History Recap / TheSimpsonsS7E3HomeSweetHomediddlyDumDoodily

* SocietyMarchesOn: The Flanders' car has a bumper sticker reading "I ♥ YOUR KIDS" - fine for the joke they're telling in the episode, but these days, that'd be read as something else ''entirely''.

The local [[DepartmentOfChildDisservices child welfare office]] unfairly takes the Simpson kids out of their home (after Bart catches lice from Milhouse's pet monkey and needs to get all his clothes disinfected by burning them, forcing him to wear a potato sack, Lisa gets her prescription shoes taken by some [[AlphaBitch bullying girls]] and bites her tongue after someone hits her with a soccer ball, and Marge and Homer go to a spa and leave Grampa to let the house go to pot) and puts them in foster care -- with Ned and Maude Flanders. While Homer and Marge are forced to take parenting classes, Bart and Lisa worry that Maggie may love the Flanders family more than The Simpsons.

** On both sides with the newspaper printing scene - Bart smiles innocently on handing Todd the paper reading "Todd Stinks", as if genuinely expecting them to go with it, and Rod and Todd just seem confused by it, rather than offended. It then became less funny to an annoyed Bart.
-->'''Rod:''' I don't think there needs to be an "Extra! Extra!" on the newspaper.\\

* AdultFear: Due to several misunderstandings, child welfare accuse Homer and Marge of negligence and their children are taken away from them. It's particularly heartbreaking when Homer and Marge wander into each of their kids' empty bedrooms. And when Marge and Homer hear Bart's signature ring, they rush down to the front door, faces joyful, only to see nobody's there.

* BaitAndSwitch: The Simpsons are told Bart, Lisa and Maggie will be taken to a place where Homer and Marge will never see them again. Then they're left at the house next door (which actually is a violation on the 100-foot restraining order Homer and Marge were given against their own children).

* ExorcistHead: Maggie's head spins around after she says, "Daddily doodily!" Oh and keep note this is NOT a Halloween episode!

* KarmaHoudini: While Abe is called out for his irresponsibility, [[NeverMyFault he brushes it off]] with a simple "[[TookALevelInJerkass Oh bitch, bitch, bitch!]]" in response and leaves with no proper comeuppance.

* NotHelpingYourCase: When Lisa tries to argue that Marge and Homer are good parents who've never neglected she and her siblings, one of her teeth fall out. She insists that it was a baby tooth and it was loose, but it's clear the Flanders don't believe her.

* PantyShot: A fairly obvious one, one of Lisa's bullies is sticking her backside towards the camera as she points at Lisa, her skirt clearly high enough to display her underwear.

* ExorcistHead: Maggie's head spins around after she says, "Daddily doodily!"

* TookALevelInJerkass:
** Grandpa. He's confronted about being left with the kids for a few hours and getting them taken away and just says "Oh, bitch, bitch, bitch!" and walks off.
** Flanders, he forcibly tries to baptize Bart, Lisa and Maggie and calls Homer and Marge bad parents because they never baptized them, and by the way they talked, he and Maude intended to keep the Simpson children permanently despite that being outside the scope of being a foster parent.

* TheLopsidedArmOfTheLaw: If there's any choice of episodes of ''The Simpsons'' that freely potshots at the ineffectual and stringent absurdity of bureaucratic law, Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily would be up there with them. Not only does the episode showcase how myopic Springfield Elementary is when it comes to actually diagnosing its own problems for the sake of its students, instead for its own gains, even social services show how disgustingly out of touch and stringent in their standards that land in the double sided variety that they don't even bother to inspect other factors or use common sense in their investigations. A paper sign that states "I am a dumb baby"? Obviously the mother would do that. Springfield Elementary has kids that have bad home lives? If they think Bart and Lisa and Maggie are bad, then they've probably never heard of Nelson Muntz or the Cletus kids, and even then, they'd probably send out the National Guard or the FBI or the US Army.

