This theory also explains another weird thing about the Burns shooting- the fact that Burns does actually back off afterwards. I mean, obviously he's still *evil*, but WSMB part 1 is really the peak of his unchecked super villainy. He never goes so far as to block the sun again. Now, if Maggie was the one who shot him, then this makes no sense. Burn's original evil rampage was motivated by the belief that nobody in Springfield had the guts to stop him. And he was RIGHT. He was shot (as far as anyone knows) accidentally, by a baby. No Springfield adult had the guts to deal with him themselves. There was no reason for him not to continue with his maniacal plans once he'd recovered from his injuries. But if he was shot by Marge, then backing off does make sense. Burns would have been shot, not just by the woman he loves, but by one of the most consistently moral and kindhearted people in Springfield. The woman he hired to paint his portrait, because he knew that she was the only person capable of finding any beauty in him. Burns is evil, but he's can be sentimental too. You have to really fuck up to get Marge Simpson to decide that she personally has to murder you, and the shock of that realisation might have been enough to make Burns decide to a) cover up for Marge by accusing the one person who can't be arrested, and b) tone down his evil plans for the future.
@league_of_ireland_fanThat's evil but in the way a billionaire could realistically get away with, not over the top supervillainy like blocking out the sun which while it's less emotionally evocative to the audience because of it's cartoon nature blocking the sun would be the most openly evil thing he did in universe
Marge does sound awfully suspicious at the end of part 1, She says "I don't think we'll ever know who did this. Everyone in town's a suspect". Sounds like she's trying to create ambiguity and deflect onto everyone else.
Man I wish it had been Marge, I've always been mildly disappointed by Maggie being the shooter and Marge's motive being her family rather than herself suits her down to the ground and makes it a very compelling story, I think this would have been great
@@mr.bobbilly8981 On his way to watching Comedy central, he made it home to watch that show, just a few mins late, jasper got out of the way after being shot in the wooden leg..
Marge is the only one we see well besides jumbo after the shooting and she is clearly in front when it happened and burns doesn't point her out when walking by her...
Another little piece of evidence you didn't mention is in the alternate ending mr. Burns doesn't stutter Smithers name But with the Maggie ending he stutters the M And he happened to be pointing directly at Marge who was holding Maggie
10:02 “It’s never the person you most suspect, and never the person you least suspect, it’s always the person you kinda suspect” -some quote from The Office I think
@@OmicronX-1999 The best mysteries have you suspect the real murderer, then either convince you it's someone else or find a way to convince you it can't be them. Agatha Christie's "Ten Little [Censored]s" is pretty much a textbook example.
@@joshhumphrey736 I mean, I'm used to the old title from back when I was in school (it stuck around longer in the French-speaking world due to lacking as much negative connotations). But yeah, it's how its named now.
This is my favorite story in the Simpsons, and I am a massive fan of murder mysteries in general. I have read almost all of Agatha Christie's Poirot, most of the Sherlock Holmes stories, plenty of private eye and police stories, and I have to say...you have me convinced with this one. I think that it is highly more likely than the Lisa one, which depend too much of hearsay and a ridiculous amount of planning, not to mention the fact that Marge just flows so much more neatly. In a truly great Murder Mystery, like those of the illustrious Madame Christie herself, the murderer is the person who is usually the one whom it appears it cannot be, and yet the explanation as to why it works is given somewhere in the second act of the story. It involves the psychology of the suspects, and while the motive and evidence are useful, many of them are designed to throw you off track. In the end, should always be possible to determine the correct killer, but highly difficult unless you are able to piece together the seemingly unrelated elements. And the Marge solution fits all of this to perfection. In fact, I don't even think that this is as nuts as you imply. Remember that this is a story designed to throw you off track, so coincidences are acceptable so long as they do not strain credulity and they are explained in the story. You say that it relying on there being a second gunfire is a leap, but the show establishes that there WAS a second shot, so given the narrative it is completely acceptable. The timing is no problem either, since it does flow together extremely well. They just don't show Marge walking around to the front. A good Murder Mystery gives you multiple possible motives and then systematically pulls them away (either obviously or somewhat subversively) until you are left with only a few that are viable. A GREAT Murder Mystery never drops any of them and has them all (or at least many of them) tie in but in a way that you wouldn't expect. A good Muder Mystery has the killer be a person who you would never suspect because it is just so unlikely in concept (like a baby). A GREAT Murder Mystery has the killer be a person whom you cannot suspect because they have what appears to be a steel tight alibi (but gives you a way to get around that if you are diligent enough in your reading). The Mysterious Affair at Styles is a perfect example of this. The Maggie solution is goofy and turns these episodes into a comedy skit that most people would never find out because it's just too silly to conceptualize. The Marge solution turns it into a Murder Mystery that is so masterfully delivered that it would make the greatest whodunit writers in literature give a standing ovation.
*high fives* I'm a big fan of detective fiction too, Agatha Christie's work in particular. I like Sherlock Holmes too, but the solutions would often INFURIATE me in their unfairness sometimes. I've been reading some Ellery Queen lately but mostly enjoy his for how crazy and out-of-the-box the solutions can get. I think I prefer the Marge solution too, even though it was the second solution I came up with. I feel like the Lisa one is definitely a little more speculative and, while it is possible to be true, they don't hint toward it as much as the Marge solution. If there was more emphasis on a twins motif and Lisa were shown to know about the "candy from a baby" thing, it would work a little better. The main thing I like about the Lisa solution is that it ties in Homer's arrest a little better and explains why Lisa finally got something done. Now that you mention it, the Marge solution IS kind of Agatha Christie'ish in some of its mechanics... The two gunshots confusion, the stage direction by Marge in Part 2, Marge speaking in code at the end... Reminds me of a couple of her novels in particular. I still have trouble watching these episodes from a traditional perspective because now it always looks like Marge did it.
@@TheSmart-CasualGamer Jonathan Creek is awesome for the first three series, but declines after that. The stupidest one I ever saw was the one where it looked like a detective was guilty of murder, and he kept saying to his daughter that he had '"a contract... with Mr G." They went the whole episode making it seem like he was guilty, then it turned out MG was actually God, the guy was just super Christian and apparently liked talking about God in a way that made it seem as if he was a mob boss, and he had nothing to do with the murder. Earlier episodes have enough clues to work out what happened in most cases, but they got pretty bloody stupid by season 4.
I'm not going to bother looking into flaws in the theory because it is so well put together. Seriously dude, not just a good analysis of the episode but a great analysis of Marge's psche. Very impressed fam.
In one of the later episode somebody said it was Smithers who shot Mr Burns, and Lisa was like "that would have made a lot more sense'. I think about that a little bit from time to time but never saw where she was coming from.
There was also an episode when Lisa said that shows that run for too long tend to repeat themselves with the same jokes or smth, then Smithers barges in saying "Maggie shot Mr. Burns again!"
They should have done the swerve of Mona Simpson shooting Burns. She has a negative history with Burns, she’s a rebel, Burns was hurting her entire family, and it even fits into the sun dial story line WS or from Burns perspective MS Mona Simpson. They would bring her in as a character 7 episodes later anyway. So obviously they had her in mind.
That's actually a really fun idea. She decides to return to Springfield and just so happens to do so in the middle of Mister Burns and his wrong doings. Seeing him try to take candy from her granddaughter infuriates her, and shoots him without hesitation. She ends up not only fleeing the scene, but flees town altogether, not wanting a fresh crime to keep her apart from Homer forever, and decides to return after not only the heat dies down, but after seeing Homer's obituary, fearing that her actions inadvertently somehow got her son killed.
It also could’ve led to a very interesting thing where the reveal that Mona is alive leads to Homer trying to find her. Although it may be a little dark and dramatic of a storyline, but it also could’ve given a much different take on how he ended up finding Mona. Perhaps even faking his death in hopes of drawing Mona out.
The only problem that I can see (and it may not actually be a problem, I may be forgetting something), is that would she have recognised Marge's car to know that Burns was harassing her grandchild? Although she could have also seen Burns harassing someone and gone over to help no matter who was in the car, or was taking advantage of burns being distracted.
