Lisa sends Democratic Assemblywoman Maxine Lombard (voiced by Jane Fonda, in the first time she's ever done voicework) to stop Mr. Burns' latest environmentally destructive project, but the two end up in love. Meanwhile, Patty and Selma stay with The Simpsons, but Homer won't let them smoke.
Examples:
- Armor-Piercing Response: It takes Homer a long while to understand Marge telling him that water being on fire is NOT a good thing until things threaten to destroy his neighborhood, though he comes to the erroneous conclusion fracking is great but must only happen in other people's towns.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Burns and Maxine, who, despite being a corrupt conservative and a die-hard liberal respectively, have a fine sexual relationship.
- Brain Bleach: The sight of a rain-soaked Patty and Selma's unsightly, jiggling features through wet see-through clothing is enough for Homer's pupils to shatter and need a janitor to swept them up inside his eyes.
- Dating Catwoman: Burns and Lombard become lovers despite being political rivals. (Probably not a good idea to think about it that much.)
- Epic Fail: Patty and Selma's first attempt to convince the Simpsons that they can stop smoking consists on taking off their cigarettes and stomp on them. Once they finish, each one is already smoking another cigarette.
- Exact Words: At the plant's kitchen, there's a box of donuts and a sign reading 'take one'. Homer sticks them to make a giant donut and takes it.
- Fan Disservice: Patty and Selma's Sexy Soaked Shirt. Their clothes are drenched in the rain and become see-through which does not look flattering on their bodies.
- Funny Background Event: Patty and Selma put out their cigarettes on a fishbowl, and as the scene progresses you can see the smoke taint the water and the fish go belly up.
- Insane Troll Logic: To get Homer to agree to let Patty & Selma stay, Marge tries to butter him up by making his dinner extra-special. Homer tries to protest once he finds out, but Marge wouldn't have it because he already ate the porkchops with gravy and looked at the mirrors showing the football game.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Homer just wants an excuse to kick his sisters-in-law out of his home but nobody challenges his point about the danger they pose by smoking near kids.
- Not Me This Time: Bart and Lisa assume it was oil tycoon Rich Texan who was behind the fracking, but he says he's not interested in drilling for gas because you can't dance around a gusher of gas like you can with oil.
- Only Sane Man: Marge has to repeatedly point out that water being on fire is not a thing anyone in their right mind should try to justify or overlook.
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: "Our. Water. Was. On. FIRE!"note
- Rule of Three: Marge says the sentence "Our water was on fire!" 3 time throughout the episode, the third time was Punctuated! For! Emphasis!.
- Self-Deprecation: Homer claims that Marge is against fracking because she's been brainwashed by liberal-minded TV shows where fracking is the villain, which is exactly what this episode is.
- Smart Ball: Homer, twice. First he gets rid of Patty and Selma by exploiting their nicotine addiction. Later he solves the crisis by lighting a match in his bathroom to destroy the fracking plant.
- Smoking Is Not Cool: It's doubtful many viewers sympathized with Patty and Selma here.
- Spanner in the Works: Marge prevents fracking from happening on Evergreen Terrace by not signing her name on Burns' release form, which requires all of the street's residents to sign.
- Tempting Fate: Patty and Selma say they don't mind not being allowed to smoke indoors because they can smoke outdoors. It rains right after they try.
- Wingding Pupils: Seeing Patty and Selma in wet, see-through dresses makes Homer's pupils shatter and drop to the bottom of his eyeballs, where a janitor inside sweeps them up.