** As usual, Homer is the king of this. While in court he speaks up after Marge claiming to the judge that he's the ''last'' type of guy who should have any children, and then when mentioning loving Bart and Lisa he forgets about Maggie. Even realizes the first and [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] it, with the judge and Marge pointing out the second. Fortunately, the judge seemed to reasonably overlook it and sent both parents into a parenting class.

** As usual, Homer is the king of this. First, while in the court he speaks up after Marge claiming he's the ''last'' type of guy who should have any children, and then second when mentioning loving Bart and Lisa he forgets about Maggie. He realizes the first and [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] it, with the judge and Marge pointing out the second. Fortunately, the judge seemed to reasonably overlook it and sent both parents into a parenting class.

** As usual, Homer is the king of this. First, while in the court he speaks up after Marge claiming he's the ''last'' type of guy who should father any children, and then second when mentioning loving Bart and Lisa he forgets about Maggie. He realizes the first and [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] it, with the judge and Marge pointing out the second. Fortunately, the judge seemed to reasonably overlook it and sent both parents into a parenting class.

** As usual, Homer is the king of this. First, while in the court speaks up and claims he's the ''last'' type of guy who should father any children, and then second when only mentioning loving Bart and Lisa, forgetting about Maggie. Realizes the first and even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] it, with the judge pointing out the second. Fortunately, the judge seemed to reasonably overlook it and sent both parents into a parenting class.

** As usual, Homer is the king of this. First, while in the court speaks up and claims he's the ''last'' type of guy who should father any children, and then second when only mentioning loving Bart and Lisa, forgetting about Maggie. Realizes the first and even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] it, with the judge pointing out the second. Fortunately, the judge seemed to reasonably overlook it and send both parents into a parenting class.

* NotHelpingYourCase: When Lisa tries to argue that Marge and Homer are good parents who've never neglected she and her siblings, one of her teeth fall out. She insists that it was a baby tooth and it was loose, but it's clear Flanders don't believe her.

* HumorDissonance: In-universe. Bart and Lisa cackle madly on seeing an episode of ''Itchy & Scratchy'' where Itchy violently murders Scratchy by pretending to be a baby just to commit theft, while Rod and Todd are completely traumatised.

* {{Bowdlerization}}: When the episode first aired, Milhouse tells Bart that he found the monkey that gave Bart lice in a wicker basket from Pier One. When the company complained about the joke, the reruns had the line changed to "Trader Pete's," an entirely fictional store. On DVD, overseas markets (as Pier One isn't known outside of America), and the "Every Simpsons Ever" marathon on FXX (as well as normal cable reruns on that channel), the "Pier One" line is used. The "Trader Pete's" dialogue is on Creator/DisneyPlus as well as Creator/{{Freeform}}.

'''Todd:''' Is your source reliable?

* EntertaininglyWrong: A combination of [[ItMakesSenseInContext bullying, monkeys, and Grandpa's senility]] result in Homer and Marge being mistaken for bad parents.
* EveryoneHasStandards: Mrs. Krabapel, Principal Skinner, and Groundskeeper Willie don't like Bart, but they freak out when he's discovered to be carrying headlice and dispose of them accordingly, even giving him a blanket to keep him warm.

* FunWithAcronyms: After Marge passes her drug test again (the first time she failed because the test mistakenly had her tested positive for crack and PCP), she says "The only thing I'm 'high' on is love. '''L'''ove for my '''S'''on and '''D'''aughters. Yes, [[ThatCameOutWrong a little LSD is all I need]]."

* HumorDissonance: In-universe. Bart and Lisa cackle madly on seeing an episode of "Itchy & Scratchy" where Itchy violently murders Scratchy by pretending to be a baby just to commit theft, while Rod and Todd are completely traumatised.

* KarmaHoudini: While Abe is called out for his irresponsibility, [[NeverMyFault he brushes it off]] with a simple "[[TookALevelInJerkass Oh bitch bitch bitch!]]" in response and walks away with no proper comeuppance.

