Bart's Inner Child

Homer comes across an advertisement in the newspaper for a free trampoline. He rushes to the address from the advertisement, where Krusty is giving it away. After Homer, Bart and Lisa use the trampoline for a while, Marge expresses the danger of trampolines. However, Homer believes it enhances their house, and has grand plans of building a theme park in their yard, using the trampoline, a mud pit, and soiled mattresses. Homer soon decides to charge others a fee to use the trampoline. But soon people begin to get injured, and Homer accepts Marge's advice to get rid of the trampoline. After failing at his various attempts to get rid of the trampoline, Homer turns to Bart for help. Bart attaches a bike lock to the trampoline, which is soon, as Bart intended it to be, stolen by Snake.

Marge and Homer argue later that night, with Homer telling Marge that even though getting the trampoline was a mistake at least he was willing to try new things, while she was boring and nagged too much. Marge disagrees, but after discovering that Bart and Lisa agree with Homer's assessment, she becomes annoyed and stays the night at Patty and Selma's house. While there, she is introduced to an infomercial featuring self-help guru Brad Goodman, who supposedly can help her with her "chronic nagging." After Marge and Homer watch a Brad Goodman video, Marge is more tolerant and the two of them get along better. Observing how out of control Bart is, they take the family to see Brad Goodman's live lecture in the hopes that it will change him. Bart interrupts the lecture, and Brad Goodman encourages the town to follow Bart's spontaneous attitude ('Be like the boy'). Soon, the whole town begins to act like Bart, which means Bart's rebellious ways are no longer unique, putting him in a slump.

To celebrate their new-found attitude, the town holds a 'Do As You Feel' festival (in stark contrast to the annual 'Do As We Say' Festival, started by German settlers in 1946). But the festival soon goes awry because those responsible for building the stages and maintaining the rides did not feel like doing a thorough job, resulting in a runaway Ferris wheel and more. Arguments begin, as everybody has been encouraged to always say exactly what is on their mind, and soon a riot starts. Bart is quickly blamed for starting the whole 'Do As You Feel' trend. The town chases after Bart, but Homer drives by in a float and saves him. The town gives up the chase and decides to go to the old mill to get some cider. The Simpson family returns home where try to figure out what the lesson of the episode was, before finally giving up and watching television.

[edit] Cultural references

The Brad Goodman character is a parody of self-help author John Bradshaw.[1]
The scene with a field full of injured kids from the trampoline is a parody of the injured soldiers in Gone with the Wind.
Homer trying to push the trampoline off the cliff is a reference to Chuck Jones' Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoon shorts.
The after-brownie exchange between Marge and Homer is a parody of Semi-Tough.^{[citation needed]}
The run-away Ferris wheel is a reference to 1941.
The television cop McGarnigle's voice and lines are similar to that of Clint Eastwood's in Dirty Harry.
The brief shot of the women reveling on the gold statue of Brad Goodman is a reference to The Ten Commandments.
At church, Reverend Lovejoy tries playing "The Entertainer" by Scott Joplin.
When discussing Homer eating an entire pan of brownies, Homer and Marge sound remarkably similar to numerous discussions in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice

[edit] Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

During the final scene of the "I Feel Good" performance (as the stage is crumbling), the rear view of Jebediah Springfield's statue appears as though it is "giving the finger".
This is the last appearance of Dr. Marvin Monroe until season 15. He is seen shortly after the zoo animals are set free, being chased by a camel.
This is Albert Brooks' third guest appearance in a Simpsons episode, (previously as Cowboy Bob in "The Call of the Simpsons" and Jacques in Life on the Fast Lane), all credited as A. Brooks.

[edit] Censorship

A bleep censor can be heard when Kent Brockman says "It's about F___in time." (According to DVD commentary, Groening jokes that he should have removed the bleep for the DVD release of this episode)