When putting together the Grampa Timeline video last year, I felt like there was some unfinished business with the Mr. Burns angle. But, since his history intersects with Grampa's, I decided to put him on the backburner for a few months. Luckily, most of Mr. Burns' weird timeline stuff happens at the very beginning and the very end, so that ended up being the larger focus for this video. Enjoy! (Also Season 10 is finally up next.)
Your channel has always been awesome. I sometimes disagree with your opinion on certain things but that just shows how valid your videos are man. Keep it up
How old Mr burns was, was always my biggest question about the Simpsons .😄😄😄 I would also like to point out that Mr Burns once said that he owns the pyramid on the one dollar bill and that he was part of the freemasons before it was popular
I think we have a different problem with Mr Burns Timeline, Abe Simpson is not reliable because he's senile, but Mr Burns is not reliable because he will lie to get what he wants, and that includes sympathy.
which makes sense if they inherited grandpa Burn's fortune when he died, bumping Monty back. It also explains why he may have killed his siblings, and possibly his parents, although his mother survived.
@@shorewall my guess, Monty only killed his father but did try to kill his mother then pull the plug *episode homer the smithers* "who would have thought you'd pull though and live for another six decades"
@@shorewall Best guess is, his mom survived, but was declared dead and when he later discovered her to be alive, he had already all he wanted so he just let her be, knowing she would die soon anyway and that nobody would believe her.
@@GuillaumeTr Ah,but who's to say it was running OFFICIALLY?! For all we know, Burn's could have bribed, blackmailed or threatened someone in DC to "make him up" some 'bureaucratic redtape hogwash Safety Certificates' that those weak kneed,spineless, Liberal Halfwits in Washington are so fond of.." as I'm sure he'd "so elegantly" put it...
It could be possible that Burns' Grandpa passed away like you mentioned and upon returning to his family they became stricter and colder due to Monty's choice in leaving them. The death of the Grandpa would also explain how the family seemingly became rich through inheritance, compared to their previous financial situation.
Yeah, I'll agree with this theory. It would make sense if his parents became strict when he abandoned them so easily. It would make sense how burns turned out. From Burns perspective, he went to live with his grandpa who died probably not long after he moved in with him, and apon returning to his parents, he found them cold and strict on him. You can't tell me that the whole experience would effect a child as young as he was.
It does make sense: Burns' parents were poor and likely were disowned by his grandpa (maybe grandfather didn't accept choices of his son etc...) and arrangment was Monty could inherit his grandfather, if he cgose to live with him. Then after the old miser died unexpectedly shortly, Burns' parents would benable to the family fortune as Monty was underaged.
Simpsons mysteries idea: you should make a video about Springfield elementary school The school sometimes has a tower, sometimes not, has a ton of different rooms despite being a relatively small building, has secret corridors, a boiler room, unused class rooms, etc I think there's enough content to make a short video
@@rodrigo-vl7bi oh I should probably add: in the episode where they do the standardized tests (can't remember the name) the school changes colour halfway through the first act
In regards to the opening of Rosebud it could be that he was asked to live with his grandfather, lived with him for a couple of years then his grandfather died and his parents inherited all the money.
It's also worth noting that the Rosebud flashback happens within a dream, so one could easily assume that rather than being objectively true, some elements of that scene have been dramatised or exaggerated for effect/comedy (George Burns appears in it as his younger brother, after all). What's definite is that at some point, Burns left his parents and childhood teddy bear behind, whether it was to live with a twisted loveless billionaire or at a boarding school.
In my head cannon, Burns actually has a soft spot for Homer that he doesn’t want to admit. Which is why he pretends not to remember him all the time. It explains a lot when you think about it.
I totally agree with this, and I think The soft spot is mutual. Homer makes a show of hating his boss but he always sticks by Mr Burns when it really matters. Their awkward not-quite-friendship is really sweet
I never interpreted Simpsons Christmas Stories as canon. It seemed clear to me that it was a Christmas version of Treehouse of Horror. Don't let that Grampa/Burns/Santa flashback cause you too much trouble, Jims.
Maybe the ''four digit age'' could have zero as the first number, since it was a bank pin. Also, I think the reason Mr. Burns isn't as senile or more senile than Abe is because he can afford better health care. I think what may have happened with his parent's financial situation was that Monty's grandpa passed away, and his parents inherited his fortune, making them rich and forcing Monty to move back in with them.
Mental health degradation is not predictable like that. Some old people never have a real problem. Others start to get dementia in their 60s or 70s. Plus, an awful lot of it isn't really treatable, no matter how much money you have.
I remember Larry is the barfly with the hat from a Simpsons trivia game I had back in the 90's. Speaking of barflies, the best mention of the word "barfly" is in the SNL sketch where Phil Hartman plays Judge Wapner and the plaintiff's mother, played by Jan Hooks, said her occupation was a barfly. Secondly, what do you call it when alcoholics don't tell the truth about vomiting? Barflies barf lies.
@@skiprockjr.6881 Reminds me of that episode of Mission Hill where the older brother wants to watch a marathon of movies containing the best puke scenes (The Exorcist, etc.) and he says "They even had a movie for rent called Barfly!" (Pronouncing it Barf-ly.) Only for Andy or someone to correct him. Didn't all the best writers jump ship to work on Mission Hill and Futurama?
@@pickles3128 fuck. mission hill...havent heard that name in ages. I'll never forget getting high as hell as a teen watching it and seeing the planetarium bit "first there was the milky way....then the crab nebula...then there was....JUDAS PRIEST!"
Heres what im thinking. So Young Burns went off with the Millionaire (Possibly his grandfather) and when the Millionaire died he inherited the cash but his parents became he legal guardians again and took the money off of him and could have it when he was old enough or just took it off him. By having money his parents might of fell out of love with their son and with his brothers and sisters dying they switched off mentally and sent him to boarding school just cause they couldnt deal with him or care about him. Him also failing on the stage could just make them check out more and more His mother being alive later on in the earlier seasons really does throw a spanner in the works. Its possible that she could of faked her death before coming back later owing a reason to why Mr.Burns hates her and wishes she was dead even saying he should of pulled the plug. Its unlikely and outlandish but possible. Just what i was thinking
That's a great breakdown! Seeing how their relationship changes between Rosebud and the other episodes, you can sorta imagine some kind of background incident happening. They also might have become resentful of Monty when he originally left them behind
@@TheRealJims Yeah, that's how I rationalize it. He abandoned them, they realized that he was evil, or on the path to evil. He lived with his grandfather and got spoiled evil, but then grandpa died, and his parents come back into the picture as guardians. They are more aloof now, especially as Burns bumps off his siblings, and they eventually send him off to boarding school. They either die or he has them killed, and his mother, reading the writing on the wall, fakes her death to escape, until Burns is secure and has mellowed a bit, not as eager or able to kill her.