This is a pretty fantastic theory. The gun scene makes more sense on closer inspection because Mr. Burns is a very slow moving person. Marge would easily leave the scene of the crime before he would. So two gunshots would happen much before Burns would even make it to the sundial. My next guess for Part 3 is Homer.
Margaret = Marge = Maggie Technically the writers wouldn't be lying to us if they tell us Maggie did it. Maggie could just as well serve as a nickname for Marge as it does for the baby. I like your theory as it really makes the most sense based on Marge's character development throughout the series. Maybe in the final episode of the Simpsons it will finally be revealed that Marge actually did it.
I think you could also add in the fact that since Marge was a police officer for a time, she’d know a little bit about how to cover her tracks when committing murder. Love how you address the fact that here were two shootings going on at the same night, someone really should ask someone on the Simpsons team(who was present at the time this episode was being made) about the shot we hear and whether it’s actually meant to be the shot that hit burns or Jasper
Pardon my zinger is no excuse for Smithers. Smithers clearly left the Town Hall meeting along with everyone else. The episode proves it. We see him leave just as Apu makes a comment...so he lied about leaving the town hall early. Secondly, he doesn't cite anything from the particular episode, he just says "I remember that entire show" something one would say if they are desperate to get out of prison. It's clear that the Smithers gun shot could have definitely occurred after the town hall meeting considering Smithers didn't leave early at all. And it was a great coincidence for Marge. Personally, I'm torn between this theory and Grampa's theory. Both are excellent. Thank you so much for this series!
I'm with you up until you said he didn't cite anything from the episode... when that was literally how Sideshow Mel figured out he couldn't have been there at 3pm to shoot Mr Burns. He quoted a joke from the show, to which Krusty claims that Smithers stole his joke when he had stolen it from "Pardon My Zinger". This means that Smithers must have seen the episode that day at 3pm. Now Smithers was seen leaving after the town meeting had adjourned and Mr Burns had blocked out the sun, I saw it happen on my 5th rewatch and was confused knowing everything that was done after. Honestly this is either just a continuity mistake that they forgot about when they were writing the episodes or was a mistake by the animation team
@@kaitlyngarner740 I assumed he meant he left "early" meaning he didn't hang around to gawk with everyone after the meeting ended, but I agree, this doesn't prove anything as Mr. Burns is shot just a minute or so after. Plus he did still have time to shoot Jasper and make the opening laugh-in.
@@alvexok5523 He still could've gotten back to see the show if the joke was at the end was the point, he left the meeting early. Krusty was there too and he still saw it.
(Yes, I am aware of how completely insane all of this sounds. It's just fun throwing a wacky theory at the wall, and seeing if you can make it work.) :P
The theory actually makes sense because think if you are marge if some one harms physically or psychologically (hurts there feelings) everyone in your family would you shoot them this might sound weird but I might actually have done it if I was marge
Another part you neglected that supports your theory. If Maggie did it, her baby prints would have been on the gun. They're not. That means that someone did wipe prints off the gun, and since Maggie could not have, that leaves someone older; Marge.
+TheRealJims I would like there to be a future episode of The Simpson where Mr Burns suffers nightmares of the incident, and a unknown witness came forward to say that it was Marge Simpson who shot him, and has the case reopened. And in the end, Mr Burns would have the charges dropped due to him not having the heart to destroy Marge's life. He would also think nothing is more dramatic than a mother protecting her baby. What does anyone think of this idea?
+Raptormon ”Raptormon132” OneThreeTwo Meh. I don't see any reason that kind of episode would be done. It doesn't really contribute and some things are better left mysteries.
I always thought Marge should've been the shooter for the exact same reasons you point out. To me it made a lot of sense at the time but of course I watched the episode way after it originally aired and I may've had more information than there was available at the time.
The Marge theory also has the evidence that Marge was holding Maggie, so Mr. Burns could have had time to think and then point at Maggie without causing suspicion
The Simpson DNA could have also come from when Homer roughed up Burns after spray painting his office since he is wearing the same suit then as he is when he's shot.
Yeah, that's always bothered me too. _Anyone_ who'd touched Burns within a couple of days (or longer) could've left DNA (e.g. hair, skin flakes etc.) on him. But Homer's assault does seem the most likely source. I've always had big problems with the official story, both the single-episode deduction (which relies on dumb Murder 101 shit like nobody thinking of using someone else's gun instead of their own) and the full story.
@@DonutMaster56 But you can't connect DNA to a fingerprint without a middle variable (e.g. a suspect's detailed biometrics), especially when they're found in separate places.
Whether this is true or not. Honestly, this is better than the Maggie Simpson one. I remember waiting for that episode to come out and being like wtf... Also, if I remember right, in that special outtakes or whatever episode with Troy McClure, they mention they filmed a scene with Marge being the shooter or something, among other characters.
THIS WOULD HAVE WORKED! - I've watched Part 1 and 2 so many times and i would have thought Marge was trying to hide an evidence when Lisa was getting close to finding clues or coming up with answers and it seemed like Marge was trying to discourage her. IT SHOULD'VE BEEN MARGE! Although Maggie as the shooter is actually quite cute and funny. I guess stats where Seth MacFarlane got the idea for Stewie.
Shit, he should've used this for all his theories since every other one involved him still stealing candy from Maggie, which wasn't really needed if she's not the killer.
No you don't, at all, this ending was mr. Burns fighting with Maggie which is how her DNA got on him and then getting shot by someone else that what are you talkin about? There's nothing saying the DNA came from the shooter
This theory is pretty incredible! It makes a worrying amount of sense... Unfortunately, there is a hole in it: the gunshot Marge heard just before Mr. Burns staggers out of the parking lot *can't* have been the Smithers/Jasper shooting, because Part 2 establishes that that shooting took place notably earlier than the Mr. Burns shooting, due to Smithers' "Pardon My Zinger" appointment. So you'd need to come up with an even more impossibly coincidental explanation for why an extra gunshot sound occurred - ! Of course, the real hole is that no way would even the most sudden rage-filled Marge attempt murder. I buy that she might kick the crap out of Mr. Burns (a la 'Homer the Smithers') but never shoot him. (Right in front of her child, no less!) And if she did do it, the guilt would surely destroy her - she'd never be able to keep it secret... of course, it's silly for me to argue this point, seeing as it's all in good fun. ;-)
I thought this originally but then I remember Kent Brokman's news report on the shooting and he said "dozens of people are gunned down everyday in Springfield" so the sound could've been a random shooting, I know it's a shot in the dark (pun intended) but it's still a possibility, but like he said the theory is just for fun.
Jack Christmas I think I can plug the hole in the whole Jasper/Smithers problem. 1. Smithers was drunk as hell, his testimony isn't reliable. 2. Smithers is clearly seen leaving with everyone else, so him leaving early is false. He probably just lost track of the time and thought it was earlier than he thought he saw on his watch, on account of being blitzed.
Except he says he remembers the entire episode. I suppose someone else who watched it verifying that (ie Krusty) would've been helpful, but that could be a problem with saying his timing was off. He could've been mistaken about that, and the show doesn't confirm or deny this outright, so there is room for doubt. As for the multiple shootings, this was exactly my thought. Clearly Smithers being home by the time of the shooting means the Jasper shot couldn't have been the misheard shot, so it had to be someone else mistakenly shooting an innocent old person like Smithers did (albeit out of fear rather than drunkeness). It would just really suck as a show solution since it's an element that never even appeared in the story.
SonofMrPeanut there's always the fact a handful of characters are irresponsible enough around guns to repeatedly set them off (a la the cartridge family)
I was thinking the only flaw with the Marge theory is that it'd be unlikely she'd throw the gun back into her own car after shooting Burns but then again, I suppose you have to ask what else she'd do with it? She's hardly gonna keep it in her possession or risk being caught dumping it as everyone converges on the scene. Interesting theory.
