Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk

"These two gentlemen are American as apple pie! Hans and Fritz, why that’s just... John and Frank!"

- Mr. Burns

"Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" (German: Burns to Sell (sic) the Power Plant) is the eleventh episode of Season 3. It aired on December 5, 1991. The episode was written by Jon Vitti and directed by Mark Kirkland.

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 had kept rising over the course of the day to end at $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, and Fritz, who have been hanging out in Moe's looking for just such an opportunity. 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 "." It isn't long before Homer gets laid off.

A depressed Homer mopes around the house, insisting he is a competent safety-minded worker. Meanwhile, Burns is not 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 laugh scornfully at Burns. Burns realizes that only his ownership of a nuclear plant gave him power over ordinary men and is resolved to buy back the plant.

Meanwhile, Fritz and Hans are finding all sorts of serious problems and learn 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." Burns conspires to make Homer pay for the embarrassment at Moe's Tavern at some unspecified point in the future, noting it will come at a time when he least expects it. The episode ends with Homer telling his family "Woo-hoo, I got my job back!"

Production
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk