Line #13 Recap/TheSimpsonsS26E21BullE


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bull_e_promo_3.jpg]]
2	Marge pushes for anti-bullying legislation and Homer is (finally) arrested and sent to rehab for his bullying of Ned Flanders.
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4	!! Tropes:
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6	* BadBoss:
7	** Krusty insulting his employees for their writing causes him to be arrested for bullying after the new anti-bullying legislation is approved.
8	** Wiggum arrests Lou under the new law because he tried to stop the chief from stealing his lunch.
9	* BorrowedWithoutPermission: Rod and Todd ask Ned why Homer never gives back the items he borrows, which leads Ned to realize that Homer is just a bully who's taking advantage of them.
10	* BrickJoke: Early on the episode, Otto hallucinates that he's driving a train instead of the school bus. At the end of the episode, he hallucinates again.
11	* ContinuityNod: Rod and Todd refer to Homer as "Uncle Homer", as in "Children of a Lesser Clod".
12	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Homer requests to do community service work outside rather than rehab. The counselor tells him that what he needs to work on is ''inside'' (himself). Homer can only think of vacuuming.
13	* ClusterBleepBomb: At the town meeting, everyone is hyped up over what Marge describes as the world's filthiest word, only to be disappointed when it was revealed to be "bully". Moe then voices what he thought the word was, which is covered up by a censor bleep lasting several seconds.
14	* {{Determinator}}: Homer kneels on Ned's front lawn for ''days'' to beg him for forgiveness. Considering how lazy and selfish Homer usually is, it shows he's genuinely trying to make an effort to earn Ned's forgiveness.
15	* DisproportionateRetribution: The anti-bullying law allows you to have anyone arrested for even the slightest grievance. Homer has Apu arrested for putting too much ice in his drink, a motorist for cutting him off, and Wiggum arrests Lou for trying to stop the chief from taking his lunch.
16	* EasilyForgiven: Zig-zagged. The town of Springfield forgives all the bullies when they complete their reformation. Flanders, however, doesn’t forgive Homer as easily since Homer didn’t understand how his constant bullying has affected Flanders.
17	* EpicFail: The anti-bullying video features an incredibly obvious {{blooper}} of Homer repeatedly flubbing the timing of the line "[I promise] to be a better human being," and the other people featured in the video getting annoyed by it.
18	-->'''Anti-bullying counselor:''' Well, surprisingly that was our best take.
19	* FreudianExcuse: People sent to rehab for bullying are asked to reveal theirs. Superintendent Chalmers explains that his upbringing was influenced by a philosophy set by B. F. Skinner. Chalmers even shouts "Skinner" the same way he does while talking to Principal Skinner.[[note]]Funnier when you realize Principal Skinner was named after the psychologist.[[/note]]
20	** Agnes Skinner was apparently never told by her own mother that she loved her.
21	** Homer finally admits that he hates Ned because he is jealous of the man.
22	* GreenEyedMonster: While implied a few times before, this episode explicitly reveals that Homer's behavior towards Ned is out of jealousy.
23	* GrewASpine: Ned, in contrast to his previous ExtremeDoormat nature, makes Homer ''work'' for his forgiveness.
24	* TheGrovel: Homer comes crawling on his knees to say sorry to Ned. Ned ignores him, but Homer kneels for days on end, and Rod and Todd finally convince him to accept his forgiveness.
25	* HatedByAll: Subverted. When asked why he hates Ned, he tries brushing it off by saying everybody hates Ned Flanders, only for Chalmers to shoot it down by saying only Homer does.
26	* InstantlyProvenWrong: Rod, who's suspicious that 'Uncle Homer' is bullying their dad prays for God to show them a sign that Homer isn't a jerk. Not a second later they hear Homer out their window, dumping his old bed frame and mattress, followed by his father, into the Flanderses' back yard.
27	* HalfwayPlotSwitch: A school dance is held at Springfield Elementary. Bart is hesitant to go, but ends up enjoying himself, even winning a "Best Dancer" trophy. Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney break his trophy when he leaves, and when Marge hears about this, she passes an anti-bullying law. Chief Wiggum and Homer abuse the law, arresting everyone for minuscule reasons. This ends in Homer taking a bullying rehab class, where he is forced to confront why he hates Flanders. He gets let off easily, although Flanders, realizing how badly Homer has abused him over the years, is hesitant to forgive him.
28	* HighSchoolDance: The episode's opening features Bart at a school dance. He doesn't like it at first, but he ends up enjoying it and wins a "Best Dancer" award.
29	* ImagineSpot: Ned asks Rod and Todd if they ever thought Jesus was bullied. Indeed, they do -- in their imagination, Jesus has his halo stolen by soldier versions of Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney and then tossed onto a roof. God looks down in disappointment.
30	* JerkassRealization: Homer finally realizes he treats Ned the way he does because he's jealous of how much better than him he is.
31	-->'''Homer''': IAmAMonster!
32	* JuryDuty: At the end of the episode, Otto wakes up from a dream and finds himself as a juror in the middle of a trial.
33	* KarmaHoudini: While Homer and the other reformed bullies are somehow treated as heroes [[WantsAPrizeForBasicDecency because they promised not to do it again]], everybody who went to counselling acknowledged their behavior and at least ''tried'' to be better. Chief Wiggum blatantly broke the anti-bully law and was somehow never sent to counselling.
34	* LaserGuidedKarma: After abusing a poorly written law to have people who are not bullies sent to jail for slightly inconveniencing him, Homer is arrested for his bullying of others (and especially Ned Flanders).
35	-->'''Homer''': I never dreamed that a law I had abused could be applied to me!
36	* LastSecondWordSwap: "Stup...endous Flanders."
37	* LoopholeAbuse: Due to how vague the anti-bullying law is, the police can arrest virtually anyone, which Homer uses to have anyone who inconveniences him in any way sent to jail.
38	* MayIBorrowACupOfSugar: When Rod and Todd ask their dad for some hot chocolate, Ned sighs and says Homer "borrowed" their mugs ''and'' their hot chocolate mix. Rod [[ArmourPiercingQuestion asks Ned why he never asks for any of the things Homer borrows back]], which makes the boys realise that Homer isn't "borrowing" anything from their dad. He's a bully who's just taking and stealing from them.
39	* MushroomSamba: Otto has two 70s-inspired hallucinations.
40	* ObliviouslyEvil: For as much as he takes advantage of the anti-bullying law to have anybody who even mildly inconveniences him arrested, Homer is exactly the kind of person the law was intended to target, as he blatantly and flagrantly bullies Ned throughout the episode by borrowing [[note]]taking with zero intention of ever giving back [[/note]] his property, taking his painted side of the fence, and dumping his garbage in Ned's backyard.
41	* PerpWalk: Homer is arrested and walked for being a bully. However, Homer had just set up a Slip 'N Slide in the front yard, and so he slips and slides straight into a police car.
42	* RogueJuror: Parodied. The anti-bullying legislation's approval becomes unanimous after the one person who opposes it is bullied into changing his mind.
43	* ShoutOut:
44	** Otto has a hallucination that uses ''Series/SoulTrain'' theme song and a similar art style, called the "School Train". He also ends up crashing into [[WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends Thomas the Tank Engine]] and meets [[WesternAnimation/TheMagicSchoolBus Ms. Frizzle]] in space.
45	** "Get Lucky" by Music/DaftPunk plays at the school dance.
46	* TimePassesMontage: Of Homer sitting tight in front of the Flanders house as the days go by.

Context Recap / TheSimpsonsS26E21BullE