History Recap / TheSimpsonsS8E21TheOldManAndTheLisa

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: After learning about recycling from Lisa, Mr. Burns takes it to its extreme by recycling living sea creatures into a multipurpose slurry. He doesn't understand why Lisa is horrified by this, since, as he sees it, he is giving people what they need without wasting a single sea creature.

* PetTheDog: Burns fully pays Lisa her share of the profits after she helos him regain his fortune.

* BrokeEpisode: For Mr. Burns.

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: 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 oceanic bycatch.

%%* HeroWithAnFInGood:

* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: Lisa refuses to accept her share of the profits from Mr. Burns' sale of the Lil' Lisa's slurry factory. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero She gives Homer]] '''multiple''' heart attacks as a result (with the writers' commentary even joking that the moment when she apparently '''kills him'''' would have made a good point for the series ending).

** When Burns makes his first recycling dollar, he tells the hippie, [[Music/PinkFloyd "Shine on,]] [[Music/WishYouWereHere you crazy diamond."]]

* StupidGood: Lisa in this episode is a full-on SoapboxSadie, not bothering to explain to Mr. Burns why he's in the wrong with turning the sea life into a multi-purpose slurry and tearing up a 12 million dollar check that could have been used for all kinds of charity work as well as ensuring her own college education.

** The recycling center is called "Uriah's Heap", named after the character Uriah Heep from ''Literature/DavidCopperfield''. The hippie who owns and operates the center is modeled after Creator/DennisHopper's photographer character from ''Film/ApocalypseNow''.

* TookALevelInKindness: At first, it seems Mr. Burns has become a BenevolentBoss. However, we soon see the full extent of his recycling program...

* EvilCannotComprehendGood[=/=]HeroWithAnFInGood: 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 oceanic bycatch.

While Lisa implements a recycling program, Mr. Burns discovers that he's lost his fortune (and was never told this beforehand because his accountants are sycophants/afraid of Mr. Burns' wrath) and now must live like a common man. With Lisa's help, Mr. Burns devises a [[ThePlan plan]] to regain his fortune.

* AllForNothing: Despite all the recycling the Junior Achievers' Club did, they only made a check for 75 cents (which wouldn't even cover the gas for the drive to the store for the bundling twine) and had to cancel their field trip to Albany (with Principal Skinner even saying they wouldn't do any more recycling). Even worse, when Lisa pointed out that [[TemptingFate they had collected enough paper to save a whole tree]], a few seconds later, an angry Skinner accidentally knocked a tree down while leaving the recycling center.

* BeyondTheImpossible: After Lisa turned down Burns' offer, Homer experienced ''four'' simultaneous heart attacks (and a fifth one after Lisa tells Homer that 10% of $120,000,000 isn't $12,''000''...[[note]]It's $12 '''million''' for those of you playing along at home.[[/note]]).

** When Lisa and Mr. Burns were arguing about recycling and it went to how wealthy Burns was, Lisa produced a copy of the autobiography Burns wrote (''Will There Ever Be a Rainbow?'') from [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E22BloodFeud "Blood Feud"]], where Homer forces Bart to donate blood to save Mr. Burns' life under the impression that they will be given money.
** Also Burns knows it was [[Recap/TheSimpsonsWhoShotMrBurns Maggie who shot him]] but still doesn't know [[RunningGag Homer's name]].

** 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.

-->'''Lisa:''' You're ''still'' evil, and when you try to be good, you're ''even more'' evil!

-->'''Homer:''' [''Aghast''] Marge!
* MusicalGag: The ''Series/ThatGirl'' sequence ends with the Simpson doorbell ringing the last two notes of the melody.

-->'''Homer:''' I made a mistake and Lenny sent me home to think about what I'd done, but I can't remember what I did, so I'm watching TV.

* RichesToRags: Mr. Burns, thanks to listening to spineless yes-men. [[RagsToRiches Lisa helped him to become wealthy again.]]
* SoapboxSadie: Lisa and her environmental causes. Gets so bad that when Burns is there praising her and puzzled over being called evil because of the slurry she can't see that she had a chance to explain to him exactly what is wrong and just runs off and later piously tears a check for ''twelve million dollars'' because it's her cut for Burns' slurry company, apparently not caring that she could have done ''anything'' good with the money and not accepting it means Burns has twelve million more to do evil with (and, oh yeah, she nearly kills her dad).

-->'''Mr. Burns:''' Oh, so Mother Nature needs a favor. Well, maybe she should have thought of that when she was besetting us with droughts and floods and poison monkeys.

