Writer:	George Meyer, Sam Simon, John Swartzwelder, Jon Vitti
Director:	Wesley Archer, Milton Gray
Star:	Dan Castellaneta (Homer Simpson, Grampa Simpson, Barney Gumble, Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, and others),  Harry Shearer (Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner, Waylon Smithers, Kent Brockman, and others),  Nancy Cartwright (Bart Simpson, Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum, Todd Flanders, and others),  Julie Kavner (Marge Simpson, Patty Bouvier, and Selma Bouvier),  Yeardley Smith (Lisa Simpson)
Recurring Role:	Pamela Hayden (Milhouse Van Houten, Rod Flanders, Jimbo Jones, and others),  Tress MacNeille (Agnes Skinner, Brandine Del Roy, Dolph and others)
Guest Star:	Christian Coffinet (Gendarme Officer)

It's said on the Season 1 DVD commentary that the tenting of the fingers and the phrase "excellent" was taken from the actions of James Downey, who some of the staff worked with on Letterman and Carson. The action was later passed onto Mr. Burns as homage to their former head writer. (edit) The name of Adil Hoxha was created by the writers. It wasn't until the show went into production that they found out it was the real last name of the then current Albaina president, Enver Hoxha. (edit) The entire idea behind using Albania as the country the exchange student comes from was a combination of the fact that it was a country many didn't know about, and that John Belushi was Albanian and that quote "the staff liked him." (edit) According to the production code number, this episode was meant to be the season finale, but was changed to "Some Enchanted Evening". (edit) First Appearance: Agnes Skinner (edit)

(Adil clears the dishes after dinner.)
Homer: Did you see that? You know, Marge, this the way I’ve always wanted it to be. We’ve become a fully functioning family unit. We’ve always blamed ourselves, but I guess it’s pretty clear which cylinder wasn’t firing.
Marge: Homer!
Lisa: Your paper-thin commitment to your children sends shivers down my spine! May I be excused?
(Lisa gets up and leaves.)
Marge: Lisa!
Homer: Oh, she’s just jealous. She’ll get over it. And if she doesn’t, we can always exchange her. (Laughs)
Marge: Homer!
Homer: Just kidding! (edit) (Adil and Lisa debate at the dinner table.)
Adil: How can you defend a country where 5 percent of the people control 95 percent of the wealth?
Lisa: I'm defending a country where people can think, and act, and worship any way they want!
Adil: Can not.
Lisa: Can too.
Adil: Can not!
Lisa: Can too!
Homer: Please, please kids! Stop fighting. Maybe Lisa's right about America being the land of opportunity, and maybe Adil has a point about the machinery of capitalism being oiled with the blood of the workers. (edit) (After mixing some anti-freeze with the wine, Cesar makes Bart test the wine.)
Cesar: Drink this.
Bart: Oh, no thanks.
Cesar: Do not worry. This is France. (Chuckles) It is customary for children to take a little wine now and then.
Bart: Yeah, but it's got anti-freeze in there.
Cesar: Drink it! (edit) (Bart likes the idea of becoming an exchange student in France.)
Bart: And I'd get to take a plane there, wouldn't I, Mom?
Marge: Yes, Bart.
Bart: Wow! And one back? (edit) (Principal Skinner tries to convince Marge and Homer to place Bart in the student exchange program.)
Principal Skinner: Actually, he'd be staying in France, in a lovely chateau in the heart of the wine country.
Marge: But Bart doesn't speak French.
Principal Skinner: Oh, when he's fully immersed in a foreign language, the average child can become fluent in weeks!
Homer: Yeah, but what about Bart?
Principal Skinner: I'm sure he'll pick up enough to get by. (edit)

Springfield International Airport offers direct flights from Tirana, Albania and Paris as announced by the PA. (edit) Principal Skinner's nickname is "Spanky". (edit) Adil is from Tirana, the capital of Albania. (edit) Homer mistakes Albanians for albinos. (edit) When Ugolin drives Bart to the Chateau Maison, the scenery they pass by are actually famous French paintings. Specifically, they are Bassin aux nympheas by Monet; Champ de ble aux corbeaux by Van Gogh; Le Reve by Rousseau; and Dejeuner sur l'herbe by Manet. (edit)

Bart: The life of a frog... that's the life for me.
This phrase, said by Bart right before his mother asks if he wants to live in France, is a play on the use of the word "frog" as an ethnic slur on the French. (edit) The Twilight Zone
When Homer falls down the stairs and lands next to a Krusty doll that says "I like to play with you", it is reminiscent of The Twilight Zone episode "The Living Doll" when Telly Savalas tries to kill the doll Talky Tina. (edit) The Guillotine
The gift Bart gives Lisa upon his return from France, is none other than The Guillotine. The object itself wasn't just invented in France, but played a deadly role in the French Revolution. (edit) Bart: Yeah, but it's got anti-freeze in there.
The anti-freeze is a reference to an actual case in which small amounts of diethylene glycol were found in wine. In the commentary to the Season 1 DVD, the writers indicate that it was probably a mistake, but that's not the whole truth. Ironically, the 1985 Austro-Germanic Diethylene Glycol Wine Scandal caused Austria to implement extremely strict wine laws, such that Austrian wine is now very highly regarded. (edit) Le Ballon Rouge
Maggie holding the red balloon at the end of the episode is a quick homage to the 1956 French film Le Ballon Rouge, also known as The Red Balloon. (edit)