The Simpsons

The long‑lost son of Mr Burns suddenly turns up, only to immediately scheme to force his ruthless father into confessing affection. He does this by faking his own abduction, hoping the ruse will compel Burns to admit he loves him.

The episode “Burns, Baby Burns” is a programme classified as an episode‑type instalment. It falls squarely within the genre of a single‑episode story, offering a self‑contained narrative that focuses on a particular set of characters. In this instalment, the long‑lost son of Mr Burns makes a sudden return. His re‑appearance is the catalyst for the plot, as he immediately sets about trying to coax his notoriously ruthless father into confessing that he cares for him. To achieve this, the son devises a ruse: he pretends to have been kidnapped. By staging the fake abduction, he hopes to force Mr Burns into a situation where he must admit his affection, despite the father’s typically cold and calculating demeanour. The episode revolves around this delicate manoeuvre, with the son’s deception pitted against Mr Burns’s characteristic nastiness. The tension stems from the son’s desperate bid for emotional validation and the father’s reluctance to show any sign of love, creating a brief but pointed clash that drives the story forward.