Lisa calls her teacher Miss Hoover a hack and refuses to apologize. Bart suggests the non-apology "I'm soggy" but that gets Lisa nowhere. So then she decides to take Marge's advice. This leads Lisa to learn about the pathetic tribulations of Miss Hoover's personal life.
This episode provides examples of:
- Apathetic Teacher: Deconstructed with Miss Hoover. After witnessing Miss Hoover's private life, Lisa realizes why Miss Hoover is the way she is and apologizes to her.
- The B Grade: After getting one B-minus, Lisa worries her dreams of going to Yale are dashed.
- Both Sides Have a Point: Lisa is correct in that Miss Hoover was wrong to give her an unfair grade, but Miss Hoover is correct in that Lisa should have apologized for calling her a hack.
- Calling Parents by Their Name: Bart, who typically only does this to his dad, demotes his mother to "Marge" after she attempts to serve the family a healthy breakfast of cantaloupe slices.Homer: See? Your fruit breakfast has turned him into a first-name user.
- Continuity Nod:
- The animation of Lisa dancing on Miss Hoover's smart board is of the same dance she did in "Radio Bart."
- Chalmers' dancing talent, first seen in "How the Test was Won," is seen again here.
- The a cappella song the Yale men sing at the end of the episode has the same melody as "Baby on Board."
- The end credits show the projects of all the other kids in Lisa's class, including Blake, Lisa's band rival from two episodes prior ("Three Dreams Denied"), who's presented himself as his hero.
- *Crack!* "Oh, My Back!": Despite her chronic back problems, Miss Hoover still comes to class but can only teach while lying down on her back.
- A Day in the Limelight: This is the first time that Miss Hoover has gotten a major role in an episode.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Moe's advice to Lisa on dealing with Miss Hoover is the same advice he gives to people dealing with bad drivers: to follow her home and pee in her gas tank.
- Gratuitous Rap: Lisa's presentation on Gladys West consists of a rap performance—not by her, but a recorded voice inside her mobile. The entire school runs into her classroom and dances.
- Hard Truth Aesop: Similar to season 24's "Black Eyed Please" Lisa has to face a reality that an authority figure may not appreciate her and that, however justified her anger may be, her outburst is still disrespecting an authority figure. She ends the episode sitting on the roof looking at the sky trying to figure out how she is supposed to feel about it.
- Jerk Justifications: Miss Hoover's apathy towards work is a result of living in poor conditions and lacking a personal relationship.
- Never Win the Lottery: Lisa learns that Miss Hoover buys a lottery ticket every day on the way home, and dreads losing every time.
- Rage Breaking Point: Miss Hoover yawns throughout all of Lisa's "The Reason You Suck" Speech, but it's not until she calls her a hack that she snaps and sends her to detention.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Lisa gives one to Miss Hoover after getting a B- on her presentation, the same grade as everyone else. She calls Miss Hoover uncaring and apathetic.
- Rejected Apology: When Lisa finally apologizes to Miss Hoover and buys her the recliner she wanted, Hoover rejects the apology because it was given too late. However, the next day, Lisa is ultimately forgiven after pointing out that no second grader can ever really buy a recliner like she did. Plus it had a massage feature.
- Shout-Out: To Peanuts in The Stinger. Homer is lying on top of the roof and daydreams of being a WWI flying ace, in a near perfect recreation of Snoopy fighting the Red Baron in ‘’It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown''.
- Stink Bomb: Bart threatens to use a deadly one on the bullies giving Lisa a hard time in detention. He ends up throwing it at a teacher, but it turns out to be a lavender bath bomb. The teacher thanks him for it.
- The Unapologetic: Lisa, who refuses to apologize to Miss Hoover due to belief she was in the wrong.
