History Recap / TheSimpsonsS8E5BartAfterDark

* BittersweetEnding: Maison Derrière is ultimately saved, but, unfortunately, Marge lets her bulldozer on, which promptly marches towards the house and destroys a good chunk of it, forcing her to work as a ventriloquist to pay the damage she caused.

* BrokenGlassPenalty: Or more specifically, Broken Gargoyle Penalty. Bart accidentally destroys one of Belle's gargoyles and is ordered to work for her to pay for the damages. At the end, Marge accidentally destroyed a part of the Maison Derrière when she left the bulldozer in gear. She's forced to work for Belle as a stage comedian to pay for the damages. Considering how bad Marge's ventriloquist act was, it will be a long time.

** At the end of the episode, Marge is made to work as a warmup comedian to pay for the damages done on the burlesque house. When she does her ventriloquist act, no one laughs.

** Marge tries to enlist the town into shutting down Maison Derrière, but her euphemism-ladden speech makes the audience think the problem lies with the house not meeting building codes, rather than the activity that goes inside. Indeed, when she is annoyed and says the house's construction is perfectly fine, their immediate reaction is to tell her to leave the house alone.

* DecoyProtagonist: The episode's first half makes it look like the episode is going to be about Bart working at the burlesque house, while Marge and Lisa will have the b-plot. However, in the second half, said b-plot ends and the rest of the episode focuses on Marge's efforts in closing down said burlesque house.

** When Skinner enters the house, unaware who the doorman is.

* EarlyBirdCameo: One of the dancers looks like Cookie Kwan, who later would became a recurring character.
* EverythingHasRhythm: The musical number 'We Put The Spring in Springfield' includes such effects as Moe banging bin lids together, Belle 'boing'ing Bumblebee Man's antenna, Chief Wiggum and Comic Book Guy bumping bellies, and Willie smacking Lenny in the head (accidentally) with a sledgehammer .

** Homer also tells Bart that working to repay the damage he caused is "responsibility". He then immediately drives into Belle's mailbox, then screams and flees.

* InternalDeconstruction: This is yet another episode where Marge and Lisa go on some well meaning crusade while Homer and Bart goof off and eventually get embroiled in some shady business. However, rather than the usual WomenAreWiser outcome, the boys' antics and the nature of their associate are treated as (mostly) harmless fun, while both of the girls' escapades end either in unproductive misery or the town devolving into another riot, with ''Homer'' ending up playing the mediator that saves the day.

* MoralGuardians: Marge, because she thinks that Springfield does not want a burlesque house, despite everyone else's views. It's not "Springfield doesn't want a burlesque house", it's [[ItsAllAboutMe "Marge Simpson]] [[JerkassBall doesn't want a burlesque house, and is forcing everyone to follow her view".]] She's joined in this by the show's most religious characters: the Flanders, Reverend Lovejoy and his wife.

* NeverTrustATrailer: A lot of TV and radio promos for this episode played up the sex angle of this episode. Commercials that aired during prime-time claimed that Springfield would be rocked by a sex scandal, and showed Marge's incriminating pictures of people leaving the Maison Derrière (which was correct, only it didn't go that far)[[note]]Compare with the ads that aired during times when kids would be watching cartoons, where they just played up the fact that Homer and Bart are left to fend for themselves while Marge, Lisa, and Maggie go on a day trip to help clean up an oil spill[[/note]], while a radio station had Homer saying, "I have misplaced my pants," which, out of context, paints a rather risque mental picture of Homer, when really that line was used in the scene of Belle taking Bart back home and Belle finding that Homer is using a grocery bag as a substitute for underwear.

* PoliceAreUseless: Officer Eddie is seen taking part in the angry mob's demolition and looting of the house. Thus committing criminal damage... while in uniform. Also, Chief Wiggum twice visiting the burlesque house while in uniform.

** After a few days scrubbing off rocks, Lisa declares it's unsatisfying. Marge agrees, but they made a commitment, and should see it through. Then the organizer shows up to say they'll be serving kelp burgers and watching Johnny Arvik, the "Eskimo comedian". The next scene is Marge and Lisa fleeing as fast as they can.

* TorchesAndPitchforks: and Sledge hammers, oh my! Seen when the town is forced by Marge to tear down the house; they also discuss what they plan to smash and/or loot.

* VerbalBackspace: When Marge gives Homer some instructions before leaving with Lisa and Maggie. She was about to tell him that if anything happens just use his better judgment, then realizes who she was talking to and instead says "Just do what I would do".

* WorkOffTheDebt: Bart breaking the gargoyle kicks off the A-plot. At the end, Marge replaces the club's warm-up comedian after demolishing half the building.

* JerkassBall: Marge is at her worst pre-{{Flanderization}} here, acting more like Helen Lovejoy by forcing her views on the town of Springfield because she has a problem with the house existing, rather than her underage son working there (which would have caused Belle to get arrested and the entire place to get shut down, if the episode followed reality).

* MoralGuardians: Marge, because she thinks that Springfield does not want a burlesque house, despite everyone else's views. It's not "Springfield doesn't want a burlesque house", it's [[ItsAllAboutMe "Marge Simpson]] [[JerkassBall doesn't want a burlesque house, and is forcing everyone to follow her view".]]

** Marge tries to enlist the town into shutting down Maison Derrière, but her euphemism-ladden speech makes the audience think the problem lies with the house's not meeting building codes, rather than the activity that goes inside. Indeed, when she says the house's construction is perfectly fine, their immediate reaction is still to tell her to leave the house alone.

** Jasper and Abe vote to tear down Maison Derrière, apparently unaware that it is the same as "the bordello" they are fond of (but see AlternateCharacterInterpretation).

* CrowdSong: "We Put the Spring in Springfield".

* JerkassBall: Marge is at her worst pre-{{Flanderization}} here, acting more like Helen Lovejoy by forcing her views on the town of Springfield because she has a problem with the house existing, rather than her underage son working there (which would have caused Belle to get arrested and the entire place to get shut down, if the show followed reality).

--> '''Marge''': Springfield doesn't want places like this!
--> '''Belle''': I think I know what Springfield wants, Sugar.
--> '''Marge''': Oh? I've lived in this town for 37 years!
--> '''Belle''': I've lived here 52 years.
--> '''Marge''': I'm third generation!
--> '''Belle''': Sixth.
--> '''Marge''': ''({{Beat}})'' Get out of my town!

* {{Irony}}: While Marge has the nerve to claim that the burlesque house is destroying morals, Homer's [[{{Unishment}} punishment]] works out just the way any parent would hope for in any other work setting: Bart learns to become more responsible and gains respect for his temporary employer.

** When the news reports a terrible oil spill in Alaska, Lisa is clearly horrified at the environmental devastation, but Homer thinks her concerns lie elsewhere:

** Grandpa's [[MemeticMutation infamous]] [[http://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/leaving-now-grandpa-simpsons.gif reaction]] to Bart's presence in the Maison. Subverted in that he comes right back to ask if he's Bart and then to go enjoy the show when told Homer knows the boy is working there.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Belle of all people is possibly the most reasonable person in this episode, especially highlighted when she dissuades Bart from his initial job request of sorting out bras by saying it's "too advanced" for him and he's actually happy as a clam rather than mouthy. It's very clear she doesn't want to expose a minor to anything that would be deemed too inappropriate since Homer reportedly insisted that Bart work there.