The Trouble with Trillions
The Simpsons, season 9, episode 20. First aired April 5, 1998. 135 moments of about ten seconds each: open one for its frame, what happens and what's said.
← Simpson Tide Girly Edition → The whole episode as text
About the episode
Homer flings a padded tax return into the mail seconds before the April 15 deadline, and the IRS soon spots the fraud. To stay out of jail he works for the FBI, which sends him to recover a trillion-dollar bill Mr. Burns kept after World War II. Burns wins him over instead, and they flee to Cuba with Smithers, where Fidel Castro pockets the bill.
- Written by
- Ian Maxtone-Graham
- Directed by
- Swinton O. Scott III
- Guest stars
- Marcia Wallace as Mrs. Krabappel
- Paul Winfield as Lucius Sweet
- Chalkboard gag
I will not demand what I'm worth
- Couch gag
- Sauna
- Production code
- 5F14
The synopsis is our own. Credits and guest stars from Wikipedia and the Simpsons wiki.
Every moment
-
Bart Simpson stands at a classroom chalkboard filling it with the repeated line…
“The Simpsons”
0:00–0:12 -
Homer holds a glowing green rod at a control console beneath a CAUTION sign while Mr. Burns and Smithers…
0:12–0:25 -
In a crowded school band room, Lisa Simpson in her orange dress plays a saxophone while Mr. Burns conducts…
0:25–0:38 -
Homer stands in a purple room at first, gesturing with one arm, and then the scene moves to a pink living…
0:38–0:51 -
A large crowd of yellow-skinned Springfield residents stands outdoors at night, cheering with open mouths…
“10, 9, 8, 8,”
0:51–1:01 -
Homer Simpson in a green jacket, Marge with her tall blue beehive holding baby Maggie, Lisa in a pink coat…
“10, 9, 8, 8,”
1:01–1:13 -
Springfield townspeople, including a bald man in a captain's hat and a woman with a tall blue beehive, crowd…
“10, 4, 3, 2, 1.”
1:13–1:21 -
Homer, Marge, Maggie, Lisa and Bart are packed into a noisy party with a reddish-haired woman, Principal…
“Old acquaintance being forgot And”
1:21–1:32 -
Ned Flanders lies in bed and then sits up beside a woman with frizzy orange-red hair who lies under a pink…
“Oh, January 1st. Better get going on those taxes, Nettie.”
1:32–1:43 -
Ned Flanders sits at a kitchen table in his green sweater, with a moustache and glasses, holding a white slip…
“Let's see. Cash register, Inc. Well, that's a business expense, isn't it?”
1:43–1:54 -
Ned Flanders sits at a kitchen table beside a woman with curly orange-red hair and a pink top, while a coffee…
“Better not risk it.”
1:54–2:04 -
Ned Flanders sits at a kitchen table beside a small curly-haired child in a pink shirt eating from a bowl…
“God bless them. Nettie, it's 8.45.”
2:04–2:18 -
Ned Flanders climbs the steps of the Springfield Post Office carrying a brown paper parcel, then crosses…
2:18–2:23 -
Ned Flanders stands by a glass entrance door as a heavy-set man in a lavender shirt, blue trousers and teal…
“Get your taxes out of the way? No,”
2:23–2:33 -
A man in a green sweater, who may be Ned Flanders, walks down the steps of the Springfield Post Office…
2:33–2:38 -
Chief Wiggum stands on the tiled floor of the Springfield Post Office and addresses a crowd of townspeople…
“All right, people, listen up.”
2:38–2:48 -
Principal Skinner hurries past a crowd lined up behind red velvet ropes toward a building entrance…
“Oh, Edna, you're certainly looking lovely tonight.”
2:48–2:56 -
Principal Skinner stands in a crowd beside a woman with a brown bob, a green sweater and a green earring…
“Is that a new green sweater?”
2:56–3:03 -
An elderly bearded man in a white-and-black sailor's cap, blue jacket and green sweater, who is not one…
“Sometimes I wonder why I bother plundering it all.”
3:03–3:10 -
A crowd stands in a hallway lined with lockers, with a bearded man in a green sweater and purple suspenders…
“Oh, no, no, no, I felt that. You didn't carry the one, you foolish person.”
