Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk
| "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| “Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk” | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 |
| Directed by | Mark Kirkland |
| Written by | Jon Vitti |
| Original air dates | December 5, 1991 |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | “The Christmas pageant does not stink.” |
| Couch gag | Santa’s Little Helper is on the couch and growls menacingly. The family backs away slowly. |
| Commentary | Matt Groening Al Jean Mike Reiss Dan Castellaneta Jon Vitti Mark Kirkland David Silverman |
“Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk” (German for: Burns selling that power station) is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons’ third season. The episode aired on December 5, 1991.
Plot
Homer learns he owns stock in the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and sells his 100 shares for 25 cents apiece to a shady stock broker, netting $25, which he spends on beer. Soon after the sale he learns that the value of the stock has shot up to $52 per share. While Homer misses out on the windfall—he could have made $5,200—other employees make small fortunes.
The reason for the stock’s inflated value is because a depressed Mr. Burns wants to sell the plant to pursue other interests. The sale is completed at a value of $100 million to two German businessmen, Hans and Fritz, who have been hanging out in Moe’s looking for just such an opportunity (provided the purchase leaves them with enough change to buy the Cleveland Browns). They immediately begin a thorough evaluation of the plant and its employees. When they interview Homer, he is unable to intelligently answer their questions and begins slipping into a now-infamous fantasy about cavorting through “The Land of Chocolate.” It isn’t long before Homer gets laid off.
A depressed Homer mopes around the house, insisting he is a competent safety-minded worker while the rest of the family makes budget cuts until Homer can find a new job. Meanwhile, Burns is having a good time in retirement and decides to go to Moe’s Tavern to have a drink. There, Homer and the other bar patrons, along with Bart (who Marge sent to pick up Homer) mock scornfully at Burns for being greedy and not caring about others. Moe, Homer, Bart, Barney Gumble, and other bar patrons sing Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye to try to mock Mr. Burns. Burns gets so discouraged that he walks out of Moe's with Smithers. Burns realizes that only his ownership of a nuclear plant gave him power over ordinary men and is resolved to buy back the plant.
The German investors, who will make several more silent appearances in Springfield in the future, are more than willing to sell the plant back to Burns because as they say, it will cost another $100 million dollars to bring the plant up to code. Burns, noting their desperation to sell and saying so offers them $50 million for the plant saying that, “you will find it [his offer] most unfair.” Homer is re-hired, and Burns plots his revenge on him at some unspecified point in the future.
Production
According to DVD commentary, during the part where Homer imagines himself in "The Land of Chocolate", there was supposed to be a sign that read, "Hershey Highway", but the censors objected. Also, according to DVD commentary, the salesmen who wanted to buy the plant were supposed to be Japanese, but the writers felt that this was too predictable, since at the time of the episode, there were cases of Japanese businessmen trying to buy American companies.
Cultural references
- Mr. Burns has a photo of himself with Elvis Presley (similar to a real life photo of Richard Nixon with Elvis).
- The German supervisor, Horst, mentions he looks like Sergeant Schultz from Hogan’s Heroes.
- Mr. Burns says “I keep my friends close, but my enemies even closer.”, a reference to a quote in The Godfather, Part II.
- Mayor Quimby saying "ich bin ein Springfielder" is a reference to Kennedy's "ich bin ein Berliner".
- Coincidentally, the plot foreshadowed German auto manufacturor Daimler AG's purchase of American Chrysler, only to resell it at a loss after finding the venture unprofitable.
External links
