This is one of the all time best episodes from the great Simpsons seasons 2 - 7. This episode doesn't just have the typical great Simpsons humor and wit, but also a great mystery.
Starting with Skinner finding deceased gerbil "Superdude", Willie buries it groaning "ye looky ye gitten a decent berial, me own fatha was throon oot of the boot (boat)". Just then, Willie creates a sudden geyser of oil.
Many funny moments from then onwards: Superintendent Chalmers' "school, explosion, SKINNER!" rant. To Chalmers, it's always Skinner's fault if there's any kind of problem happening on the school grounds whether it was ever in Skinner's control or not. All of the different requests from the school about spending the oil money were amusing including Otto's double guitars, Ralph's chocolate microscopes, Willie's crystal mop bucket, Skinner's more rubber stamps, and funniest Lunch lady Doris' "kitchen staff complaining of mice in the kitchen, I want to hire a new staff", well it was the funniest until Smithers and Mr. Burns enters (disguised as Jimbo Jones) requesting to put the oil money towards the nuclear power plant, Skinner saying no, than Burns giving Skinner a thrashing Burns style (Burns' hitting somebody's equal to someone else lightly brushing somebody), which is a funny joke that's been used a number of times on the Simpsons. Then is Burns' progression of taking control of the oil and of Springfield in general until his diabolical scheme of blocking out the sun.
I like all the reasons the different Springfieldians have it in for Burns, especially of course Homer's reaction to Burns never remembering his name, first in the elevator in spite of Homer's name clearly printed on his name tag and hat. Second in Burns' office, and then when Homer sends Burns a box of chocolates (right after Burns tells Smithers how robbing oil from the school will be like taking candy from a baby). Then as Burns and Smithers eat the chocolates as each Simpson member of the photograph the chocolates were laying on top of were being revealed, Burns mentions a previous incident with each family member with each member's mentioned incident being from a previous Simpson episode (such as Bart being Burns' heir in "Burns' heir" or Maggie giving Burns his teddybear Bobo from "Rosebud"). Then when the only piece of chocolate uneaten was covering Homer's face on the photo, and Burns sends a thank-you card saying it's to every Simpson member except Homer. When Homer sees the card, we then get the one implication in the series of the f word being yelled by Homer (only the f sound being heard, the church organ sound, and the birds flying away was a good touch) and everyone outside the Simpson house standing and staring at it with Flanders saying " dear Lord, that was the loudest profanity I ever heard".
As the episode progresses, Skinner's forced to deny many people's oil money requests, and people's anger starts flying. Willie rips his shirt yelling he'll kill Burns and wound Smithers, Lisa's idol Tito Puente punches a hole in his drum, and Homer breaks into Burns' office spray painting his name on his office walls, only for Burns to have his goons carry him away and Burns still not knowing Homer's name (Homer:" oh you're dead Burns!!! ").
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