How the Test Was Won/References

General

References/Trivia

Appearances

Gags

Credits

Quotes

	Season 20 Episode References
← 430 "Take My Life, Please"	431 "How the Test Was Won"	"No Loan Again, Naturally" 432 →

Cultural references

• The episode title is a pun on the film and TV series How the West Was Won.
• When Bart, Nelson, Jimbo, Kearney, Dolph, and Ralph go to the "helicopter", "Gonna Fly Now", the theme song from Rocky, plays.
• There is also a Kid vs. Kat episode called "How the Test Was Won".
• Homer's premonition of the massive accident in his house is similar to the premonitions seen in the Final Destination franchise.
• At the end, when Principal Skinner says dancing is allowed again, everyone starts dancing to the song "Footloose" from the 1984 film Footloose.

Trivia

• When Bart skateboards over Barney during the opening sequence, Barney says "Hey!" instead of belching.

Continuity

• According to Homer the entire series of scenes showing him getting hurt took place over a week. This is odd, considering that one of the flashbacks was from "Treehouse of Horror XIII". This could, however, be a sign that Homer is not good at keeping track of time—or reality, since the THOH flashback is non-canon. Most of flashbacks are clips from previous episodes:
  • "Homer at the Bat"
  • "Bart's Friend Falls in Love"
  • "Homer's Triple Bypass"
  • (unknown)
  • "Deep Space Homer"
  • "Bart Gets an Elephant"
  • "Homer Badman"
  • "King-Size Homer"
  • "Two Bad Neighbors"
  • "Homerpalooza"
  • "A Milhouse Divided"
  • "The Homer They Fall"
  • (unknown)
  • "Homer to the Max"
  • "Faith Off"
  • "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes"
  • "Tennis the Menace"
  • "Bye Bye Nerdie"
  • "Simpson Safari"
  • "Weekend at Burnsie's"
  • "I Am Furious (Yellow)"
  • "Helter Shelter"
  • "Pray Anything"
  • "Dude, Where's My Ranch?"
  • "Brake My Wife, Please"
  • "Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens and Gays"
  • "Blame It on Lisa"
  • "Lost Our Lisa"
  • "Lard of the Dance"
  • "Trilogy of Error"
  • "Million-Dollar Abie"
  • "He Loves to Fly and He D'ohs"
  • "Dumbbell Indemnity"
  • "Treehouse of Horror XIII"

Goofs

• The school bus passes the exiting Springfield sign, but then Otto seems to be flying the school bus over Springfield and the power plant in sight.
• People were already staring at Lisa before she screamed.
• In one scene, Lisa is shown sitting next to Milhouse, however in an earlier scene, she is shown sitting at the edge of the table.
• In Marge's meeting scene, when it is just seconds to 3 o'clock, Homer doesn't have anything around his hands. When he confronts Mr Burns, when he says "Oh, Mr Burns!", he has a watch. Then, he doesn't.

← Season 19 Season 20 References Season 21 →

Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes • Lost Verizon • Double, Double, Boy in Trouble • Treehouse of Horror XIX • Dangerous Curves • Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words • MyPods and Boomsticks • The Burns and the Bees • Lisa the Drama Queen • Take My Life, Please • How the Test Was Won • No Loan Again, Naturally • Gone Maggie Gone • In the Name of the Grandfather • Wedding for Disaster • Eeny Teeny Maya, Moe • The Good, the Sad, and the Drugly • Father Knows Worst • Waverly Hills 9-0-2-1-D'oh • Four Great Women and a Manicure • Coming to Homerica