History Recap / TheSimpsonsS15E21BartMangledBanner

After days stuck in a small, lonely jail cell, a strange old man who touts himself as "the last registered Democrat" offers to help the family escape during a prison talent show where they sing an ultra-patriotic show. The audience are so distracted by the act that they miss the family escaping through a trap door below the stage. They dig up through the tunnel where they're being hunted in, and discover that the prison they're in is indeed on an island in a middle of an ocean. The family have no choice but to jump into the sea, where they come across a barge ran by French sea-farers, who rescue the family as they believe they hate America, just like them. The family enjoy their new life in France, but eventually decide that there's no place like home and decide to come back to America pretending to be immigrants to avoid a witch hunt.

* StealthPun: The donkey literally [[CatchPhrase ate Bart's shorts]].

** "Headbutt" with Nash Castor serves as a TakeThat to the CNN debate show "Crossfire" (which Jon Stewart famously criticized when he appeared on it, which many say played a major role in it's cancellation) and it's host Tucker Carlson (who was infamous for getting loud and obnoxious with any guest who didn't agree with him, which lead to the Stewart incident).

* ATragedyOfImpulsiveness: Marge getting fed up with Nash Castor and doing a sarcastic, angry rant ''on national television'' about how she hates America because it produces asshole TV hosts. Everybody on the set (''even Castor'') looks at her in shock and sure enough the family turns into pariahs.

* KarmaHoudini: Needles to say, despite being responsible for the following chain of events. Hibbert and Barney get away with making Bart deaf. The unseen handler of the donkey also gets no recourse for letting it go after the boy.

** "Headbutt" with Nash Castor serves as a TakeThat to the CNN debate show "Crossfire"(which Jon Stewart famously criticized when he appeared on it, which many say played a major role in it's cancellation)and it's host Tucker Carlson(who was infamous for getting loud and obnoxious with any guest who didn't agree with him, which lead to the Stewart incident).

* TakeThat: At the overzealous patriotic attitudes of post-9/11 America during Bush's first term. The "Government Knows Best Act" is a jab at the controversial Patriot Act.

* ShoutOut: The Simpsons escaping fleeing military surveillance while singing in public? You would expect them to sing "[[Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic Edelweiss]]".

* KarmaHoudini: [[JustForPun Needles]] to say, despite being responsible for the following chain of events. Hibbert and Barney get away with making Bart deaf. The unseen handler of the donkey also gets no recourse for letting it go after the boy.

* KarmaHoudini: Needles to say, despite being responsible for the following chain of events. Hibbert and Barney get away with making Bart deaf. The unseen handler of the donkey also gets no recourse for letting it go after the boy.

Before the game, a deaf Bart plays a prank on one of the donkeys by waving a carrot repeatedly in front of his face, then puts it in the back of his shorts, all while the national anthem plays. The donkey gets revenge on Bart by chewing his shorts off from the back just as the flag comes down, giving the appearance that he is mooning the flag. School photographer Martin takes a snap and eventually the picture becomes popular, with newspapers and subsequently the townspeople jumping on the idea that the Simpsons hate America, making the family pariahs as a result. This goes on for days and eventually Homer gets the idea to go on a popular talk show to prove that they don't hate the country.

--->'''Elmo''': Elmo went to wrong fundraiser.

-->'''Lisa''': Swim toward San Francisco!
-->'''Homer''': I'm not made of money! We'll swim to Oakland!

-->'''Bart''': Dad, why are you still singing that stupid song!