Original air date: 2/15/2004 (produced in 2003)
Production code: FABF-07
During a school field trip, Bart notices a change in Milhouse's behavior. Milhouse talks back to Mrs. Krabappel and wanders away from the group. He causes mischief with Bart, and tells him that he does not care what anyone thinks of him anymore. Finally, Milhouse reveals that he is moving to Capitol City with his mother. Bart visits Milhouse in Capitol City, only to find that Milhouse has dyed his hair blonde, is wearing fashionable clothes, and is cultivating a "bad-boy" image, even going so far as to give Bart a wedgie in front of his new Capitol City friends. At home, seeing how depressed Bart is, Marge suggests he spend more time with Lisa. The two begin to bond by washing the car and riding bikes, and after they discover an Indian burial mound together, they become best friends.
Meanwhile, at Moe's Tavern, Apu and Manjula are celebrating their anniversary, and Homer realizes he does not have a gift for Marge for their anniversary. After being thrown out of the bar, Homer sits on the street and people start giving him money. He dances and earns enough money to buy Marge some flowers. Homer continues his panhandling, and eventually makes enough money to buy Marge a pair of diamond earrings. When he continues panhandling afterward, angry bums bring Marge to see what Homer is doing. Marge is mortified and angry, but can not bring herself to throw the earrings away.
Milhouse returns to Springfield when his father wins custody of Milhouse via court order. After she finds out Bart told Milhouse about their secret Indian burial mound, Lisa feels that Bart is acting like their friendship never existed and that he has been using her to fill a void. Bart, however, shows her that he still values her as a sister by giving her a set of cards with nice things he will do for her on them, and the two hug. The episode ends with Isabel Sanford at the TV and Radio museum, pointing out how sitcoms usually resort to using sappy endings for their episodes, and finally begging George Jefferson to come back.
Tropes in this episode:
- 360-Degree Swing Set Swing: Discussed; When Bart and Lisa are on the swings, Bart claims he once swung all the way around. Lisa doesn't believe him, and he then lies that he knows someone who did... who Lisa doesn't know because he lives in Russia.
- As Himself: Isabel Sanford from The Jeffersons.
- Booze-Based Buff: Marge finds a ten-year-old Twinkie in the wall-safe; according to Homer if you age a Twinkie for ten years it turns into Liquor. Apparently he's right, because when Marge sends the kids away while so she and Homer can be intimate, he's seen slurring drunk, and drinking from the Twinkie with a straw.
- Chekhov's Gun: Milhouse's Capitol City Monopoly game is what Bart uses to win back Lisa's friendship.
- Credits Gag: "Movin' On Up" is playing over the end credits.
- Cultural Translation: In the Spanish dub, Milhouse invites Bart to "switch the heads on the Flintstones" instead of the Cosby Kids.
- Exact Words: Homer saying he's not going to lie to her and then saying nothing afterwards.
- Humiliation Conga: The whole opening scene is one for Nelson. First, his Little Bunny Foo Foo lunchbox explodes and he's forced to confess that it's his, causing everyone on the school bus to laugh at him. When he tries to defend himself by saying he's too poor to buy a better lunchbox and his mom got fired at Hooters for being too fat to the point they won't even let her park cars, leading his classmates to laugh at him even harder. Finally, when Edna tries to comfort him, he's forced to come clean that he's too poor to even afford the $7 field trip fee, leading him to get kicked off the school bus.
- Ignored Epiphany: After Milhouse moves to Capital City and blows Bart off during his visit there to impress the cool new crowd he's hanging out with, a bored, lonely Bart starts spending more time with Lisa only for the two to realize they're best friends. However, once Milhouse returns Bart goes right back to normal, unwittingly hurting Lisa.
- Metaphorically True: Played with. Marge questions where Homer's getting all the extra money. Homer replies that he's not going to lie to her... only to not say another word and continue reading the paper. Technically not lying to her.
- No True Scotsman: Parodied.Willie: Brothers and sisters are natural enemies, like Englishmen and Scots, or Welshmen and Scots, or Japanese and Scots, or Scots and other Scots. Damn Scots, they ruined Scotland!Skinner: You Scots sure are a contentious people.Willie: You just made an enemy for life!
- Platonic Declaration of Love: Milhouse whispers one of these to Bart in the middle of publicly bullying him to impress his new friends. Bart isn't much reassured.
- Ridiculous Repossession: Kirk Van Houten provides more evidence that he's biggest loser in the entire Simpsons universe when a repo man comes to repossess the pants he's currently wearing, leaving him in his underwear in the middle of the street.
- Shout-Out:
- The episode's title references Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.
- Mr. Burns calls Homer, Lenny, and Carl "Snap, Crackle, and Pop".
- While dancing, Homer hums "The Streets Of Cario" and "Mr. Bojangles".
- The TV museum has an exhibit called "Things that shouldn't talk, but do", consisting of Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp, the robot from Lost in Space, KITT, Salem (the middle three played by their usual actors), and Mister Ed. They also have an exhibit called "Nosy Neighbors", consisting of Mrs. Kravitz, Mr. Roper (the landlord that came before Don Knotts' Mr. Furley; he had a redheaded wife who always made fun of his bedroom performance and didn't have a job, a 1970s Peg Bundy, if you will), and Ned Flanders.
- Nelson has a Little Bunny Foo Foo
lunchbox. - The restaurant in the "Itchy and Scratchy" cartoon is called "Mickey Mao's".
- Smart Ball: Homer instantly figures out that Lisa's mad at Bart and gives him some good advice:When a woman says nothing's wrong, everything's wrong. When a woman says something's wrong, everything's wrong. And when she says that's not funny, you better not laugh your ass off.
- Song Parody: While Homer, Lenny, and Carl are riding on nuclear waste barrels, they are singing a parody of the Rawhide theme song.
- Straw Loser: Kirk, once again. He manages to make it work to his favor during the custody hearings, though, with the judge giving him back the custody of his son out of sheer pity. Then a repo man comes to take his pants and becomes shocked that Kirk is someone's father.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: When Milhouse returns to Springfield, it becomes clear that he ended up exposing his usual Straw Loser personality to the Capital City bullies causing them to abandon him, but he tries to play it off to Bart and Lisa as it being someone else's fault:Milhouse: Those Cap City kids don't think I'm cool anymore. We were having a sleepover and a robber came in and wet my bed. Then he folded the bed back into the couch and disappeared into the night. (eyes shift evasively)
- Throw the Dog a Bone: In-Universe - Kirk is allowed to keep shared custody of his son (and thus Milhouse remains in Springfield) because he is such a monumentally sorry loser that the judge took pity on him.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Milhouse, after moving to Capitol City.
