Homer befriends Chief Wiggum, only to take the friendship for granted. Meanwhile, Marge thinks Bart is doing drugs.
This episode contains examples of:
- Achievements in Ignorance: Ralph is the greatest Battle Balls player in school, yet he doesn't know how to play the game. It's because he has the best Battle Balls since his grandma lives in Japan and sends him the brand new ones.
- All for Nothing: At the end of the subplot, once Marge learns what Battle Balls are, she finds them cute and likes them. Bart thinks that they're not cool anymore if his mom likes them, and flushes them down the toilet.
- Ambiguous Gender: Dylan, the kid who has a party at the beginning of the episode (although it is traditionally a boy's name). Not helped is that the character is never seen in person.
- Brick Joke: During Homer’s Cold Turkeys Are Everywhere scene, the crook in the cop show declares “You jive, ya hear me? You both jive!”. Later, when the mafia captures him, Wiggum declares “You jive, you hear me? You all jive!”
- Cold Turkeys Are Everywhere: After ending his friendship with Clancy, Homer watches a cop show, a movie with Edward G. Robinson and a documentary on pigs.
- Continuity Nod:
- Superintendent Chlamers mentions that Marge has tried various medication to keep Bart under control, including ritalin.
- Homer's criminal record includes "Unlicensed Snowplow" and "Cable Theft".
- Expy Coexistence: One of the kids who introduces Bart to Battle Balls says that it "makes Digimon look like Pokémon."
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: Pause when Homer pulls up his criminal record, and his various misdemeanors are visible, including "Impersonating an Otter" and "Barbecuing on Highway Median".
- Hollywood Atheist: When Homer tells Wiggum that he's awesome, he states that faith is for things that don't exist, implying that Homer is an atheist.
- Not What It Looks Like: Marge eavesdrops out of context and believes that Bart is doing drugs because of the language he uses, when he's actually playing a Japanese card game with Milhouse.Marge: Well, can you explain what you were doing in the basement with Milhouse?
Bart: Getting higher and higher...
Marge: (horrified gasp)
Bart: ...scores on Battle Ball! - Poor Communication Kills:
- The A-plot begins with Homer putting a toffee apple into his pocket, leaving it stuck there when he walks into a bank. With his mouth stuck with the toffee, everyone assumes he's robbing the bank.
- The B-plot begins with Martin observing Bart and Ralph playing Battle Balls, without overhearing any of it.
- Russian Reversal: According to Chief Wiggum, Ralph has asked what'll happen if the bed wets him.
- Shout-Out: Battle Balls is one to Bakugan Battle Brawlers. We even see pieces resembling Wilda and Nemus.
- Sure, Let's Go with That: Homer considers going with the robbery when people seem inclined to give him money and a get away.
- The Voiceless: Lisa has no lines in this episode, making the first story where she does not have a single word, and leaving Homer the only character who has dialogue in every episode.