3:10–3:21 -
Kent Brockman stands outdoors behind a metal stanchion rope holding a microphone and speaking to the public
“This is Kent Brockman, live at the Springfield Post Office on Tax Day.”
3:21–3:33 -
Kent Brockman holds a microphone at a red ribbon line while a woman in a pink shirt, pink cap and headphones…
“Sir, why did you wait until the last minute to pay your taxes?”
3:33–3:45 -
A white-haired, red-jacketed older man with a blue tie stands at a microphone in the foreground, with a bald…
“Of course.”
3:45–3:52 -
A crowd gathers in a bright, pale-walled room
“And at the risk of sounding a little smug...”
3:52–3:59 -
Homer, Marge, Bart and Lisa sit on a colorful rug in the living room, watching a TV that shows a group…
“Will you look at those morons? I paid my taxes over a year ago.”
3:59–4:10 -
Lisa Simpson lies sprawled on a rainbow-striped rug beside an open book, her mouth opening and closing as she…
“That was last year's taxes. You have to pay again this year.”
4:10–4:14 -
Homer Simpson sits on a brown couch in front of a pink wall and a framed picture of a red-hulled sailboat
“No, because, you see, I went ahead and...”
4:14–4:22 -
Homer Simpson sits on a brown couch in the living room with Marge, who has a tall blue beehive and a red bead…
“Oh!”
4:22–4:31 -
Homer Simpson sits on the brown couch in the pink living room, with a stack of papers labeled TO DO PILE…
“Marge, how many kids do we have? Oh, no time to count.”
4:31–4:39 -
Homer sits on a brown couch in a pink living room, first writing on a notepad with a pen and then gesturing…
“Okay, I need some deductions, deductions.”
4:39–4:49 -
Marge stands in a pink room while Homer points at her with a watch on his wrist and Maggie clutches…
“Okay, Marge, if anyone asks, you require 24-hour nursing care, Lisa's a clergyman,”
4:49–4:58 -
Marge Simpson holds a framed picture of a red toy sailboat against a pink wall above a brown couch, first…
“You really had a lot of talent, kid.”
4:58–5:09 -
Homer drives a pink car past Springfield Post Office, where pedestrians walk on the steps under a clock…
“If I don't see it, it's not illegal.”
5:09–5:20 -
Chief Wiggum sets a CLOSED sign outside the Springfield Post Office as two men walk past, one in a teal…
“Oh, no, you don't!”
5:20–5:33 -
Homer Simpson sits in a pink car, holding up a parcel wrapped in tape and then gripping the door
“Oh, no, you don't!”
5:33–5:45 -
A red-haired man in a white shirt and blue tie tips a box of letters into a bin marked QUICK REFUND…
“So, Lenny, let's say you pull a thorn out of the Pope's butt and he grants you one wish.”
5:45–5:58 -
Three men sit at a bar counter: on the left a Black man in a grey jacket and pink shirt, in the middle a thin…
“Hm.”
5:58–6:07 -
Carl, a Black man in a grey jacket and pink shirt, Lenny, who has spiky black hair and a green sweater…
“That'd be sweet.”
6:07–6:16 -
Homer Simpson sits at the bar of Moe's Tavern holding a frosty mug, then leans back with his hands…
“Well... Homer Simpson?”
6:16–6:28 -
No regular characters appear in this moment
“This is an egregious miscarriagement of taxitude.”
6:28–6:32 -
A heavy man in a black tuxedo with a red bow tie and gold chain holds a dollar bill to his forehead…
“This is an egregious miscarriagement of taxitude.”
6:32–6:39 -
Homer sits on a maroon couch in a plain room beside an unnamed balding, grey-haired man in a white shirt…
“Oh, this is bad. This is really bad. You're working, you slave,”
6:39–6:47 -
Homer Simpson sits in a waiting room beside a thin grey-haired man in a white shirt and black tie who holds…
“Simpson.”
6:47–6:57 -
Homer stands with his back to the viewer facing a man in a dark suit and grey tie with swept-back reddish…
“Mr. Simpson, this government computer can process over nine tax returns per day.”
6:57–7:10 -
Homer Simpson sits in a dark-blue room with a brown chair, clasping his hands and pleading with a wide-eyed…
“No, sir, please. I can't go to prison. They pee in a cup and throw it on you.”
