Bart fails four consecutive history exams and the school psychiatrist recommends that Bart repeat the fourth grade.

The Simpson kids hide in the family treehouse and tell each other spooky stories. The first regards haunted houses, the second introduces Kang and Kodos for the first time in an alien abduction, and the third is a Simpson-adapted retelling of The Raven.

After a series of destructive acts, Homer decides that Santa's Little Helper must go unless he passes obedience school. As the dog's last hours with the family approach, Bart must find a way to get through to him.