It's also possible his father divorced and remarried, and the parent that dies in the flash back is his step mother, while the old woman in the early season is his biological mother.
The remaining family probably faked their deaths to keep from being killed by the murderous sibling. It would be funny if he wasn't the one and the murderer died trying to kill him and the rest of his siblings were all hiding out together with their parents.
Given how one of Burn's middle names is Schicklgruber and that was the surname of Hitler's maternal grandmother Maria Schicklgruber and Burns was one of the first *SS* officers I think Burns was Adolf's american cousin
worth noting too how when applying for a driver's license, his only alternate photo id is his SS card. also his reverence for Rommel, & I remember him saying at one point something like "Oskar Shindler & I both built shells for the Germans, but the difference was that mine actually worked". there are other examples I'm missing too, I'm sure. fits in well w/ him being a double-agent, & would explain his utter incompetence in the US military
@@nifralo2752 no, but some of his officers apparently did. The Nazis overreacted and made Rommel kill himself. It’s worth noting that Rommel had been Hitler’s personal friend and bodyguard as well.
This is how I rationalize Burn's childhood. Let's say Burn's parents are trying to get out from under the Old Man. But they are poor with lots of kids, and Grandpa offers to raise one of the kids (who shows promise) in return for some kind of financial assistance. The Parents leave it up to Burns, and he ditches them. He lives well with Grandpa for a few years, until the old man croaks. Burn's parents inherit, coming back in to the picture, along with Burn's siblings, who now threaten his inheritance. Burn's once put his parent's cause of death as "Got in my way." He gradually bumps off his siblings, and his parents get more distant as they realize the evil spawn they are dealing with. Eventually they send him off to boarding school, and he has them killed in order to inherit his fortune and destiny. His mother may have faked her death in order to escape his malice, returning only later when Burn's didn't fear her anymore, and he could let some kind of sentiment keep him from killing her. But she still loathes and resents him for what he did, so he hates dealing with her. I think Burns did want affection from his parents, but he was also like a lizard, making unsentimental choices to maximize his power and fortune. As he said, "Family, Religion, Friendship. These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business." I think it makes sense that Burn is inherently evil, even if he does still have human emotions. It makes him tragic in a way, the same as a person who never bathes, stinks to high heaven, and drives off everyone around them. Destined to live in a desert of their own making.
@@Pr0jectFM Exactly. :D When weighing Simpsons History, I weigh early seasons way more. It feels like they retconned a lot in later seasons, because they were running out of ideas.
In the earlier seasons of the show, the original writing staff was there, along with the creators, so I say I weigh the early seasons a lot more. In the newer seasons, the new writing staff is left to pick up on leftover pieces, so inconsistencies are bound to happen, but I like how you still made it connect!
Fun fact: Mr Burns has the middle name of Plantagenet, a royal house in England during the Middle Ages. The Wiki says it’s implied that Burns is a relative of King Richard III of England
My guess was his memories of Bobo were mixed up with Citizen Kane, like he literally watched that movie years ago and associated its plot with his own past because he related to the themes, with Bobo being his rosebud. I mean, that's what the writers wanted us to do, so why not just roll with that?
I like this theory the most. Citizen Kane is a real movie in the Simpsons, something Lisa has seen, so it doesn't strike me as that weird for Burns to mix up his life with Kane's.
5:39 In Season 11 Episode 12 when burns visits the hospital he writes down on the 'cause of parents death' section that they "Got in my way" Now while it probably is a joke, especially with the other pieces of lore, it does show that burns is at the very least willing to joke about that about his parents, so it's not too far-fetched he feels the same way with his siblings.
Something to bare in mind: Just about anyone in the 81-104 age bracket in real life would have very inconsistent memories of their childhood-early adult years. Perhaps the writers purposely incorporate inconsistent memories/flashbacks into the writing using the unreliable narrator technique to show that Burns' own memory and ability to recall his own timeline is so spotty.
They may not have intentionally made his backstory inconsistent, but more not let an inconsistency get in the way of a new story as they could use his age and memory issues as an explanation.
given Burns mentioning he was a survivor of the Titanic and the mentioning of a boating accident I believe all of Burns siblings perished in the sinking of the Titanic
Interesting to note how when the show started they wanted to make Burns as evil as possible, so they made him the head of a nuclear power point. Over time its become more apparent that nuclear energy is actually some of the cleanest sources of energy, and the writers regret making that a thing, but they can't really change something that fundamental. And I know Simpsons did give a lot of people bad vibes about nuclear too
I thought it suits Burns to produce nuclear waste that will be hazardous and lethal even in 100 000 years, as testament to hubris of modern man. That nuclear waste is going to be the man's most enduring legacy, and probably something he secretly revels in.
It would be hilarious if they made a new episode that said “Yeah, Mr. Burns is good actually” and then painted him as a hero for the rest of the series.
I've been waiting for this one since you started doing Simpsons Histories! I love the idea that Burns' parents sold him to his own grandfather! I would love to have seen how that shaped his young adulthood... but I guess all that has gone down the continuity-toilet nowadays. Anyways, great video! I love these!
I think it still fits. Let's say Burn's parents are trying to get out from under the Old Man. But they are poor with lots of kids, and Grandpa offers to raise one of the kids (who shows promise) in return for some kind of financial assistance. The Parents leave it up to Burns, and he ditches them. He lives well with Grandpa for a few years, until the old man croaks. Burn's parents inherit, coming back in to the picture, along with Burn's siblings, who now threaten his inheritance. Burn's once put his parent's cause of death as "Got in my way." He bumped off his siblings, and his parents got more distant as they realized the evil spawn they were dealing with. Eventually they sent him off to boarding school, and he had them killed in order to inherit his fortune and destiny. His mother may have faked her death in order to escape his malice, returning only later when Burn's didn't fear her anymore, and could let some kind of sentiment keep him from killing her. I think Burns did want affection from his parents, but he was also like a lizard, making unsentimental choices to maximize his power and fortune. As he said, "Family, Religion, Friendship. These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business."