I mean, when you consider that Maggie couldn’t possibly get near it under the seat, and keeping it with her is dangerous as hell, it becomes a bit more compelling. The sole issue after that is why Marge wouldn’t dispose of it. Marge is pretty anal; are we assuming she forgot about it? Or is she concealing it by keeping it hidden in the car until the heat is off?
Love it! It just hangs together so nicely. I always liked how this episode sets up Maggie as a kind of guardian angel - but this solution is even better. You just DON'T MESS with Marge's family!
Homer shot Mr. burns. In the episode revenge is a dish best served 3 times, season 18 episode 11. homer says "I'm gonna get my revenge and if I get caught I'm pinning it on the baby like the time I shot Mr. burns" Mr. burns said it was Maggie because homer had a gun to his head and said "say I never shot you"
Mr. Burns doesn't seem like the kind of guy to completely forgive an attempt on his life because someone is holding a gun to his head at the moment Also how did he pin it on the baby? mr. Burns says it was Maggie that is the linchpin pretty much the only thing that pins it on the baby and Homer couldn't of had any part of it. He never suggests it was Maggie even slightly
The thing about this theory is Mr. burns wouldn’t blame Maggie at all if marge did it. He would just blame a non Simpson for his murder so he wouldn’t hurt her in any way.
I think it's more likely that he would say Maggie in this instance actually. He'd think that it's outlandish enough that people would be unlikely to believe it; and even if they did she's only a baby so nothing would happen. However Maggie is close enough to Marge that it sends a message to her too, its like Mr Burns is hinting at it in an almost passive aggressive way. The fact that he stutters on the "M" for Maggie too means he couldn't quite go through with saying Marge or that he wanted to scare her for a split second as payback. Basically I feel he chose Maggie to frighten Marge without having any repercussions fall on her.
@@alexg1778 Yeah, or he could have been spooked seeing Marge, and been about to accuse her, but saved it at the last minute, as best he could, by switching to the baby.
@@brentandrew2419 That makes sense to me in story. She nearly killed him on a whim and she is right there in front of him. Is he really going to trust Springfield's police to protect him? Plus, as you pointed out, it's entirely plausible he fully intends to do it but being he's running on emotion, he stumbles and deflects.
Maybe the creators actually planned for Marge to be the culprit but since the explanation could be considered over complicated, they stuck with Maggie. Also, Marge would be an amazing Among Us player. 😱
This... Actually make a lot of sense. I think I would have enjoy this two episodes even more if at the end they make Marge do something that makes her look a little bit guilty.
Maybe Marge was asking "where is everybody" because she was looking for help for Mr Burns, but then Burns just start staggering around from the pain and shock, hence why she's close by
Like the logic is just sound enough to actually make sense, like its not that crazy to say its not possible or not likely. Makes more sense than maggie being the shooter but thats the whole joke. So this is pretty mind blowing when taking into consideration
I was about to suspect Smithers but Smithers is gay for Burns and it’s not like Smithers would be jealous of Marge as Burns has dated other women while Smithers looked on wistfully. I’d have to agree with his analysis but I suppose they dropped it due to Burn’s infatuation with Marge, plus I think even if it came out Marge did it I think a lot more people in universe or in meta would sympathize with Marge protecting her family from an oligarchal despot like Burns.
Dude, this theory isn't 'Koo-Koo-Bananas', nor does it just 'kind of' work. This is absolutely plausible. Not only that, it would have been a way smarter official solution if the writers had snuck in a few more scenes making it more explicit that Burns was covering for Marge. Unless one of the other parts of this series somehow manages to be even more convincing, this is the theory I'm supporting as to who REALLY shot Mr Burns.
Aren't you ignoring the Smithers gunshot clearly takes places in front of the steps of the townhall, the exact place Marge is standing when she hears a gunshot? By elimination, the only gunshot that could have taken place at that time would be the Maggie gunshot.
I know it’s 3 years late, but if you pause this video at 8:03 you can compare Jasper's location to town hall. While similar in appearance, the building Jasper is in front of is different than the town hall.
Not to mention, that makes no sense as to how no one heard Smithers shooting Jasper beforehand. If Smithers shot Jasper in front of the town hall, after it’s said he left early, everyone would still be inside and would’ve heard the gunshot. It’s more likely that that is a small animation mistake.
No ones going to see this but in a future episode homer says hey and also try to find the person who actually shots mr burns and then Marge says it was Maggie and Homer says ya like a baby cloud shout a gun and then marge murmured I think this is a nod to this Sherlock Holmes detective for finding the real shooter
I think this theory is very plausible. The only problem is that you couldn't say it was Marge watching part one because she was obviously outside the church when we heard the show. We didn't know about the Smithers shooting at the time. Since the episode was ment to be solvable in part 1 I don't think the writers could have possibly secretly meant that Marge was shot. You could say that the speed of Mr Burns appearing after the shot could be a sign that that shot wasn't really the shot. But I just don't think that the writers secretly meant for it to be Marge. It could very well still be Marge, even by watching part 1 due to how fast Mr Burns appeared after the shot though. So yeah, just my opinion.
Just saw this video and decided to watch the episodes again. I noticed something in Kent Brockman's report at the beginning. Look in the background and you can clearly see a police dog sniffing in the exact location where Marge was standing. The dog wouldn't decide to sniff there unless Marge played a role in the shooting!
That's not how police dogs work if it was tracking say gunshot residue or something it would have followed her and bark at her, and someone apparently committed murder next to my neighbor's mailbox if my dog is correct.
Maui Randall Plot twist: Your dog is methodically documenting all the scents of the mail delivery workers so that he may murder them for their sweet chewy bones.
Coming back to watch this series again. This solution works pretty well to explain why Part 1 is important along with using backstory already established, while making sense of Marge's role in Part 2. I believe that Marge is the only person who has the same window of opportunity as Maggie, without following Burns (while staying out of sight of everyone) or hiding in anticipation (using omniscient power).
If the episode had some instances of Burns flirting with Marge or talking with Smithers about how he is still atracted to her, this would be a perfect twist for the episode. It could be revealed AFTER we are given the reasons as for why Maggie did it, only for the show to reveal that Burns lied and show all that Marge did.
8:18 Actually we know a lot about the Smithers gun shot, when Smithers is remembering the shooting he looks at his watch, the time reads 2:55 because he didn't want to miss Pardon my Zinger, which was on at 3:00, the time Burns was shot. BUT IT COULD STILL BE MARGE! No way Burns could've made it all the way around the Town Hall in the 2 seconds after being shot! This may be a strech, but Kent Brockman reported that "Dozens of people are gunned down every day in Springfield, but none of them were important until now". Could one of those "unimportant" shootings have happened right then? Could someone have seen the Burns shooting, knew that any murders they could've committed would be overshadowed by the Burns case? Damn I can see why you make these videos, being deductive and sceptical of a cartoon show is fun!
"When I took your father's name, I took everything that came with it. Including DNA!" Well as a mother of 3 children that's a bit of a understatement...
As much as I love this theory, Smithers' alibi disproves it. He fired his shot before 3, and was at home in time for a TV show. So unless there's a third shot we don't know about, the shot Marge heard must have been the one that hit Mr. Burns. Although he did get to the front of the building very fast after that...
Marge shot Mr Burns because he was trying to steal candy from a two years old girl? Or because in the dark she heard his grunts and thought Burns was doing something much, much worse to her baby? (Very DarkSimpson)
Here’s something I noticed; when Burns points to Maggie, he stutters on the M. Considering that Marge was holding Maggie, and how similar their names are, it could be argued he was originally pointing at Marge, before changing his mind and blaming Maggie.
Here's something I noticed: The entire theory hinges on Mr. Burns trying to spare Marge by accusing someone else, but after he outs Maggie as the shooter, he presses on and attempts to have Maggie arrested. He clearly knows she cares for her children, so he would know that trying to have one of them arrested is a bad idea if he wants to do right by her.
