"Smithers, who is that man?"
Mr Burns and his lowly employee, Homer Simpson, have never really seen eye-to-eye. In fact, an ongoing joke in the Simpsons is Mr Burns forgetting who Homer even is, despite his having worked at the Power Plant for over ten years.
Mr Burns: Who is that fireband, Smithers?
Smithers: That's Homer Simpson.
Mr Burns: Simpson, eh? New man?
Smithers: He thwarted your campaign for governor, you ran over his son, he saved the plant from meltdown, his wife painted you in the nude...
Mr Burns: Doesn't ring a bell.
They have, however, shared some adventures together over the years.
In the episode "Mountain of Madness", Mr Burns and Homer are randomly partnered together for a company ski trip, during which they end up trapped inside a cabin that has been buried in a snowstorm. At first they get along well, enjoying "a good sit" together, but the friendliness doesn't last. Soon, cabin fever gets the better of them and they turn on each other. After being rescued, they exchange wary looks as the episode ends.
In "Homer the Smithers", Homer is selected by Smithers to be Mr Burns' temporary assistant while he is away on holiday. The reason Smithers chooses Homer is due to his well-known buffoonery. ("I think Smithers hired me for my motivational skills. everyone says they have to work a lot harder when I'm around!") Smithers believes that Mr Burns will become annoyed with Homer, and will be happy to see Smithers return.
Smithers: I have to find someone to replace me while I'm gone who won't outshine me. I'll search the employee database under the word "incompetent".
Computer: 715 matches found.
Smithers: 715 names? I'd better narrow the search. Let's see... "lazy", "clumsy", "monstrously ugly".
Computer: Searching... 714 matches found.
Smithers: Nuts to this! I'll just go and get Homer Simpson
However, it doesn't quite turn out as Smithers planned: Mr Burns does, indeed, grow weary of Homer's stupidity, to the point where he constantly berates Homer for everything he does. Homer snaps and punches Mr Burns in the face, before fleeing home. As a result, Mr Burns actually discovers he likes being independent...and ends up also firing Smithers. Eventually, during a brawl between Smithers and Homer, Mr Burns is knocked out his office window and injured. Mr Burns decides he needs Smithers to take care of him after all.
In the classic episode, "Rosebud", Mr Burns dreams of tracking down his lost childhood teddy bear, Bobo. The audience is shown Bobo's journey over time, which includes shots of him being washed down a river, flown in a plane and being tossed away by Hitler, before ending up frozen in a bag of ice which is then transported to the Kwik-E-Mart: which Bart Simpson then buys. Maggie grows attached to the bear, refusing to give it back to Mr Burns, and Homer is faced with a moral dilemma: to sell out and accept Mr Burns' generous offer of "a million dollars and three Hawaaiian islands - the good ones, not the leper ones!" to surrender Bobo; or keep the bear and keep his daughter happy? Homer ends up reluctantly declining Mr Burns' offer and tells him that Bobo is not for sale, but out of pity, Maggie gives up the bear. (Perhaps showing a maturity greater than her father's.)
Mr Burns: Who is that fireband, Smithers?
Smithers: That's Homer Simpson.
Mr Burns: Simpson, eh? New man?
Smithers: He thwarted your campaign for governor, you ran over his son, he saved the plant from meltdown, his wife painted you in the nude...
Mr Burns: Doesn't ring a bell.
They have, however, shared some adventures together over the years.
In the episode "Mountain of Madness", Mr Burns and Homer are randomly partnered together for a company ski trip, during which they end up trapped inside a cabin that has been buried in a snowstorm. At first they get along well, enjoying "a good sit" together, but the friendliness doesn't last. Soon, cabin fever gets the better of them and they turn on each other. After being rescued, they exchange wary looks as the episode ends.
In "Homer the Smithers", Homer is selected by Smithers to be Mr Burns' temporary assistant while he is away on holiday. The reason Smithers chooses Homer is due to his well-known buffoonery. ("I think Smithers hired me for my motivational skills. everyone says they have to work a lot harder when I'm around!") Smithers believes that Mr Burns will become annoyed with Homer, and will be happy to see Smithers return.
Smithers: I have to find someone to replace me while I'm gone who won't outshine me. I'll search the employee database under the word "incompetent".
Computer: 715 matches found.
Smithers: 715 names? I'd better narrow the search. Let's see... "lazy", "clumsy", "monstrously ugly".
Computer: Searching... 714 matches found.
Smithers: Nuts to this! I'll just go and get Homer Simpson
However, it doesn't quite turn out as Smithers planned: Mr Burns does, indeed, grow weary of Homer's stupidity, to the point where he constantly berates Homer for everything he does. Homer snaps and punches Mr Burns in the face, before fleeing home. As a result, Mr Burns actually discovers he likes being independent...and ends up also firing Smithers. Eventually, during a brawl between Smithers and Homer, Mr Burns is knocked out his office window and injured. Mr Burns decides he needs Smithers to take care of him after all.
In the classic episode, "Rosebud", Mr Burns dreams of tracking down his lost childhood teddy bear, Bobo. The audience is shown Bobo's journey over time, which includes shots of him being washed down a river, flown in a plane and being tossed away by Hitler, before ending up frozen in a bag of ice which is then transported to the Kwik-E-Mart: which Bart Simpson then buys. Maggie grows attached to the bear, refusing to give it back to Mr Burns, and Homer is faced with a moral dilemma: to sell out and accept Mr Burns' generous offer of "a million dollars and three Hawaaiian islands - the good ones, not the leper ones!" to surrender Bobo; or keep the bear and keep his daughter happy? Homer ends up reluctantly declining Mr Burns' offer and tells him that Bobo is not for sale, but out of pity, Maggie gives up the bear. (Perhaps showing a maturity greater than her father's.)
