Lisa joins a competitive math team at school. According to Al Jean, it will have "the most complicated math jokes the writers have ever done."
Tropes about the Rick and Morty crossover Couch Gag:
- Animation Bump: The Couch Gag is animated with Adobe Flash at Bardel Entertainment.
- Body Horror: After recreating the Simpsons, they come back wrong with Rick's characteristics. He "learns" that cleaning test tubes with his spit is not a good idea.
- Came Back Wrong: After Morty accidentally kills the Simpson family, Rick successfully resurrects them... only now they're grotesque part-Simpson, part-Rick, part-alien hybrids.
- Crossover: With Rick and Morty on the Couch Gag. Bart even lampshades it at the end by beamoning the use of guest animators.
- Ludicrous Gibs: Rick accidentally crashes hid ship into the Simpsons family, splattering them. Literally, their bodies and clothing are smeared as if they were Made of Plasticine.
- Medium Awareness: Rick knows The Simpsons is a cartoon with several characters and references the episode that featured George H. W. Bush.
- Shout-Out: A Slurm vending machine, the Planet Express Ship, and a Brain Slug can be spotted.
- Special Guest: Justin Roiland reprises his roles as Rick and Morty.
Tropes about the episode:
- Bait-and-Switch:
- Homer laughs next to a sign with a joke written on it, making it seem he's laughing at the joke. He's actually laughing at a nearby dog whose face is inside a box.
- Later, after Homer has sung along to "Ode to Joy":Homer: I feel like Beethoven...when Charles Grodin finally accepted him as his dog.
- After the Action Fractions win, it's implied Willie is about to say Lisa deserves thanks for this. He instead thanks low standards.
- Basement-Dweller: Before earning their fortunes, the judges at the early competition lived in basements. One of them jokes that their current basements are under fancy mansions.
- Brick Joke: When Willie protests against taking orders from a vacuuming robot, Principal Skinner says the robot doesn't speak yet but, if it ever learns, Willie will have to obey it. Later, when Willie is asked to supervise the Action Fractions for the next competition, he says he needs permission from his supervisor. The robot emits a green light which Willie takes for the permission being granted.
- EMP: The amount of electronic devices that are on at the same time at the school ends up causing one of these that destroys all the devices and even briefly affects the Nuclear Power Plant. Though it doesn't explain why the school's lights still function despite this or whether any devices outside the school were affected.
- Epic Fail: Before they get Willie's coaching skills, the Action Fractions fail to score a single point.
- Fun with Acronyms: Education Satisfies Peculiar Nerds. When Marge says ESPN isn't sponsoring it, the message is changed to Dad Overestimates Hype.
- Privileged Rival: The Waverly Hills Elementary No Equals are this to the Springfield Elementary Action Fractions.
- Self-Made Man: The judges at the math competition that takes place before Willie becomes the Action Fractions' coach became wealthy by making and selling an application.
- Shout-Out: At one point in the No Equals' introduction video, they turn into a Power Rangers team, complete with "Super Sentai" Stance.
- Take That!: One scene pokes fun of Michael Bay.
- Tempting Fate: When the Action Fractions arrive at the building the math competition will take place, Principal Skinner comments it must finally be safe to wear their team jerseys. Right after they do so, Nelson shows up and hits Database before leaving for the Model UN.
- Wrong Side of the Tracks: The No Equals are described as being "from the right side of the tracks".
