Production code: EABF-05
In the episode that's advertised as the "300th episode", Bart discovers that he was once a child star in a string of embarrassing commercials, but when Homer reveals that all of Bart's money went to buying back incriminating photos, Bart petitions the court to have himself emancipated and moves to a loft apartment next to Tony Hawk and blink-182.
Tropes:
- Abusive Parents:
- While Homer was never a saint to begin with, this episode takes a more serious view on his callous and abusive behaviour, resulting in Bart deciding to emancipate himself. Homer not only used up the money that Bart earned in a commercial to buy back incriminating photos of him dropping Bart off a balcony as a baby, he unabashedly states that Bart is "his" until he turns 18, even saying that he will "work [Bart] like a dog" in his final year at home (in addition to his usual strangling of Bart).
- Marge is complacent in and tries to rugsweep Homer's abuse and neglect of Bart. She also tries to manipulate Bart into staying and then later coming back to live at home, but none of that works in her favor. She also deprives Lisa of sleep to make her help with spring cleaning. Eventually, she wises up and finally agrees that Bart can only come home if Homer can learn to treat him better.
- Artistic License – Law: In this episode, Bart is emancipated from his parents. There are numerous things that would prevent Bart from being legally emancipated in real life:
- Bart is only 10—in real life, you have to be 14 to 17 to be emancipated from your parents and/or legal guardians. This is actually lampshaded by the judge as she admits she would never emancipate a 10 years old kid from their parents, unless such abuse and neglect is extremely blatant and downright dangerous for the child.
- Homer and Marge, as Bart's parents, would have to agree to Bart's emancipation.
- Judge Harm only allowed it because of the abuse Homer put Bart through. In real life, as bad as the situation was, the judge would have Bart sent to a foster home instead.
- As Himself: Tony Hawk and blink-182. The former has a bigger role as a guest appearance.
- Bait-and-Switch: As Bart leaves on to live on his own he says he will give a sad Lisa something to remember him, in the form of an Indian Burn. Initially it comes off as a Kick the Dog, but he was actually leaving a burn in the shape of a heart, to which Lisa finds it to be sweet.
- Bait-and-Switch Comment: Judge Harm says no judge would send a pre-teen on his own, prompting Homer to celebrate until she describes this case as an exception.
- Blackmail: The reason Homer no longer has the money from Bart's ad is that he had to use it to buy back incriminating photographs.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Bart finally stands up to his parents after discovering that Homer stole from him as a baby, and Marge won't do anything about his abuse.Bart: Homer is a lousy dad, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!
- Continuity Nod: When Judge Harm rules that half of Homer's salary is to be given to Bart, Homer complains that half his salary is already going to his Vegas wife.
- Comically Missing the Point:
- Homer shows Bart the pictures that he was being blackmailed with: him dangling baby Bart over a balcony and dropping him. He seriously thinks that flipping the photos in reverse (so Bart "flies" back into Homer's arms, making Homer a "hero") will make Bart hate him less.
- Upon losing to Bart at court, Homer is ordered by Judge Harm to pay half of his salary as compensation, and Marge pleads with Homer not to makes things worse. However, Homer makes things worse by attempting to attack Judge Harm, but he is dragged away by the bailiff for contempt of court, much to Marge's embarrassment.
- The climactic fight between Homer and Tony Hawk happens, for the most part, because Homer thinks that beating Tony will make Bart come back to their home. Bart makes it clear that what he wants from Homer is an apology and the ad money Homer lost.
- Damn You, Muscle Memory!: After pouring juice for Lisa, Maggie and Homer, Marge pours some juice onto the table, normally reserved for Bart.
- Digging Yourself Deeper: Upon being informed that half of his salary must go to Bart. Homer complains that the other half is already going to his Vegas wife and he won't have anything to spend on Moe's.
- Dream Intro: The episode begins with Lisa dreaming that she's accepting an award for "all-around genius" at the Kennedy Center. Marge's vacuuming wakes her up, and she encourages Lisa to start "another low-rated annual event: spring cleaning!"
- Egg Sitting: After Bart's emancipation, Marge berates Homer for letting his Jerkass tendencies drive Bart away, and demanded that he treat him better next time. Homer says he took up carrying a bag of sugar to learn how to love and care for a child. When he shows it to the family, he discovers he's carrying an actual baby. The sugar is then revealed to be at the Spuckler residence.Cletus: (holding the bag of sugar, which is wearing suspenders) Condoleezza-Marie ain't too playful tonight.
Brandine: And I don't remember her being this granulated.
Dia-Betty: Can I put your baby in my coffee?
Cletus: Well, the doctor said you eat any more baby, they gonna take your foot. - Emancipated Child: Bart manages to get emancipated from Homer and for the episodes lives by himself in an old apartment.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Judge Constance Harm is the one who takes up Bart's case against his dad. Despite being known for her cruelty and harshness—as well as acknowledging the fact that Bart is technically too young to be emancipated from his family—even she feels that Bart's probably better off living on his own than being forced to live with a Jerkass like Homer.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: This is one of the few (if not the only) episode where Bart returns the favor to Homer. Unlike Homer strangling Bart with his hands, however, Bart (being too small to wrap his hands around his father's neck) strangles Homer in a considerably more violent manner: using Homer's belt.
