Marge has nightmares about Bart growing up, and about the Empty Nest that might follow.
Marge dreams again, of Bart's first day of kindergarten. He doesn't want to let go of her hand, but it's okay to go. Then Marge remembers Bart forgot his coat, and goes into the kindergarten to deliver it, but as she enters, the room is suddenly a clothes store. After searching for him, she finds a teenaged Bart among the clothes, no longer her little boy. Homer's voice reminds her that this is a dream, and the scene becomes a meadow, with Homer being a talking otter playing the digeridoo. Marge tries to remember what kind of dream it is when you know you're dreaming, and the personification of memories of Lisa pops up to tell her this is a "Lucy dream". Marge is in total control here. She manifests a file cabinet of recent memories in the oven, in order to examine why she's having these dreams. She opens up the "Bart Shouting" file, and yesterday, Bart had a splinter. As she prepares to remove it, Marge notices that Bart's hands are bigger than her hands now, and it's been a while since they held hands, to which Bart replies with an "Ew." Dream Homer thinks Bart's rudeness and splinters is why she's having these dreams, but Marge isn't sure, maybe it's the hubcap hotdogs. Why did her awake self think that was a good idea? Dream Homer reminds her she was drunk. What would drive her awake self to drink frozen wine on a school night? Dream Homer brings up a meeting with Bart's teacher, and Marge examines that file and gets sucked in.
Homer isn't sure what Bart did this time, but they'll take care of it. Ms. Peyton says Bart hasn't done anything, she's meeting with all the parents. Bounce-a-thon is coming up, which means it's almost the end of the year, which means Bart is almost in the fifth grade, which means Bart is almost one year away from middle school, which means Bart's childhood is almost over. Marge's mindscape shakes like an earthquake for the moment as Ms. Peyton grows seventeen feet tall whilst describing everything Bart will go through when he becomes a teen, insisting that Marge gets Bart some strong deodorant, she taught fifth grade, she knows what smells are coming. But don't freak out, even though fifth grade is the last year of childhood. As the dream classroom falls apart into a spacelike void, Marge knows exactly what was causing these dreams. Bart is growing up.
Morning arrives, but Marge is still looking awful. She gets ready to make some snacks despite her being on the verge of barfing, but Homer says he's on it. He's even making his own Rice Krispies for the marshmallow treats, but the burned rice moistened by old egg nog isn't helping Marge's nausea. Marge must stay home, but this will be the first time she's missed out on the Bounce-a-thon. Homer assures her that missing out on stuff is great, and Marge tasks him with taking pictures for her Bounce-a-thon scrapbook, and Marge tasks Bart with giving Homer a slow thumbs-up so he has time to focus, but Bart doesn't do thumbs-ups at Bounce-a-thon anymore. Comedy photos are his thing now, a straightforward thumbs-up would ruin his brand, plus none of the kids like Bounce-a-thon anymore. Bart says Marge should respect that this is how he is this year.
Marge immediately falls asleep, and dreams she's in a spooky woodland with a rugged action hero Homer telling her to run, but she doesn't need symbolism right now. Bart growing up is a reality, not a nightmare, and Marge should have treasured every time they held hands because she didn't know which one was the last. Dream Lisa recites a half-remembered inspirational quote, but it didn't work. Dream Homer points out she still has Lisa and Maggie. That's right, Lisa and Maggie. They'll grow up too. Marge has a vision of the house with empty bedrooms, falling apart and exploding until all that's left is Marge and the rug, and a pile of debris shaped like a nest.
Dream Homer, now in the form of a dog, points out that it's pointless to be sad right now, Bart's still a kid, he's not going anywhere right now. Dream Homer draws Marge's attention to a very recent memory, that morning. Marge didn't even notice that Lisa was excited about her coming to Bounce-a-thon, rehearsing her thumbs up. Lisa is still her little girl, and Marge has to be there for her!
Marge tries to drive to Springfield Elementary, but a radio ad triggers her nausea. Picking up a discarded e-scooter from a pile right next to the Flanders home, Marge is on the move, puking into every bush along the way until she makes it to the school, depositing the scooter into another pile. The second graders are doing the Bounce-a-thon, Marge is in time, she just has to make her way through the crowd, using her sickness to her advantage by implying it might be some sort of plague in order to scare everyone into making room. Marge is in position, but the fair food smells are overwhelming her. She holds her breath to block out the smell and hold in the puke, and right as Lisa is passing the finish line, she passes out.
