Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)
This is the first episode of the 7th season of the Simpsons. It is also the conclusion to Who Shot Mr. Burns?
Contents
Plot
Waylon Smithers wakes up in his apartment and hears someone taking a shower in his bathroom. When Smithers opens the shower door, he finds Mr. Burns, alive. After Smithers decides the events of the previous night were a dream, Burns announces that the year is 1965 and that he and Smithers are undercover detectives on the hotrod circuit. Smithers wakes up again to find that it was all was a dream and that his apartment is still a wreck and that his mouth still tastes like an ashtray.
Kent Brockman reports on Mr. Burns assault. He was pronounced dead until transferred to a better hospital where doctors upgraded his condition to alive. After Brockman speaks to Cheif Wiggum, it is revealed that two witnesses are already being questioned: Maggie and Santa's Little Helper, as they were both in the area when Burns was shot.
At the Simpson residence, Lisa says that everyone in Springfield had a reason for shooting Mr. Burns, even themselves. Everyone starts arguing amongst themselves about who did it, when Marge announces that there is already a prime suspect: Waylon Smithers. Smithers is already starting to wonder if he himself shot down Mr. Burns in a drunken rage. When he finds a recently fired gun in his jacket, he remembers that after he left the town meeting, he ran into some old man on the way home, and shot him. Smithers bursts into tears, crying, "What have I done?"
Moe, Barney, Lenny and Carl arrive at Homer's house and ask if he wants to come and help pull down Burns’ sun blocker. With the help of Snake, Otto, Groundskeeper Willie and the Bumblebee Man, they snap the machine in half. The sun blocker crashes into Shelbyville, much to everyone's delight. Smithers, meanwhile is driven mad by guilt and goes to a Catholic Church and confess his sins. When he finishes, Chief Wiggum (who was in the confessional instead of a priest) emerges and takes Smithers in for questioning. Both the police and the press interrogate Smithers. At a press conference, Smithers cracks a Madonna gag to Kent Brockman. Krusty, who is watching the TV at the time, claims it was his joke, but Sideshow Mel says that Krusty stole it from an episode of Pardon My Zinger. Mel remembers that Smithers once said that he never missed an episode of that show, which airs on Comedy Central at 3pm, the very time Burns was shot. Mel heads for the station to point this out and Smithers recalls that he left the town meeting early to get home in time, and that the old man he ran into on the way was Jasper. The police and Smithers head for the newly repaired retirement home to check on Jasper and discover that Smithers did shoot him, but in the wooden leg.
With the prime suspect cleared, the police continue to investigate the matter. Lisa decides to help by making a chart of all the other major suspects. However, she forgets about Tito Puente, and when she tells the police (when Wiggum points out he's a suspect) that he did vow revenge, the police go to check him out. However, the kind of revenge Tito has in mind is an insulting, albeit catchy, tune; Tito is cleared. Skinner is next on the list, but the police clear him when he tells the police that he did go to the town meeting to ambush Burns, but he was in the lavatory applying his camouflage make-up at the time of the shooting. Superintendent Chalmers can vouch for Skinners whereabouts as he entered the lavatory at the time of the assault too, just as Skinner realized he had taken his mother's make-up kit instead of his camo make-up.
The police questioned Willie next but he claimed it was impossible for him to fire a gun as he had crippling arthritis in his index fingers from playing Space Invaders in 1977. The police eliminated Moe as a suspect with the help of a lie detector. At the Simpson house, Marge discovers that Grandpa's gun, which she buried in the backyard, is missing and asks Grandpa where it is. After he complains that people blame him for everything, Marge leaves. Grandpa removes the gun itself from his sweater, stroking it and telling it that he had missed it bad.
At the station, Wiggum prepares to pour some coffee, but after finding out he is out of coffee, he drinks some warm cream. He begins to dream, during which time Lisa tells him to check Burns' suit for more clues. While checking the suit, he finds an eyelash and tests it for DNA. Wiggum finds that the eyelash matches Simpson DNA. At the same time, Burns wakes up from his coma and cries, "Homer Simpson!"
The police raid the Simpson home for more information. A gun is found in under the seat of Homer's car. Homer claims he has never seen the gun before in his life, but his fingerprints are all over it. When Wiggum discovers that the bullets in the gun match the one they took out of Mr. Burns, he arrests Homer for attempted murder. Later, while at Krusty Burger, Homer escapes from the police and heads for the hospital.
