The Burns and the Bees

Last updated

"The Burns and the Bees"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 20
Episode 8
Directed by Mark Kirkland
Written by Stephanie Gillis
Production codeKABF21
Original air dateDecember 7, 2008 (2008-12-07)
Guest appearances
Mark Cuban as himself
Jeff Bezos as himself
Marv Albert as himself
Episode features
Chalkboard gag "Jesus is not mad his birthday is on Christmas"
Couch gag The family (in Christmas attire) sits on the couch, and the camera pulls out to reveal they are reflected in a Christmas ornament which is on a Christmas tree, and Santa's Little Helper and Snowball II rest nearby.
Episode chronology
 Previous
"MyPods and Boomsticks"
Next 
"Lisa the Drama Queen"
The Simpsons (season 20)
List of episodes

"The Burns and the Bees" is the eighth episode of the twentieth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons . It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 7, 2008. In the episode, during a poker game, Mr. Burns wins ownership of the Austin Celtics basketball team and he decides to build a new stadium in Springfield that endangers a bee colony which Lisa built. Lisa's subplot refers to the current worldwide disappearance of bees.

Contents

The episode was written by Stephanie Gillis and directed by Mark Kirkland. It marks a second use of the Christmas-themed opening, first seen in "Kill Gil, Volumes I & II". Billionaires Mark Cuban and Jeff Bezos and sportscaster Marv Albert guest star as themselves. [1]

In its original airing, the episode garnered 6.19 million viewers. It received mixed reviews from television critics.

Plot

Mr. Burns attends the annual Billionaires' Retreat, where he wins the fictional Austin Celtics pro basketball team in a poker game against the Rich Texan. After witnessing the antics of Mark Cuban at a Dallas Mavericks game, Burns decides to build a luxurious sports arena to win over Springfield basketball fans, renaming the Celtics the Springfield Excitement.

Meanwhile, Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney dare Bart to prank the second-graders by hitting a beehive with his slingshot. Lisa discovers, however, the bees in the hive are dead. Groundskeeper Willie explains the bees are dying all over Springfield by loss of habitat, thus contracting a fatal disease. Lisa seeks help from a reluctant Homer, informing him that there will be no more honey without the bees to produce it, and Professor Frink has an uninfected queen bee sting Lisa, releasing pheromones which attract many uninfected bees, which form a bee beard.

After trying to keep the bees in the Simpson home, Lisa and Marge find an abandoned greenhouse for the bees to live in. However, the site of the greenhouse is exactly where Burns plans to construct his new arena. Lisa attempts to convince the town to save the bee population, but despite her logical protest that they always get into trouble when they ignore her advice, she fails when Burns informs everyone about the amazing features of his arena.

Homer and Moe attempt to help save the bees by mating a queen bee from Lisa's hive with Moe's Africanized bees to create a hybrid bee species strong enough to survive anywhere. Six weeks later, on the night of the grand opening of Burns' sports arena, Homer takes Lisa to the top of a hill and shows her the hive containing the hybrid bees. When Homer accidentally releases them, the bees attack Burns' new arena, which resembles a beehive. In the end, the arena is legally declared a bee sanctuary, enabling the bees to survive. At the next billionaires' retreat one year later, Burns reveals how much the bees cost him. After it is discovered that he is four million dollars short of a billion, he is kicked out of the retreat and into the millionaires' camp. Much to his horror, these millionaires got rich thanks to their low-class businesses, such as a minor-league hockey team.

Production

Mark Cuban guest starred in the episode. Mark Cuban, Web 2.0 Conference.jpg
Mark Cuban guest starred in the episode.

The episode was written by Stephanie Gillis and directed by Mark Kirkland. Billionaires Mark Cuban and Jeff Bezos and sportscaster Marv Albert guest star as themselves. [1] The episode marks a second use of the Christmas-themed opening, first seen in "Kill Gil, Volumes I & II".

Cultural references

The episode's title is a reference to the expression "The birds and the bees", used by parents when explaining a sexual relationship to a child.

Lisa's subplot refers to the worldwide disappearance of bees known as Colony Collapse Disorder. [2] In a scene where Homer imagines a future without honey, a small green robot resembling WALL-E from the 2008 film WALL-E , gives him a bottle of honey and then turns Homer into a cube. The bee tombstone that set Jerry Seinfeld a reference to the 2007 film Bee Movie where Seinfeld played as the voice of Barry. The Billionaires' Retreat is the parody of the Bohemian Club. [3] [4]

In the opening sequence, Mr. Burns appears to be Ebenezer Scrooge with Smithers as Jacob Marley from A Christmas Carol . [5] The statue of Mr. Burns outside his new basketball arena is based on the Nike, Inc. "Jumpman" logo featuring Michael Jordan. [3] Just before Burns is thrown out of the Billionaires' retreat, he asks Mark Cuban if he can let him "off the hook, for old times' sake" and Cuban refuses, referring to the scene in the 1972 film, The Godfather , in which Salvatore Tessio is led away to be executed after being revealed as a traitor. [3] The Billionaires play Quidditch, as it is depicted in the Harry Potter film series, and use the paintings, Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, Whistler's Mother by James Abbott McNeill Whistler and The Scream by Edvard Munch, as target practice. [3]

The songs featured in the episode include "Hip Hop Hooray" by Naughty by Nature during Mr. Burns' attempt to be more like Mark Cuban, and "Sea of Love" as performed by The Honeydrippers, which Homer and Moe play to their bees. Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" is also played in the episode. [3]

Reception

In its original airing, the episode garnered 6.19 million viewers. [6] The episode received mixed reviews from critics.