I was wondering, have you ever thought of making a mysteries on the Simpsons' cars? Homer's is so proeminent in some episodes, yet afaik we know next to nothing about it, and even less of Marge's. I think it's be cool a video on them. Also excellent video, as always.
Fantastic job on this discussion about Mr Burns. He is a fantastic amazing villain. He is definitely a great guy to call on for the more sinister and whacky plots of dark Simpsons stories. I’m not at all surprised that he never found true love. He always pushes people away, however he was sort of nice to Larry and he genuinely tried to rescue him when he thought he was kidnapped, I definitely respect that for sure!
there's a particular Burns quote that always sticks in my head when the Burns Family comes to mind where he's answering questions for a medical form. "Cause of Parents Death: Got in my way."
Funny that one of Burns' names is "Schicklgruber" as seen at 2:43 - Hitler's father was actually named "Schicklgruber" but later changed his name to "Hitler" because of an inheritance that demanded this.
My no-prize to solve the situation with his parents: The mysterious rich person who adopted him was his uncle, and he was also married, but childless. Burns would grow up to consider them his real mother and father, and they were the ones that died. His bio-dad eventually passed away, but his bio-mom is still alive in the present.
Honestly dude, whenever I find out you’ve uploaded it makes me really happy and your content is full information. It makes me want to re watch all the Simpsons, again. Thank you.
Always appreciate the analyses you do on these, so in-depth, and you're good at making little wry jokey comments punctuated by some apt graphic. Burns is a favorite character, able to fit a number of purposes from master villain to sometimes, just an observational role. He can go from "Have the Rolling Stones killed!" to "Is it about my cube?" He can be completely clueless or representing "us" when eyerolling some other character. Here's a thought for you, if it hasn't been tackled: One episode about the Simpsons' relations? Since so many are one-offs that could go from one to the next, maybe giving a little more focus on slightly more substantial ones like Unky Herb. Then you have so many who were on the lawn to meet Lisa, or you have the British woman who looks just like Homer; his sister no one mentions again. Maybe also ancestors we've met. Marge's mom, if you haven't done one episode about her? (or maybe a separate episode about Marge's own blood relations). And what of the little Chinese adopted girl who would be Bart/Lisa/Maggie's closest thing to a cousin? (Hey, just how does Homer have such an extended mass of cousins anyhow?)
There were some older veterans. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. for instance, born 1887, won the Medal of Honor for service at Normandy. They wouldn't be combat infantry at that age... But, Burns gets depicted as someone higher ranking who was busted down in the Flying Hellfish episode. So, it's a stretch, but maybe?
Just got home from work, was scrolling through my subscriptions and literally stopped to say "fuck yeah, it's a good day!" upon seeing a new upload from you! Thanks for resparking my love of the Simpsons, RealJims (Jim?), I was obsessed as a kid and fell out shortly after the movie came out. Also fun fact; I was born the same evening as the Simpsons' 100th episode: April 28, 1994! Cheers pal, keep up the good work 👍
I personally like the “Burns was born on Pangea” theory, he’s just doing some time altering shenanigans to make his life better, the young burnses we see are just his many failed attempts at redoing his life, and the present and future burnses are the successful ones where he lives for centuries and is incredibly wealthy. This is OBVIOUSLY what he’s doing and totally not just inconsistent writers. Just a funny idea I had lmao
He has one of the best villain songs I've ever heard, It's great to be loathed. You've know you've stolen the show, you know you'll live forever when everybody else wants you dead.
I really like the idea that it was in-fighting between Burns' siblings that caused their demise versus him being the sole perpetrator. Maybe he's slightly more sympathetic in the sense he was defending himself, or refused to participate. With The Flying Hellfish, wouldn't he have killed all his squad members sooner rather than later if that was the case? Yes he does try to kill Abe but by that point with what we know that the rivalry had been building between the two for decades and decades. My head canon is after Asa Phelps died, things got personal, and he was especially paranoid after what happened with his siblings.
I picture Burns childhood being a test. His parents raise him in a poor life, and when time come, does he choose a peaceful kind childhood or the cold buisness world? He choose buisness, which is the right answer. Gets taken by his grandfather to get properly prepaired while his parents return to their cold selves.
I just wanted to say I was really proud of you teaming up with EmpLemon when I watched his most recent video. Seems he has very fine tastes in UA-camrs. (Now I'm gonna spend all of tonight's shift getting paid 15 an hour to watch The Simpson's Mr. Burns episodes instead of working, thanks! I thought that episode with the trillion dollar bill was some fever-induced fanfiction I imagined when I was having flu-induced nightmares as a child.)
My 1974 theory for re-opening....They could have finished a second reactor. Three Mile Island did that. They built one reactor...and then finished the second while that one came online
I saw from the one screen capture that you’ve already alluded to it, but last weekend showed Homer playing a parody of “Ice, Ice Baby” at his after school job while his boss, Gil, drank Crystal Pepsi. So the floating timeline has lapped itself. Homer was still a kid when _The Simpsons_ started.
I'm going with the more dubious reason behind the Plant's sudden reopening because; 1:It's typical of Burns 2:It makes up for poor writing and continuity 3:I like the idea of Burns hiding out in Mexico as Senor Snrubs whilst he waits for the Feds to stop investigating Smithers Snr.'s death
17:00 I feel like the Plant openning when Homer is in Highschool is probably a re-opening of the plant, it could have still been under development or unfinished when it was first opened and he was forced to close it. Or the death of Waylon Smithers Senior pushed him to close it and spend time fixing the plant before re-opening it. Either way, theres something so cinematic about Mr.Burns and how he comes to play with the Simpsons clan.
Incredible work RealJims, I have spent far to long trying understand burns timeline from the SimpsonsWiki before going "Forget this... its floating timeline"
Another amazing video ! Been a massive fan for years, ever planning on doing a video on the squeaky voiced teenager. He's in a lot of scenes but he's actually a big mystery.
