lil' Lisa's slurry is made from live sea creatures.
Lisa: You're still evil, and when you try to be good, you're even more evil!
- My God, What Have I Done?: Lisa upon realizing what Lil's Lisa's slurry is made of.
- Riches To Rags: Mr. Burns thanks to listening to spineless Yes-men. Lisa helped him to become wealthy again.
- Screw the Money, I Have Rules!: Lisa refuses to accept her share of the profits from Mr. Burns' sale of the Lil' Lisa's slurry factory. Many fans have argued whether this was wise of her or not.
- Shout Out: The sequence when Mr. Burns tries to ask Lisa to help him spoofs the Title Sequence of That Girl.
- The scene where a confused Mr. Burns goes to a grocery store is inspired by an (apocryphal) account of George HW Bush being amazed at a grocery scanner.
- The recycling center is called "Uriah's Heap", named after the character Uriah Heep from David Copperfield. The hippie who owns the center is modeled after Dennis Hopper's photographer character from Apocalypse Now.
- The scene where Lisa runs down the streets of Springfield, trying to stop everyone from using Lil' Lisa's slurry spoofs Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Soylent Green.
- Spoof Aesop
Homer: Well Lisa, I hope you learned your lesson. "Never help anyone".