Robert Canning of IGN gave the episode 7/10 and said that with an episode like this "I just don't laugh as much as I would have liked". [7]

Steve Heisler of The A.V. Club gave the episode a grade of B and said it was "okay", but "boring". [8]

Erich Asperschlager of TV Verdict wrote: "Part of me knows that the only way to enjoy the modern incarnation of The Simpsons is to stop expecting its stories to make sense. [The episode is] not straightforward at all. It’s like sometime after the tenth season, The Simpsons writers started using Mad Libs to generate story ideas. In fact, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion the only reason this episode exists is because someone came up with the title 'The Burns and the Bees' and just had to make it work." [5]

Harry Shearer received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for his role as Mr. Burns, Smithers, Lenny and Dr. Hibbert in this episode, [9] but lost to fellow Simpsons cast member Dan Castellaneta. [10]

Stephanie Gillis was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award in the Animation category in 2010 for writing the episode. The Simpsons was the only show to be nominated in the category, with the other nominated episodes being "Take My Life, Please", "Eeny Teeny Maya Moe", "Gone Maggie Gone" and "Wedding for Disaster". The winner, "Wedding for Disaster," was announced on February 20, 2010. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grampa Simpson</span> Recurring character in The Simpsons

Abraham Jebediah "Abe" Simpson II, better known as Grampa Simpson, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He made his first appearance in the episode entitled "Grandpa and the Kids", a one-minute Simpsons short on The Tracey Ullman Show, before the debut of the television show in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moe Szyslak</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

Moammar "Moe" Szyslak is a recurring character from the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". Moe is the proprietor and bartender of Moe's Tavern, a Springfield bar frequented by Homer Simpson, Barney Gumble, Lenny Leonard, Carl Carlson, Sam, Larry, and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Burns</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

Charles Montgomery Plantagenet Schicklgruber "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns or C. Montgomery Burns, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced initially by Christopher Collins and currently by Harry Shearer. He is the mostly evil, devious, greedy, and wealthy owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and, by extension, Homer Simpson's boss. He is assisted at almost all times by Smithers, his loyal and sycophantic aide, adviser, confidant, and secret admirer. He is between 81 and 120 years old, though sometimes it's implied he's much older.

<i>Songs in the Key of Springfield</i> 1997 soundtrack album by The Simpsons

Songs in the Key of Springfield is a soundtrack/novelty album from The Simpsons compiling many of the musical numbers from the series. The album was released in the United States on March 18, 1997, and in the United Kingdom in June 1997. This was the second album released in association with the Simpsons television series; however, the previous release, The Simpsons Sing the Blues, contained original recordings as opposed to songs featured in episodes of the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Plow</span> 9th episode of the 4th season of The Simpsons

"Mr. Plow" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 19, 1992. In the episode, Homer buys a snowplow and starts a business plowing driveways. It is a huge success, and inspired by this, Barney Gumble starts a rival company and quickly puts Homer out of business.

Joseph Stewart Burns, better known as J. Stewart Burns or simply just Stewart Burns is a television writer and producer most notable for his work on The Simpsons, Futurama, and Unhappily Ever After.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Kirkland</span> American animator

Mark Kirkland is an American animation director. He has directed 84 episodes of The Simpsons since 1990, more than any other director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Seemingly Never-Ending Story</span> 13th episode of the 17th season of The Simpsons

"The Seemingly Never-Ending Story" is the thirteenth episode of the seventeenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 12, 2006. The episode won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program. At the 34th Annie Awards, episode writer Ian Maxtone-Graham won the award for "Best Writing in an Animated Television Production." The episode contains many levels of nested storytelling, much like the novel The NeverEnding Story by Michael Ende, which the title references.

<i>The Simpsons</i> (season 8) Season of television series

The eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between October 27, 1996, and May 18, 1997, beginning with "Treehouse of Horror VII". The showrunners for the eighth production season were Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, while the season was produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television. The aired season contained two episodes that were hold-over episodes from season seven, which Oakley and Weinstein also ran. It also contained two episodes for which Al Jean and Mike Reiss were the show runners.

<i>The Simpsons</i> (season 7) Season of television series

The seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 17, 1995, and May 19, 1996. The show runners for the seventh production season were Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein who would executive produce 21 episodes this season. David Mirkin executive produced the remaining four, including two hold overs that were produced for the previous season. The season was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Animated Program and won an Annie Award for Best Animated Television Program. The DVD box set was released in Region 1 on December 13, 2005, Region 2 on January 30, 2006, and Region 4 on March 22, 2006. The set was released in two different forms: a Marge-shaped box and also a standard rectangular-shaped box in which the theme is a movie premiere.