Burns' birth year over the floating timeline is a pretty good illustration of the massive changes between the late 19th to the third decade of the 20th century. The earlier depictions of Burns, his father could have plausibly been a former slave owner and Confederate veteran, and his grandfather even more easily. The last gasps of the Indian Wars happened when he was a child, and American Indians weren't considered citizens. The Wild West still existed, even though it was rapidly shrinking. Burn would have grown up probably without power, possibly without running water. The telephone wouldn't have been around much until he was a teenager or even older. No cars, all transport on foot, rail or horse. Photography uncommon. Schooling would be drastically different. We hadn't learned to fly yet, it wouldn't have happened til he was nearly an adult. The only major mass media was the newspaper and books. Women didn't have the right to vote in most of the country. But a 104 year old now (or one in 2023, which the Simpsons is guaranteed to reach now)? He'd have grown up watching films, even talkies would have come out before he got into high school. As someone well-to-do he'd have listened to serialized radio programs. He'd have grown up with a car, possibly a phone as a rich person, music on phonographs, electrical lighting, home movies were around for the wealthy, all kinds of stuff. They'd all look old to us now, but you can tell it's a foot or two into the ballpark of the modern world. Just interesting to me.
2:42 the episode is entitled 'Rosebud". It was written by John Swartzwelder as an homage to the classic film 'Citizen Kane'. Originally aired March 18, 1993.
Great job there are two things I think you missed when he was asked at the mayo clinic for the cause of his parents death he says got in my way and he also says his social security number is 000-00-0002 and he's still mad at roosevelt for it.
When putting together the Grampa Timeline video last year, I felt like there was some unfinished business with the Mr. Burns angle. But, since his history intersects with Grampa's, I decided to put him on the backburner for a few months. Luckily, most of Mr. Burns' weird timeline stuff happens at the very beginning and the very end, so that ended up being the larger focus for this video. Enjoy!
(Also Season 10 is finally up next.)
Your channel has always been awesome. I sometimes disagree with your opinion on certain things but that just shows how valid your videos are man. Keep it up
How old Mr burns was, was always my biggest question about the Simpsons .😄😄😄
I would also like to point out that Mr Burns once said that he owns the pyramid on the one dollar bill and that he was part of the freemasons before it was popular
do an episode about the history of the maintenance guy y'know the guy who kinda has the gray hair and the boring voice (im not talking about willy)
Do a simpsons mystery about the Boat Painting. It has so many origins
I'm so eager to hear your opinions on seasons 10-12
I think we have a different problem with Mr Burns Timeline, Abe Simpson is not reliable because he's senile, but Mr Burns is not reliable because he will lie to get what he wants, and that includes sympathy.
Yes! Anything told through their perspectives are completely unreliable! Agreed
@@DaisyPusherand mrs burns is also seanile i mean he cant remenber homer name
That’s dumb. Can’t you use that logic for any episode and go “homer isn’t reliable he’s borderline retarded and lies all the time”
@@Gordonjamesheneryproductions Homer,eh?
I still like the idea of mr burns being born in the 1880s. I hope that’s at least true.
One day everyone is laughing at you because your pants fell down on-stage, the next you're blocking out the sun. It all makes sense to me.
He gave them the moon.
In return, he took the sun.
and the next day everyone is laughing at you because your pants fell down on-stage again
Yeah he’s bill gates tbh
@@ferghalicious1480this comment is way too good lol
Doof's backstory be like
Burns after watching this
Burns: “Have The Real Slim Shady Killed”
Smithers: But Sir?
Burns: “Do as I say!”
"Have EmpLemon Killed"
@@Pr0jectFM “But sir!”
@@rayvenkman2087 Burns: "Do as I say!"
My favourite Mr Burns quote.
“...yes”.
"Social security number: 000-00-0002...damn Roosevelt"
Good day to you.
Oh, oh, look out, Smithers!
Cause of parent's death? Got in my way.
Would i watch an entire episode of Therealjims talking about Mr Burns? ... Yes.
Crippled Irishmen, Death by Potato, and this video came out on March 17th. I'm starting to sense a pattern.
Haha, now I'm glad I wasn't able to get this finished yesterday!
@@TheRealJims Happy St Patty's Day
I’m now freaked out that I saw this on March 17th
@@mandelabutterfly9162paddy’s*
Burns at the mayo clinic
"Cause of parents death; got in my way"
which makes sense if they inherited grandpa Burn's fortune when he died, bumping Monty back. It also explains why he may have killed his siblings, and possibly his parents, although his mother survived.
@@shorewall my guess, Monty only killed his father but did try to kill his mother then pull the plug
*episode homer the smithers* "who would have thought you'd pull though and live for another six decades"
sounds like the libertines from "Salo"
@@troperhghar9898 Perfect! I was missing that part of the puzzle. :D
@@shorewall Best guess is, his mom survived, but was declared dead and when he later discovered her to be alive, he had already all he wanted so he just let her be, knowing she would die soon anyway and that nobody would believe her.
It's not unreasonable for there to be a decade between the start of construction on a nuclear power plant and it being fully operational and licensed.
Yes but in the episode where Homer find the body of Smithers father, the plant was already open when Homer was a child.
Its also not unreasonable that a plant run by monty burns would have problems causing it to shut down for years
@@GuillaumeTr And just who IS the older, now? Homer or Wayland?
He had to wait until Smithers Jr. to grow up to fill his father's job.
@@GuillaumeTr Ah,but who's to say it was running OFFICIALLY?! For all we know, Burn's could have bribed, blackmailed or threatened someone in DC to "make him up" some 'bureaucratic redtape hogwash Safety Certificates' that those weak kneed,spineless, Liberal Halfwits in Washington are so fond of.." as I'm sure he'd "so elegantly" put it...
It could be possible that Burns' Grandpa passed away like you mentioned and upon returning to his family they became stricter and colder due to Monty's choice in leaving them. The death of the Grandpa would also explain how the family seemingly became rich through inheritance, compared to their previous financial situation.
Yeah, I'll agree with this theory. It would make sense if his parents became strict when he abandoned them so easily. It would make sense how burns turned out. From Burns perspective, he went to live with his grandpa who died probably not long after he moved in with him, and apon returning to his parents, he found them cold and strict on him.
You can't tell me that the whole experience would effect a child as young as he was.
Or could it possibly be that they started off wealthy but eventually lost that wealth.
Or dose that not work as well with the boarding school thing.
This is logical reasoning I agree.
