The Trouble with Trillions/References

General

References/Trivia

Appearances

Gags

Credits

Quotes

	Season 9 Episode References
← 197 "Simpson Tide"	198 "The Trouble with Trillions"	"Girly Edition" 199 →

Cultural references

• The episode title is a pun on the Star Trek original series episode "The Trouble With Tribbles".
• The scene where Homer is pressed into FBI service was taken directly from the 1991 movie JFK.
  • Similarly, Agent Johnson, one of the FBI Agents who placed Homer on the job, was apparently named after one of the FBI Agents from Die Hard.
• When questioned by Kent Brockman in regards to why he procrastinated in regards to the Tax deadline, Otto remarks that he thought that the tax-line was actually the line for a Metallica concert.
• Mr. Burns claims that he owns the suit that Charlie Chaplin was buried in, a reference to the fact that Charlie Chaplin's body was stolen from a cemetery in Switzerland.
• When Fidel Castro remarks that Americans aren't all that bad as they named a street after him, he reacts in shock and horror when he learns just who dwells on that street—a reference to Castro Street in San Francisco, a street that is an iconic gay community (although its true namesake was José Castro, who was a governor of the Alta California territory while it was still part of Mexico).
• One of the signs in Cuba was based on a Che Guevara poster, altered to say "Duff O Muerto!"
• Charlie's statement "My militia has a secret plan to beat up all sorts of government officials. That'll teach them to drag their feet on high-definition TV" satirizes those who believe random acts of violence against uninvolved parties will force the government to exercise authority it doesn't have.
• The song Smithers sings in his apartment is Everything's Coming up Roses from the musical Gypsy

Continuity

• The guys at Moe's Tavern mention Homer's various illegal activities.
  • Running a moonshine operation. ("Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment")
  • Running a Telemarketing scam. ("Lisa's Date with Density")
  • Beating up George Bush (though Moe claims it was Barney who did it). ("Two Bad Neighbors")
• Karl is seen at the post office. ("Simpson and Delilah")
• Lucius Sweet is seen at the IRS offices. ("The Homer They Fall")
• The IRS is seen again. ("Bart the Fink")

Goofs

• The "to do" pile next to Homer didn't appear until he mentioned it.
• After Kent Brockman interviews Krusty waiting in line at the Post Office, Krusty's bowtie changes color from purple to its correct shade of blue.
• At the Cuban airport, the clerk which Burns, Smithers, and Homer go to has yellow skin in the faraway shot, dark yellow skin in the close-up from the back, and brown skin in the close-up from the front.

← Season 8 Season 9 References Season 10 →

The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson • The Principal and the Pauper • Lisa's Sax • Treehouse of Horror VIII • The Cartridge Family • Bart Star • The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons • Lisa the Skeptic • Realty Bites • Miracle on Evergreen Terrace • All Singing, All Dancing • Bart Carny • The Joy of Sect • Das Bus • The Last Temptation of Krust • Dumbbell Indemnity • Lisa the Simpson • This Little Wiggy • Simpson Tide • The Trouble with Trillions • Girly Edition • Trash of the Titans • King of the Hill • Lost Our Lisa • Natural Born Kissers