7:10–7:21 -
Homer sits on a stool under a spotlight in a bare blue room with a door on the left, first throwing his arms…
“No, please!”
7:21–7:31 -
Homer sits in a chair in a control room of reel-to-reel tape machines and blinking panels, facing a sleek man…
“I'm very happy to meet you. From now on, you're gonna work for us.”
7:31–7:44 -
Homer stands in the pink living room with Marge, whose tall blue beehive and green dress mark her, Lisa…
“Not spy, squeal. I've got no choice. The government has no right to use you this way.”
7:44–7:55 -
Bart pulls a black strap tight around Homer's waist, where a small black device is clipped, while Marge…
“There you go, rat boy.”
7:55–8:06 -
Homer stands at the open back doors of a van packed with radio equipment while two men in white shirts…
“Well, if my cover gets blown and I need help, what's the signal?”
8:06–8:14 -
Homer stands at the left by a pool table while Lenny, Carl and a heavy man with messy brown hair in a pink…
“Hey, see you're watching the ball game. Looks like a good one.”
8:14–8:25 -
Homer stands at the left of a bar with a red ceiling, while Lenny, who has spiky black hair and wears a green…
“How about you, Lenny? Testing, testing, Lenny.”
8:25–8:35 -
Carl sits at the bar in Moe's Tavern beside a brown-haired man in a green shirt holding two beer mugs…
“You mean like the time you was running moonshine out of your basement?”
8:35–8:45 -
Homer Simpson stands at a bar with Moe, the grey-haired bartender in a blue apron, while a dark-haired man…
“Uh, like those, but involving you. Oh,”
8:45–8:54 -
Homer sits at the bar beside a blond, bespectacled man in a white shirt, and two men in white shirts and dark…
“My militia has a secret plan to beat up all sorts of government officials.”
8:54–9:04 -
Homer stands at a bar gesturing and talking while Moe leans on the counter, folds his arms, and then fidgets…
“Hey, how did they finger Charlie?”
9:04–9:13 -
Homer Simpson sits on a park bench under a tree, holding a pink cup, while a man in a grey fedora and dark…
“My superiors were pleased with your work.”
9:13–9:26 -
Homer Simpson sits on a park bench holding a small red book while a brown-haired man in a dark suit and grey…
“We have a high-risk assignment for you. Why do you keep picking on me?”
9:26–9:37 -
Homer walks beside a thin, stooped old man in a dark suit and grey hat past a pink Visit Our Food Court sign…
“We're here. Get in.”
9:37–9:47 -
Homer Simpson sits on a green bench beside a man in a dark suit, black tie and grey fedora who is not one…
“Mr. Simpson, please cover your ears while I say the secret access word Cheese”
9:47–9:58 -
Homer and a hat-wearing agent in a dark coat watch a blue-framed screen reading "TOP SECRET" with a "TV PG"…
“Agent Johnson The film you're about to see is top secret and contains adult situations”
9:58–10:11 -
The White House in black and white stands in the opening frame, then a crowd of seated onlookers faces…
“Shut up, Simpson To ease this crisis, President Truman promised relief.”
10:11–10:21 -
A crowd of unnamed men in black-and-white raise their hands and cheer while a man in a dark hat speaks…
“To make good on this drunken post,”
10:21–10:32 -
A man in glasses and a grey suit holds up a large 'ONE TRILLION' bill with a portrait of a smiling man…
“Ooh, a trillion-dollar bill.”
10:32–10:45 -
Mr. Burns leans from the cockpit of a small white plane on an airfield while clutching a black case…
“The man chosen to deliver this precious cargo to Europe was America's wealthiest and”
10:45–10:58 -
Three black-and-white cartoon men stand in front of a gate with a banner reading "WELCOME USA$$$"…
“Unfortunately, the money never arrived.”
10:58–11:12 -
Homer and a thin man in a grey fedora and dark suit stand before a booth whose black screen glows…
“This film will self-destruct, if not properly stored.”
11:12–11:21 -
Homer Simpson stands outside a green storefront with a cash register visible through the window and hedges…
“But all we've ascertained from satellite photos is that it's not on the roof.”
11:21–11:29 -
Homer Simpson stands in front of a red curtain beside a white sign with partial lettering reading "NT"…
“But Mr. Burns gave me my job.”