@@goldenboybenny7511doesnt work
It does make sense: Burns' parents were poor and likely were disowned by his grandpa (maybe grandfather didn't accept choices of his son etc...) and arrangment was Monty could inherit his grandfather, if he cgose to live with him.
Then after the old miser died unexpectedly shortly, Burns' parents would benable to the family fortune as Monty was underaged.
I'm sad that Homer is a child of the 80s and 90s now. Homer and Marge at prom in the 70s was iconic
Wait, he is ?? That’s dumb af !! I haven’t watched the new seasons...
it makes me sick how little the writers care
Only one episode depicts that as cannon. The rest of the series contradicts it.
@@Clay3613 just you wait, they'll keep adding on to it.
@@Clay3613 The rest of the series contradicts it because they just added it to the lore. They retconned everything else, its cannon now
Simpsons mysteries idea: you should make a video about Springfield elementary school
The school sometimes has a tower, sometimes not, has a ton of different rooms despite being a relatively small building, has secret corridors, a boiler room, unused class rooms, etc
I think there's enough content to make a short video
I like this idea, see if it is possible to at least kinda make a floorplan out of that place like you can with the Simpsons' house.
This would be really cool to see
Not to mention in the earlier seasons sometimes it was painted blue, then mysteriously it became the beige colour it is today.
@@Myne1001 well, thats not necessary a mystery, they could have just painted the school. my elementary school irl also changed color once
@@rodrigo-vl7bi oh I should probably add: in the episode where they do the standardized tests (can't remember the name) the school changes colour halfway through the first act
In regards to the opening of Rosebud it could be that he was asked to live with his grandfather, lived with him for a couple of years then his grandfather died and his parents inherited all the money.
I’d assume the grandfather would have died from a industrial-related disease at the time like lead poisoning or old age.
@@rayvenkman2087 Ah yes, old age, the most dangerous industrial-related disease of all times.
It's also worth noting that the Rosebud flashback happens within a dream, so one could easily assume that rather than being objectively true, some elements of that scene have been dramatised or exaggerated for effect/comedy (George Burns appears in it as his younger brother, after all). What's definite is that at some point, Burns left his parents and childhood teddy bear behind, whether it was to live with a twisted loveless billionaire or at a boarding school.
@@rayvenkman2087 Knowing the Burns family, more likely to be radiation poisoning.
In my head cannon, Burns actually has a soft spot for Homer that he doesn’t want to admit. Which is why he pretends not to remember him all the time.
It explains a lot when you think about it.
And explains why he keeps hiring him back when he fires him once an episode.
I totally agree with this, and I think The soft spot is mutual. Homer makes a show of hating his boss but he always sticks by Mr Burns when it really matters. Their awkward not-quite-friendship is really sweet
@@mechajay3358 I thought he kept bringing him back because Homer is there forever?
@@AdachiCabbage yeah, it could just as easily be Burns being vindictive knowing Homer needs the job but actively hates it and can’t do better.
Actually I think you're on to something
I never interpreted Simpsons Christmas Stories as canon. It seemed clear to me that it was a Christmas version of Treehouse of Horror. Don't let that Grampa/Burns/Santa flashback cause you too much trouble, Jims.
Grandpa invents stories to entertain his grandchildren. Like the Christmas Navy Story.
It's too late. He's already enemies with the season.
yeah santa's little helper doesnt exist
Maybe the ''four digit age'' could have zero as the first number, since it was a bank pin. Also, I think the reason Mr. Burns isn't as senile or more senile than Abe is because he can afford better health care. I think what may have happened with his parent's financial situation was that Monty's grandpa passed away, and his parents inherited his fortune, making them rich and forcing Monty to move back in with them.
Mental health degradation is not predictable like that. Some old people never have a real problem. Others start to get dementia in their 60s or 70s. Plus, an awful lot of it isn't really treatable, no matter how much money you have.
@@Swiftbow as far as we know
@@kenetickups6146 Well, yeah... tech improves and hopefully we have cures (or preventatives) for lots of this stuff in the future.
Y'all ever wonder who those two barflies who hang out at Moe's are? The one whose bald and the one with the hat.
Sam and Larry
I remember Larry is the barfly with the hat from a Simpsons trivia game I had back in the 90's. Speaking of barflies, the best mention of the word "barfly" is in the SNL sketch where Phil Hartman plays Judge Wapner and the plaintiff's mother, played by Jan Hooks, said her occupation was a barfly. Secondly, what do you call it when alcoholics don't tell the truth about vomiting? Barflies barf lies.
@@skiprockjr.6881 Reminds me of that episode of Mission Hill where the older brother wants to watch a marathon of movies containing the best puke scenes (The Exorcist, etc.) and he says "They even had a movie for rent called Barfly!" (Pronouncing it Barf-ly.) Only for Andy or someone to correct him. Didn't all the best writers jump ship to work on Mission Hill and Futurama?
As yes, are those the sympathizer and the commiserator? Or is the sympathizer Carl?
@@pickles3128 fuck. mission hill...havent heard that name in ages. I'll never forget getting high as hell as a teen watching it and seeing the planetarium bit "first there was the milky way....then the crab nebula...then there was....JUDAS PRIEST!"
"smithers, i'm beginning to think that therealjims was not the brilliant tactician i thought he was"
WHOOPWHOOPWHOOPWHOOPWHOOP
Babe, wake up, new TheRealJims video
@@temposparkz my loss?
@@temposparkz he’s still grieving, let him have this
I read Bart instead of babe.
@@millhousesdad she'd want you to move on, man.
Jeez this thread got dark fast
Heres what im thinking. So Young Burns went off with the Millionaire (Possibly his grandfather) and when the Millionaire died he inherited the cash but his parents became he legal guardians again and took the money off of him and could have it when he was old enough or just took it off him. By having money his parents might of fell out of love with their son and with his brothers and sisters dying they switched off mentally and sent him to boarding school just cause they couldnt deal with him or care about him. Him also failing on the stage could just make them check out more and more
His mother being alive later on in the earlier seasons really does throw a spanner in the works. Its possible that she could of faked her death before coming back later owing a reason to why Mr.Burns hates her and wishes she was dead even saying he should of pulled the plug. Its unlikely and outlandish but possible. Just what i was thinking
That's a great breakdown! Seeing how their relationship changes between Rosebud and the other episodes, you can sorta imagine some kind of background incident happening. They also might have become resentful of Monty when he originally left them behind
@@TheRealJims Yeah, that's how I rationalize it. He abandoned them, they realized that he was evil, or on the path to evil. He lived with his grandfather and got spoiled evil, but then grandpa died, and his parents come back into the picture as guardians. They are more aloof now, especially as Burns bumps off his siblings, and they eventually send him off to boarding school. They either die or he has them killed, and his mother, reading the writing on the wall, fakes her death to escape, until Burns is secure and has mellowed a bit, not as eager or able to kill her.