At the station, Waylon Smithers offers a $50,000 reward for Homer's capture, dead or alive. Lisa returns to the scene of the crime and, with the help of an intelligent pigeon, learns the identity of Burns' true assailant. At the hospital, Dr. Riveria discovers some startling information as well. When Mr. Burns shouted "Homer Simpson!" he wasn't giving the name of his gunman, it was because "Homer Simpson" was all he could say. The doctor leaves, and Homer himself, who had successfully infiltrated the hospital and reached Burns' ward, prepares to silence Burns for telling everybody that Homer shot him.
A police bulletin reports that Homer has been spotted at the hospital. Lisa, the police, and the rest of Springfield race to the hospital. Lisa gets there first, protesting to everybody that her father wouldn't hurt a fly. On entering the ward, everyone finds Homer shaking Mr. Burns vigorously, telling him to stop telling everyone that Homer shot him. As Homer continues to shake him, Burns finds his voice and asks, "Smithers, who is this beast that's shaking me?"
Homer loses it, snatches a gun from Wiggum and shouts at Burns to tell everyone that he never shot him. Burns' laughs, stating that Homer doesn't have the cranial capacity nor the right amount of fingers to operate a firearm. And with that, Burns reveals his assailant to be Maggie Simpson.
Burns begins telling his story from the point where he left the town meeting. With the success of his sun-blocker, he had felt like celebrating. He walked into the parking lot to find Maggie, alone, in the Simpson car. She appeared to be smiling. He asked what she was so happy about, and she held up a lollipop. Homer pulls that very same sucker out of his shirt pocket; he had picked it up off the car floor when he was searching for an ice cream cone he had dropped. It was also there that he had absent-mindedly handled the gun, which explained why his fingerprints were all over it. Burns had tried to wrestle the candy away from Maggie, which was proving difficult. Eventually, Burns' gun fell out of its holster into Maggie's hand and fired in Burns' direction. The gun and lollipop then fell out of her hands underneath the car seat.
Mr. Burns, losing strength, tried to find aid, but finding only a useless Jimbo, he gave up and collapsed on the sundial, where he used his last ounce of strength to suck out his gold fillings and swallowed them so as to keep paramedics from stealing them. Burns demands that Maggie be arrested, despite Marge's protests that the whole ordeal was an accident. Wiggum says no jury in the world will convict a baby - except Texas.
Alternate endings
Allegedly to keep the ending from being leaked from animators and writers, there were actually several different conclusions created. Most were nothing more than footage of various characters shooting Burns, but there was also a full-length conclusion animated in which Smithers shot Burns and explained his doing so at Burns' bedside after Homer's wild chase. This footage was seen in The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular.
Clues
A number of subtle clues, and a few red herrings, were planted in Part 1 for viewers who wanted to unravel the mystery. For example, after Mr. Burns says "You all talk big, but who here has the guts to stop me?", the camera pans across the entire crowd. All the people look at Burns and then at each other, as if hoping that someone else will do the deed — all except one. The only person in the whole crowd who keeps her eyes fixed squarely on Burns is Maggie.
Also, when Burns was viewing the oil pump he said, "Oh Pish Posh, it'll be like taking candy from a baby." Burns was trying to take candy from Maggie when he got shot. Burns' "Oh, it's you" when he sees his assailant shows that he knew the person who shot him.
Much was made of the fact that Burns lay his hands on "W" and "S" on the sundial. It was assumed that these initials stood for the name of his assailant. When Burns receives chocolate from Homer, he talks about the family and says about Santa's Little Helper, "Oh there's that Simpson mutt." Grandpa's gun was a Smith & Wesson. SW could be reversed to mean WS, as in Waylon Smithers. SW flipped upside down makes MS, meaning Maggie Simpson (as Lisa points out in the end) and Marge Simpson. When Mr. Burns was talking with Skinner in his office there was a diploma in the background that said "W. Seymour Skinner." Also, Moe's liquor license reads Moe Szyslak, his last name being revealed. Sideshow Mel is also present, but reveals his name to be "Melvin Van Horn."
It was suggested that the assailant was not Skinner, as he had a silencer on his gun, but the shot that wounded Burns could be heard clearly. Moe also had a shot gun which would have done much more damage to Burns, indicating that someone else shot him (although one of the "alternate endings" features Apu firing multiple shots at Mr. Burns with a submachine gun at point-blank range, with Mr. Burns receiving only a single gunshot wound). Also, it is worth noticing that Sideshow Mel couldn't have shot Mr. Burns - when everyone is threatening him (Mr. Burns), Sideshow Mel is wielding a knife, and a gunshot was heard at the time of the incident. Jimbo and Marge also have an alibi, for as Mr. Burns staggers towards the sundial at the end of Part 1, he passes both of them.