11:29–11:37 -
Homer stands beside a man in a dark suit and fedora in front of an Instant Photos booth with a red curtain…
“I can't betray him. I'm afraid you have no choice.”
11:37–11:51 -
Mr. Burns sits at a long dining table in a purple-walled hall with red carpet, watched by a servant…
“The film you're about to see...”
11:51–11:58 -
Mr. Burns sits at a dining table while Smithers stands beside him holding carving utensils over a roast bird…
“Wild raspberry compote, celery root remoulade, and pheasant underduck.”
11:58–12:08 -
Mr. Burns sits at a dining table carving and eating a roast turkey on a platter while his thin assistant…
“Sir, a kind word now and then. I'm choking it down.”
12:08–12:21 -
Homer runs up the blue steps toward a large magenta double door, then stops and fidgets with the brass door…
“Now what, Smithers?”
12:21–12:33 -
Homer Simpson stands outside a building talking with Mr. Burns, the frail, thin, stooped old man…
“I'm Homie Simpson, your trusted employee.”
12:33–12:42 -
Homer Simpson stands in a blue-carpeted hallway beside a purple door while Mr. Burns peers out…
“A pack of vicious dogs should be ripping you to pieces.”
12:42–12:55 -
Mr. Burns stands in a kitchen by an old black stove, rubbing his hands together and then reaching…
“It'll be a few minutes.”
12:55–13:04 -
Homer Simpson and Mr. Burns stand in a kitchen beside a stove with a blue gas flame under a pot
“Well, Mr. Burns, you always come off as kind of a gruff, crotchety loan.”
13:04–13:13 -
Homer stands in a kitchen with a wooden door, a red cabinet and a black iron stove, while Mr. Burns faces him…
“Hmm.”
13:13–13:23 -
Homer stands in a kitchen beside a red hutch cabinet with a closed wooden door and a bucket behind him
“Come on, where are you?”
13:23–13:33 -
Homer Simpson first takes a jar from a cupboard shelf and then a plate, placing them on a wooden table…
“What is this? What are you doing?”
13:33–13:44 -
Homer stands in a kitchen with a red brick wall and hanging pans, scratching his head with one hand…
“Oh, I get it.”
13:44–13:50 -
Homer Simpson stands in a kitchen pantry holding a small red object near his mouth, while Mr. Burns stands…
“You're from Collier's Magazine, aren't you?”
13:50–13:58 -
Homer Simpson and Mr. Burns stand together in a kitchen pantry with wooden shelves, pots, and a wooden barrel…
“That thing.”
13:58–14:06 -
Homer Simpson walks down a long blue hallway with a red carpet and framed paintings alongside Mr. Burns…
“Well, of course, I didn't want a racehorse in my living room,”
14:06–14:15 -
Mr. Burns and Homer stand before a purple display case holding a headless suit, bowler hat and cane…
“Oh, you'll find this amusing. The suit Charlie Chaplin was buried in.”
14:15–14:26 -
Homer and Mr. Burns stand by a red rope barrier in a museum, watching a wooden ship exhibit where a costumed…
“That intrepid lad is my great-grandfather, Franklin Jefferson Burns,”
14:26–14:39 -
Homer stands beside Mr. Burns, a frail, very thin, stooped old man with a hooked nose and grey hair…
“Hey, that guy looks like you.”
14:39–14:49 -
Homer Simpson speaks at a ceremony decorated with red, white and blue bunting, while Mr. Burns stands…
“It commemorates my liberation of a trillion dollars that would have been foolishly”
14:49–14:57 -
Mr. Burns fidgets beside a red velvet rope in a display hall with dioramas behind him, then pulls a brown…
“That would be pretty careless of me, wouldn't it?”
14:57–15:09 -
Two suited agents in dark jackets, one with reddish swept-back hair, aim pistols at Mr. Burns, the frail…
“Nobody move! What the... Montgomery Burns, you're under arrest for grand,”
15:09–15:17 -
Mr. Burns stands in a domed hall with red-white-and-blue bunting and an American flag, flanked by Smithers…
“I'm not the thief. The government is.”
