Debut appearances[edit]
Cultural references[edit]
- The episode's title is a reference to the 1981 film, Clash of the Titans.
- U2 are shown to be touring in the Pop Mart tour, which coincided with the release date of the episode. They play "Pride (In the Name of Love)", with images of Homer being beaten up by security staff on the screens behind them, ironically as the lines "in the name of love" are being sung.
- Ray Patterson's remarks about how he is moving away from Springfield and the people can wallow in the mess they made by electing Homer was a reference to a 1990 show in Las Vegas where Redd Foxx was billed. Twelve people were in attendance. Foxx was introduced via a band that played the theme music to Sanford & Son, whereupon an angry Foxx stated he would not perform for such a meager audience and walked off. The band, unsure of what to do, played the Sanford & Son theme music once again.
- The final scene of the teary-eyed Indian was reference to a number of TV commercials starring Iron Eyes Cody.
- "The Garbage Man" is a parody of "The Candy Man" from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
- During "The Garbage Man", Oscar the Grouch appears.
- Homer is disappointed with his Love Day gift of "Sir Loves-a-Lot". Much later in the episode, when garbage bags are being stuffed into the mine shaft, a Sir Loves-a-Lot bear is shown pricked with four hypodermic needles.
- This episode was dedicated to Linda McCartney, who died shortly before the episode's debut.
- The original idea for the script would be for the entire town to be raised by hydraulics, then come back down to smoosh all the garbage, but was dismissed as being too ridiculous.
- U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. appears in the episode although he has no lines.
- The script originally planned to have Homer run for mayor.
- U2's head of Principal Management Paul McGuinness and Susie Smith, an employee of Principal Management and Adam Clayton's then girlfriend also make brief appearances in the episode as themselves. Smith is the bald camera control operator, McGuiness lets Homer by after claiming he's the "potato man".
- The phrase Homer uses "Good news, everyone" when announcing to the family his fight with the garbage man is later used as a catchphrase by Professor Farnsworth in Futurama.
- When Ned comes to complain, he is shown on the doorstep, then suddenly appears 3 steps away.
- Homer throws trash on Ned through a window that appears just above Homer's front door. Later, the window disappears again.
- This fact is acknowledged and joked about on the episode's DVD commentary.
- After Homer jumps across to Moe's Bar from the Simpsons' house as the town is being moved, the bar is facing the opposite direction in the next shot.
- As Homer takes out the trash, a red object on the bottom left of the trash pile turns pink for a frame.
When Homer gives his first speech to the town, Cletus Spuckler has pale yellow skin.
- At one point, during the scenes in the town hall, Apu is seen appearing with yellow skin and Chief Wiggum is seen with black hair among the townspeople.
- When Ned comes to complain, a window can be seen on second storey of the house and it is shown to be the bathroom window, but in the house, there is no window nor bathroom on that spot. In a later shot the window is gone.
