Bart and Lisa, dressed as Charlie Brown and Lucy van Pelt from the Peanuts series discuss their Halloween treats, and Lisa claims that hers are better than Bart's. The two then fight until Homer intervenes and orders them to stop fighting. He throws an inflamed log at them, but misses and hits Grampa.

Homer gets Bart and Lisa rolled up in the rug and "beats the lumps". A gun-wielding Marge intervenes and says that she does not approve of Homer's parenting techniques, then shoots homer, splattering his blood on the viewer's TV screen (revealing the title). From their spaceship, Kang and Kodos criticize the Simpson family for airing a Halloween special in November, while they have their Christmas decorations set up.

Death enters the Simpson house attempting to take Bart, but the family goes on a Benny Hill-style chase to elude him. However, Death eventually manages to pin Bart s shirt to the wall with its scythe. As the Grim Reaper sentences Bart to an eternity of pain, Homer kills it with a bowling ball, but when he does, he learns that no one can die since the Grim Reaper is dead. The scene then cuts to two examples of a world where no one can die: Frankie the Squealer being shot by the Springfield Mafia and Moe hanging himself from the ceiling.

On trash day, Marge tells Homer to take the dead Grim Reaper to the curb. Homer does, but puts on the robe, inadvertently turning himself into the new Grim Reaper. He kills many people on God s list (and some who are not) until he is asked to kill Marge. Homer doesn t want to kill his wife, and he tries to plead to God that he wants to get out of the job. Then Homer pulls a fast one on God by substituting Patty s body for Marge.

The annoyed deity tries to punish Homer with a (presumably lethal) sunbeam but Homer narrowly escapes on his motorcycle, prompting God to sigh "I m too old and too rich for this." At the house Marge gives Homer an extra pork chop.

Homer gets a call from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences telling him that he is the winner of the Nobel Prize; however, Lisa learns that it is actually for Professor Frink for his invention of a combined hammer and screwdriver. Frink is depressed because his father, an adventurer, had a falling out with him and died from a shark bite before they could reconcile. Frink, who kept the corpse frozen, reanimates his father. Unfortunately the revived Frink Sr. decides to steal body parts in order to improve himself. Eventually, Lisa convinces him to stop when he realizes he is causing his son anguish.

At the awards ceremony in Stockholm, Frink Sr. tries to make amends with his son for his recent behavior; however, he goes on another rampage through the audience, killing many and taking their brains. Frink Jr. manages to stop his father by kicking him in the crotch, fatally wounding him. Before dying, Frink Sr. is proud of his son for standing up to him. However, Frink Jr. is able to hold on to his father's soul, which talks to him from a box.

Bart and Milhouse get a stopwatch through an ad in an old comic book magazine that actually allows them to stop time. They have a great blast pulling pranks on Springfieldans, such as depantsing Principal Seymour Skinner and stealing Homers doughnuts. They almost get away with it, but they are outsmarted by Mayor Quimby. An angry mob goes after Bart and Milhouse. While they are on the run, Chief Wiggum shoots at them; they stop time and the watch breaks, causing Bart and Milhouse to be the only two people moving in a world where time has stopped.

They soon take advantage of this and go on a world wide crime spree, kidnapping the pope for wedgying, stealing whatever they want and just generally doing anything they wish. They soon become bored though and realise they need to fix the watch. Although the watch repair manual is easy to follow, it takes the pair 15 years to get the watch fixed and for things to go back to normal. Once repaired, the pair position Martin Prince to take the blame, and he is killed when time returns.

However, Lisa points out that Bart has become a grown man and has amassed vast riches. In the interest of being fair, Homer decides to let Lisa use the watch. She then discovers a second button which interferes with reality, causing the Simpsons to undergo various changes such as becomimg bobble heads, having their torsos separate from their bodies on jetpacks, and finally start hula-hooping to "Rock Around the Clock."