When he collapsed at the sundial you can see that he doesn't have his gun in the belt because he lost it to Maggie.
3:00
When Mr. Burns was shot and stumbled over to the sundial and collapsed, a clock was heard in the background chiming 3:00. There are a few references to 3:00 in the episode:
1) Bart leaves the classroom at 3pm every week.
2) Homer delivers a package to Mr. Burns at 3pm.
3) In Moe's Bar the TV was on and it said "Pardon My Zinger, Weekdays At 3pm" This eliminates Smithers, as he says he never misses "Pardon My Zinger," as Sideshow Mel points out.
4) Mr. Burns said "Have you ever seen the sunset at 3pm?" Soon after, he is shot.
5) After Burns is shot, the way his arms land on the sundial are similar to a clock's hands at 3pm.
Cultural references
- Homer escaping from the overturned paddywagon is a homage to The Fugitive.
- The musical score that ends the Part 1 of the episode (when the credit rolls) is a parody of John Williams' Drummers' Salute, which is part of the musical score he wrote for Oliver Stone's movie JFK.
- Mystery Science Theater 3000 was playing at Moe's.
- The scene where Chief Wiggum has a dream in which Lisa speaks backwards is an obvious homage to Twin Peaks and Special Agent Dale Cooper's interaction with The Man from Another Place. Also, after Homer escapes from the paddywagon, the Squeaky-Voiced Teen speaks to his manager Diane, which is the same name as the unseen secretary that Agent Cooper dictates messages to.
- In the first part, Mr. Burns sings "hello lamp-post, what you knowin', I'm come to watch your power glowin'", which is close to the lyrics of Simon & Garfunkel's '59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)'
- Sideshow Mel demonstrates deductive reasoning and logic similar to that demonstrated by noted fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. This connection is further noted by Mel's smoking of a pipe during his reflections, as Holmes was frequently known to do.
- The opening sequence of part two, wherein Smithers dreams that he merely dreamt shooting Mr. Burns, before going on to dream that they are in fact undercover detectives on the 1960s Speedway racing circuit, is similar to an incidence on the 1980s soap opera Dallas, in which the events of an entire season (including an attempted murder) were explained away as being merely a character's dream.
Memorable quotes
- Eddie: Hey Chief, I got an idea, why don't we check out that suit Burns was in when he got shot.Chief Wiggum: Hey, did you have the backwards talking dream with the flaming cards, too?Eddie: ...I'll drive.
- Abe Simpson: Eh... you never know what you're capable of. I never thought I could shoot down a German plane, but last year I proved myself wrong.
- Waylon Smithers: The town sundial will be useless!
- Waylon Smithers: And when he tried to steal our sunlight, he crossed that line between everyday villainy and cartoonish super-villainy.
Dr. Colossos: Bah! He was a rank amateur compared to Dr. Colossos! (Presses Colosso boots button on his belt, his boots grow until he is crushed against the ceiling of his cell). (Sighs) When is my lawyer getting here? - Groundskeeper Willy: Grrrrr! I'll kill that Mr. Burns! And... wound... that Mr. Smithers!
- Pigeon: (making "cooing" noises) Clue! Clue!
- Dr. Hibbert (pointing at the camera): Well, I sure can't possibly solve this mystery... Can you?
Chief Wiggum (The person Dr. Hibbert was pointing at): Sure, heh, it's my job, right? I'll give it a shot. (A parody of The Cosby Mysteries where Bill Cosby in the end asks the viewer if they can solve the episode's mystery) - Homer: (loud) Say it Burns! Say I never shot you!... (calm) before.
- Mr. Burns (in Homer's head): Smithers, who is that man? Who is that ignoramus? Who is that blubberpot? (several more ghost Mr. Burns appear saying more "Who is that..." stuff)
Homer: Stop it! Stop it!! STOP IT!!!
Ghost Mr. Burns: Look out!
Homer: Uh? (crashes through checkpoint)
(Homer spray paints "I am Homer Simpson" in huge letters in Mr. Burns' office)
- Mr. Burns: Who the devil are you? (Homer goes crazy)
- Mr.Burns: Have you ever seen the sun set, at 3pm?
Captain McAllister: Yar! Once, when I was sailing round the arctic circle...