It makes perfect sense that the "Simpsons DNA" came from Marge. She is in constant contact with her husband Homer, having one of his eyelashes or eyebrow hair on her dress would be a fairly normal situation. It could have gotten brushed off her dress and onto Burn's suit during the struggle.
To explain how the Simpson’s DNA got on Mr. Burns, earlier in the episode Homer physically attacks Mr. Burns, shaking him quite a bit, holding onto his suit while doing so, the same Serra of the suit that they extract the DNA from in part 2, this wouldn’t seem like such an important detail to remember for solving the case except when you remember how in town hall, when Burns reveals he has a gun he points out he started carrying it after he was attacked by some maniac(Homer) earlier that same day, now this seems like a line setting up more motive for Homer(and by extension, Marge, with this solution you are presenting here) but in actuality it could clue the audience in as to HOW the Simpson DNA got on his suit in the first place, because the scene we are given at the end of part 2 of Maggie shooting Mr. Burns it doesn’t really look like she’d be able to actually get enough DNA on him for them to actually make a hit as to which genetic family did it, it barely any contact was made between where they extracted the DNA in his suit and Maggie touching it like how it supposedly went down(in fact, the only parts of Burns that DID make some form of contact with Maggie was his hands since they were both holding to the lollipop stem while fighting. The police did not take the DNA evidence from Burns’s body but his suit), but Homer’s altercation with Burns earlier in the day could EASILY explain Why & How the DNA got there. With this, you could argue anyone in Springfield could’ve shot Mr. Burns with his gun and not have a form of DNA Evidence on Burns’s body. Which means adding to Marge’s understandable motive, her experience with firearms, her time as a police officer(which means she could very well EASILY know how to cover up a murder in this town - including wiping down fingerprints-), and her history/relationship with Burns(that being he fell in love with her) meaning he could very well still be in love with her or at the very least have a soft spot for the women he once loved, all together would make the Marge Simpson solution a very easy and actually legit alternative option for Who Shot Mr. Burns
Ablazedbeeef there's a theory that the Simpsons are living off the procedes or Royalties of Homers Days in BSharps, this theory explains how the Simpsons can afford all the Holidays\ Vacations, Computers , I phones , Cars and all the hospital visits
MrVercettti89 good theory, but that doesn't explain why they're constantly having financial problems. If they did have all those royalties than Homer wouldn't have needed to take a second job at the Quick-E-Mart to pay for Lisa's pony.
10:23 given how smart Marge was in school, i doubt she would think she would take on homer's dna when she married him. even to this day, the way she was in this scene makes me think she really was the shooter.
Funny thing about the Simpson dna in part one Homer sneaks into Burns office and graffiti his name with spray paint. Burns walks in still not knowing Homer’s name and Homer shakes him violently. Considering that Burns has already fired Smithers it’s still possible that he never changed his suit in the time from the altercation to the town meeting. With that in mind any one could have shot Burns while he was trying to steal candy from Maggie and due to the trauma on Burns psyche he could be simply blaming her at the end of part 2
I was actually on board with this theory until I re-watched the episode and then realised this, Burns was shot at 3:00pm and when everybody thought it was Smithers it was disproven by Sideshow Mel when he quoted Pardon my Zinger and Smithers even remembers that he left the town meeting early so he didn't miss the opening rank-out, so the Smithers shooting took place before the Burns shooting so it couldn't have been the Smithers shooting that Marge heard.
If Marge would be the shooter, this would be the most solid and grounded Simpsons episode. She has a motive. Keeping her family from more harm by that old wrench
This video is six years old, but i just found something i have to share to someone before i go to sleep lol In the alternative version where Smithers is the shooter, he admits shooting Burns first, THEN later shooting Jasper. So the theory of Marge shooting him and later hearing the shooting of Jasper might not be that crazy at all.
So we're not going to talk about how when Mr Burns pointed at Maggie he was technically pointing at BOTH Maggie and Marge?
He also stutter the m and in the alternate endingsk he never stutters Smithers name
@@FrancisR420 "The person who shot me was... (choke) Waylon Smithers!"
"Noooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!
Oh wait... yes."
If the marge theory is true it could mean he was gonna rat her out but then last second decided not to and blamed it on the baby.
If the marge theory is true it could mean he was gonna rat her out but then last second decided not to and blamed it on the baby.
@@levitate08 interesting theory, especially considering Mr. Burns was once romantically infatuated with Marge.
Actually, Marge failed her shooting exam. She missed the baby, she missed the blind man...
good one :)
She redeed the test and past.
True!
Mr. Bump 2.0 she did in fact pass.
@@samuelbarber4154 r/whoosh
This theory also explains another weird thing about the Burns shooting- the fact that Burns does actually back off afterwards. I mean, obviously he's still *evil*, but WSMB part 1 is really the peak of his unchecked super villainy. He never goes so far as to block the sun again.
Now, if Maggie was the one who shot him, then this makes no sense. Burn's original evil rampage was motivated by the belief that nobody in Springfield had the guts to stop him. And he was RIGHT. He was shot (as far as anyone knows) accidentally, by a baby. No Springfield adult had the guts to deal with him themselves. There was no reason for him not to continue with his maniacal plans once he'd recovered from his injuries.
But if he was shot by Marge, then backing off does make sense. Burns would have been shot, not just by the woman he loves, but by one of the most consistently moral and kindhearted people in Springfield. The woman he hired to paint his portrait, because he knew that she was the only person capable of finding any beauty in him.
Burns is evil, but he's can be sentimental too. You have to really fuck up to get Marge Simpson to decide that she personally has to murder you, and the shock of that realisation might have been enough to make Burns decide to a) cover up for Marge by accusing the one person who can't be arrested, and b) tone down his evil plans for the future.
This is genius
@@rakino4418lol oh yeah definitely
@league_of_ireland_fan lol yeah he kicked Bart into like a safe into the river then Grandpa had to save Bart
@league_of_ireland_fanThat's evil but in the way a billionaire could realistically get away with, not over the top supervillainy like blocking out the sun which while it's less emotionally evocative to the audience because of it's cartoon nature blocking the sun would be the most openly evil thing he did in universe
Marge does sound awfully suspicious at the end of part 1, She says "I don't think we'll ever know who did this. Everyone in town's a suspect". Sounds like she's trying to create ambiguity and deflect onto everyone else.
Man I wish it had been Marge, I've always been mildly disappointed by Maggie being the shooter and Marge's motive being her family rather than herself suits her down to the ground and makes it a very compelling story, I think this would have been great
Your username adds to this comment
Me 14 minutes ago: Marge? Pfft, this ought to be good
Me now: Well...shit.
But how could Smithers shoot the old man when he was watching comedy central
@@mr.bobbilly8981 On his way to watching Comedy central, he made it home to watch that show, just a few mins late, jasper got out of the way after being shot in the wooden leg..
Marge is the only one we see well besides jumbo after the shooting and she is clearly in front when it happened and burns doesn't point her out when walking by her...
This is actually a really well-presented case.
6:47 *SHUSH! SHUT UP! STOP SAYING THOSE HORRIBLE THINGS (Burns) AND SHOW SOME MANNERS!*
You know what? This isn't a half bad theory.
I've definitely heard crazier.
+grace tankard That's the beauty of sarcasm, some just don't get it.
12365555677uy6778909999
lizardlord4k your right it was all bad
“IT WAS ACTUALLY MOLEMAN’S SECRET TWIN”
lizardlord4k I bet there's a theory that the Stonecutters did it over money, or something.
Another little piece of evidence you didn't mention is in the alternate ending mr. Burns doesn't stutter Smithers name
But with the Maggie ending he stutters the M
And he happened to be pointing directly at Marge who was holding Maggie
Because she's holding Maggie, it's easy for it to look like he's pointing at Marge.
@@alvexok5523 That works in both directions though. Both names start with M, and pointing in that direction makes both valid targets.
I think the more important question is, why does Marge leave Maggie alone in the car? Let alone with a dog that is known to randomly destroy things...
Santa's Little Helper would never harm Maggie.