15:17–15:27 -
Mr. Burns walks down a blue-walled hallway with a red carpet and framed portraits, flanked by two men in dark…
“Aid to ungrateful foreigners. Do nothing nuclear missiles.”
15:27–15:37 -
Mr. Burns stands in a gallery hallway with Smithers and a third man in a dark suit with neat grey hair who is…
“You crooks in Washington head... Put a sock in it, punk.”
15:37–15:47 -
Homer walks down a blue-walled gallery with a red carpet and framed paintings, then unrolls a long red carpet…
“You have a choice.”
15:47–15:59 -
Homer fights in a hallway beside a wooden door, swinging a black briefcase with a combination lock
15:59–16:07 -
At night, a red car with a couple of small, indistinct figures inside speeds up the curving drive of a grand…
“Faster, Simpson, those jackboated G-men won't be far behind.”
16:07–16:19 -
Homer grips a steering wheel in a car beside a masked man in a grey cap and grey trench coat with light blue…
“Faster, Simpson, those jackboated G-men won't be far behind.”
16:19–16:30 -
A grey-haired man with glasses in a pink robe stands in a pink room with a shelf of dolls and blue dresses…
“You'll be swell, you'll be great.”
16:30–16:42 -
A grey-haired man with glasses in a pink robe walks down a pink hallway, reaches out to a doorknob, and pulls…
“Why, sir, what a pleasant gah-hah-hah-hah!”
16:42–16:54 -
Chief Wiggum sits behind the wheel of a white police car parked beside a large Duff billboard…
“This is Agent Johnson from the FBI.”
16:54–17:07 -
Mr. Burns sits in the back of a car beside Homer in his white shirt, while Smithers in a pink robe drives…
“We're never gonna make it.”
17:07–17:16 -
A yellow-skinned, one-off character in a beige double-breasted coat, grey cap, brown eye mask and light blue…
“Let's blow this fascist popsicle stand.”
17:16–17:23 -
Mr. Burns goggles and a light trench coat with blue-grey hair at the sides, sits at the wheel of a car…
“free from the relentless tyranny of Uncle Sam.”
17:23–17:31 -
Marge holds Maggie, the baby with a pacifier and blue bow, while Bart and Lisa sit on the red couch…
“Okay, kids, I want some answers.”
17:31–17:37 -
Bart Simpson sits on the brown couch in the pink living room beside Marge, who has her tall blue beehive…
“My dad has a trillion dollars?”
17:37–17:46 -
Bart, Marge, Maggie and Lisa are on a dark red couch in a pink living room, with framed pictures of Maggie…
“No, no, Bart.”
17:46–17:54 -
At Springfield Airfield, under a sign reading "Birthplace of Wind Shear," a stooped old man in a light shirt…
“Contact.”
17:54–18:05 -
Homer Simpson stands at a blue Buzz Cola vending machine and feeds a dollar bill into its slot, which spits…
“There's soda on the plane.”
18:05–18:17 -
Homer sits between a short-haired man with glasses in a white shirt and a long-nosed pilot in a leather…
“Attention, fugitives. You are leaving US jurisdiction.”
18:17–18:29 -
Homer sits in the middle of a plane cabin row between Carl and an unnamed man with short brown hair…
“Woo-hoo! We can jam on!”
18:29–18:40 -
Mr. Burns goggles and brown leather jacket, sits in a small airplane with Homer and a man with a grey…
“Any of these islands would make a fine new country.”
18:40–18:51 -
Inside the cockpit viewed through the windshield, Smithers with grey hair and glasses sits at left, Homer…
“Sir, that's Cuba.”
18:51–19:01 -
Homer stands at a counter beneath a "BIENVENIDOS A CUBA" sign while a female officer in a white uniform…
“Sorry about the landing, boys.”
19:01–19:12 -
Homer stands on a street in a Cuban-style town of pastel pink and green buildings with palm trees, talking…
“Oh, you're gonna love it in Cuba, Marge.”
19:12–19:26 -
Mr. Burns in a blue suit, Homer in a white shirt, Carl and a bespectacled man stand by a roadside taxi stand…
“Ah, the new packard we've been hearing so much about.”
19:26–19:38 -
Homer and Mr. Burns sit in the back of a teal taxi with a mustached driver in a lavender shirt, the car…
“So you say Batiste is gone.”
