Bart takes part in a dare which ends with him in a hospital. In order to cover up for himself and Homer (who had failed to stop him in time), Bart makes a claim that he met Jesus in Heaven.
This episode provides examples of...
- Alcoholic Parent: Though certainly not to the same degree as Homer, Marge reveals that a hidden wine bottle is the second of her strategies for coping with life (the first being "blind faith").
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents:
- Bart apparently disavows Homer at school.
- For once, Bart makes Marge proud of him and learns that doing so might be worse than letting her down as her pride causes her to unabashedly kiss and cuddle him in front of a busload of jeering kids.Marge: Let them laugh, Bart! This is wonderful! Every jeer turns into another smoochie-poo from Mom!
- Anger Born of Worry: After Bart wakes up, Marge yells at him for participating in a dangerous stunt.
- Continuity Nod: Homer calls turning down a dare "worse than wetting your pants while on Santa's lap—and I've been on both sides of that one," recalling his stint as a Mall Santa in the very first episode.
- Big Brother Instinct: Bart refuses to participate in the first dare because it would have ruined his sister’s performance.
- Bluff the Impostor: Lisa tries to catch Bart out on his lie by asking what finger Grandpa Bouvier was missing; Bart tries to get around it by claiming the man was wearing a beekeeping outfit, but Lisa than reveals that Grandpa Bouvier was actually missing a leg.
- Clip Show: Clips from the past 29 seasons shown in reverse
during the couch gag to commemorate 30 years of The Simpsons, from Season 29's "Gone Boy" to Season 1's "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". - Freeze-Frame Bonus: Just as he hits the ground◊, Bart gets Squashed Flat.
- Hell of a Heaven: The Tag has an adult Bart finally entering Heaven and meeting Homer on his way out, Homer having decided to head to "Hindu Heaven" to be reincarnated because Christian Heaven is boring and contains Flanders.
- Hidden Heart of Gold: Bart fears not being forgiven by God for his lie and asks Lisa what she thinks, making her promise not to tell anyone he asked her. He adds that he's only turning to her because she's the smartest person he knows and quickly begs her not to tell anyone he said that either.
- Idiot Ball: Given Bart's track record, nobody should believe his fantastic tale, least of all Ned Flanders. In Marge's case, at least, there's heavy denial involved.
- Insult Backfire: Subverted:Nelson: (sing-song) Bart's got a dad! Bart's got a dad!Bart: I do not!
- My Beloved Smother: Bart has an Imagine Spot in which an adult version of him jumps off a cruise ship to finally get away from an aging Marge along with his fellow "mama's boys" Skinner and Smithers and their mothers.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Bart refuses to take a dare that would ruin his sister's saxophone performance and has to deal with shame at school, disappointment from Homer, and (perhaps worst of all) Marge's newfound pride in him. His attempts to undo all of the above by taking another dare spiral into the disastrous Snowball Lie that makes up the episode.
- Platonic Declaration of Love: Imagining Lisa telling him she loves him causes Bart to refuse to humiliate her.
- Poor Communication Kills: Homer interrupts Bart before he can explain what the dare was that he turned down, so we never find out if his reaction would have been different if he knew that Bart refused to do something that would hurt Lisa.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: When Bart's lie is revealed and the Simpsons' house gets picketed as a result, Patty and Selma carry signs that read "BLAME THE FATHER." While they're obviously motivated by their usual hatred of Homer, the whole thing actually was largely his fault for telling Bart to take dares and encouraging his cover story.
- Skewed Priorities: Homer believes that turning down a dare, any dare, is one of the most shameful things a human being can do, to the point where he's panicked and conflicted when Lenny jokingly dares him not to rescue Bart. When Bart asks Abe if a dare is really that important, Abe tells him that he had Homer on a dare, "and as horrible as that worked out, I'd do it again!"
- Snowball Lie: Lisa easily determines that Bart is lying about his Near-Death Experience and warns him that this will result, which it does to the tune of the family having to disclaim a Christian movie made about the alleged event which outdoes major films at the box office.
- Something Only They Would Say: Skeptical of Bart's claim that he met her father in Heaven, Marge asks him to tell her "something he said that only I would know." Bart hazards a pretty safe guess based on what we know of Marge's family by saying that he'd told him "Homer is an idiot."Marge: Oh my God, I can hear his voice through you! (sobbing as she leaves the room) Excuse me a minute.
- So Proud of You: The news that Bart turned down a dare simultaneously nets him this response from Marge and a Disappointed in You reaction from Homer...and he's possibly more displeased by the former, since Marge's maternal fussing is humiliating.
- Special Guest: Dave Attell as Luke, Emily Deschanel as "Marge", Gal Gadot as "Lisa", and Jonathan Groff as "Bart".
- Take That!: Homer claims that he goes to sleep when he watches DC movies.
- Why Don't You Marry It?: During the recital at the beginning.Dolph: Hey, Martin Princess. If you like that cello so much, why don't you marry it?Chalmers: No heckling!Skinner: Way to crush him, sir.Kearney: Hey, Skinner! If you like Chalmers so much, why don't you marry him?Skinner: Well, as the superintendent, he's married to all the principals.Chalmers: ...Thank you. You've made the anniversary of my wife's death even more depressing.
