The Simpsons (animation)/Recap/S21/E17 American History X-Cellent

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Mr. Burns is sent to jail for art theft and becomes a born-again Christian when there. Meanwhile, Smithers takes over as head of the power plant and soon becomes even worse boss than his predecessor, and Bart and Lisa raise some baby ants after their mother dies.

Tropes used in American History X-Cellent include:
  • All Gays Are Promiscuous: Homer flashes his overweight stomach as thanks to Smithers for being such a nice guy while in charge (at first).
  • Framing Device: The first scene of the episode is Mr. Burns being accosted in his prison cell by three men who appear to be prison guards, which then stops as Burns starts narrating the story, which is occasionally called back to throughout. Near the end, the first scene is re-used (with slightly different animation) and given context in that the three men are Homee, Lenny and Carl come to break Burns out because Smithers is being so mean to them.
  • Subversion: The "H" drug that the prison warden is addicted to turns out to be helium. "Damn, that gas is noble!"
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