- Kick the Dog:
- Lisa and Maggie making fun of Bart for being Baby Stinkbreath, something he had no control over.
- Luann using her lawyers offscreen to hurt Kurt and make him cry even more than usual.
- Dolph, Kearney and Jimbo beating up a passed out Martin.
- Laser-Guided Karma:
- Homer gets a well-deserved strangling by Bart with a belt.
- Soon as Nelson rides by on his bike and makes fun of Bart for being Baby Stinkbreath, he crashes into a tree and suffers injuries, though he claims that it was Worth It.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall
- During the skating competition and Lisa tallies the number of Homer's schemes at 300, Marge notes she thought it was 302. Lisa quickly shushes her. This references how the episode is actually the 302nd episode but was advertised by Fox as the 300th.
- Bart says he doesn't remember doing a commercial...while munching on a Butterfinger.
- Nice Guy: Tony Hawk is a cool dude who is friendly to Bart and gives him a ride to school, then tries to help Homer win back Bart in a skateboard challenge. Even when he's in pain because of Homer, he gives Homer parenting advice in a manner he understands.
- Pet the Dog: In spite of her reputation as a Hanging Judge who hands over harsh punishments, Judge Constance Harm sympathizes with Bart due to his strong case against Homer for the abusive treatment. As such, she willingly grants Bart's wish for emancipation before ordering Homer to pay half of his salary to Bart until he is fully repaid.
- Punctuation Changes the Meaning: Lisa finds the videotape titled "Bart Sad", which intrigues her, and so, she puts it in the VCR. However, when she finds a commercial starring Bart as a baby, she realizes that this should have said "Bart's Ad"
- Rattling Off Legal: The end of Homer's ad about a product for bald and impotent men has a quick warning about users losing hair and manhood.
- Ripped from the Headlines: The incriminating photos that Homer purchased back from his blackmailer using Bart's ad money are an even worse version of the event when Michael Jackson dangled his (then) 9-month-old son Prince Michael II from a Berlin hotel balcony on November 19, 2002.
- Series Continuity Error:
- Homer complains that half of his salary goes to his Vegas wife, but their marriage came to an end when she married Grandpa and she shouldn't be getting alimony from him.
- In Homer's incriminating photos, he is shown to be as bald as he is in the present day, while previous episodes established that he would not lose that much hair until around the time Maggie was born.
- Shout-Out:
- Upon arriving at his new loft, Bart enthusiastically throws his baseball cap in the air, announcing that he's "gonna make it" a la The Mary Tyler Moore Show...only for it to get ripped into a million pieces by the ceiling fan.
- Homer thinks the "J" from WWJD is for "Gepetto" instead of "Jesus".
- When Homer's looking at the webcam of Tony Hawk's party, he says "Of all the sites, on all the web, I had to click onto his..." while "As Time Goes By" plays.
- Skewed Priorities: The men's product Homer advertises at the end of the episode has side effects of losing hair and manhood. Homer is more worried about the hair part.
- Stock Audio Clip: During the "anger management problems" scene
, the exact same audio of Homer saying "Why you little...!" is used three times in a row. - Stock Scream: When Bart reveals his "nipple piercings" to Marge, she lets out a quick Homer-esque shriek that was achieved by taking one of Dan Castellaneta's Homer screams (from "Homer Goes to College") and pitch-shifting it to sound more feminine.
- Take That!:
- Another dig at Michael Jackson, this time of his infamous public showing of his baby to the media. This episode parodies that with Homer pulling the same stunt during Bart's babyhood...only he winds up dropping him.
- Marge describes the Kennedy Center Honors as a "low rated annual event".
- Tempting Fate: Bart says probably nobody will remember Homer's ad fifty years later. A Time Skip shows Homer's tombstone describing him as an "impotency spokesman" and an elderly Nelson haw-hawing at the tombstone before coughing.
- Too Dumb to Live: When Homer tries to play off threatening Bart by saying it's a lapse in his usual calm demeanor and Judge Harm has the stenographer read it back, he starts threatening the stenographer then Judge Harm. He even tries to attack her when Bart's declared emancipated and has to be dragged out of the courtroom by bailiffs. It's to the point Judge Harm was already sketching up a picture of Homer being hung on a noose to show she considers Homer to be a bad father because of his bad temper.
- Where the Hell Is Springfield?: Based on a comment by Bart in this episode, it's in a state where murder is illegal.
- Who's on First?: When Bart goes to the Blue-Haired Lawyer and explains that he wants to be emancipated from his parents, the lawyer seems to go "you WHAT?!" Bart explains himself again, but the lawyer says that he understood Bart the first time and that he was just calling for his secretary—a woman who happens to be named "Yuwa."