Maybe his mother was transfered to a better hospital, where doctors upgraded her condition to alive.
It's also possible his father divorced and remarried, and the parent that dies in the flash back is his step mother, while the old woman in the early season is his biological mother.
The remaining family probably faked their deaths to keep from being killed by the murderous sibling. It would be funny if he wasn't the one and the murderer died trying to kill him and the rest of his siblings were all hiding out together with their parents.
Given how one of Burn's middle names is Schicklgruber and that was the surname of Hitler's maternal grandmother Maria Schicklgruber and Burns was one of the first *SS* officers I think Burns was Adolf's american cousin
worth noting too how when applying for a driver's license, his only alternate photo id is his SS card. also his reverence for Rommel, & I remember him saying at one point something like "Oskar Shindler & I both built shells for the Germans, but the difference was that mine actually worked". there are other examples I'm missing too, I'm sure. fits in well w/ him being a double-agent, & would explain his utter incompetence in the US military
@@arachnonixon He watched a documentary on Rommel on the Dumont network.
Didnt Rommel plot aganist Hitler?
@@nifralo2752 no, but some of his officers apparently did. The Nazis overreacted and made Rommel kill himself.
It’s worth noting that Rommel had been Hitler’s personal friend and bodyguard as well.
Mr Burns is obviously Jewish. Look at the German name referencing money (shekels) and his long nose etc.
This is how I rationalize Burn's childhood.
Let's say Burn's parents are trying to get out from under the Old Man. But they are poor with lots of kids, and Grandpa offers to raise one of the kids (who shows promise) in return for some kind of financial assistance. The Parents leave it up to Burns, and he ditches them. He lives well with Grandpa for a few years, until the old man croaks. Burn's parents inherit, coming back in to the picture, along with Burn's siblings, who now threaten his inheritance.
Burn's once put his parent's cause of death as "Got in my way." He gradually bumps off his siblings, and his parents get more distant as they realize the evil spawn they are dealing with. Eventually they send him off to boarding school, and he has them killed in order to inherit his fortune and destiny. His mother may have faked her death in order to escape his malice, returning only later when Burn's didn't fear her anymore, and he could let some kind of sentiment keep him from killing her. But she still loathes and resents him for what he did, so he hates dealing with her.
I think Burns did want affection from his parents, but he was also like a lizard, making unsentimental choices to maximize his power and fortune. As he said, "Family, Religion, Friendship. These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business." I think it makes sense that Burn is inherently evil, even if he does still have human emotions. It makes him tragic in a way, the same as a person who never bathes, stinks to high heaven, and drives off everyone around them. Destined to live in a desert of their own making.
I'll never accept that his mother died before her appearance in Homer the Smithers just because it's a classic moment
@@Pr0jectFM Exactly. :D When weighing Simpsons History, I weigh early seasons way more. It feels like they retconned a lot in later seasons, because they were running out of ideas.
In the earlier seasons of the show, the original writing staff was there, along with the creators, so I say I weigh the early seasons a lot more. In the newer seasons, the new writing staff is left to pick up on leftover pieces, so inconsistencies are bound to happen, but I like how you still made it connect!
Fun fact: Mr Burns has the middle name of Plantagenet, a royal house in England during the Middle Ages. The Wiki says it’s implied that Burns is a relative of King Richard III of England
My guess was his memories of Bobo were mixed up with Citizen Kane, like he literally watched that movie years ago and associated its plot with his own past because he related to the themes, with Bobo being his rosebud. I mean, that's what the writers wanted us to do, so why not just roll with that?
I like this theory the most. Citizen Kane is a real movie in the Simpsons, something Lisa has seen, so it doesn't strike me as that weird for Burns to mix up his life with Kane's.
I like how in all these episodes from his younger years his hair color and style just keeps changing randomly
5:39
In Season 11 Episode 12 when burns visits the hospital he writes down on the 'cause of parents death' section that they "Got in my way"
Now while it probably is a joke, especially with the other pieces of lore, it does show that burns is at the very least willing to joke about that about his parents, so it's not too far-fetched he feels the same way with his siblings.
Smithers, there's a new TheRealJims video up
What, already?
Yes
*laughtrack*
Something to bare in mind: Just about anyone in the 81-104 age bracket in real life would have very inconsistent memories of their childhood-early adult years. Perhaps the writers purposely incorporate inconsistent memories/flashbacks into the writing using the unreliable narrator technique to show that Burns' own memory and ability to recall his own timeline is so spotty.
How do you explain other characters with contradictory backstories? Dumb theory.
They may not have intentionally made his backstory inconsistent, but more not let an inconsistency get in the way of a new story as they could use his age and memory issues as an explanation.
given Burns mentioning he was a survivor of the Titanic and the mentioning of a boating accident I believe all of Burns siblings perished in the sinking of the Titanic
Mr burns owned a teddy bear before they were first created! Amazing continuity
lol i never noticed that.
They probably did have teddy bears back than. Just called them something else
"Have Phantomstrider killed." "But Sir that's..." "Do as I say!" Seriously fab video as usual!
Love how Burns Childhood involved a love of comic books, which didn't begin till the 1930s, while he was supposed to have graduated from Yale, in 1914
That's some nice reckless timelining Mr. J.
Interesting to note how when the show started they wanted to make Burns as evil as possible, so they made him the head of a nuclear power point. Over time its become more apparent that nuclear energy is actually some of the cleanest sources of energy, and the writers regret making that a thing, but they can't really change something that fundamental. And I know Simpsons did give a lot of people bad vibes about nuclear too
Yeah they sometimes make it look like the cooling towers are coal chimneys or something polluting the air
I thought it suits Burns to produce nuclear waste that will be hazardous and lethal even in 100 000 years, as testament to hubris of modern man.
