YMMV / The Simpsons S9 E20 "The Trouble with Trillions"

• Genius Bonus: Fidel Castro's horror at learning San Francisco's Castro District is a major gayborhood takes on a whole new meaning if one is aware of the severe problems Cuba had with homophobia under his rule.
• Harsher in Hindsight: While everyone is filing their tax returns, the Sea Captain puts a chunk of his loot in the tax envelope and starts to wonder why he bothers plundering at all. A later episode would have Mayor Quimby claim the treasure that the Sea Captain spent 40 years looking for under new "district lines", on behalf of the city of Springfield. Ouch.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • Homer, Burns and Smithers land in Cuba at the same time Fidel Castro is considering the possibility of abandoning Communism. About fifteen years later, Cuba and the U.S. restored diplomatic ties, with many pointing that socialism in the island may have its days counted once the embargo is lifted.
  • The fact that Castro took the trillion dollar banknote while leaving the trio to their fates contrasts with many Cuban exiles and Tea Party supporters who have decried the detente as the deal was ambiguous regarding any important changes to Cuba's political system.
  • A trillion dollar coin has been one of the options touted as a solution to pushback against raising the US government's debt ceiling.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • Given that 2020 was such a turbulent year, Homer's line "Oh, will this horrible year never end!?" was subject to much memetic mutation across social media on New Year's Eve.
  • Flanders happily waking up literal minutes into January 1st to do his taxes has become a popular image on social media every time a new year rolls around.
• Unintentional Period Piece: The third act involves a Run for the Border to Cuba and multiple jokes involving Fidel Castro (one of which is Homer filling an immigration form that has an "assassinate Castro" option for "purpose of visiting"). Fidel Castro stepped down from Cuba's presidency in 2008 (and from being the Secretary of the Communist Party in 2011) and died in 2016. His brother Raul acted as President from 2008 to 2018, when he also stepped down.
• Woolseyism: Since the Bilingual Bonus doesn't work in Spanish, Homer's reply to the Cuban boy ("It's donkey meat.") is changed to "Who? You or me?"

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