Mountain of Madness
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Mountain of Madness is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons' eighth season, which originally aired February 2, 1997. It was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Mark Kirkland.
[edit] Synopsis
Mr. Burns goes to work and decides to skip his usual morning coffee. But within an hour, he feels sleepy and has his drink. Energized, Burns decides to hold an evacuation drill but ends up settling for a good old-fashioned fire drill. However, instead of clearing the plant complex, the employees panic, and fail to get out in less than fifteen minutes. Outraged, Burns declares that everyone shall be subjected to a teamwork competition at Mt. Springfield. Homer gets partnered with Burns while Smithers has to journey on his own. The object of this competition is to reach a cabin at the top of the mountain; the last team to arrive will be fired.
Along the way, Burns talks Homer into cheating and they use a snowmobile to reach the cabin. Arriving several hours early, they get comfortable. Burns and Homer quickly form a friendship. However, while clinking their champagne glasses, they cause an avalanche that buries the entire cabin. They are unable to get a message to the outside world. Meanwhile, Bart and Lisa meet Smithers and agree to help him, though they do more stalling than helping. In the cabin, Burns and Homer fail to tunnel out. Each time they speak, they cause more avalanches that put more snow between them and freedom.
Soon, cabin fever begins to fall upon the two men. They build snowmen to pass the time (though Burns insists they build real men out of snow) and give them their clothing. As for the other workers, they reach what they think is the cabin. However, it is actually a ranger station and they realize that something bad has happened to their colleagues. In the cabin, Homer and Burns stare at each other's eyes, filling their minds with paranoia. Burns is driven mad and attempts to kill Homer. After a struggle, Burns ignites the cabin's propane tank, launching the cabin out of the snow and next to the other workers. Reminding everyone of the contest, all the workers run in and Lenny, being the last one to reach the cabin, is fired (though Burns decides that everyone has learned their lesson and that no one is fired after all). As for himself and Homer, the episode ends with the two of them exchanging paranoid glances.
[edit] Cultural references
- The title of this episode is based on At the Mountains of Madness, a novella written by H.P. Lovecraft.[citation needed]
- The "political powers" Burns hallucinates seeing are Mao Zedong, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Mahatma Gandhi and Ramses.
[edit] External links
"Mountain of Madness" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
