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| Who would want to shoot such a cheeful face like that? |
After the holiday break, Principal Skinner finds one of the classroom's pet hamster dead, and requests that Groundskeeper Willie bury him. Willie decides to bury "Superdude" in the basement, and upon doing so reveals an oil well. The news travels fast, and Mr. Burns learns about it. Unwilling to allow anybody else to have their hands on such financial security, he goes to trick Skinner into giving it to him, but when that doesn't pan out he just decides to tap the well himself.
Meanwhile, the school plans ahead and decides to increase its budget in preparation for the oil income, the music program is expanded under Lisa's suggestion to include Tito Puente, and Willie was gonna get himself a new crystal bucket, too. However, the oil rig fails to produce, and then Burns is successful in building a slanted rig that pumps the oil first. With no oil, plus costs to build, operate and then destroy the school's oil rig, Skinner is forced to make multiple cuts, including music and maintenance. When the slanted rig shot off oil, it hit Bart's treehouse directly, destroying it and leaving Santa's Little Helper's hind legs broken. The fumes from the rig also forces the nearby Moe's to close down, much to the anger of both Moe and Barney, and the oil well causes a sinkhole below the retirement home, forcing its residents to abandon it until it can be fixed.
As this is happening, Homer becomes increasingly frustrated that Burns can never remember his name. On Marge's suggestion, he sends Burns a box of candy with a photo of him and his family. Burns and Smithers remember each face they see in the box, but neither are willing to eat the last piece - a sour quince log - which still covers Homer's face. Burns sends a thank you note to Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, which sends Homer into a fury when he finally realizes his name wasn't included. He tries to spray paint his name in Burns' office, but when Burns still doesn't know who he is, Homer attacks him in a vain attempt to get him to learn, saying Burns is "dead" when being dragged off by the guards.
Despite having crippled the school and closing down the tavern and the retirement home, Burns still isn't satisfied, as he knows that for most of the day people in town get free energy and light from the sun. He reveals to Smithers, who wasn't particularly fond of the oil-stealing plan, his next plan which involves blocking out the sun, forcing Springfield to use Burns' electricity 24 hours a day. Smithers refuses to go along with this fiendish plot, and as a result Burns fires him on the spot.
The town has a meeting to discuss Burns' plot, where many people are stroking guns. As people tell their sob stories, Burns makes an appearance. Before Bart can advance on him, Burns reveals he's carrying a gun after an attack from an "unidentified assailant". Burns enacts his plan, and quickly the sun is blocked off. The town becoming all the more frustrated, Burns scuttles off happy as a fly now that he has complete control of the town's energy.
As an odd series of occurrences are revealed, including Smithers leaving his coat behind, Skinner leaving his mother behind, a gun that Grampa brought to the Simpsons home that Marge buried only for it to be dug up, and no Simpson other than Marge or Maggie to be found. Off screen, Burns gets into a struggle with an unknown person, and is soon shot thereafter. He struggles to the sundial in front of town hall, his arms landing on "W" and "S", and the town gathers around to see the victim. Marge realizes that this mystery may never be solved, and that everyone in town is a suspect. The episode ends with Dr. Hibbert saying he couldn't solve this mystery only to wonder if YOU (by which he means Chief Wiggum) can solve it.
Quick Review
This episode is part of what is still the only real two-parter in the series (that whole "Nedna" nonsense a couple of years back never had an actual Part 2, just a mention in the next season's premier). What's more, its an episode shrouded in mystery. Clues are everywhere, there are shots to people which makes you suspect them even if just a little, and like 20 people are given motives to go and shoot Mr. Burns. Its a mystery that was set up as a contest as well, where people could call in at one point in the summer between each part and guess who pulled the trigger, which nobody was able to guess correctly given the absurdity of the correct answer.
Its the shining moment that perhaps defines the quality of these early, "golden" years of the series, that takes everything people have come to know and love about these characters over six years and really makes them really think if any of them had the guts to shoot that fiendish old man.
As a lot of the episode was spent placing clues and setting up suspects, the quantity of jokes were lesser than they had been for many of the episodes for Season 6. Even so, there's no question this episode along with its conclusion are some of the most well known and beloved episodes of these early season. I-it just wasn't as funny.
Also, just to note, the list of suspects this episode set up:
Principal Skinner: Burns stole the oil that was under his school, essentially stealing financial security
Groundskeeper Willie: Lost his job because of the oil incident, because the school had to make cuts.
Mr. Largo (that music teacher): Same as Willie
Tito Puente: The oil incident robbed the school of Tito Puente
Homer Simpson: Burns can never remember his name, missing during the shooting
Bart Simpson: The slanted rig crippled his dog and destroyed his treehouse, missing during the shooting
Lisa Simpson: The oil incident robbed the school of music, missing during the shooting
Abraham Simpson: The slanted rig caused a sinkhole over his retirement home, he and his gun are also missing during the shooting
Moe Szyslak: The slanted rig forces his bar to close.
Barney Gumble: The slanted rig forced Moe to close the bar.
Waylon Smithers: Fired after trying to tell Burns that the latter's plan were diabolical, became a drunk.
I think that's most of them. And then Part Two concludes in such a silly way.
Final Score: 8.7
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