The episode begins at a baseball game, with Homer and the guys from the power plant are playing. Everyone is terrible, and the Simpson kids know it. Burns is speaking with the owner of the opposing team, and they speak about the end of nuclear power and when/if it will come. Burns drives off to Yale, where he is welcomed by some people who clearly are kissing up to him so they can get money. They reject his offer to establish a department of nuclear plant management. Burns gets upset by what has happened to Yale, and he leaves and takes his money with him. He goes to the Skull and Bones Society, where Verlander tells him about a line of colleges he started (they "took over all the old Circuit Cities"). This gives Burns an idea to start his own college. Back in Springfield, Burns throws all of his Yale stuff away and starts it on fire. Based on something Lenny says, Burns decides to make his college for-profit.
We get to see a commercial for "Burns University", and it's very strange. Burns decides that the plant workers will be the professors. One of those workers, of course, will be Homer. Based on what he's saying at the dinner table, he's going to be a great professor (Did you know that if an atom runs for office, it's called an electron?). Lisa gets very upset by Homer making a mess of education, and she gets drunk. Drunk Lisa is incredibly fun to watch. At Burns University, "Professor" Homer is teaching his class. He doesn't know anything. Wiggum is also there, and he's very subtle. At home, Lisa tries to help Homer. She has him watch movies about teaching. Homer has a newfound love of teaching because of these movies. He explains important things to him like how to use a chair. Burns is watching everything when Verlander comes in and offer to buy the school, but only if Homer comes with it. Burns introduces Homer to Verlander.
Homer arrives at Verlander's via a helicopter, and he is introduced to Neil deGrasse Tyson, Ken Jennings, Robert McKee, and Suze Orman. Verlander wants these great teachers (and also Homer) to teach robots. This is all a scheme to funnel billions of taxpayer dollars to Verlander, something Homer and Suze Orman figure out. Homer is sent with the robots to Yale. Homer actually manages to figure out a way to kill the robots, as he dresses in "Botface". This offends the robots so much that they explode.
I enjoyed this episode as a whole, but there were some parts that didn't quite work. The entire first act was pretty weak, but everything after that was pretty decent. The guests, especially Suze Orman, were great tonight. I also really missed the family, especially Bart, tonight. They were just there and other than Lisa, didn't play a part in the story at all. I wish some time would have been devoted to them this episode, and it would have been better.
Episode Score: 8/10
Episode Grade: B