That nuclear waste is going to be the man's most enduring legacy, and probably something he secretly revels in.
@west of whatever I really hope this is true. We're so strapped for a reliable, non depleting energy source I'll take whatever man
nuclear energy still sucks and isnt clean at all
It would be hilarious if they made a new episode that said “Yeah, Mr. Burns is good actually” and then painted him as a hero for the rest of the series.
despite the inconsistencies handed to us by the crew, the way you laid out his history makes it feel all really well connected! well made vid
Brown, red, grey, blue... we need a history of Mr. Burns' hair colors
I agree
I've been waiting for this one since you started doing Simpsons Histories!
I love the idea that Burns' parents sold him to his own grandfather! I would love to have seen how that shaped his young adulthood... but I guess all that has gone down the continuity-toilet nowadays.
Anyways, great video! I love these!
I think it still fits. Let's say Burn's parents are trying to get out from under the Old Man. But they are poor with lots of kids, and Grandpa offers to raise one of the kids (who shows promise) in return for some kind of financial assistance. The Parents leave it up to Burns, and he ditches them. He lives well with Grandpa for a few years, until the old man croaks. Burn's parents inherit, coming back in to the picture, along with Burn's siblings, who now threaten his inheritance. Burn's once put his parent's cause of death as "Got in my way." He bumped off his siblings, and his parents got more distant as they realized the evil spawn they were dealing with. Eventually they sent him off to boarding school, and he had them killed in order to inherit his fortune and destiny. His mother may have faked her death in order to escape his malice, returning only later when Burn's didn't fear her anymore, and could let some kind of sentiment keep him from killing her.
I think Burns did want affection from his parents, but he was also like a lizard, making unsentimental choices to maximize his power and fortune. As he said, "Family, Religion, Friendship. These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business."
I've always taken That Christmas episode to be non-canon since it plays out like a Halloween episode. Great break down of Burns!
Gotta say the fact you brought up Crippler, my favorite hound, is just icing on this cake
6:28 I wouldn't call burns mom alive considering Mr burns doesn't even have a pulse
I was wondering, have you ever thought of making a mysteries on the Simpsons' cars? Homer's is so proeminent in some episodes, yet afaik we know next to nothing about it, and even less of Marge's. I think it's be cool a video on them.
Also excellent video, as always.
He really is the best secondary character...the writers really loved writing burns episodes.
I am so glad you are making videos like these, it just reaffirms my appreciation for the Simpsons and its incredible place in our society
Fantastic job on this discussion about Mr Burns. He is a fantastic amazing villain. He is definitely a great guy to call on for the more sinister and whacky plots of dark Simpsons stories. I’m not at all surprised that he never found true love. He always pushes people away, however he was sort of nice to Larry and he genuinely tried to rescue him when he thought he was kidnapped, I definitely respect that for sure!
I'm so upset I have not received any notifications about this video. I've really been wanting to Mr Burns timeline thank you so much The Real Jims
there's a particular Burns quote that always sticks in my head when the Burns Family comes to mind where he's answering questions for a medical form.
"Cause of Parents Death: Got in my way."
I just finished a hard day at work and really needed a TheRealJims Simpsons videos. Your videos are fucking excellent every time my man.
Funny that one of Burns' names is "Schicklgruber" as seen at 2:43 - Hitler's father was actually named "Schicklgruber" but later changed his name to "Hitler" because of an inheritance that demanded this.
It's so lovely seeing a new realjims episode. I've been watching for about 3years now man, keep it up
My no-prize to solve the situation with his parents: The mysterious rich person who adopted him was his uncle, and he was also married, but childless. Burns would grow up to consider them his real mother and father, and they were the ones that died. His bio-dad eventually passed away, but his bio-mom is still alive in the present.
Honestly dude, whenever I find out you’ve uploaded it makes me really happy and your content is full information. It makes me want to re watch all the Simpsons, again. Thank you.
Always appreciate the analyses you do on these, so in-depth, and you're good at making little wry jokey comments punctuated by some apt graphic. Burns is a favorite character, able to fit a number of purposes from master villain to sometimes, just an observational role. He can go from "Have the Rolling Stones killed!" to "Is it about my cube?" He can be completely clueless or representing "us" when eyerolling some other character.
Here's a thought for you, if it hasn't been tackled: One episode about the Simpsons' relations? Since so many are one-offs that could go from one to the next, maybe giving a little more focus on slightly more substantial ones like Unky Herb. Then you have so many who were on the lawn to meet Lisa, or you have the British woman who looks just like Homer; his sister no one mentions again. Maybe also ancestors we've met. Marge's mom, if you haven't done one episode about her? (or maybe a separate episode about Marge's own blood relations). And what of the little Chinese adopted girl who would be Bart/Lisa/Maggie's closest thing to a cousin? (Hey, just how does Homer have such an extended mass of cousins anyhow?)
I was just binge watching your old timeline videos then you upload this. By the title I can tell this is gonna be a really good one too!
Woo, Something fun to watch on my birthday. Yay!
Always love the videos.
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday!
happy birthday
Marge, I think that's your father-in-law across the across the street.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Mr Burns would describe this video as
"Excellent"
The fact he fought in WW2 really throws off all the late 1800's stuff.
There were some older veterans. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. for instance, born 1887, won the Medal of Honor for service at Normandy. They wouldn't be combat infantry at that age... But, Burns gets depicted as someone higher ranking who was busted down in the Flying Hellfish episode. So, it's a stretch, but maybe?
Just got home from work, was scrolling through my subscriptions and literally stopped to say "fuck yeah, it's a good day!" upon seeing a new upload from you! Thanks for resparking my love of the Simpsons, RealJims (Jim?), I was obsessed as a kid and fell out shortly after the movie came out. Also fun fact; I was born the same evening as the Simpsons' 100th episode: April 28, 1994! Cheers pal, keep up the good work 👍
I personally like the “Burns was born on Pangea” theory, he’s just doing some time altering shenanigans to make his life better, the young burnses we see are just his many failed attempts at redoing his life, and the present and future burnses are the successful ones where he lives for centuries and is incredibly wealthy. This is OBVIOUSLY what he’s doing and totally not just inconsistent writers. Just a funny idea I had lmao
As of 20 min 2k views and 230 likes and no dislikes.Thas impressive and heartwarming just a chill simpsons channel.Love your work RealJims.