19:38–19:50 -
Homer and Mr. Burns sit in a car while Carl drives
“Did you know that? I had no idea.”
19:50–20:00 -
A bearded man with a blue beard and green military cap sits behind a desk in a pink-walled office…
“We have no choice but to abandon communism.”
20:00–20:14 -
A bearded, dictator-like man in a green military cap and fatigues sits at a desk on a telephone, gesturing…
“But, Presidente, America tried to kill you.”
20:14–20:25 -
Homer sits beside Mr. Burns and another man in a white shirt on a blue-carpeted living room set…
“Presidente, three men are here to see you.”
20:25–20:36 -
Mr. Burns sits in a blue suit beside Homer, a heavy bald man in a white shirt, while a thin grey-haired man…
“Oh, so the island's not for sale, eh? Well,”
20:36–20:47 -
Mr. Burns sits in a blue suit in a small room with a bearded man in an olive cap and green fatigues, whose…
“All we ask is preferential treatment because of my fabulous wealth.”
20:47–21:00 -
Mr. Burns sits in a blue suit beside a wine glass in a pink-walled room, passing a green banknote…
“Now give it back.”
21:00–21:11 -
Homer Simpson lies back on a wooden raft lashed with rope on open blue sea, grimacing and then talking…
“It's hard to believe there's a place worse than America, but we found it.”
21:11–21:17 -
Mr. Burns sits hunched over with his hands clasped in front of a dark blue backdrop and a pale sky
“Yes, I too feel renewed appreciation for the good old U.S.”
21:17–21:26 -
Mr. Burns sits with his legs crossed on a wooden ledge in front of a blue sea and gradient sky, while a heavy…
“Oppression and harassment are a small price to pay to live in the land of the free.”
21:26–21:35 -
Mr. Burns stands against a blue background of sea and sky, wearing a teal suit, white shirt and dark tie
“And if it's a crime to steal a trillion dollars from our government and hand it over to”
21:35–21:43 -
Mr. Burns stands tall in a blue suit and black tie on a wooden raft over blue water, gesturing with a raised…
“And if it's a crime to bribe a jury, then so help me,”
21:43–21:53 -
No Simpsons characters appear; this is a black title card sequence with gold cartoon-style text on a black…
21:53–22:02 -
The moment is a plain black screen with gold lettering centered in the middle, in a credits sequence
22:02–22:11 -
No characters appear in this sequence of black title cards
22:11–22:20 -
A black closing credits sequence of The Simpsons with gold text on a black background
22:20–22:29 -
No characters appear in this sequence of end credits on a black background, which scrolls through crew…
“Shh.”
22:29–22:38 -
A silhouetted audience sits in rows in a dim movie theater, with a large spiky-haired figure in the front…
“Shh.”
22:38–22:50
Who's in it
Bart Simpson, Homer Simpson, Lisa Simpson, Marge Simpson, Maggie Simpson, Moe Szyslak, Principal Skinner, Ned Flanders, Barney Gumble, Chief Wiggum, Krusty the Clown, Lenny Leonard, Carl Carlson, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Mrs. Krabappel, Dr. Hibbert, Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Nelson Muntz, Kent Brockman, Otto Mann, Jasper Beardsley, Reverend Lovejoy, Groundskeeper Willie, Miss Hoover, Todd Flanders, Maude Flanders, Rod Flanders, Kearney Zzyzwicz, Mayor Quimby, Sideshow Mel, Kirk Van Houten, Hans Moleman, Luann Van Houten, Helen Lovejoy, Professor Frink, Bernice Hibbert, Horatio McCallister, Comic Book Guy, Snake, Ruth Powers, Dr. Nick, Superintendent Chalmers, Lionel Hutz, Squeaky-Voiced Teen, Sanjay Nahasapeemapetilon, Alice Glick, Lunchlady Dora, Charlie, Rainier Wolfcastle, Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon, Jack Marley, Gil Gunderson, Lucius Sweet, Fidel Castro, Harry S. Truman, Agent Johnson, Agent Miller, Castro's Assistant, Cuban Boxer 1, Cuban Boxer 2, Cuban Taxi Driver, Cuban customs officer, Donkey meat boy, Hot Dog Vendor
Everyone who appears in it, from the Simpsons wiki. Every character