** The recycling center is called "Uriah's Heap", named after the character Uriah Heep from ''Literature/DavidCopperfield''. The hippie who owns the center is modeled after Creator/DennisHopper's photographer character from ''Film/ApocalypseNow''.

* AlcoholHic: Homer lets one out after going through quite a few cans of beer in an attempt to help Lisa out recycling.

* AsHimself: Wrestling/BretHart.

--> '''Skinner:''' What a load of garbage... I'm ecstatic!
* BeyondTheImpossible: After Lisa turned down Burns' offer, Homer experienced ''four'' simultaneous heart attacks (and a fifth one after Lisa tells Homer that 10% of $120,000,000 isn't $12,''000''...[[note]]It's $12 '''million''' for those of you playing along at home.[[/note]])

** 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 wrote ("Will There Ever Be a Rainbow?") from the season two episode [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E22BloodFeud "Blood Feud"]], where Homer forces Bart to donate blood to save Mr. Burns' life under the impression that they will be given money.
** Also Burns knows it was [[Recap/TheSimpsonsWhoShotMrBurns Maggie who shot him]] but still doesn't know [[RunningGag Homer's name]].

-->'''Kent Brockman:''' Remember millionaire C. Montgomery Burns? The man who [[Recap/TheSimpsonsWhoShotMrBurns blocked out our sun]], [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E10BartGetsHitByACar ran over a local boy]], and [[NoodleIncident stole Christmas from 1981 to 1985]]? Well, guess who's flat broke, and picking up trash for a living?\\
'''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.

* DistantReactionShot: When Homer ends up in the hospital after Lisa turned down Burns' offer, he bemoans the loss of what he ''thinks'' is $12,000. Lisa then began to reluctantly clarify to him how much she actually gave up[[note]]$12,000,000[[/note]]; cut to the hallway with an alarm going off about a 'Code Blue'[[note]]a heart attack[[/note]].
* EvilCannotComprehendGood / HeroWithAnFInGood: 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.

* GrandFinale: In the DVD commentary, the writers and producers joked that they could have ended the series with this episode, since the ending implied that Homer died of a massive heart attack.
* HonestAdvisor: Burns recruits Lisa since an honest voice can help him more than the yes-men who bankrupted him.
* HonorBeforeReason: Lisa [[ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules refuses to accept the check from Mr. Burns on the grounds that it was gained though immoral means]], even though she could have easily donated her share [[note]]$12 '''million''' dollars[[/note]] to charity or anything else that would have helped make up for how it was obtained.

--> '''Lisa:''' Mom, Mom! You're mixing polyethylene with polyurethane.\\
'''Homer:''' ''(aghast)'' Marge!

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Lisa upon realizing what Lil's Lisa's slurry is made of.

** "You inspired it all... Lil’ Lisa."
** "Um, Dad, 10% of $120,000,000 isn't ''$12,000''. It's-" "CODE BLUE! CODE BLUE!"
* NoodleIncident: It's implied that Lenny, who was Mr. Burns' replacement at the plant, [[MeetTheNewBoss was every bit as ruthless as his predecessor, if not more so]]. When Smithers visits the Simpson house with Burns, he is surprised to see Homer at home:
-->'''Smithers:''' Simpson! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?\\
'''Homer:''' I made a mistake and Lenny sent me home to think about what I'd done, but I can't remember what I did, so I'm watching TV.\\
'''Smithers:''' Well, Lenny's reign of terror is over. [[FalseReassurance Mr. Burns bought back the plant this morning]].
* RichesToRags: Mr. Burns, thanks to listening to spineless yes-men. [[RagsToRiches Lisa helped him to become wealthy again]].
* SoapboxSadie: Lisa and her environmental causes. Gets so bad that when Burns is there praising her and puzzled over being called evil because of the slurry she can't see that she had a chance to explain to him exactly what is wrong and just runs off and later piously tears a check for ''twelve million dollars'' because it's her cut for Burns' slurry company without caring that she could have done ''anything'' good with the money and not accepting it means Burns has twelve million more to do evil with (and, oh yeah, she nearly kills her dad).
* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: Lisa refuses to accept her share of the profits from Mr. Burns' sale of the Lil' Lisa's slurry factory. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero She gives her father]] '''multiple''' heart attacks as a result (with the writers' commentary even joking that the moment when she apparently '''kills him'''' would have made a good point for the series ending).

* ShoutOut: The sequence when Mr. Burns tries to ask Lisa to help him spoofs the TitleSequence of ''Series/ThatGirl''.

