The Fool Monty/References

Cultural references

 * The episode title is a pun on the film  and a reference to Mr. Burns' nickname of "Monty".
 * The couch gag is a parody of the 2009 flim :
 * The couch gag begins with the family entering four chambers that slide into the wall. The technician has to make an extra effort to close Homer's chamber door.
 * After a bright flash, we see the Simpsons as they would appear as.
 * In a re-creation of the scene where Jake Sully tries to capture his own Ikran, the Simpsons run to a cliffside where they see that the skies are filled with flying couches.
 * Homer jumps from the cliff and fails to catch one of the flying couches. Bart makes an attempt and succeeds.
 * After the rest of the family climbs aboard the couch, it settles in front of a television and the family puts on 3-D glasses (except for Bart).
 * Bart sticks Homer's ponytail into a wall outlet, shocking him, and then puts on his own 3-D glasses.
 * After an executive disembarks from the helicopter, the copter wobbles and crashes while the pilot cries out, "We're unbalanced! It's not fair!", punning the channel's slogan "Fair & balanced".
 * When Kent Brockman breaks the news of the House Cat Flu on Channel 6 News, the graphics cards accompanying the story read "Apocalypse Meow" and "The Purrfect Storm", punning the movies ' and '.
 * In the vaccination line, Comic Book Guy is dressed as, wearing an uniform.
 * The band that Burns hires to play at his "I'm dying" announcement is called The Grave Matthews Band, a pun on the.
 * The scene where Mr. Burns hides in Bart's closet is a reference to the movie . Also, E.T. is seen in the closet amongst the other stuffed animals.
 * After Marge leaves the room, Mr. Burns is shown chewing on a doll of Binky from Life in Hell.
 * At the bar, Smithers says that his new boss Dick Cheney likes to stack naked men, a reference to the incident during the.
 * When Smithers leaves Cheney's employ to return to working for Mr. Burns, Cheney zaps him with a "neuralyzer", a memory-erasing device from the  movies.
 * Mr. Burns says he got the idea to enclose Springfield in a dome from the novel .
 * Nelson and Lisa appear in a Springfield Elementary School production of the play .
 * The music playing over the end credits is "", composed by . The song is commonly heard in "assembly line" scenes in animated cartoons, particularly those made by.

Goofs

 * It had been mentioned before that Mr. Burns had multiple illnesses ("The Mansion Family") and that he was indestructible because the diseases canceled each other out.
 * Mayor Quimby said he thought Lisa was a midget but he has referred to her as a little girl numerous times before.

Cuts

 * In a re-run of this episode on November 28, 2010 on Sky1 in the UK, the scene where Otto uses Mr. Burns as a was cut.

Trivia

 * References to Smithers' sexuality:
 * Mr. Burns says that love is something that one man can't pay another for. Smithers starts to contradict him, but is cut off when Burns continues talking.
 * Smithers says that Burns was more than a friend to him, but his new boss Dick Cheney likes to stack naked men, and adds, "That's a start."
 * The day this episode aired, Futurama also had an appearance of Dick Cheney's head.
 * Character in line for the "Cat Flu" vaccination (from back to front):
 * Comic Book Guy, The Simpson Family, Dewey Largo, Ruth Powers, Akira, Mrs. Glick, Sea Captain, Blue-haired Lawyer, Charlie (SNPP), Rainier Wolfcastle, Cookie Kwan, Lindsey Naegle, Herman, Selma Bouvier, Patty Bouvier, Wendell's Mother(?), Wendell Borton, Otto Mann, Dr. Nick Riviera, Bumblebee Man, Groundskeeper Willie, Dave Shutton, Old Jewish Man, Mrs. Muntz, Nelson Muntz, Kearney Zzyzwicz, Jimbo Jones, Dolph Starbeam, Richard's Mother, Richard, Sanjay Nahasapeemapetilon, Lenny Leonard, Carl Carlson, Squeaky-Voiced Teen, Disco Stu, Snake Jailbird, Lewis, Lewis' Mother, Lewis' Father, Edna Krabappel, Elizabeth Hoover, Gil Gunderson, Madison McKenna, Brody McKenna, Nikki McKenna, Allison Taylor, Mr. Taylor, Eleanor Abernathy (and her cats), Jasper Beardly, Mr. Powell (Janey's Father), Janey Powell, Becky's Mother, Becky, Raphael, Barney Gumble, Hans Moleman, Sarah Wiggum, Ralph Wiggum, Dubya Spuckler, Brandine Spuckler, Crystal Meth Spuckler, Cletus Spuckler, Superintendant Chalmers, Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon, The Nahasapeemapetilon Octuplets, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Krusty the Clown, Sherri and Terri, Sherri and Terri's Father, Martha Prince, Martin Prince Sr., Martin Prince, Helen Lovejoy, Reverend Timothy Lovejoy, Jessica Lovejoy, Kirk Van Houten, Milhouse Van Houten, Ned Flanders, Rod Flanders, and Todd Flanders.


 * Mr. Burns threatens to lower a dome on Springfield again. This has been done before. (The Simpsons Movie)
 * Also, Lou states that they could just dig a way out if he did lower the dome. Ever since the movie was released, a very common question among Simpsons fans has been why no one in town thought of digging a way out from under the EPA's dome.
 * Maggie points a gun at Mr. Burns again, wanting to kill him. ("Who Shot Mr. Burns?")


 * Mr. Burns manages to get the whole town to resent him, also similar to "Who Shot Mr. Burns?".


 * When the Springfieldians have their half-hour turns at taking revenge on Mr. Burns, a rota of name and times is seen. One of the names on it is Artie Ziff, revealing him to be still alive and apparently out of prison.