User Reviews

'Who Shot Mr. Burns" is episode 1 in Season 7 of the Simpsons. I think this episode is a great, classic Simpsons episode, and greatly (if not predictably) concludes the cliffhanger which was 'Who Shot Mr. Burns Pt. 1'. Very funny scenes are included, and are the kind which are classic in this TV show. Mr. Burns, Homer's boss, was shot in Pt. 1, and in Pt. 2 it is discovered that he is still alive. At the beginning of the episode, Mr. Burns' secretary Weyland Smithers believes that he is the murderer, but after some shocking evidence...well, you'll just have to watch it yourself. Overall, 'Who Shot Mr. Burns Pt. 2' is a great episode of The Simpsons.

Rating: TV-PG

They just don't make em like they use to. After Burns getting shot inspite of carrying his own gun now after being attacked in his office by an 'unidentified assailant' (Homer: "d'oh!"), he was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, he was then taken to a better hospital where doctors upgraded his condition to 'alive' (maybe Burns was having a NDE while at the first hospital). We see Smithers wake up twice with a mouthful of cigarette butts. The first time, he dreams he wakes up. He then opens the shower door on Burns and he doesn't even seem to mind. Of course this was Smithers' dream and we know about his feelings for Burns, so I'm sure in real life, Burns would've minded if Smithers opened the shower door on him. Before Smithers wakes up for real when we see his second time with cigarette butts in his mouth, we get a "Dallas, who shot J.R." and "Mod squad" parody included in Smithers' dream.

The whodunnit plot then begins which plays out similar to a classic Alfred Hitchcock mystery case, it was very good indeed. I like the part around the Simpson table where everyone is pointing out a possible reason for each person being mad at Burns before he was shot. One funny example: Lisa: "Dad, you sorta went berserk when Burns couldn't remember your name". Homer: "BESERK IS RIIIGGHHT!!!!". Next funny jokes: (Grampa (after everyone realizing Smithers probably shot him): "Case closed, Smingers did it, I'm going to the outhouse". Lisa: " we don't have an outhouse". Homer: "My toolshed!" As Homer is hosing out his toolshed, Moe, Barney, and the boys invite Homer to help tear down Burns' sunblocker, Homer: "I'm a coming, I've had it up to here with these rickets!" (We don't see Homer's rickets again after that moment, and that was a better choice from the writers than showing Homer with rickets the whole rest of episode). Then, when the sunblocker's torn out, we get a crushed Shelbyville and Springfield cheering joke.

As well as the jokes, we progress with the investigation on who shot Burns. First Smithers is prime suspect, and he thought he did it in a drunken rage until finding out he shot Jasper's wooden leg (and Jasper not even remembering it). And I liked Smithers' joke after being arrested "I feel as low as Madonna when finding out she missed Tailhook (Tailhook was a fest where a bunch of Navy officers sexually harassed women)(if that kind of joke was made today, they probably would've used Miley Sirus's name instead of Madonna).

Later on, Homer's the prime suspect for shooting Burns after Simpson DNA is found on Burns' suite (after Chief Wiggum's bizarre backwards talking dream with Lisa and the flaming cards)(I also liked the little joke at the DNA lab where the lab tech told Wiggum that the DNA test will take 6-8 weeks until handed a case of cigarettes and then said the test will take 6-8 seconds). I enjoyed Lisa's reasoning on how the evidence of Homer shooting Burns was not as concrete as it seemed (and us seeing Homer reaching under the seat while driving when he dropped his ice cream cone, and while feeling for the ice cream, he touched something else that lead to Homer looking guilty to the police. And then Homer touched something else (something sticky) under the seat too that appeared in part of the picture of a crucial moment, with that sticky something also being connected to a saying mentioned earlier in this two-parter story).

I also liked "The fugitive" (with Harrison Ford) reference at the drive through window after arresting Homer.

Burns being shot at the end of part one when Burns leaves that town meeting alone and full of power, he sure seemed to own Springfield now. Even Snake (at the end of part one) didn't seem that bothered with trying to stop him (when Apu asks "where's that gun slinging lowlife when you need one?" Snake nonchalant: "sorry, I was in the can"). I liked Burns' bringing up Smithers' early dispute about taking candy from babies, then without Smithers around anymore, he tries it and discovers the old saying was misleading (remember episode "Rosebud" where Burns didn't have the strength to take Bobo away from Maggie).

I would never have guessed in a million years that it was actually Maggie Simpson that killed mister burns although it wasn't malicious it was an accident. What a great idea.

For me, it's the first 10 seasons of The Simpsons that represents the golden era, with some episodes after that worth watching for sure. Anyway, Who Shot Mr Burns? Part Two finally reveals the person who shot Mr Burns, and yes it was Maggie. It's hard to believe this episode is nearly 30 years old, yes three decades, and it lives on and on because The Simpsons is such a high quality series.

Anyway, I loved the references to Twin Peaks and The Fugitive in this episode and all while we were kept guessing what would happen and yes, it was Maggie after all. J. R. Ewing would have been proud for sure.