While desperately searching for a bathroom during her morning jog, Marge discovers how low-rent Springfield Elementary School really is and moves Bart and Lisa to Waverly Hills Elementary by having Homer rent an apartment there so the city inspector of Waverly Hills (who cracks down on out-of-towners who only register for a Waverly Hills address so they can send their kids to that town's school) does not get suspicious. Meanwhile, Bart helps Lisa become popular by telling others that Lisa is friends with a teenage pop star named Alaska Nebraska.
Tropes:
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: Bart ends up being popular at Waverly Hills Elementary School by faking being taken into custody by Chief Wiggum, who helps him with his stunt in exchange to go to Ralph's birthday party, which Bart ends up skipping.
- all lowercase letters: The "Science Water" labeling in a clear parody of VitaminWater.Marge: It's like drinking e.e. cummings!
- All There in the Script: According to the FXX captions, Homer's Waverly Hills roommates are named Donald (the one in the "What Would Itchy Do?" shirt) and Geoff (who wears a peach shirt).
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Lisa is willing to embrace the new opportunities Waverly Hills Elementary brings. Unfortunately, it never occurs to her she was a Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond, and thus, she will actually be challenged intellectually.
- Big Brother Instinct: Bart tries to help Lisa make friends by claiming she’s friends with popular teen idol Alaska Nebraska.
- But Not Too Challenging: Lisa learns her high grades at Springfield Elementary were in part due to the more lax standards. While she superficially does want a challenge, her own self-esteem takes a blow (in conjunction with having even fewer friends).
- Comically Missing the Point: When Wiggum tells the mobsters that Batman will be at Ralph’s party, they all assume it’ll be the real one and flee town.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Caitlin, Katelyn and Kate Lynn decide to kill a disguised Lisa for wearing last year’s shoes.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?:
- Principal Skinner is heartbroken when he asks Superintendent Chalmers about what to tell their kids (the students of Springfield Elementary School) about Chalmers supervising a school other than Springfield Elementary.
- In the B-plot, Marge begins to visit Homer while he awaits a surprise inspection at the tiny apartment they bought to allow their kids to attend the school, and they attend a party with the college students in the building, where they jokingly play-act a youthful flirtation. From there the story turns into a simulacrum of the development of a relationship: he gives her a key to the apartment in the manner of a Wacky Marriage Proposal, she distresses him by making over the place to look more adult, and, when Bart and Lisa confess they want out of the new school, they finally decide to give up their "love nest" and move to a house in the suburbs (the one where they already live).
- Doting Parent: Wiggum is ready to play along with Bart in a scheme to make him cool and even let slide Fat Tony's drug trafficking if they come to Ralph's birthday, from what he said he puts a lot of work so his son can have a good birthday.
- Double Standard: When Marge goes to Springfield Elementary School to use the bathroom, she comments that, as a woman, her presence there won't cause any trouble.
- Expy: Alaska Nebraska is one of Hannah Montana.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Downplayed; The teacher nicely pointed out that Lisa's old teachers not checking her work is the reason she got so many As.
- Loophole Abuse: The initial plan is for the family to merely buy the house but not live in it, only using the address to get their kids into the local schools. Unfortunately, it's revealed this has happened enough times that the city hired an inspector to verify they're living there for exactly this reason.
- Kids Are Cruel: Unsurprisingly, the kids at Waverly Hills think Lisa is lame for not knowing about a kid idol and bully her. The girls are also pretty unforgiving when Lisa comes clean to them and they chase after her.
- Make It Look Like an Accident: When Homer and Marge tricked the city inspector into believing their kids actually resided in their Waverly Hills home, he commented he was looking forward to killing them and making it look like a suicide.
- Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: Implied to be the case with Lisa's intellect- whereas at a bare minimum school like Springfield she led the way, at Waverly she will actually have to apply herself to stand out.
- Oh, No... Not Again!: When Lisa sneaks backstage to talk to Alaska Nebraska, the latter immediately deduces that Lisa lied about being her best friend and is now desperate to get a bunch of backstage passes to keep the lie up. This has happened enough times that her speech in response to Lisa's plea turns out to have been pre-recorded and lip-synced.
- Papa Wolf: After Bart fails to fulfill his promise in attending Ralph's Birthday party, Wiggum brings his entire police force to capture Bart. Considering he was dumb enough to stick a loaded handgun in his mouth, it speaks volumes as to how much Ralphie means to him as a father.
- Potty Emergency: Marge has one at the start of the episode after drinking too much Science Water.
- Product Placement: In a moment of hysteria due to Marge coming into his meager apartment early when he wasn't there and cleaned it all up while also getting rid of his other stuff, Homer wonders aloud (a tad weird to mention due to this show having advertised some of these as another brand (like the Zii)):
- Shout-Out:
- The city inspector's behavior mirrors that of Anton Chigurh.
- There's a montage set to a plot-specific rewrite of Weezer's "Beverly Hills".Waverly Hills
Get education fraudulently (gimme gimme, gimme gimme)
Mooching off Waverly Hills
- Similar Squad: Waverly Hills has its own version of Ralph Wiggum, who has a full head of hair, wears a preppy sweater, speaks fluent French, but then inexplicably opens up a locker and walks inside.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: The family's initial plan is to invoke Loophole Abuse, merely using the Waverly address to get their kids in the school. Unfortunately, so many have tried that, they're forced to actually live there when they're informed an inspector will come by to inspect for exactly that.
