I was confused but then rather relieved when Homer and Marge made up at the halfway point (or 2/3-way, but with the new act structure it's all messed up). The direction it seemed to be taking - standard marriage trouble with last-minute make-up - was not used here after all, and that was nice. The actual plot seemed good enough. I was a little confused at Bart's motivation for wanting to be caught, but if I watch it again it might become more clear. Actually, though, I was fairly enjoying many of the little moments: Homer's method of avoiding unloading the dishwasher, the quip about watching Marge knit being like watching pictures download on dialup, the "elementery" solution and Lisa's advance joke about it (done well). On the other hand, how does Bart's eraser break the fire alarm glass? (It wasn't like he seismically weakened the school at *that* point.)
OPENING It's much like the LABF04 opening (short, pinata couch), although the crow (unusual for this season!) goes L to R here. Strangely, it caws early!
DYN: ...48-star flag in the 50s (1956, so it's accurate) auto film? ...Bart says "damn it"? ...6th grade walla includes talk of training bras and unwanted boners? ..."close your eyes and think of Milhouse"? ...Homer's mad at Bart for being a month behind on homework, after flipping through several overdue bills? ...another post-death/Maggie-Roswell-return Maude sighting? ...Patty has a "Hersch[ey]" bar, and can snap the segments out of the corners quite cleanly? ..."Springfieldland" sign (by analogy with the Hollywood[land] sign it of course references) in the old subway station?
Previous episode stuff 1F08: Opens with an old newsreel-type show KABF16: Peanuts trombone speaking used 3F07: The way Bart tries to head off the letter is like the phone message from Don Brodka 9F05: Rectal thermometer with words of encouragement CABF16: Pokemon 9F03: Marge's letting Bart off the homework hook not unlike Homer reneging on punishment then 1F22: End of act 2 quite reminiscent of "continue swimming naked"
Meta-reference corner -Yet another jab at the show's longevity: this time Bart wondering how Pokemon stays so fresh -Nelson seems to appear in a memory cloud, but it's really a smoky haze in the window above Bart
Also Lisa shouts: "Fractions aren't that hard!" THANK YOU! Not only do I agree with the statement, but I share the attitude. As a comedy staple of "a hard school subject" it's really overused.
And Bart and Nelson have a conversation while swinging almost impossibly slowly into frame and out again. Is that a reference to something?