<i>The Simpsons</i> (season 6) Season of television series

The sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 4, 1994, and May 21, 1995, and consists of 25 episodes. The Simpsons is an animated series about a working class family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional city of Springfield, and lampoons American culture, society, television and many aspects of the human condition.

<i>The Simpsons</i> (season 3) Season of television series

The third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 19, 1991, and August 27, 1992. The showrunners for the third production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss who executive produced 22 episodes for the season, while two other episodes were produced by James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, and Sam Simon, with it being produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television. An additional episode, "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?", aired on August 27, 1992, after the official end of the third season and is included on the Season 3 DVD set. Season three won six Primetime Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Voice-Over Performance" and also received a nomination for "Outstanding Animated Program" for the episode "Radio Bart". The complete season was released on DVD in Region 1 on August 26, 2003, Region 2 on October 6, 2003, and in Region 4 on October 22, 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Who Shot Mr. Burns?</span> Two-part episode of The Simpsons

"Who Shot Mr. Burns?" is a two-part episode of the American animated television series The Simpsons.Part One is the twenty-fifth and final episode of the sixth season and originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 21, 1995, while Part Two is the season premiere of the seventh season and aired on September 17, 1995.

<i>The Simpsons</i> (season 20) Season of television series

The twentieth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons aired on Fox from September 28, 2008, to May 17, 2009. With this season, the show tied Gunsmoke as the longest-running American primetime television series in terms of total number of seasons. The season was released on Blu-ray on January 12, 2010, making this the first season to be released on Blu-ray as well as the only one to contain both 16:9 widescreen and high-definition episodes. It was released on DVD in Region 1 on January 12, 2010, and in Region 4 on January 20, 2010. The season was only released on DVD in Region 2 on September 17, 2010, in a few areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephanie Gillis</span> Television writer

Stephanie Gillis is an American television writer. She writes for The Simpsons and has written 11 episodes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Once Upon a Time in Springfield</span> 10th episode of the 21st season of The Simpsons

"Once Upon a Time in Springfield" is the tenth episode of the twenty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 10, 2010. It was promoted as the 450th episode of the series, but is actually the 451st, and aired alongside The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!. The episode is dedicated to posthumous guest star Eartha Kitt, who died December 25, 2008, over one year before the episode first aired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gone Maggie Gone</span> 13th episode of the 20th season of The Simpsons

"Gone Maggie Gone" is the thirteenth episode of the twentieth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 15, 2009. The episode was written by both Billy Kimball and longtime Simpsons writer Ian Maxtone-Graham, and directed by Chris Clements. In the episode, Homer leaves Maggie on the doorstep of a convent, but when she disappears, Lisa goes undercover as a nun to solve the mystery and find her. Meanwhile, Homer tries to keep Maggie's disappearance a secret from Marge, who was temporarily blinded while watching a solar eclipse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homerland</span> 1st episode of the 25th season of The Simpsons

"Homerland" is the first episode of the twenty-fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the 531st episode of the series overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 29, 2013. It was written by Stephanie Gillis and directed by Bob Anderson. It guest-stars Kristen Wiig as Annie Crawford and Kevin Michael Richardson as an unnamed FBI agent. The episode's title and plot is a reference to the Primetime Emmy Award-winning TV series Homeland.

"The Princess Guide" is the fifteenth episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 567th overall episode of the series. The episode was directed by Timothy Bailey and written by Brian Kelley. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 1, 2015.

"Frinkcoin" is the 13th episode of the thirty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 675th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on February 23, 2020. The episode was written by Rob LaZebnik and was directed by Steven Dean Moore.

References

  1. 1 2 "Primetime Listings (November 30 - December 6)". November 16, 2008. Archived from the original on November 18, 2008. Retrieved November 16, 2008.
  2. Howard, Brian Clark (December 8, 2008). "The Simpsons Take on Colony Collapse Disorder of Bees". The Daily Green. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved December 8, 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Bates, James W.; Gimple, Scott M.; McCann, Jesse L.; Richmond, Ray; Seghers, Christine, eds. (2010). Simpsons World The Ultimate Episode Guide: Seasons 1–20 (1st ed.). Harper Collins Publishers. pp. 974–975. ISBN   978-0-00-738815-8.
  4. "The Simpsons Address Bee Colony Collapse Disorder" . Retrieved December 14, 2008.
  5. 1 2 "The Simpsons 20.8: "The Burns and the Bees" |". TV Verdict. December 8, 2008. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
  6. Seidman, Robert (December 8, 2008). "Sunday Ratings: NFL, 60 Minutes, Housewives and Hallmark Movie". TV By the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 10, 2008. Retrieved December 8, 2008.
  7. Canning, Robert (December 8, 2008). "The Simpsons: "The Burns and the Bees" Review". IGN. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  8. Ryan, Kyle. "The Burns And The Bees". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  9. "The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards and 2009 Creative Arts Emmy Awards Nominees are..." Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. July 16, 2009. Retrieved July 16, 2009.
  10. "Emmy". January 1, 2009. Archived from the original on September 16, 2009.
  11. "Wga awards". Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2010.