The poster for the episode parodies that of Homeland's
The episode title is a reference to the Showtime television series Homeland.
The poster for the episode parodies Homeland's poster.
The title screen gag is a reference to Larry Walters, a,k.a. "Lawnchair Larry". In 1982, Walters tied 45 helium-filled weather balloons to a patio chair, strapped himself into the chair, had his friends cut the rope tethering him to the ground, and rapidly rose into the air. His improvised airship reached a height of over 15,000 feet, causing some consternation when it drifted into an airport's approach path. In the 1990s, his flight became famous as a true urban legend.
The black and white intro is a parody of the intro of Homeland. As in the real TV series, notable US presidents appear, including John F. Kennedy, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.
Bill Clinton's speech says he comes from a little town in Arkansas named Terrorism. Bill Clinton, particularly in the 1992 presidential campaign, frequently referenced him being the man from Hope, the town in Arkansas where he was born.
After eating his altered cereal, Bart says that the "sum of the square roots of any two sides of an isosceles triangle is equal to the square root of the remaining side". This is an incorrect version of Pythagoras' theorem, however, Bart explains to Lisa that he was actually saying a line by the living Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz. The line Bart refers to is said by the scarecrow in the 1939 version of the film.
Homer never unpacked the things from his last visit to Hawaii. Among the things a Waikiki Grand towel can be seen. The Waikiki Grand Hotel was designed by Ernest Hideo Hara and opened in 1962.
Boise Astoria's name is a reference to the Waldorf Astoria luxury hotel and resort chain. In real life, however, the chain does not have a location in Boise, Idaho.
A group of Shriners in their characteristic small cars are leaving the nuclear convention held at Boise Astoria.
At the Atomic-Con party, Carl sees a girl he has a "same time next year" affair with. This is a reference to the title of the 1978 romantic comedy-drama film Same Time, Next Year.
Selma calls Homer "the Blob" in a reference to the carnivorous alien from the 1958 sci-fi horror film The Blob.
Bart mentions the children's underwear brand Underoos, which was famous for making tops and bottoms with themes from popular entertainment media. Homer corrects him by saying they are called Superoos, and that they have pictures of the cast of the 2010 action film The Expendables.
The pork chops Marge cooks have dust made of Cheetos.
Moe Szyslak's grandmother looks like the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. Moe mentioned she was killed by water, a reference to the Witch's death.
The album Long Strange Trip To Shelbyville seen next to the music player is fictional, but the name refers to part of the lyrics from their hit "Truckin'", in which they sing "What a long, strange trip it's been".
Homer says he would only pray in direction to Hershey, Pennsylvania. The city is home to the food processing company Hershey.
At the beginning of the episode, Bart says "The sum of the square root of the isosceles triangle is equal to square root of the remaining side" and Lisa says it's incorrect, and in "$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)", Homer says that in the Power Plant Bathroom and someone states it's a right triangle.