@@atticus5106 how do you know
Do you really think Santa's Little Helper could take on Maggie?!
Extensive Enterprises um
There are many cases of a parent leaving a baby on extreme heat alone in the car.
10:02 “It’s never the person you most suspect, and never the person you least suspect, it’s always the person you kinda suspect” -some quote from The Office I think
Nah, it's the person you write off as being impossible for them to have done it.
@@OmicronX-1999 The best mysteries have you suspect the real murderer, then either convince you it's someone else or find a way to convince you it can't be them.
Agatha Christie's "Ten Little [Censored]s" is pretty much a textbook example.
The quote is it’s always the person you most medium suspect, in this case Phyllis
@@Akranejames isn’t the title “And then there were none”?
@@joshhumphrey736 I mean, I'm used to the old title from back when I was in school (it stuck around longer in the French-speaking world due to lacking as much negative connotations).
But yeah, it's how its named now.
This is my favorite story in the Simpsons, and I am a massive fan of murder mysteries in general. I have read almost all of Agatha Christie's Poirot, most of the Sherlock Holmes stories, plenty of private eye and police stories, and I have to say...you have me convinced with this one. I think that it is highly more likely than the Lisa one, which depend too much of hearsay and a ridiculous amount of planning, not to mention the fact that Marge just flows so much more neatly.
In a truly great Murder Mystery, like those of the illustrious Madame Christie herself, the murderer is the person who is usually the one whom it appears it cannot be, and yet the explanation as to why it works is given somewhere in the second act of the story. It involves the psychology of the suspects, and while the motive and evidence are useful, many of them are designed to throw you off track. In the end, should always be possible to determine the correct killer, but highly difficult unless you are able to piece together the seemingly unrelated elements.
And the Marge solution fits all of this to perfection.
In fact, I don't even think that this is as nuts as you imply. Remember that this is a story designed to throw you off track, so coincidences are acceptable so long as they do not strain credulity and they are explained in the story. You say that it relying on there being a second gunfire is a leap, but the show establishes that there WAS a second shot, so given the narrative it is completely acceptable. The timing is no problem either, since it does flow together extremely well. They just don't show Marge walking around to the front.
A good Murder Mystery gives you multiple possible motives and then systematically pulls them away (either obviously or somewhat subversively) until you are left with only a few that are viable. A GREAT Murder Mystery never drops any of them and has them all (or at least many of them) tie in but in a way that you wouldn't expect.
A good Muder Mystery has the killer be a person who you would never suspect because it is just so unlikely in concept (like a baby). A GREAT Murder Mystery has the killer be a person whom you cannot suspect because they have what appears to be a steel tight alibi (but gives you a way to get around that if you are diligent enough in your reading). The Mysterious Affair at Styles is a perfect example of this.
The Maggie solution is goofy and turns these episodes into a comedy skit that most people would never find out because it's just too silly to conceptualize. The Marge solution turns it into a Murder Mystery that is so masterfully delivered that it would make the greatest whodunit writers in literature give a standing ovation.
*high fives*
I'm a big fan of detective fiction too, Agatha Christie's work in particular. I like Sherlock Holmes too, but the solutions would often INFURIATE me in their unfairness sometimes. I've been reading some Ellery Queen lately but mostly enjoy his for how crazy and out-of-the-box the solutions can get.
I think I prefer the Marge solution too, even though it was the second solution I came up with. I feel like the Lisa one is definitely a little more speculative and, while it is possible to be true, they don't hint toward it as much as the Marge solution. If there was more emphasis on a twins motif and Lisa were shown to know about the "candy from a baby" thing, it would work a little better. The main thing I like about the Lisa solution is that it ties in Homer's arrest a little better and explains why Lisa finally got something done.
Now that you mention it, the Marge solution IS kind of Agatha Christie'ish in some of its mechanics... The two gunshots confusion, the stage direction by Marge in Part 2, Marge speaking in code at the end... Reminds me of a couple of her novels in particular.
I still have trouble watching these episodes from a traditional perspective because now it always looks like Marge did it.
It must have taken ages to write that comment
Remmy Sebunya Well it's like my granddaddy always used to say! Anything worth doing is worth over-doing.
Have either of you tried Jonathan Creek? That might test your detective skills a bit.
@@TheSmart-CasualGamer Jonathan Creek is awesome for the first three series, but declines after that. The stupidest one I ever saw was the one where it looked like a detective was guilty of murder, and he kept saying to his daughter that he had '"a contract... with Mr G." They went the whole episode making it seem like he was guilty, then it turned out MG was actually God, the guy was just super Christian and apparently liked talking about God in a way that made it seem as if he was a mob boss, and he had nothing to do with the murder. Earlier episodes have enough clues to work out what happened in most cases, but they got pretty bloody stupid by season 4.
I'm not going to bother looking into flaws in the theory because it is so well put together.
Seriously dude, not just a good analysis of the episode but a great analysis of Marge's psche.
Very impressed fam.
In one of the later episode somebody said it was Smithers who shot Mr Burns, and Lisa was like "that would have made a lot more sense'.
I think about that a little bit from time to time but never saw where she was coming from.
Onmyway2slayabeastibecame1
They actually made a fake ending to confuse the animators where Smithers was the killer. It should be on TH-cam.
There was also an episode when Lisa said that shows that run for too long tend to repeat themselves with the same jokes or smth, then Smithers barges in saying "Maggie shot Mr. Burns again!"
They should have done the swerve of Mona Simpson shooting Burns. She has a negative history with Burns, she’s a rebel, Burns was hurting her entire family, and it even fits into the sun dial story line WS or from Burns perspective MS Mona Simpson. They would bring her in as a character 7 episodes later anyway. So obviously they had her in mind.
That's actually a really fun idea. She decides to return to Springfield and just so happens to do so in the middle of Mister Burns and his wrong doings. Seeing him try to take candy from her granddaughter infuriates her, and shoots him without hesitation. She ends up not only fleeing the scene, but flees town altogether, not wanting a fresh crime to keep her apart from Homer forever, and decides to return after not only the heat dies down, but after seeing Homer's obituary, fearing that her actions inadvertently somehow got her son killed.
It also could’ve led to a very interesting thing where the reveal that Mona is alive leads to Homer trying to find her. Although it may be a little dark and dramatic of a storyline, but it also could’ve given a much different take on how he ended up finding Mona. Perhaps even faking his death in hopes of drawing Mona out.
I actually considered that as a solution tbh, would've been an interesting twist
I wonder if that would be considered Simpson DNA or not, since every Simpson family member starting from homer shares DNA with her
The only problem that I can see (and it may not actually be a problem, I may be forgetting something), is that would she have recognised Marge's car to know that Burns was harassing her grandchild?
Although she could have also seen Burns harassing someone and gone over to help no matter who was in the car, or was taking advantage of burns being distracted.
Didn't Marge sing "I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot his deputy" at one point?
Yes, 4 seasons later.
In what I think is a non-canon episode, but yes.
"Shoot him...a SMILE!"
"So the next time you see a sheriff, shoot him!"
This is a pretty fantastic theory. The gun scene makes more sense on closer inspection because Mr. Burns is a very slow moving person. Marge would easily leave the scene of the crime before he would. So two gunshots would happen much before Burns would even make it to the sundial.
My next guess for Part 3 is Homer.
is homer the smart little girl?
@@V00doo1Xim yes
This is a really good theory. It actually would make sense. The gunshot part was genius.
Margaret = Marge = Maggie
Technically the writers wouldn't be lying to us if they tell us Maggie did it. Maggie could just as well serve as a nickname for Marge as it does for the baby.
I like your theory as it really makes the most sense based on Marge's character development throughout the series. Maybe in the final episode of the Simpsons it will finally be revealed that Marge actually did it.
It's possible. Remember back in season 1, Marge got pretty drunk at Mr. Burns' picnic
Marge is short for Marjorie (idk whether this had been established in the show by the time WSMB came out though). Maggie is short for Margaret
+NeonNeedsANap
Correct, though that is probably mostly due to the show trying to add extra flavor due to Marge’s francophone roots.