Mr. Burns: Shut up you! - Grampa Simpson: Sure, Smingers did it! Case closed. Now where's my hat? I'm going to the outhouse.
Lisa: We don't have an outhouse.
Homer: My toolshed! (running) Oh, Dad... - Lunch Lady Doris: The cafeteria staff are complaining about the mice in the kitchen... I wanna hire a new staff.
- Marge: I think you're a little young to solve an attempted murder... Why don't you solve the mystery of who put the mud in the freezer.
Bart: Who wants chocolate ice-cream?...
Homer: Ooh, Me!, Me! - Grampa Simpson: Thanks to Burns, I lost my home, my things and my buddy's collection of old sunbathing magazines.....Old Man: (Appears to be the crazy old Jewish man): You bastard!!!
- Jasper: Hey, side walks for regular walkin', not fancy walkin'. (Smithers struggles with him)Smithers: (slurred) Get out of my way!!! Jasper: You simmer down, I'll let you go. (Smithers shoots him in the left leg)
- (The town has just pulled the sun-blocking machine off, but it crashes into Shelbyville)Krusty: Um, er... what town did we just crush?Skinner: Shelbyville. All: YAY!
- Dr. Riviera: Hi, everybody!
Mr. Burns: (to the tune of "Hi, Dr. Nick!") Ho-mer Simp-son!
Dr. Riviera: Okay... that was a little strange. How are you feeling?
Mr. Burns: Homer. Simpson, Homer. Ugh... Simpson!
Dr. Riviera: Hmm, that seems to be all you can say. When you were in that coma, could you feel your brain getting damaged? - Smithers: (Sounding very tired) Sir have you ha-had enough heh exercise for this morning?Mr. Burns: No let's....Go another 20 miles. (goes over to the pinball machine and starts playing)
- Chief Wiggum: Alright, Colossos, you're free to go. But stay away from Death Mountain.
Dr. Colossos: But all my stuff is there! - Chief Wiggum: Homer Simpson, you're under arrest for attempted murder.
Homer: D'oh!
Chief Wiggum: Yeah, that's what they all say. They all say "d'oh".
Contest
Viewers were invited to participate in a contest to guess who shot Mr. Burns. The winner would be animated on an episode of the show. No one, however, was ever animated on the show.
This was because, as the DVD audio commentary for the episodes reveals, no one officially guessed the right answer. Due to contest regulations, a winner had to be selected out of a random sample of entries. Since the winner did not have the right answer, the commentary reports that the individual was paid a cash prize in lieu of being animated.
The creators and writers added on the commentary that they were aware of one person who posted the correct answer to the Simpsons newsgroup online after the night of the broadcast. They were forbidden from contacting the person while the contest was underway, but after it ended they wanted to contact the individual. The answer came from a person using a college internet account, and after the summer the person's address was no longer valid and they were unable to track the person down. They issued an invitation on the DVDs for this person to reveal him or herself.
Trivia
- At the end of the closing credits of the Part One episode, the Gracie Films logo sequence ends with a gunshot sound, referring to the mysterious atmosphere of the episode.
- The alternate ending to "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" (featured in the 138th Episode Spectacular) was created to prevent any staff (be it writers, or even the overseas animators) on The Simpsons from spoiling the mystery.
- There is also another reference of Maggie as a "killer". In the episode Papa's Got a Brand New Badge, Homer is threatened to be killed by the mafia, after stopping their business. Just as the mafia is about to kill Homer, several gunshots wound all the members of the mafia. The hero (to Homer & Marge's side of the case) was of course, Maggie.
The show also refers to Who Shot Mr. Burns? in the following line after Maggie saves Homer:
- Homer: Look at Maggie. Napping so peacefully.
Marge: Yeah. Probably thinking of the time she shot Mr. Burns.
Homer: She's just like Clark Kent. Whenever there's lots of excitement, she's nowhere to be found.
(Homer and Marge leave. Maggie wakes up and smiles right at the camera)
- Homer: Look at Maggie. Napping so peacefully.
Also, in "The Old Man and the Lisa" when Mr Burns comes to the simpsons house for Lisa Homer shows him Maggie and She makes a gun shape with her hand. Mr. Burns then says "Oh yes, the baby who shot me."
- For part one, Moe Syzlak's surname was made up specifically to make him a stronger suspect when Burns falls at the sundial pointing to W and S, interpreted as M and S in this case. According to the DVD commentary, the name "Syzlak" came from a phonebook.
