History Recap / TheSimpsonsS9E5TheCartridgeFamily

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Homer gets a gun and joins the Springfield branch of the NRA. But when they witness the full extent of Homer's RecklessGunUsage, such as shooting his TV on and opening cans of beer by shooting the tops off, he immediately gets kicked out.

-->'''Homer''': Yeah but-

* CerebusSyndrome: A big one. The episode starts with the people of Springfield [[ComicalOverreacting destroying their own city in a riot]] [[DisproportionateRetribution just because they don't like soccer.]] The rest of it is about the dangers of guns, including to their owners' psyche as well as to those around them.

* TwoDecadesBehind: Both Homer and Krusty are unaware that the United Kingdom hadn't had a king since 1952 (and wouldn't have one again till 2022, when Queen Elizabeth II passed away and was succeeded by King Charles III).

* HardTruthAesop: In the commentary, the writers admit that the episode doesn't really has AnAesop except maybe "idiots like Homer shouldn't own guns". Considering the absurd amount of times Homer's horrible lack of firearms safety nearly gets someone shot (including leaving the gun, fully loaded, in a place where a kid like [[EnfanteTerrible Bart]] can easily[[note]]well, ''accidentally'', Homer hid it in the vegitable drawer in the refrigerator[[/note]] find it), it's not a bad Aesop to make, even if it's supposed to be [[SpoofAesop a joke]].

* HardTruthAesop: In the commentary, the writers admit that the episode doesn't really has AnAesop except maybe "idiots like Homer shouldn't own guns". Considering the absurd amount of times Homer's horrible lack of firearms safety nearly gets someone shot (including leaving the gun, fully loaded, in a place where a kid like [[EnfanteTerrible Bart]] can easily find it), it's not a bad Aesop to make, even if it's supposed to be [[SpoofAesop a joke]].

* OffModel: Homer looks a little off when he says [[https://frinkiac.com/video/S09E05/23b0-FpgRQIBPnteVb-wLAJuvf0=.gif "I'll do it. I'll rob the Kwik-E-Mart."]]

** Marge references [[Recap/TheSimpsonsWhoShotMrBurns the time Maggie shot Mr. Burns]].

--->"It's all here! Fast-kickin'! Low-scorin'! And ties? You bet!"

* SeeYouInHell: ...''dinner plate''. [''Blam'']

* BullyingADragon: Homer during the soccer riot. He doesn't want to leave when Marge says they have to, because he himself wants to do some rioting. He shoves one of Groundskeeper Willie's buddies, who furiously threatens him. [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere Homer wisely chooses to get out of there.]]

* DrunkWithPower: As Homer explains, holding the gun gives him an "incredible surge of power" which he abuses it such as almost robbing the Kwik-E-Mart for no reason other than he could. Later, Marge also felt have the same feeling when he holds the gun, prompting her to keep it.

* HardTruthAesop: In the commentary, the writers admit that the episode doesn't really has AnAesop except maybe "idiots like Homer shouldn't own guns". Considering the absurd amount of times Homer's horrible lack of firearms safety nearly get someone shot (including leaving the gun, fully loaded, in a place where a kid like [[EnfanteTerrible Bart]] can easily find it), it's not a bad Aesop to make, even if it's supposed to be [[SpoofAesop a joke]].

* ArtisticLicenseGunSafety: Homer violates every gun rule in existence, including pointing the revolver he wanted to buy at the salesman and repeatedly pulling the trigger (although obviously it wouldn't be loaded and he seems to be doing it for fun), pointing the gun at people at random, using it to shoot light bulbs rather than switch them off, shoot open cans of beer, and even to ''change the channel on the TV''. He's such a menace that Marge tells him that his recklessness has caused her to literally fear for their lives, and when Homer displays this behavior in front of the NRA members of Springfield, they're so completely shocked by his actions, they strip him of his membership on the spot. While the members depicted in the episode are ludicrous with their guns (such as modifying one gun into five guns), they at least are aware of the fact that owning a gun is a serious thing.

* LostAesop: Marge and Homer are at odds over the gun he buys, which even leads Marge to briefly leave him. In the end, Homer finally agrees to let Marge get rid of the gun, so Marge heads to the nearest garbage bin to throw it out. However, seeing herself holding the gun from a reflection in the lid, she likes how dangerous and cool she looks so she decides to hold on to the gun, putting it in her purse. The writers said that there was no real message from the story, but if there was, it'd be that people like [[IdiotHero Homer Simpson]] should not have a gun, so ... mission accomplished?

* SoccerHatingAmericans:
** Practically everyone in Springfield turns out for the soccer match at the start of the episode, but they perceive it as boring, and their boredom eventually triggers a full-blown city-wide riot. This is a joke that could only be made in the USA where, in contrast with the rest of the world, soccer has never caught on. WordOfGod said they were skewering how soccer was more boring on television than live. One line in the opening commercial for the match is actually a terrific summation of why the sport has had trouble appealing to Americans.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** Homer gets a gun and joins the Springfield branch of the NRA. But when they witness the full extent of Homer's RecklessGunUsage, such as shooting his TV on and opening cans of beer by shooting the tops off, he immediately gets kicked out.
** Homer uses the family's dinner plates as target practice with his gun. As a result, Marge has to use other objects as replacements to put food on.

* TwoDecadesBehind: Both Homer and Krusty are unaware that the United Kingdom hadn't had a king since 1952.

* SerialEscalation: Homer's tour of the NRA's shooting range. Some of the members were using run-of-the-mill handguns and pistols, while some others were using machine guns and assault rifles. [[NeverMessWithGranny Mrs. Skinner]] [[UpToEleven even threw a hand grenade.]]

* {{Hypocrite}}: Despite all her anti-gun talk from start-to-almost-finish, Marge keeps the gun for herself when she sees herself with it in the trashcan lid reflection, liking how cool and dangerous it makes her look. To be fair, she ''was'' officially trained with firearms during her time working as a police officer back in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E23TheSpringfieldConnection The Springfield Connection]]".

* AmericansAreCowboys: The episode tackles UsefulNotes/AmericanGunPolitics.
** Despite having been in a mental institution, having frequent problems with alcohol, and having beaten up (''[[InsistentTerminology former]]'') President UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush, Homer's "potentially dangerous" status only restricts him to three handguns (or fewer).

* BadNewsInAGoodWay: Homer says "OK, open your eyes" very playfully to Marge. She opens her eyes and finds him pointing a gun at her.

* BallisticDiscount: Homer attempts this while checking out a gun he wanted to buy, actually pointing it at the clerk and pulling the trigger multiple times - but accomplishing nothing because it wasn't loaded. The clerk seems oddly unfazed by this, as well as by Homer's thinly-veiled threat when the clerk takes the gun back and informs him of a five-day waiting period before he can get the gun.

* BrickJoke: When Homer defends having a gun to Marge and Lisa, he says that without it the King of England could walk into their house and push them around. Later in the episode, Krusty claims that that guns should only be used for three things: family protection, hunting, and keeping the King of England out of your face.

* GunAccessories: Exaggerated with the revolver's add-ons, including a silencer, a loudener, a speed-cocker ("Oh, I like the sound of that!") and finally a barrel screw-on system for shooting down police helicopters that looks like a bazooka with the little revolver sticking out the back.

* NegativeContinuity: The main plot revolves around Homer buying a gun for the first time, yet previous episodes establish that Homer owned a gun (he tells Marge to "get [his] gun" in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E7MargeGetsAJob "Marge Gets a Job"]] and in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E10Springfield "$pringfield"]] he brandishes a shotgun when he gets freaked out by Lisa's nightmare about the boogeyman).

** Practically everyone in Springfield turns out for the soccer match at the start of the episode, but they perceive it as boring, and their boredom eventually triggers a full-blown city-wide riot. This is a joke that could only be made in the USA where, in contrast with the rest of the world, soccer has never caught on. WordOfGod said they were skewering how soccer was more boring on television than live.
** One line in the opening commercial for the match is actually a terrific summation of why the sport has had trouble appealing to Americans.

** Mind you, the ''real'' reason the game is so boring is that the team with the ball never move it down field leaving the opposing team unable to move. With nothing happening its no wonder everyone gets bored so quickly.

** Not as bad as the other two, Marge choosing to berate Homer and preparing to give him a speech about lying to her. While he's currently holding an armed thief at gunpoint who had just held the mayor hostage. Homer gets distracted and Snake is able to disarm him. She could have waited until after the NRA arrived.

* FootballHooligans: Most of Springfield turn into hooligans, although in this case it's because they're all ''bored'' of the match. When the fight breaks out Groundskeepr Willie and his Scottish friends eagerly jump in to make it a proper riot.

* ItWorksBetterWithBullets: Homer tells Snake after he snatches Homer's gun that the joke's on him, as the gun is empty. Then immediately subverted - Snake threatens to toss the gun at Homer's face, [[WhatAnIdiot and Homer hands over the bullets in a "here you go, just don't hurt me!" fashion]].

* HardTruthAesop: In the commentary, the writers admit that the episode doesn't really has AnAesop except maybe "idiots like Homer shouldn't own guns". Considering the absurd amount of times Homer's horrible lack of firearms safety nearly get someone shot (including leaving the gun, fully loaded, in a place where a kid like [[EnfanteTerrible Bart]] can easily find it), it's not a bad Aesop to make, even if it's supposed to be [[SpoofAesop a joke]]