I think you could also add in the fact that since Marge was a police officer for a time, she’d know a little bit about how to cover her tracks when committing murder.
Love how you address the fact that here were two shootings going on at the same night, someone really should ask someone on the Simpsons team(who was present at the time this episode was being made) about the shot we hear and whether it’s actually meant to be the shot that hit burns or Jasper
10:20 fun fact. As a kid, I thought this was a joke about Marge being covered in Homer's hair, skin, fluids, etc due to her sleeping with Homer.
The love part threw me off until I remembered when Marge worked at the plant.
Pardon my zinger is no excuse for Smithers. Smithers clearly left the Town Hall meeting along with everyone else. The episode proves it. We see him leave just as Apu makes a comment...so he lied about leaving the town hall early. Secondly, he doesn't cite anything from the particular episode, he just says "I remember that entire show" something one would say if they are desperate to get out of prison. It's clear that the Smithers gun shot could have definitely occurred after the town hall meeting considering Smithers didn't leave early at all. And it was a great coincidence for Marge.
Personally, I'm torn between this theory and Grampa's theory. Both are excellent. Thank you so much for this series!
I'm with you up until you said he didn't cite anything from the episode... when that was literally how Sideshow Mel figured out he couldn't have been there at 3pm to shoot Mr Burns. He quoted a joke from the show, to which Krusty claims that Smithers stole his joke when he had stolen it from "Pardon My Zinger". This means that Smithers must have seen the episode that day at 3pm.
Now Smithers was seen leaving after the town meeting had adjourned and Mr Burns had blocked out the sun, I saw it happen on my 5th rewatch and was confused knowing everything that was done after. Honestly this is either just a continuity mistake that they forgot about when they were writing the episodes or was a mistake by the animation team
@@kaitlyngarner740 I assumed he meant he left "early" meaning he didn't hang around to gawk with everyone after the meeting ended, but I agree, this doesn't prove anything as Mr. Burns is shot just a minute or so after. Plus he did still have time to shoot Jasper and make the opening laugh-in.
@@brentandrew2419 but Smithers saw the episode because that's where he got the joke about Madonna that he told the reporter on the live news coverage.
@@alvexok5523 He still could've gotten back to see the show if the joke was at the end was the point, he left the meeting early. Krusty was there too and he still saw it.
(Yes, I am aware of how completely insane all of this sounds. It's just fun throwing a wacky theory at the wall, and seeing if you can make it work.) :P
The theory actually makes sense because think if you are marge if some one harms physically or psychologically (hurts there feelings) everyone in your family would you shoot them this might sound weird but I might actually have done it if I was marge
Another part you neglected that supports your theory. If Maggie did it, her baby prints would have been on the gun. They're not. That means that someone did wipe prints off the gun, and since Maggie could not have, that leaves someone older; Marge.
Wheres the music in the video from? :)
+TheRealJims
I would like there to be a future episode of The Simpson where Mr Burns suffers nightmares of the incident, and a unknown witness came forward to say that it was Marge Simpson who shot him, and has the case reopened. And in the end, Mr Burns would have the charges dropped due to him not having the heart to destroy Marge's life. He would also think nothing is more dramatic than a mother protecting her baby.
What does anyone think of this idea?
+Raptormon ”Raptormon132” OneThreeTwo Meh. I don't see any reason that kind of episode would be done. It doesn't really contribute and some things are better left mysteries.
I always thought Marge should've been the shooter for the exact same reasons you point out. To me it made a lot of sense at the time but of course I watched the episode way after it originally aired and I may've had more information than there was available at the time.
The Marge theory also has the evidence that Marge was holding Maggie, so Mr. Burns could have had time to think and then point at Maggie without causing suspicion
Or maybe the Simpson DNA came on the suit from when Homer shacked Mr Burns.
The Simpson DNA could have also come from when Homer roughed up Burns after spray painting his office since he is wearing the same suit then as he is when he's shot.
But wouldn't they also have the fingerprints of whoever held the gun afterwards?
Yeah, that's always bothered me too. _Anyone_ who'd touched Burns within a couple of days (or longer) could've left DNA (e.g. hair, skin flakes etc.) on him. But Homer's assault does seem the most likely source. I've always had big problems with the official story, both the single-episode deduction (which relies on dumb Murder 101 shit like nobody thinking of using someone else's gun instead of their own) and the full story.
@@DonutMaster56 But you can't connect DNA to a fingerprint without a middle variable (e.g. a suspect's detailed biometrics), especially when they're found in separate places.
Whether this is true or not. Honestly, this is better than the Maggie Simpson one. I remember waiting for that episode to come out and being like wtf...
Also, if I remember right, in that special outtakes or whatever episode with Troy McClure, they mention they filmed a scene with Marge being the shooter or something, among other characters.
THIS WOULD HAVE WORKED! - I've watched Part 1 and 2 so many times and i would have thought Marge was trying to hide an evidence when Lisa was getting close to finding clues or coming up with answers and it seemed like Marge was trying to discourage her. IT SHOULD'VE BEEN MARGE! Although Maggie as the shooter is actually quite cute and funny. I guess stats where Seth MacFarlane got the idea for Stewie.
It could be that Burns only remembers struggling with Maggie and has no idea it was Marge.
Shit, he should've used this for all his theories since every other one involved him still stealing candy from Maggie, which wasn't really needed if she's not the killer.
For that ending to work, you'd have to ignore all that Simpson DNA evidence.
And that would just be downright nutty.
No you don't, at all, this ending was mr. Burns fighting with Maggie which is how her DNA got on him and then getting shot by someone else that what are you talkin about?
There's nothing saying the DNA came from the shooter
@@FrancisR420 it's a simpsons quote so nice picking up on that
DNA evidence is circumstantial, DNA proves who is there but not always who did it.
@@LakinMae5 the other commenters also said Homer touched Mr Burns so that's more Simpson family dna
She didn't pass gun training with flying colors - she missed the baby, she missed the blind man...
Altorin (knicking the top comment)
marge doing it actually makes sense. I always thought that dna part was weird for her to say.
I always saw it as a throwaway joke to further obfuscate the culprit until the end of the episode reveal
This is a weirdly convincing theory..
Start of video: What?! Really?! Utter rubbish.
End of video: Oh my God, my eyes have been opened
This theory is pretty incredible! It makes a worrying amount of sense...
Unfortunately, there is a hole in it: the gunshot Marge heard just before Mr. Burns staggers out of the parking lot *can't* have been the Smithers/Jasper shooting, because Part 2 establishes that that shooting took place notably earlier than the Mr. Burns shooting, due to Smithers' "Pardon My Zinger" appointment. So you'd need to come up with an even more impossibly coincidental explanation for why an extra gunshot sound occurred - !
Of course, the real hole is that no way would even the most sudden rage-filled Marge attempt murder. I buy that she might kick the crap out of Mr. Burns (a la 'Homer the Smithers') but never shoot him. (Right in front of her child, no less!) And if she did do it, the guilt would surely destroy her - she'd never be able to keep it secret... of course, it's silly for me to argue this point, seeing as it's all in good fun. ;-)
Perhaps Mr. Burns lay (lied? laid?) in agony near the car for a few minutes after being shot.
I thought this originally but then I remember Kent Brokman's news report on the shooting and he said "dozens of people are gunned down everyday in Springfield" so the sound could've been a random shooting, I know it's a shot in the dark (pun intended) but it's still a possibility, but like he said the theory is just for fun.
Jack Christmas I think I can plug the hole in the whole Jasper/Smithers problem.
1. Smithers was drunk as hell, his testimony isn't reliable.
2. Smithers is clearly seen leaving with everyone else, so him leaving early is false. He probably just lost track of the time and thought it was earlier than he thought he saw on his watch, on account of being blitzed.
