Tropes:
- Actually Pretty Funny: Homer is upset about being called "Stink-son" by his co-workers, mainly because it's not his real name, but when he hears later that the kids were called the same thing, he finally gets it and chuckles...before realizing it was an insult.
- All for Nothing: After all the episode's efforts to retrieve the smoker, The Tag shows that Marge eventually traded it for the washing machine Homer was supposed to buy with the money in the first place.
- As Himself: Alton Brown guess stars as himself as the smoke-off judge.
- Bait-and-Switch: During the smoke-off, Alton Brown holds the trophy in a way that suggests he'll give it to Marge, but then he throws up in it due to how many spices she put in the food.
- Biting-the-Hand Humor: The kids start booing Doctor Dolittle as soon as they see the Twentieth Century Fox logo.
- Continuity Nod:
- Bender is briefly seen at the Simpsons' basement.
- In a brief Flash Forward at the end, Lisa and Milhouse are seated together at Nelson's wedding, recalling their marriage in "Holidays of Future Passed" and "Days of Future Future."
- Deadly Distant Finale: The epilogue shows the future of the smoker, which eventually ends up being used by a group of survivors—an adult Milhouse, Ralph, Sherri, Terri, and others—after an unspecified disaster (the "waterless flood") destroys Springfield. As they're cooking a wild boar, they're attacked and seemingly killed by a group of wild boars.
- Despair Event Horizon: The disappearance of his smoker is what makes Homer give up all hope once he realizes that nothing good that comes to his family ever stays, so he resolves to simply lie on his back and never care again.
- Digging Yourself Deeper: After a day of being humiliated for the way family smells.Lisa: What happened? Our family's been ostracized for lots of things, but never our hygiene. [the family stares blankly at her] Rarely our hygiene. [the family continues to stare] Never my hygiene!
- Disqualification-Induced Victory: The Simpsons are declared the winners of the smoke-off when Scotty Boom is disqualified for stealing their smoker.
- Frame-Up: Scotty's own son frames him so they can have more quality time together.
- Heroic BSoD: After his smoker gets stolen and the police tell him he will most likely never see it again, Homer spends a good portion of the episode in a deep depression after realizing that everything good that comes into the Simpsons' lives eventually gets taken away. Bart and Lisa join him after failing to get the cooker back and then finally Marge joins them after her determined attempt to win the smoke-off with her spice rack ends in failure.
- Informed Deformity: The Pit Master's ancestor is mocked by the townsfolk for his weak chin...despite this being The Simpsons where nobody has a chin.
- Limited Wardrobe: Notably averted; with the Simpson's washing machine being out of commission and their regular clothes thus being too smelly to wear, the whole family has to resort to other clothes for the entirety of the episode.
- Medium Blending: When Skinner shows Doctor Dolittle at school, they show actual live-action clips from the movie, not animated versions of it.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Bart realizes that Homer's serious about giving up when he doesn't want to drink any beer.
- Pet the Dog: Bart is indifferent to Homer's misery because it's so routine until he realizes that losing the smoker has actually caused him to lose all hope, causing him to team up with Lisa to track it down.
- Strange Minds Think Alike: As soon as the other kids at Springfield Elementary School realize Bart and Lisa smell badly, they call them "Stink-sons", prompting Principal Skinner to comment that children can be cruel. The next scene then shows Homer's coworkers calling him "Stink-son".
- Take That!: None of the students enjoy the movie Doctor Dolittle.
- What Are Records?: At the dump, Bart and Lisa find a pile of old cathode tube TVs and marvel at how they "seem to go on forever."
