The Burns and the Bees

"The Burns and the Bees" is the eighth episode of the twentieth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons.

In the episode, during a poker game, Mr. Burns wins ownership of the Austin Celtics basketball team and he decides to build a new stadium in Springfield that endangers a bee colony which Lisa built.

Mr. Burns attends the annual Billionaires' Retreat, where he wins the fictional Austin Celtics pro basketball team in a poker game against the Rich Texan.

Lisa attempts to convince the town to save the bee population, but despite her logical protest that they always get into trouble when they ignore her advice, she fails when Burns informs everyone about the amazing features of his arena.

Six weeks later, on the night of the grand opening of Burns' sports arena, Homer takes Lisa to the top of a hill and shows her the hive containing the hybrid bees.

The episode's title is a reference to the expression "The birds and the bees", used by parents when explaining a sexual relationship to a child.

[5] The statue of Mr. Burns outside his new basketball arena is based on the Nike, Inc. "Jumpman" logo featuring Michael Jordan.

[3] The songs featured in the episode include "Hip Hop Hooray" by Naughty by Nature during Mr. Burns' attempt to be more like Mark Cuban, and "Sea of Love" as performed by The Honeydrippers, which Homer and Moe play to their bees.

[8] Erich Asperschlager of TV Verdict wrote: "Part of me knows that the only way to enjoy the modern incarnation of The Simpsons is to stop expecting its stories to make sense.

In fact, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion the only reason this episode exists is because someone came up with the title 'The Burns and the Bees' and just had to make it work.