Except he says he remembers the entire episode. I suppose someone else who watched it verifying that (ie Krusty) would've been helpful, but that could be a problem with saying his timing was off. He could've been mistaken about that, and the show doesn't confirm or deny this outright, so there is room for doubt.
As for the multiple shootings, this was exactly my thought. Clearly Smithers being home by the time of the shooting means the Jasper shot couldn't have been the misheard shot, so it had to be someone else mistakenly shooting an innocent old person like Smithers did (albeit out of fear rather than drunkeness). It would just really suck as a show solution since it's an element that never even appeared in the story.
SonofMrPeanut there's always the fact a handful of characters are irresponsible enough around guns to repeatedly set them off (a la the cartridge family)
I was thinking the only flaw with the Marge theory is that it'd be unlikely she'd throw the gun back into her own car after shooting Burns but then again, I suppose you have to ask what else she'd do with it? She's hardly gonna keep it in her possession or risk being caught dumping it as everyone converges on the scene. Interesting theory.
I mean, when you consider that Maggie couldn’t possibly get near it under the seat, and keeping it with her is dangerous as hell, it becomes a bit more compelling. The sole issue after that is why Marge wouldn’t dispose of it. Marge is pretty anal; are we assuming she forgot about it? Or is she concealing it by keeping it hidden in the car until the heat is off?
Love it! It just hangs together so nicely. I always liked how this episode sets up Maggie as a kind of guardian angel - but this solution is even better. You just DON'T MESS with Marge's family!
I believe this wholeheartedly! You put together an amazingly convincing theory, especially since you started off stating it wasn't true!
This is my favourite alternative theory video because of how well you tie it into the actual narrative, massive credit for the case you put forward.
Well played sir, well played! You certainly got me! A very decent theory!
Mona Suggens? Aka Mona Simpson!
Definitely one of the best episodes of all time.
Homer shot Mr. burns. In the episode revenge is a dish best served 3 times, season 18 episode 11. homer says "I'm gonna get my revenge and if I get caught I'm pinning it on the baby like the time I shot Mr. burns" Mr. burns said it was Maggie because homer had a gun to his head and said "say I never shot you"
Mr. Burns doesn't seem like the kind of guy to completely forgive an attempt on his life because someone is holding a gun to his head at the moment
Also how did he pin it on the baby? mr. Burns says it was Maggie that is the linchpin pretty much the only thing that pins it on the baby and Homer couldn't of had any part of it.
He never suggests it was Maggie even slightly
I wish the writers would put this much thought into the show.
The thing about this theory is Mr. burns wouldn’t blame Maggie at all if marge did it. He would just blame a non Simpson for his murder so he wouldn’t hurt her in any way.
I think it's more likely that he would say Maggie in this instance actually. He'd think that it's outlandish enough that people would be unlikely to believe it; and even if they did she's only a baby so nothing would happen. However Maggie is close enough to Marge that it sends a message to her too, its like Mr Burns is hinting at it in an almost passive aggressive way. The fact that he stutters on the "M" for Maggie too means he couldn't quite go through with saying Marge or that he wanted to scare her for a split second as payback.
Basically I feel he chose Maggie to frighten Marge without having any repercussions fall on her.
@@alexg1778 Yeah, or he could have been spooked seeing Marge, and been about to accuse her, but saved it at the last minute, as best he could, by switching to the baby.
He was pointing at Marge and about to say it, but couldn't bring himself to.
@@brentandrew2419 That makes sense to me in story. She nearly killed him on a whim and she is right there in front of him. Is he really going to trust Springfield's police to protect him? Plus, as you pointed out, it's entirely plausible he fully intends to do it but being he's running on emotion, he stumbles and deflects.
Maybe the creators actually planned for Marge to be the culprit but since the explanation could be considered over complicated, they stuck with Maggie.
Also, Marge would be an amazing Among Us player. 😱
Welp. I'm completely convinced.
"Enter Marge Simpson"
Mr Burns would very much like to.
This... Actually make a lot of sense. I think I would have enjoy this two episodes even more if at the end they make Marge do something that makes her look a little bit guilty.
Everything about the intro of accusing Marge instantly delighted me.
Maybe Marge was asking "where is everybody" because she was looking for help for Mr Burns, but then Burns just start staggering around from the pain and shock, hence why she's close by
And why did she appear shocked when she saw Burns? Maybe she thought he was dead already and seeing him alive made her fear that she would be exposed.
Like the logic is just sound enough to actually make sense, like its not that crazy to say its not possible or not likely. Makes more sense than maggie being the shooter but thats the whole joke. So this is pretty mind blowing when taking into consideration
I think Mr Burns would've covered for Smithers as wells since he practically raised him, though that lore wasn't established at this point
I was about to suspect Smithers but Smithers is gay for Burns and it’s not like Smithers would be jealous of Marge as Burns has dated other women while Smithers looked on wistfully. I’d have to agree with his analysis but I suppose they dropped it due to Burn’s infatuation with Marge, plus I think even if it came out Marge did it I think a lot more people in universe or in meta would sympathize with Marge protecting her family from an oligarchal despot like Burns.
I always thought Marge shooting Burns both makes most sense and would have been the most awesome outcome.
Dude, this theory isn't 'Koo-Koo-Bananas', nor does it just 'kind of' work. This is absolutely plausible. Not only that, it would have been a way smarter official solution if the writers had snuck in a few more scenes making it more explicit that Burns was covering for Marge. Unless one of the other parts of this series somehow manages to be even more convincing, this is the theory I'm supporting as to who REALLY shot Mr Burns.
Aren't you ignoring the Smithers gunshot clearly takes places in front of the steps of the townhall, the exact place Marge is standing when she hears a gunshot? By elimination, the only gunshot that could have taken place at that time would be the Maggie gunshot.
I know it’s 3 years late, but if you pause this video at 8:03 you can compare Jasper's location to town hall. While similar in appearance, the building Jasper is in front of is different than the town hall.
Not to mention, that makes no sense as to how no one heard Smithers shooting Jasper beforehand. If Smithers shot Jasper in front of the town hall, after it’s said he left early, everyone would still be inside and would’ve heard the gunshot. It’s more likely that that is a small animation mistake.
Ya know
Even with the few flaws this theory have
I like the idea that Marge actually shot Mr.Burns.
No ones going to see this but in a future episode homer says hey and also try to find the person who actually shots mr burns and then Marge says it was Maggie and Homer says ya like a baby cloud shout a gun and then marge murmured I think this is a nod to this Sherlock Holmes detective for finding the real shooter
I think this theory is very plausible. The only problem is that you couldn't say it was Marge watching part one because she was obviously outside the church when we heard the show. We didn't know about the Smithers shooting at the time. Since the episode was ment to be solvable in part 1 I don't think the writers could have possibly secretly meant that Marge was shot. You could say that the speed of Mr Burns appearing after the shot could be a sign that that shot wasn't really the shot. But I just don't think that the writers secretly meant for it to be Marge. It could very well still be Marge, even by watching part 1 due to how fast Mr Burns appeared after the shot though. So yeah, just my opinion.
Retreat
He mentions this in the video, he discusses everything in your comment
He's not arguing they intended it to be Marge, he's trying to make a fun alternative theory ya goof
Just saw this video and decided to watch the episodes again. I noticed something in Kent Brockman's report at the beginning. Look in the background and you can clearly see a police dog sniffing in the exact location where Marge was standing. The dog wouldn't decide to sniff there unless Marge played a role in the shooting!
That's not how police dogs work if it was tracking say gunshot residue or something it would have followed her and bark at her, and someone apparently committed murder next to my neighbor's mailbox if my dog is correct.
Maui Randall Plot twist: Your dog is methodically documenting all the scents of the mail delivery workers so that he may murder them for their sweet chewy bones.
I did think her dialogue was a bit weird in the episode. I never thought they did anything like that though, just accepted the official explanation.
Pah! Everyone knows the real shooter was Herman Hermann. Burns didn't unveil him because he knew what Herman would've done if he'd done that!
Oh my god I just noticed Conan in the Simpsons team picture.