He has one of the best villain songs I've ever heard, It's great to be loathed. You've know you've stolen the show, you know you'll live forever when everybody else wants you dead.
This channel is the best simpsons content, just second to the 90s seasons themselves. Keep the awesome work!
I really like the idea that it was in-fighting between Burns' siblings that caused their demise versus him being the sole perpetrator. Maybe he's slightly more sympathetic in the sense he was defending himself, or refused to participate. With The Flying Hellfish, wouldn't he have killed all his squad members sooner rather than later if that was the case? Yes he does try to kill Abe but by that point with what we know that the rivalry had been building between the two for decades and decades. My head canon is after Asa Phelps died, things got personal, and he was especially paranoid after what happened with his siblings.
Ireland Simpsons Fans and TheRealJims return on the same day!? It's... beautiful
"uploaded 29 minutes ago." I literally yelled with excitement.
Having seen nothing past Season 13 or so, these Histories are so damn depressing...
Yeah it hurts. They just get so absurd
Seeing season 13 is depressing. Them and Disney deserve each other.
I love how baby Smithers wears glasses. And that Burns kinda watched over him thereafter losing Smithers Sr.
I love your deadpan reading of random quotes and jokes, keep up the good work!
I picture Burns childhood being a test. His parents raise him in a poor life, and when time come, does he choose a peaceful kind childhood or the cold buisness world? He choose buisness, which is the right answer. Gets taken by his grandfather to get properly prepaired while his parents return to their cold selves.
love your stuff man. Never change that intro
20:55 “Smithers, have EmpLemon killed”
I just wanted to say I was really proud of you teaming up with EmpLemon when I watched his most recent video. Seems he has very fine tastes in UA-camrs. (Now I'm gonna spend all of tonight's shift getting paid 15 an hour to watch The Simpson's Mr. Burns episodes instead of working, thanks! I thought that episode with the trillion dollar bill was some fever-induced fanfiction I imagined when I was having flu-induced nightmares as a child.)
My 1974 theory for re-opening....They could have finished a second reactor. Three Mile Island did that. They built one reactor...and then finished the second while that one came online
Seeing a new RealJims video on St. Patrick’s Day just makes me happy. Thanks for the video, keep up the great work!
I saw from the one screen capture that you’ve already alluded to it, but last weekend showed Homer playing a parody of “Ice, Ice Baby” at his after school job while his boss, Gil, drank Crystal Pepsi. So the floating timeline has lapped itself. Homer was still a kid when _The Simpsons_ started.
omg finally! I've been waiting for someone to make a timeline on Mr burns thank you!
Days turned to weeks, weeks into months, months turned back into days. Even burns was starting to look good to me...
I'm going with the more dubious reason behind the Plant's sudden reopening because;
1:It's typical of Burns
2:It makes up for poor writing and continuity
3:I like the idea of Burns hiding out in Mexico as Senor Snrubs whilst he waits for the Feds to stop investigating Smithers Snr.'s death
Theory: Mr Burns's parents were wealthy, but they chose to live a modest life.
I didn’t think as much time had passed as this guy was old.
Hell yes! New Simpsons mysteries to start off the day
The amount of retcons this show has had is ridiculous! Also great video as usual :)
I would assume that burn's grandfather cut off his parents and financially kept them afloat after agreeing to give them his grandson as his heir
17:00
I feel like the Plant openning when Homer is in Highschool is probably a re-opening of the plant, it could have still been under development or unfinished when it was first opened and he was forced to close it. Or the death of Waylon Smithers Senior pushed him to close it and spend time fixing the plant before re-opening it. Either way, theres something so cinematic about Mr.Burns and how he comes to play with the Simpsons clan.
Or is the real villain Simpsons' continuity?
It's that. That one. We all know it.
So happy you worked in a shot from this week's episode 😌
Congratulations u put more thought into this video than the entire writers of the Simpson
Just lovely work as always. Thank you
According to the book: The Simpson Family album Burns is a distant cousin of Homer and Abe.
Been looking forward to a new video. Thank you!
Poison Potatoes sounds like a great name for an Irish punk metal band.
Incredible work RealJims, I have spent far to long trying understand burns timeline from the SimpsonsWiki before going "Forget this... its floating timeline"
It's the Mr. Burns of the world that made the 20th century the roller coaster ride that it was
Another amazing video ! Been a massive fan for years, ever planning on doing a video on the squeaky voiced teenager. He's in a lot of scenes but he's actually a big mystery.
Ok, now i really want a season finale where you explain how Herbert Powell shot mister Burns
The sudden words "After the war," always make me think of the training video episode of SpongeBob.
Burns' birth year over the floating timeline is a pretty good illustration of the massive changes between the late 19th to the third decade of the 20th century. The earlier depictions of Burns, his father could have plausibly been a former slave owner and Confederate veteran, and his grandfather even more easily. The last gasps of the Indian Wars happened when he was a child, and American Indians weren't considered citizens. The Wild West still existed, even though it was rapidly shrinking. Burn would have grown up probably without power, possibly without running water. The telephone wouldn't have been around much until he was a teenager or even older. No cars, all transport on foot, rail or horse. Photography uncommon. Schooling would be drastically different. We hadn't learned to fly yet, it wouldn't have happened til he was nearly an adult. The only major mass media was the newspaper and books. Women didn't have the right to vote in most of the country.
But a 104 year old now (or one in 2023, which the Simpsons is guaranteed to reach now)? He'd have grown up watching films, even talkies would have come out before he got into high school. As someone well-to-do he'd have listened to serialized radio programs. He'd have grown up with a car, possibly a phone as a rich person, music on phonographs, electrical lighting, home movies were around for the wealthy, all kinds of stuff. They'd all look old to us now, but you can tell it's a foot or two into the ballpark of the modern world.
Just interesting to me.
2:42 the episode is entitled 'Rosebud". It was written by John Swartzwelder as an homage to the classic film 'Citizen Kane'. Originally aired March 18, 1993.
Oh boy, we're in for a treat!!!
Always so happy to see a new RealJims video :)
I still love the Simpsons, no matter how little I care about the more recent seasons
Great job there are two things I think you missed when he was asked at the mayo clinic for the cause of his parents death he says got in my way and he also says his social security number is 000-00-0002 and he's still mad at roosevelt for it.
IV been waiting fpr this one thank you!