The Trouble with Trillions
| "The Trouble with Trillions" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| The trillion dollar bill's location is revealed | |
| Episode no. | Season 9 |
| Directed by | Swinton O. Scott III |
| Written by | Ian Maxtone-Graham |
| Original air dates | April 5, 1998 |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | "I will not demand what I'm worth" |
| Couch gag | Rather than a couch, there is a sauna , with three guys in towels. |
| Commentary | Matt Groening Mike Scully George Meyer Ian Maxtone-Graham Swinton O. Scott III Matt Selman |
"The Trouble with Trillions" is the 20th episode of the ninth season of The Simpsons.
Plot
On January 1st, right after New Year's Eve, Ned completes his yearly taxes. Later that year, just before midnight on April 15, Homer realizes he did not do his own taxes. He rushes and provides false information before driving like mad to the post office. The IRS discovers Homer's fraud and arrests him. Held by the government, Homer says he will do anything to stay out of prison. Agent Johnson of the FBI decides that Homer can be useful. With a hidden microphone under his shirt, Homer uncovers that his co-worker Charlie leads a group planning to assault all government officials.
With his superiors impressed, Johnson sends Homer on a secret mission. They reveal that in 1945, President Harry Truman printed a one trillion-dollar bill to help reconstruct post-war Europe. He handed the vital cargo over to Montgomery Burns to transport to the Europeans. However, the money never arrived and the FBI suspects Burns still has the money with him. As satellite photography can only confirm that the trillion-dollar bill is not on the roof, Homer is sent in to investigate. Arriving at Burns's estate, Homer searches for the money before Burns, who believes Homer is a reporter from Collier's magazine, reveals that he kept the money on his person. Johnson and Agent Miller burst in and arrests Burns for grand-grand-grand-grand-larceny. Burns shouts how the US government oppresses the average American and tells Homer to write "Don't let the government push you around". Moved by Burns's speech, Homer knocks out the FBI agents and frees Burns.
After a tense moment where Homer unsuccessfully attempts to feed the bill into a vending machine, Burns takes Smithers and Homer in his old plane, setting off to find an island and start a new country. Over the Caribbean, Burns finds a fine island although it already has a name and is in fact a country - Cuba. Going before Fidel Castro, Burns fails to buy the island: Fidel asks to see the trillion dollar bill, and Burns hands it over. Then Burns asks for it back, to which Castro immediately responds: "Give what back?". Then, the episode immediately cuts to a scene where Burns, Smithers, and Homer are on a make-shift raft. Burns announces he will merely bribe the jury when Smithers, Homer, and himself are put on trial, prompting Homer to exclaim "God bless America!" and salute.
Cultural References
- The episodes title is a reference to the Star Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles."
See also
- Fake denominations of United States currency
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Inflation
- Internal Revenue Service
References
External links