They actually had to animate multiple different endings just so no one would find out and leak the info before time.
This reminds me of the documentary that tried to suggest that OJ’s son was the one who killed Nicole and I love it
It's telling that she doesn't seem panicked when she hears a gunshot coming from the direction of her baby daughter...
I agree about Marge's "suspecting our own family members" line. It always felt like a strange conclusion to reach from what Lisa said.
Coming back to watch this series again. This solution works pretty well to explain why Part 1 is important along with using backstory already established, while making sense of Marge's role in Part 2.
I believe that Marge is the only person who has the same window of opportunity as Maggie, without following Burns (while staying out of sight of everyone) or hiding in anticipation (using omniscient power).
Thank god somebody loves the simpsons as much as I do, if not more so! Thank you for a 5pt episode!
After those last few pieces, I have to say, this might actually be the real solution.
My theory for her checking on maggy is because she was scared that Maggie got the gun, she didn't know why she heard another gunshot
This may be the most brilliant fan theory I've ever heard! I think you are right.
If the episode had some instances of Burns flirting with Marge or talking with Smithers about how he is still atracted to her, this would be a perfect twist for the episode. It could be revealed AFTER we are given the reasons as for why Maggie did it, only for the show to reveal that Burns lied and show all that Marge did.
Mr.Burns hurt the whole town and it's a part of us all. A part of us all. A part of us all. A part of us ALL.
I love this SO MUCH. This whole series speaks to me so much. Thank you!
Damn James you have such good vids,i love your content,your song gives me chills goosepumbs
8:18
Actually we know a lot about the Smithers gun shot, when Smithers is remembering the shooting he looks at his watch, the time reads 2:55 because he didn't want to miss Pardon my Zinger, which was on at 3:00, the time Burns was shot.
BUT IT COULD STILL BE MARGE! No way Burns could've made it all the way around the Town Hall in the 2 seconds after being shot! This may be a strech, but Kent Brockman reported that "Dozens of people are gunned down every day in Springfield, but none of them were important until now". Could one of those "unimportant" shootings have happened right then? Could someone have seen the Burns shooting, knew that any murders they could've committed would be overshadowed by the Burns case?
Damn I can see why you make these videos, being deductive and sceptical of a cartoon show is fun!
"When I took your father's name, I took everything that came with it. Including DNA!"
Well as a mother of 3 children that's a bit of a understatement...
By now I’ve seen all of these and man it made me remember why i love the simpsons and start watching it again lol
As much as I love this theory, Smithers' alibi disproves it. He fired his shot before 3, and was at home in time for a TV show. So unless there's a third shot we don't know about, the shot Marge heard must have been the one that hit Mr. Burns. Although he did get to the front of the building very fast after that...
Marge shot Mr Burns because he was trying to steal candy from a two years old girl? Or because in the dark she heard his grunts and thought Burns was doing something much, much worse to her baby? (Very DarkSimpson)
This makes more scene than the official explanation.
I mean, who knows, maybe in season 30.
Me: Maybe?
Here’s something I noticed; when Burns points to Maggie, he stutters on the M.
Considering that Marge was holding Maggie, and how similar their names are, it could be argued he was originally pointing at Marge, before changing his mind and blaming Maggie.
Here's something I noticed: The entire theory hinges on Mr. Burns trying to spare Marge by accusing someone else, but after he outs Maggie as the shooter, he presses on and attempts to have Maggie arrested. He clearly knows she cares for her children, so he would know that trying to have one of them arrested is a bad idea if he wants to do right by her.
@@highlandersteve9953 Yeah, but Mr. Burns also could know that no jury would convict a baby, except maybe Texas.
I like how the two gunshots mystery feels like the exact sort of contradiction that would come up in a trial from the Ace Attorney games
It makes perfect sense that the "Simpsons DNA" came from Marge. She is in constant contact with her husband Homer, having one of his eyelashes or eyebrow hair on her dress would be a fairly normal situation. It could have gotten brushed off her dress and onto Burn's suit during the struggle.
To explain how the Simpson’s DNA got on Mr. Burns, earlier in the episode Homer physically attacks Mr. Burns, shaking him quite a bit, holding onto his suit while doing so, the same Serra of the suit that they extract the DNA from in part 2, this wouldn’t seem like such an important detail to remember for solving the case except when you remember how in town hall, when Burns reveals he has a gun he points out he started carrying it after he was attacked by some maniac(Homer) earlier that same day, now this seems like a line setting up more motive for Homer(and by extension, Marge, with this solution you are presenting here) but in actuality it could clue the audience in as to HOW the Simpson DNA got on his suit in the first place, because the scene we are given at the end of part 2 of Maggie shooting Mr. Burns it doesn’t really look like she’d be able to actually get enough DNA on him for them to actually make a hit as to which genetic family did it, it barely any contact was made between where they extracted the DNA in his suit and Maggie touching it like how it supposedly went down(in fact, the only parts of Burns that DID make some form of contact with Maggie was his hands since they were both holding to the lollipop stem while fighting. The police did not take the DNA evidence from Burns’s body but his suit), but Homer’s altercation with Burns earlier in the day could EASILY explain Why & How the DNA got there.
With this, you could argue anyone in Springfield could’ve shot Mr. Burns with his gun and not have a form of DNA Evidence on Burns’s body. Which means adding to Marge’s understandable motive, her experience with firearms, her time as a police officer(which means she could very well EASILY know how to cover up a murder in this town - including wiping down fingerprints-), and her history/relationship with Burns(that being he fell in love with her) meaning he could very well still be in love with her or at the very least have a soft spot for the women he once loved, all together would make the Marge Simpson solution a very easy and actually legit alternative option for Who Shot Mr. Burns
CONGRATS ON A 1000 SUBSCRIBERS. I expect a 1000 second review on my desk by tuesday
You know, that actually fits too well to be a coincidence, I like it
If you're relying on marge still being a good shot, remember she was once a millionaire, but in the next episode there's no mention to it
Ablazedbeeef there's a theory that the Simpsons are living off the procedes or Royalties of Homers Days in BSharps, this theory explains how the Simpsons can afford all the Holidays\ Vacations, Computers , I phones , Cars and all the hospital visits
MrVercettti89 good theory, but that doesn't explain why they're constantly having financial problems. If they did have all those royalties than Homer wouldn't have needed to take a second job at the Quick-E-Mart to pay for Lisa's pony.
Marge being a millionaire affects the status quo. Her being a good shot with a gun doesn't affect the status quo.
10:23 given how smart Marge was in school, i doubt she would think she would take on homer's dna when she married him. even to this day, the way she was in this scene makes me think she really was the shooter.
Funny thing about the Simpson dna in part one Homer sneaks into Burns office and graffiti his name with spray paint. Burns walks in still not knowing Homer’s name and Homer shakes him violently. Considering that Burns has already fired Smithers it’s still possible that he never changed his suit in the time from the altercation to the town meeting. With that in mind any one could have shot Burns while he was trying to steal candy from Maggie and due to the trauma on Burns psyche he could be simply blaming her at the end of part 2
I was actually on board with this theory until I re-watched the episode and then realised this, Burns was shot at 3:00pm and when everybody thought it was Smithers it was disproven by Sideshow Mel when he quoted Pardon my Zinger and Smithers even remembers that he left the town meeting early so he didn't miss the opening rank-out, so the Smithers shooting took place before the Burns shooting so it couldn't have been the Smithers shooting that Marge heard.
I feel like I'm watching the end of a scooby-doo XD
Monty is pretty kind when you consider this theory.
If Marge would be the shooter, this would be the most solid and grounded Simpsons episode. She has a motive. Keeping her family from more harm by that old wrench
Honestly, this makes a lotta sense to me. I also enjoy this theory quite a bit.
This video is six years old, but i just found something i have to share to someone before i go to sleep lol
In the alternative version where Smithers is the shooter, he admits shooting Burns first, THEN later shooting Jasper. So the theory of Marge shooting him and later hearing the shooting of Jasper might not be that crazy at all.