So I finally got around to see Portrait of a Lackey on Fire.
It was not the Burnsmithers killer, in fact, it took this in a direction I never thought it would go. It was not the Burnsmithers clutch either.
Let me explain.
So, spoilers:
To be fair? The Burns Cage may be credited with Smithers “coming out” to Burns but this episode seems more like it, the far more definitive edition.
There is a scene in here where Smithers’ new boyfriend, Michael, is causing a level of cognitive dissonance for him, that Michael isn’t the dream boyfriend he wanted but a fantasy version of Monty Burns that Waylon desired, right down to the deviousness and conceited bastardly triumphs from his fast fashion practices, as in he realizes he has atype.
So to deal with the dilemma to carry on with this despite of all of Michael’s nefarious business practices, he finally has to muster up courage and ask the one person who he knows might have insight about this moral situation: Montgomery Burns.
So Smithers bursts into Burns’ office to relay his love life to him and it’s legit the most forward he’s ever been about his sexuality TO Burns in the show’s history (well barring a few times, and one in the Tapped Out game.)
In true Burns fashion, it seems like he is avoidant, even ignorant of it by substituting Smithers’ statements of gender with the feminine one, but then just listens when Smithers brings up that it was esteemed billionaire Michael and then Burns mentions that he should *marry* him.
And it’s the answer that everyone got after 30+ years: Mr. Burns never cared if Smithers was gay, or anyone for that matter, he was in factencouraging about it - after all he’s a billionaire and what a catch that is.
“So what if you pretend if you are gay, he’s a billionaire!” A bit of the icing on the top but we now know that Burns really has no limits when it comes literally to anyone’s gender in a relationship as long as it works out profitable. A bit on the nose to nepotism, but it really falls in line what we have been saying about Monty for years now - he surrounds himself with LGBT+ confidants like Nigel and Phillip, so he wouldn’t be foreign to the idea at all nor uncomfortable about it.
In fact, this line makes me wonder about if Burns has any hang ups himself and what his sexual identity really is. We have speculated he is bisexual for years with all of the hints he gives off, so this gives us into an insight that well, he would marry the richest most powerful man himself if he wanted to (I do have a complaint that well, Burns uses the modern term ‘gay’ instead of his usual antiquated ones which seems out of place for this.)
In short, this makes us wonder what will happen with both now going forward, that Burns knows Smithers wants men and well, Burns seems like he is game up for anyone himself it would seem? I always wondered if Burns saw something in Sr. more likely and this is why he’s rebuffed Waylon’s advances for decades (besides the theory that he’s suspicious of anyone wanting to climb up on him for power.) We probably won’t know.
What does this mean for Burnsmithers as a whole in the future? I feel like there is more than 30+ years being ignored here of basic relationship building and honestly, with Burns out for most of the episode, there is a LOT we need to address here and catch up on. This doesn’t deconfirm a Burnsmithers relationship in the future, but it doesn’t cement one either.
Synopsis for Portrait of a Lackey on Fire is out and it’s a big one:
Smithers finds true love with a famous fashion designer (voiced by Victor Garber), but will his new relationship destroy Springfield?
This episode is also fitted with a fun Mr. Burns sideplot, and it makes me wonder what they are going to attempt here. Has Smithers really moved on from Monty? Or will it be a situation that someone finally acknowledges something going on about the other?
This could have interesting and dire consequences after really moving forward, then stopping, moving back, then inching forward for a few decades with the essential Burnsmithers plot, so it will be interesting to see where this is going to go, considering last week, Moe is officially married to Maya.
The whole tagline “but will his new relationship destroy Springfield” might be the most interesting thing to note out of all of this, like there is a larger force out there trying to prevent it or something else is happening to raze that notion. Maybe someone more powerful like a certain boss…
Unless if they (Smithers and the fashion designer) are just obnoxious as a couple, that whole ideal.
… Unless, of course, he woke up in the old world tomorrow. He didn’t know why he’d been brought here, so what said he wouldn’t go back at time. Except, Monty hoped that maybe he wouldn’t.
…
He wanted to stay, even if he didn’t ‘belong’ here.
Hehad to stay.
- Excerpt from “Rebirth,” by Rarilee6 onAO3
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A giftart for the author. I’d call this piece halfway done. There’s still more I’d like to do. I’m playing with backgrounds now.
Looks like we are finally getting Evil Godmother Burns (what? Missed opportunity not calling her Montlicifent) for the upcoming Into the Homerverse Tapped Out event!
