The Simpsons recap: The Fool Monty

When Mr. Burns winds up getting amnesia, Bart takes him back to the Simpsons’ house and the people of Springfield decide to have some fun with the situation.

The heads of all the major media companies meet to create a fake crisis and they decide to invent a health epidemic called house cat flu. Later when it comes out that there is a vaccine available, everyone in Springfield tries to get one. The Simpsons are standing in line when Mr. Burns drives to the front of the line and demands vaccines for both him and Smithers, understandably upsetting everyone in town. After he drives off with all the vaccines, a doctor reveals that Mr. Burns only has 6 weeks to live.

He announces this fact to the people of Springfield, but to his horror everyone is thrilled that he’s dying. Saddened by the fact that everyone hates him, Mr. Burns unsuccessfully attempts suicide by jumping off a cliff. But he does sustain amnesia and winds up lying in the woods where Bart discovers him. He ends up taking him back to the Simpsons’ house and hides Mr. Burns in his room.

While Smithers goes to work for former Vice President Dick Cheney, the rest of Springfield cheerfully buries Mr. Burns by literally dancing on his grave. Meanwhile, the rest of the Simpsons find out what’s really happened to the old man. Homer revels in the opportunity to get back at Mr. Burns, but Marge insists they reveal what’s happened to the town. They do and with the exception of Lisa, everyone overwhelmingly agrees with Homer. It’s decided that everyone in town gets half an hour to do whatever they want with Mr. Burns.

But when everyone eventually gets tired of revenge, Lisa returns him to his old mansion. This sparks Mr. Burns’ memory and after getting Smithers back from the former Vice President, he wastes no time in plotting his revenge on the entire town. Mr. Burns initially tries to cover the entire town with a dome, but everyone quickly reminds him that was already done (in The Simpsons Movie).

Marge eventually reminds him that he’s already outlasted his projected 6 weeks and reasons that kindness was keeping him alive. But after testing this, Mr. Burns quickly discovers that it was cruelty keeping him alive and he begins to fly away. But while leaving, Nelson hijacks the helicopter Mr. Burns arrived in and demands that he cheer him on in the school play in place of a parent figure. Mr. Burns agrees and finds that he actually enjoys Nelson’s performance in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? after all.