Burger Kings
 |
| "Burger Kings" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 32 Episode 18 |
| Directed by | Lance Kramer |
| Written by | Rob LaZebnik |
| Production code | QABF11 |
| Original air date | April 11, 2021 |
| Episode features | |
| Couch gag | A pair of live-action hands cuts a potato open using a Swiss Army Knife, carves a face on it and uses it as a stamp to resemble the Simpsons. The Swiss Army Knife is then thrown on a drawing of the living room, and the heads of the family pop out, but Marge's head punches Homer's head off the Swiss Army Knife. |
"Burger Kings" is the eighteenth episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the 702nd episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on April 11, 2021.[1] The episode was directed by Lance Kramer and written by Rob LaZebnik.
In this episode, Mr. Burns creates a fast-food company that serves plant-based burgers with Homer as its spokesman while Marge buys its stock. The episode received generally positive reviews from critics.[2]
Plot
[edit]When Mr. Burns' chef brings him a food he does not like the taste of, Burns almost kills himself after eating Krusty Burgers and learns that everyone in Springfield would prefer that he had died. With Burns about to give up on life, Smithers helps his boss with both his image and newfound love of burgers by suggesting Burns get into the plant-based burger business, showing him an exotic plant-made burger that Professor Frink's robot created. Soon, Burns has the Simpson family and the whole town aboard, and Burns appoints Homer as the spokesman and hires him to film commercials for the chain on a green screen.
Meanwhile, Marge accidentally uses Alexa to buy the ever-rising stock in Burns' new company, X-Cell-Ent Burger. On the news, Kent Brockman announces the competition war between X-Cell-Ent Burger and Krusty Burger. Bart sees Krusty Burger failing due to Burns's success, even when Krusty the Clown tries making his own new burger. Bart tries to get Lisa to help, but she does not believe that Burns' new venture is evil, until she suddenly realizes that Burns' burgers are made from endangered plant species from the Amazon rainforest.
Lisa goes to Homer, but he refuses due to him being his own boss. At night, Homer has a dream about what Lisa said and changes his mind. At the national rollout, after some reminders from Burns and Smithers on the words he can use, Homer and Lisa manage to use them against Burns, scandalizing the people, while Krusty retains his fame and Marge regains the money she was going to lose after selling her stocks. Driving away with Smithers, Burns is happy that in the end, the town hates him again, having grown tired of good acts.
Production
[edit]The couch gag was made by Swiss animators Katrin von Niederhäusern and Janine Wiget.[3] Von Niederhäusern and Wiget first came to the producers' attention after they created a live-action shot-by-shot remake of the eating montage from the twenty-ninth season episode "Lisa Gets the Blues."[4]
Cultural references
[edit]When Burns remarks that his burgers could improve people's health, he compares himself to the man who landed the plane safely. When Smithers asks if he is referring to Sully Sullenberger, the pilot who landed a passenger aircraft in the Hudson River, Burns says he is referring to Rudolf Hess, a Nazi who tried flying to Scotland on a peace mission during World War II. The joke is cited as an example of the series joking about historical figures without directly framing their baseline ideology or related acts.[5]
The media reported on the episode's satirical predictions regarding cryptocurrency, where a fictional financial news ticker shows the valuation of Bitcoin reaching "infinity" alongside volatile swings for GameStop stock. Analysts noted the sequence served as a direct parody of late-night market commentary and algorithmic trading bubbles.[6][7]
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]Tony Sokol of Den of Geek gave the episode five out of five stars, praising the execution of Mr. Burns' villainy, noting: "[The Simpsons] still finds a way to twist it further. Once you're known for doing something good you have to continue doing good things. He's no longer crushed by morality. Evil always wins, and he's even planning on opening a school for the blind so he can convince them aliens have landed."[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "Shows A-Z — Simpsons, The on Fox". The Futon Critic. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
- ^ a b Sokol, Tony (April 12, 2021). "The Simpsons Season 32 Episode 18 Review: Burger Kings". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
- ^ Suter, Rolf (April 13, 2021). "Aargauerinnen zeichnen für die Simpsons". Aargauer Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
- ^ "Women recreate Homer Simpson's New Orleans gobble tour". Associated Press. September 14, 2019. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- ^ Demsky, Jeffrey (2021). Nazi and Holocaust Representations in Anglo-American Popular Culture, 1945–2020: Irreverent Remembrance. Springer Nature. p. 78. ISBN 9783030792213.
- ^ Nagarajan, Shalini. "A 'Simpsons' episode comically predicts bitcoin's price will surge to infinity — and GameStop's stock will fluctuate ridiculously in the future". Business Insider. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ Cueto, Michael (April 14, 2021). "'The Simpsons' Predicts Future Price Of Bitcoin: Will It Be Accurate?". International Business Times. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
External links
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