Ms. Peyton wakes Marge up at the first aid station, and the picture of Lisa is a blurry mess. Marge admits she's been stressed since their meeting and the implication that Bart's childhood is over. Ms. Peyton gets defensive, she said nothing of the sort, but after bringing up middle school, Marge did get quiet for the rest of the meeting, only speaking to ask about Happy Hour at the bar she went to. Ms. Peyton said nothing about drugs, girls, or acne, but what she said about deodorant was very real. Bart still has plenty of childhood left, and feeling assured, Marge goes back to sleep. She has another dream of bubbles, happy her kids are still her kids, and Dream Homer brings up the possibility of Bart getting his high school girlfriend pregnant, but Marge is okay with that. She wakes up just in time for the fourth grade Bounce-a-thon, all healed up. Bart is nearly at the finish line, with a second bouncy ball wrapped around his head. As soon as Bart finishes, he takes his bouncy balls and arranges them to look like a giant mooning butt. Homer gets the photo, and Marge is proud of this. Thankful, Bart holds her hand as they walk to the dunk tank. He's still her special little guy, but on the way home, they need to go deodorant shopping.
Tropes:
- Assurance Backfire: Dream Homer tries to reassure Marge than even if Bart is growing up, She'll still have Lisa and Maggie, That only lead Marge to realize that the same thing will happens to her daughters.
- Big "NO!": Marge's first nightmare ends with her letting out one of these after a bubble with young Bart floats away and pops.
- Brick Joke: At the beginning, Homer and Marge discuss eating street meat cooked on a hubcap the previous night. Later at the Bounce-a-thon, the street meat guy is one of the food vendors.
- Catapult Nightmare: After Marge awakens from her first nightmare, Homer pops up to awaken from his own nightmare about Dracula suing him.
- Cordon Bleugh Chef: Homer tries to make Rice Krispies treats with homemade Rice Krispies. After he burns the rice, he tries softening it with old, congealed egg nog.
- Empty Nest: The entire episode is about Marge coming to terms with the fact that Bart is growing up and will leave home one day, and Lisa and Maggie will follow.
- Floating in a Bubble: Marge's first nightmare starts out pleasantly with her throwing a bubble party for young Bart and Lisa. Then Bart is trapped in a bubble and starts floating away, until the bubble pops and Bart is gone. At the end, after Marge has made peace with Bart growing up, she is seen happily floating in her own bubble.
- Holding Hands: Seen multiple times throughout the episode as the symbol for Marge and Bart's bond.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: Ms. Peyton bringing up middle school is what drives Marge to drink herself sick.
- Kindness Ball: Homer, who is typically clueless and thoughtless in regard to Marge's needs, is genuinely concerned that she's sick and considers calling a doctor. Even in Marge's dreams, Homer is atypically helpful and insightful.
- Lonely Piano Piece: To cap off the episode's heartwarming ending, the credits music, the Gracie Films logo and the 20th Century fanfare are all done by a piano soloist.
- Malaproper: Marge didn't completely listen to Lisa talking about lucid dreams, so Dream Lisa calls the term "Lucy dream".
- Mooning: Bart is at the Bounce-a-thon wearing a second bouncy ball on his head. After crossing the finish line, he puts both bouncy balls together to make a giant butt for the photo.
- Nightmare Sequence: Most of this episode is Marge's nightmares.
- Once More, with Clarity: Dream Homer gets Marge to re-examine a memory of that morning, focusing on Lisa being excited for Marge being at the Bounce-a-thon, which she didn't notice due to her focusing on Bart and her own PTA duties.
- Political Overcorrectness: Ms. Peyton trips over her words at the start of her meeting with Homer and Marge, insisting they don't use the word "normal" anymore.
- Rule of Symbolism: Marge defies this with the third nightmare, dismissing the spooky woods setting and a bear chasing her, because the horrors she is facing is real, symbolism isn't needed. But later that same nightmare, after the house is destroyed, all that is left is a pile of rubble shaped like a bird's nest, empty except for Marge.
- Shout-Out:
- The title is based on the Shakespeare play A Mid Summer Nights Dream.
- Dream Homer says that Dream Lisa is as smart as "Old Sheldon".
- After the realization that Lisa and Maggie will grow up too, what follows is an homage to the nuclear nightmare from Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
- Sick Episode: Marge spends most of her awake screentime of this episode suffering from food poisoning and a hangover.
- The Unreveal: Several times Marge ponders why she ate all that questionable food, noting herself that it's out of character for her, but it's never explained.
- Vomit Indiscretion Shot: One of the instances of Marge vomiting is seen onscreen, her puking on the door window after opening the wrong window.
- Your Television Hates You: When Marge tries to drive to school, the radio is playing an ad for a restaurant that specializes in egg salad sandwiches with warm mayonnaise, triggering Marge's nausea.