* KillItWithFire: Willie burns Bart's clothes on Principal Skinner's orders, to get rid of his lice. They squeak in terror before being incinerated.

* RuleOfFunny: Ned expresses shock that Bart and Lisa are unfamiliar with the story of "the Bridal Feast of Beth Chedruharazzeb."

** Grandpa. He's confronted about being left with the kids for a few hours and getting them taken away and just says "Oh bitch bitch bitch!" and walks off.
** Ned Flanders, he forcibly tries to baptize Bart, Lisa and Maggie and calls Homer and Marge bad parents because they never baptized the kids, and by the way they talked he and Maude intended to keep the Simpson children permanently despite that being outside the scope of being a foster parent.
* VertigoEffect: When the social worker announces to Bart, Lisa, and Maggie that they're being taken to "a FOSTER HOOOOOOME!".

* {{Bowdlerization}}: When the episode first aired, Milhouse tells Bart that he found the monkey that gave Bart lice in a wicker basket from Pier One. When the company complained about the joke, the reruns had the line changed to "Trader Pete's," an entirely fictional store. On DVD, overseas markets (as Pier One isn't known outside of America), and the "Every Simpsons Ever" marathon on FXX (as well as normal cable reruns on that channel), the "Pier One" line is used. The "Trader Pete's" dialogue is on Creator/DisneyPlus as well as Creator/Freeform.

** On both sides with the newspaper printing scene - Bart smiles innocently on handing Todd the paper reading "Todd Stinks", as if genuinely expecting them to go with it, and Rodd and Todd just seem confused by it, rather than offended. It then became less funny to an annoyed Bart.

** Ned Flanders, he forcibly tries to baptize Bart, Lisa and Maggie and calls Homer and Marge bad parents because they never baptized the kids, and by the way they talked he and Maude intended to keep the Simpson children permanently despite that being outside the scope of being a foster parent..

* {{Bowdlerization}}: When the episode first aired, Milhouse tells Bart that he found the monkey that gave Bart lice in a wicker basket from Pier One. When the company complained about the joke, the reruns had the line changed to "Trader Pete's," an entirely fictional store. On DVD, overseas markets (as Pier One isn't known outside of America), and the "Every Simpsons Ever" marathon on FXX (as well as normal cable reruns on that channel), the "Pier One" line is used. The "Trader Pete's" dialogue is on Creator/DisneyPlus.

** This happens a couple times with Bart and Lisa at the Flanders' house. First, Ned tells the kids he made "nachos, Flanders style" which is just cucumbers with cottage cheese. Later Ned invites the family to play a game, Bart and Lisa are initially excited since he referred to it involving a "bombardment" until Ned continues with "of Bible trivia questions".

* KickMePrank: Bart sticks a sign on Lisa's back that read, "I'm a stupid baby!" That sign somehow finds its way on Maggie and was mistaken for a label Homer and Marge put on the baby when the Child Protective Services officers inspect the Simpson house.

* RuleOfFunny: Ned expresses shock that Bart and Lisa are unfamiliar with the story of the "the Bridal Feast of Beth Chedruharazzeb."

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: You may be tempted to look up the "Serpet of Rehoboam" or the "Bridal Feast of Beth Chedruharazzeb" but they do not exist in the Bible.

* KarmaHoudini: While Abe is called out for his irresponsibility, [[NeverMyFault he brushes it off]] with a simple "[[TookALevelInJerkass Oh bitch bitch bitch!]]" in response and walks away with no comeuppance.

* ImColdSoCold: When Bart is discovered to have head lice on class picture day (as a result of playing with a [[EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys monkey]] Milhouse found), he comments "I get lice and nothing bad happens to Milhouse." We then see Milhouse standing there pale, wrapped in a blanket, muttering "So cold, so very, very cold."