** The recycling center is called "Uriah's Heap", named after the character Uriah Heep from ''Literature/DavidCopperfield''. The hippie who owns the center is modeled after Dennis Hopper's photographer character from ''Film/ApocalypseNow''.
** The scene where Lisa runs down the streets of Springfield, trying to stop everyone from using Lil' Lisa's slurry spoofs ''Film/InvasionOfTheBodySnatchers'' and ''Film/SoylentGreen''.

* SpoofAesop
-->'''Homer:''' Well, Lisa, I hope you learned your lesson. "Never help anyone".

--> '''Bart:''' Ah, recycling is useless, Lise. Once the sun burns out, this planet is doomed. You're just making sure we spend our last days using [[TakeThat inferior products.]]

* YourAnswerToEverything: Smithers says he didn't warn Mr. Burns about the Great Depression because he still wasn't born back then. Mr. Burns says it's Smithers' excuse for everything.

* BrokeEpisode

* AllForNothing: Despite all the recycling the Junior Achievers' Club did, they only made a check for 75 cents (which wouldn't even cover the gas for the drive to the store for the bundling twine) and had to cancel their field trip to Albany (with Principal Skinner even saying they wouldn't do any more recycling). Even worse, when Lisa pointed out that they had collected enough paper to save a whole tree, Skinner knocked down a tree a few seconds later by accidentally crashing with it while angrily driving out of the recycling center.

* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: Lisa refuses to accept her share of the profits from Mr. Burns' sale of the Lil' Lisa's slurry factory.

* CallBack: 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 wrote ("Will There Ever Be a Rainbow?") from the season two episode [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E22BloodFeud "Blood Feud"]], where Homer forces Bart to donate blood to save Mr. Burns' life under the impression that they will be given money.

* AllForNothing: Despite all the recycling the Junior Achievers' Club did, they only made a check for 75 cents (which wouldn't even cover the gas for the drive to the store for the bundling twine) and had to cancel their field trip to Albany (with Principal Skinner even saying they wouldn't do any more recycling). Even worse, despite Lisa saying they had collected enough paper to save a whole tree, Skinner was so angry that he ended up knocking a tree down while driving out of the recycling center.

* AllForNothing: Despite all the recycling the Junior Achievers' Club did, they only made a check for 75 cents (which wouldn't even cover the gas for the drive over) and had to cancel their field trip to Albany (with Principal Skinner even saying they wouldn't do any more recycling). Even worse, despite Lisa saying they had collected enough paper to save a whole tree, Skinner was so angry that he ended up knocking a tree down while driving out of the recycling center.

* FreezeFrameBonus: Mr. Burns becomes a nervous wreck when trying to choose ketchup or catsup. When you pause on when Burns looks at the grocery list, you'll see that Smithers wrote "catsup", after all.

* NauseaFuel: The process of Lil' Lisa Slurry being made [[InUniverse is this for Lisa]] and a few fans of the show.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: “You inspired it all...Lil’ Lisa.”

* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: Lisa refuses to accept her share of the profits from Mr. Burns' sale of the Lil' Lisa's slurry factory. [[FlameBait Many fans have argued whether this was wise of her or not]].

** Also Burns knows it was [[Recap/TheSimpsonsWhoShotMrBurns Maggie who shot him]] but still doesn't know [[RunningGag Homer's name]]

[[caption-width-right:550:"I call it the "Burns Omni-Net.' It sweeps the sea clean."]]

* BaitAndSwitch: This line, from Skinner:
--> '''Skinner''': What a load of garbage... I'm ecstatic!

-->'''Kent Brockman:''' Remember millionaire C. Montgomery Burns? The man who [[Recap/TheSimpsonsWhoShotMrBurns blocked out our sun]], [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E10BartGetsHitByACar ran over a local boy]], and [[NoodleIncident stole Christmas from 1981 to 1985]]? Well, guess who's flat broke, and picking up trash for a living?
-->'''Homer:''' Please be Flanders, please be Flanders...

--> '''Lisa''': Mom, Mom! You're mixing polyethylene with polyurethane.\\
'''Homer''': ''(aghast)'' Marge!

-->'''Smithers:''' Simpson! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?
-->'''Homer:''' I made a mistake and Lenny sent me home to think about what I'd done, but I can't remember what I did, so I'm watching TV.
-->'''Smithers:''' Well, Lenny's reign of terror is over. [[FalseReassurance Mr. Burns bought back the plant this morning]].

-->'''Homer''': Well, Lisa, I hope you learned your lesson. "Never help anyone".

--> '''Bart''': ''(to Lisa)'' Ah, recycling is useless, Lise. Once the sun burns out, this planet is doomed. You're just making sure we spend our last days using [[TakeThat inferior products.]]