Mountain of Madness

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For the H. P. Lovecraft short story, see At the Mountains of Madness.
The Simpsons episode
"Mountain of Madness"
Homer and Mr. Burns.
Episode no. 165
Prod. code 4F10
Orig. airdate February 2, 1997
Show runner(s) Bill Oakley
Josh Weinstein
Written by John Swartzwelder
Directed by Mark Kirkland
Couch gag The couch is folded out into a bed with Grampa asleep on it. Grampa can only utter a cry of “Huh?” before The Simpsons fold him into the couch as sit down as normal.[1]
DVD
commentary		 Matt Groening
Josh Weinstein
Dan Castellaneta
"Jim Denton" (Dave Thomas)
Mark Kirkland
David Silverman
Season 8
October 27, 1996 – May 18, 1997
  1. "Treehouse of Horror VII"
  2. "You Only Move Twice"
  3. "The Homer They Fall"
  4. "Burns, Baby Burns"
  5. "Bart After Dark"
  6. "A Milhouse Divided"
  7. "Lisa's Date with Density"
  8. "Hurricane Neddy"
  9. "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)"
  10. "The Springfield Files"
  11. "The Twisted World of Marge Simpson"
  12. "Mountain of Madness"
  13. "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious"
  14. "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show"
  15. "Homer's Phobia"
  16. "Brother from Another Series"
  17. "My Sister, My Sitter"
  18. "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment"
  19. "Grade School Confidential"
  20. "The Canine Mutiny"
  21. "The Old Man and the Lisa"
  22. "In Marge We Trust"
  23. "Homer's Enemy"
  24. "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase"
  25. "The Secret War of Lisa Simpson"
List of all The Simpsons episodes

"Mountain of Madness" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons' eighth season, which originally aired February 2, 1997.[2] Trying to encourage more teamwork amongst his employees, Mr. Burns forces the workers of Springfield Nuclear Power Plant to go for a hike in the mountains. Burns and Homer are paired together and trapped in a cabin that was buried by avalanches. It was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Mark Kirkland.[1]

Contents

[edit] Plot

Mr. Burns decides to hold a good old-fashioned fire drill in order to excite things up around the Plant. Upon hearing the bells ring, the employees panic and fail to clear the plant within 15 minutes. Outraged, Burns declares that everyone will be subjected to a teamwork competition at Mt. Springfield. Homer ends up being partnered with Burns while Smithers has to journey on his own, fuming that he was not paired with his boss. 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 settle down in the comfortable surroundings. Burns and Homer quickly become friends. However, while clinking their champagne glasses, they inadvertently cause an avalanche that buries the entire cabin. Despite Burns's attempt to operate a telegraph machine or Homer's attempt to dig through the snow, the pair remain trapped. The pair attempt further tunneling escapes, but each time they speak, they cause more avalanches that place even more snow between them and freedom. Meanwhile, Bart and Lisa meet Smithers and agree to help him proceed to the cabin, though they cause more stalling than helping.

Back in the cabin, Burns and Homer are besieged by cabin fever. They build snowmen to pass the time (though Burns insists they build real men out of snow) and clothe them at the expense of their own warmth. The other employees reach what appears to be their destination-- however, it is actually a ranger station and they begin to 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. They are both driven mad and attempt to kill each other. After a vicious struggle, Burns ignites the cabin's propane tank, launching the building out of the snow and propelling it toward the horrified onlookers. Once it comes to a halt, Mr. Burns reminds everyone of the contest, and all the workers hurry inside.

Lenny is the last person in the cabin, and is told he is fired. Burns then decides that no one will be fired after all (although Lenny who is outside doesn't know that). The episode ends with Mr. Burns and Homer alternately laughing and glaring at each other.[2][1][3]

[edit] Production

"Mountain of Madness" was written by John Swartzwelder, although the script underwent many rewrites. The story was completely rewritten and as a result, the plot became odder and quirkier with the scenes of paranoia deriving from this.[4] Before the script was turned in, the script was "very crazy" but a lot of the more insane material was cut.[5] However, most of the rewrites were done during the script writing and did not require any major animation changes.[6] The forest ranger was based on Al Gore who was asked to guest star but turned the role down.[4]

[edit] Reception

Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood called it "An inventive episode, with several memorable moments."[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). Mountain of Madness. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
  2. ^ a b Mountain of Madness. The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
  3. ^ Richmond, Ray; Antonia Coffman (1997). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to our Favorite Family. Harper Collins Publishers, p. 236. 
  4. ^ a b Weinstein, Josh. (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Mountain of Madness" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  5. ^ Silverman, David. (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Mountain of Madness" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  6. ^ Kirkland, Mark. (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Mountain of Madness" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.

[edit] External links

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