R & R: Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk

R & R: Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk

  • 5/5 A Masterpiece

    Votes: 113 61.7%
  • 4/5 Good, but Season 3 has better

    Votes: 55 30.1%
  • 3/5 A Resounding Meh

    Votes: 10 5.5%
  • 2/5 A few Redeeming Qualities

    Votes: 4 2.2%
  • 1/5 A Stinker

    Votes: 1 0.5%

  • Total voters
    183

Charmy

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Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk

Remember this old gal? I'll give you folks a quick refresher; Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk was a Season 3 episode in which Burns decides to sell the Nuclear Power Plant to German investors, which results in Homer loosing his job.

To put it simply, I love this one. The story is wonderful, characterization is just lovely, and the gags just keep coming. There's plenty of hilarious German jokes without ever once being mean-spirited, and 'The Land of Chocolate' remains one of the greatest Simpsons sequences ever done. And Bart singing 'The Teddy Bear Picnic' alway cracks me up.

The story always remains interesting, with Burns' side of the plot being done in such a way that it's funny, believable, and overall just wonderful. The Burns/Smithers relationship has lots of dynamic, and we get to see lots of it here. It's paticularly nice to see what Burns thinks of Smithers, as we see the opposite so often. The 'Homer Loses His Job' plot is equally engaging, and comes together with the Burns plot in such a way in the end that the episode can end and things go back to normal without feeling cheap. There's no deus ex machina about it, just good writing.

Overall, this is a wonderful episode that I feel gets lost in the hustle and bustle of Season 3, and deserves more recognition then it gets.

5/5
 
Grade: A

Among the funniest of season 3. The concept itself is a little absurd, particularly for the time period, but it's still very funny. There's so many little things I love about this episode, Homer's stockbroker, OFF's reaction when he says he spent his money on beer ("surprise surprise"), Homer being the only employee laid off ("Simpson, Homer". That is all), almost everything Burns does after selling the plant, and the friendly German caricatures to name a few. And the episode never falters in characterization or plotting, and it moves seamlessly from gag to gag with rarely a misstep. Yes, it's pretty obvious that Burns is going to get the plant back, but it's not an issue to me. What makes it great is how Burns gets the Power Plant back, and his ridicule of the Germans afterwards is classic. And did I mention this episode also hosts the "Land of Chocolate" sequence too? Fantastic episode, even if overshadowed by even greater season 3 episodes.
 
Several great moments, including the classic "Land of Chocolate" sequence. 10/10
 
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk is an excellent episode, with plenty of unforgettable moments, as mentioned earlier in this thread; I don’t have much more to say other than this is one just one of the great episodes that the terrific season three had to offer; A
 
Some good moments in this episode, mainly The Land of Chocolate, but Season 3 had better episodes IMO, 4/5.
 
Great episode, deserving of an A mark for the laughs alone. It's just one of the funniest episodes ever- you can have Cape Feare and Deep Space Homer. The plotting moves naturally with the jokes, never bumping into each other. Likewise with characterization, never clashing with the laughs, but rather enhancing every gag. As with most classic era eps dealing with Homer and his job, there is a passive commentary of the worker/workplace, great relatable stuff that only makes it funnier. Naturally Burns will get the plant back, but the reason he does is a hilarious comment on his character.

"This is a place of business, not a peewee flophouse!"
 
Despite the poorly worded title (I don't think it's a correct German translation), it's a good episode. Not hilarious laugh-out-loud funny, but there are plenty of good lines. A little bit predictable at the end because it was obvious that from the moment that we knew Burns would sell the nuclear plant, he would somehow end up owning the damn thing come the episode's end. The Land Of Chocolate sequence is great, with some beautiful animation, and I can't help but laugh at the way the Germans were depicted.
 
An underappreciated Season 3 classic. There is no reason why this shouldn't make anyone's top 50 or 75 list. It has a great satirical view of German stereotypes, whose characters and voices make it seem as if Groening had several people improted from Germany to provide lines. They really make this episode. Along with them, the main characters here include Homer along with the duo of Burns and Smithers. Not really much involvement of the rest of the family, but it isn't a problem and hard to even realize. As is the case with Homer-centered episodes, everything lies on his characterization. Luckily, it was perfect here. His simply pathetic selling of his stock to make $25 portrays the man with good intentions but little sense that makes Homer's character so dynamic. Another good moment is at the end, where Homer is excited to get his job back immediately following the revealing of Burns's plan for vengeance. As for Burns, he was also well done, as you can see the issue many of the eldery workers are faced with, which is whether or not to retire; and, as many others do, he could not handle the sweeping changes of his life and he goes back to his old self. As always, Smithers is the perfect "sober yin to his raging yang" as he spends time with Burns throughout and contributes much. As for humor, you really forget just how funny this episode is. I saw it just the other day and couldn't stop laughing at the Land of Chocolate scene, or the one involving Bart in Moe's Tavern, or also the one where the Germans are trying to ask Homer to have a discussion with them, and he refuses, causing them to believe that their English is poor. All in all, this one is a real gem, aside from that facelift that Lenny got. A
 
An underrated episode it seems by reading the reviews above. An excellent episode - A
 
I just saw this episode tonight, and I loved it. Good, flowing plot, everyone in character, great jokes, some well-done German stereotypes and a sensible conclusion, showing Burns at his demonic best. A+
 
I really like this one...


"My English is not perfect,
but I have to tell you, your
beer is like swill to us.
Do I have that right?
I am saying only a swine
would drink this beer."
 
A pretty good episode from a pretty good season, so I gave it a 4/5. The land of chocolate was great and so was Moe not being able to realize that Bart was the prank caller, and the story was well-executed. However, I felt this episode just seemed to lack true greatness, so it settles for an almost perfect score.
 
Fantastic. The comedy was A+ and didn't hit you over the head to be funny. Everything from the German take over, to Burns (who was fantasticaly in character), to Homer's trip to the Land of Chocolate was perfectly paced.

5/5
 
A faultless episode, in my opinion. The Burns/Smithers explorations were brilliant as were every other aspect of this episode. Wonderful writing, characterization, pacing...Overall, just wonderful. 5/5
 
The only reason a lot of people like this episode is because of the overrated "Land of Chocholate" sequence.

The rest of the episode is a non-stop borefest.

2/5 - possibly the worst episode of Season 3.
 
The only reason a lot of people like this episode is because it's hilarious and well-plotted, with 'The Land of Chocolate' being an added bonus. Read Channel Surfer's post to understand that there's more to the episode that people like.

Solid A for me. Almost perfect, but its being nothing more than a really funny episode keeps it from A+ quality.
 
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