Production code: EABF-09
Krusty runs for Congress when the Simpsons protest against airplanes flying over their house.
Tropes:
- Biting-the-Hand Humor:
- Fox News blatantly rigs the debate against Krusty's opponent.
- Earlier in the episode, Homer eats a Joe Millionaire promo, then spits out the Fox part of the logo in disgust.Homer: (Notices onscreen promo) Mmm.… Promo.... (Spits it out) Ewww! Fox!
- Blatant Lies: A government official claims the airplane flight paths were moved to protect "endangered wildlife and their mating rituals" or somesuch. Gilligan Cut to Mayor Quimby at the Ye Olde Off-Ramp Inn with his mistress ("VotequimbyvotequimbyvotequimbyVOTEQUIMBY!"). He at first relishes in being able to hear her now that the airplanes aren't going over...only it turns out she's Cute, but Cacophonic ("Now I regret building you that opera house!").
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Homer notices a Joe Millionaire promo, grabs it, and then eats it. He then spits out the Fox part of the logo.
- Captain Obvious: Krusty's campaign commercial features a series of historical events with Krutsy poorly photoshopped into them (such as the Iwo Jima flag raising). An announcer voice then notes that the "pictures have been edited to include Krusty."
- Continuity Snarl: In this episode, Horace Wilcox is stated to be Springfield's representative since 1933, but "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington" has Springfield's Congressman being named Bob Arnold.
- Goofy Print Underwear: Krusty's has bomb prints.
- "Just Joking" Justification: When Bart tells Milhouse he can't join the campaign dinner unless he pays $100, Krusty says he'll pose for a photo for $200 and have someone killed for $1,000. Upon seeing Milhouse and the Simpsons' reactions, he says it was a joke.
- The Main Characters Do Everything: It stands to reason that everybody in the Simpsons' neighborhood would be affected by the change in the airlines' flight patterns, but only the main characters are presented as having an issue with it, and are also the only ones doing anything about it. Even when Krusty gets elected, he ends up too powerless to enact the change they want, so the Simpsons have to pull some behind-the-scenes shenanigans in the House to get the bill passed.
- Mondegreen Gag: Marge tells Homer to perform CPR. He begins singing "Bad Moon Rising," and Marge corrects him, "Not CCR!"
- Murder-Suicide: Homer brings up the idea of it after congressman Wilcox dies from a heart attack to deal with their plane problems. Marge, naturally, calls him out on that before he clarifies it as "Just an expression."
- No Sympathy: The government official that the Simpsons go to to see about their airline problem does not care about their troubles. He "orders" them to go home and learn to live with it, because the government can do whatever it wishes and they can't go against its will.
- Noodle Incident: Apparently, some graffiti in Congress claims Grover Cleveland sucks something, and Krusty is told by the senior congressman to "leave it, lest we forget."
- Only the Leads Get a Happy Ending: Played for Laughs and Lampshaded. The Simpsons are ultimately successful in getting the planes away from their home; now they're flying where they can't bother anybody: over the homes of poor people.
- RMS Titanic: Horace Wilcox, the congressman who died early in the episode, is stated to have been a Titanic survivor.
- Shout-Out:
- The title is an allusion to Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Both the film and this episode feature an election to find a replacement for a Congress member who dies before the end of his term.
- Mayor Quimby regrets building his shrill-voiced girlfriend an opera house, which was done in Citizen Kane.
- The in-flight movie the Springfield Mafia are watching on their private jet in their cameo appearance in this episode is Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. And this following dialogue from the mafia shows it.
Louie: This is a private jet. Why do we gotta watch "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood?"
Johnny Tightlips: The boss, he's got a thing for the Ya-Yas.
(Seated nearby them, Fat Tony is sobbing to the movie)
Fat Tony: (Sobbing) Why was I born a man?
(He picks up a nearby pizza slice and blows his nose in it) - Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Krusty's successful in getting elected to Congress—But then he discovers that, as a new member, he won't get much of a say in anything that Congress actually does (Much less pass a new bill by himself).
- Take That!:
- To the Democratic Party. Lisa says she normally wouldn't help a Republican like Krusty with a campaign, but says it would be nice to be on the winning side for once.
- Republicans don't escape unscathed either as Fox News is portrayed as being blatantly biased and more interested in smear campaigns then actually telling the truth.
- Congress as a whole is slammed as inept, corrupt, and structured in a way to give the old guard all the power while preventing newly-elected representatives from being able to do anything. At the same time, it shows that its members are also easily manipulated by those who understand how the game really works.
- Unsettling Gender-Reveal: When Mr. Burns says the Republican Party will cover up his affair with a Russian prostitute by claiming it was a Spionage mission, Krusty says he found out that "She" was actually a man.
- Your Mom: Krusty accidentally does this when he makes a speech to Spanish-speaking voters—He says, "I'm going to vomit on your mother's grave," without realizing what it meant. After seeing their horrified and questioning his translator on it (And ultimately realizing what he said), Krusty finally understands why his maid quit on him.
