Here's an experiment that you can try in just about any town in America: Walk into a public place that's full of adults between the ages of 35 and 50 and shout the simple two-word phrase "dental plan!" There's a very strong chance that some sophisticated barfly will respond -- almost involuntarily -- with "Lisa needs braces!" If you fall into the demographic described above, then we probably don't need to tell you that those quotes are from . Specifically, they're from a 1993 episode entitled "Last Exit to Springfield," which many fans consider to be one of the series' finest. The Simpsons, of course, is widely agreed to be one of the sharpest and most intelligent sitcoms -- animated or otherwise -- in TV history.
So it's not surprising that it's widely quoted by fans. But how is it that so many grownups have memorized so much dialogue from a show that peaked around the time that they were in middle school? (The question of when, exactly, The Simpsons began its long decline is a matter that's hotly debated among diehards, but all discerning Springfield obsessives concur that the show's zombie era can be measured in decades, not years.) Sure, it's possible that the random pub patron who responded to your cue has a steel trap memory, and he accurately remembers dialogue from every show he's ever seen.
Or maybe in a stunning coincidence, he just happened to have watched that particular episode last night on . What's more likely, however, is that like millions of other millennial.