NHC Weekly Episode Club 2.0

[CousinMerl]

Written by Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein and directed by Mark Kirkland, 'Sideshow Bob Roberts' is the fourth episode to prominently feature the sinister Sideshow Bob and while it's not my favorite episode featuring him, I won't deny that it is a really good and entertaining episode. I'm not one for politics but this one still does a really good job handling a political story about Sideshow Bob and how he complains to the conservative radio talk show host Birch Barlow about being unfairly imprisoned and how Mayor Quimby then gets pressured to release Bob from prison, whereupon the genius criminal gets released and runs for mayor in Springfield, succeeds, and while enjoying himself as the mayor, puts some spanners in the works for the Simpson family by sending Bart back to kindergarten and ultimately forces the family to move to make way for an expressway; it's a solid and engaging plot and the overall quality of the episode is a winner.



Regarding the animation of the episode, I must say that I really like it; it's of the colorful and expressive variety and there no real stiffness in it. The scene where Bob puts on a little show for the schoolchildren stands out and there are also several nice effects, such as the light above the plant in Quimby's closet as he waters it in the start of the episode, the fire that is engulfing the mattress during the prison riot as Bob is talking on the phone and also the shadows on and around various characters; all of that are stuff that makes it a bit more 'cinematical' or so to say. There are no problems with the pacing so the plot flows on in a good fashion and the majority of the characters are in character; some might argue that Grampa is a bit off since he doesn't really give a rat's ass about his son Homer's family and their home and wants it to be demolished to make way for the Matlock Expressway, but I think that the reason is because he after all is obsessed with Matlock and he has never really felt too welcome in the Simpson home. The new character in this episode is the parodic Birchibald T. Barlow and even though I know basically nothing about Rush Limbaugh other than he is a conservative radio talker, I had no problems with the Barlow character and I thought he served his purpose really well within the episode.



Even though it's a political and pretty story-heavy episode, there is no lack of jokes and gags; the bats in the public library and Mrs. McFierly's compost heap (!), "Hey, I am no longer illiterate!", Homer letting Lisa drive so that she can pick the music ("I can't take this anymore!, let's switch back!"), "Do they give a nobel prize for attempted chemistry, do they?" (I think this line has become quite popular), Moe handing out the hand grenades and then taking them back ("Hey, who pulled the pin on this one?"), "Hello children... hello Bart"-"Eep!", Homer and the Archie crew (nice callback later on when Homer reads an Archie comic and mentions the 'Riverdale punks'), the bully trio covering Milhouse with bumper stickers and sending him down the street in a shopping cart, Grampa starting to tell Bob the story about his first radio (It's too bad they no longer have these long and rambling Grampa stories that doesn't really go anywhere, Quimby's devil hair gag with the added flame effects on the TV airing of the debate, Bob laughing madly and Kent Brockman commenting "how happy he is", "Quick, get Bart out of the house before God comes!", Bart choosing the Flintstones phone toy while in kindergarten as his toy of choice ("Yabba-dabba-do; I like talking to you!") and Homer suddenly revealing who the secret informant is with the headlights of his car ("Hi, Mr. Smithers!").



The resolution to the plot that evolves into being about Bart and Lisa and their quest to remove Bob from office is pretty great; Smithers tells Bart and Lisa about the name Edgar Neubaer, which they ultimately discovers on a tombstone as the name of a dead man who appears on the list of voters in the Quimby vs. Bob campaign, whereupon they discover that there are many other names of dead people as well as pets on the list and by so finda out about Bob's rigging of the election by ghost voting. While in court they then keep pestering him with the words about Birch being the mastermind behind the fraud and how Bob was only the puppet and it's then Bob's narcissism kicks in and he publicly shouts out that it was all his idea and says that the reason was because of Springfield's political stupidity. Then, as we know, Bob is shipped to the Springfield Minimum Security Prison, Quimby regains his job as the mayor of Springfield and the expressway is put on hold indefinately (to the dismay of the old people); all of this is done almost flawlessly and I like the whole ghost voter concept they used for Bob's plan. Speaking about Sideshow Bob, the voice acting done by Kelsey Grammer is fantastic; in this episode it's in particular the part in the courtroom when Bob cracks and reveals everything about his plan, the voice acting is spot on and really makes the scene (The line "There!, is that what you want, you smarmy little bastards?!" has a geniunely great delivery and stands out as one of the best lines in the episode in my opinion.)



All in all, despite the fact that is as said not really my favorite episode to feature Sideshow Bob nor a completely perfect episode in my opinion, I really enjoy this episode and perhaps even more so that when I last watched it which was quite some time ago. The plot is strong and there's several moments of humor that works really well so in the whole picture, the episode really delivers and is an one with some real meat on it's bones (I suspect it might have something to do with Oakley & Weinstein being the writers behind it). While it doesn't really have the same popularity or sense of funniness as 'Cape Feare', I must admit that I think it is a really good and solid episode in it's own way.

[zartok-35]

Great job NumberZone! I agree on most all accounts! I'd have to say this is probbaly the funniest episode of season 6 that isn't written by John Swartzwelder.

I love that vampire at the Conservative meeting. Thats one of the biggest laughs in the episosde for me.

[CousinMerl]

^ Yeah, the vampire; he has something of a Nosferatu flair to him, hasn't he?

Also, I am quite sure this is the only apperance of just this wierd-looking greenish vampire; in the later apperances of Springfield's Republican Party group they use either the Count Chocula/Fudgula character or the more common Count Dracula type (I think there has been only three vampire versions in Springfield's Republican Party including the one in this episode).

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

Great review NumberZone, mine will probably seem very similar honestly.

zartok I assume you forgot "Homer Badman" and "Treehouse of Horror V" weren't written by Swartzwelder because they are both funnier than this easily.

[zartok-35]

Good point, 'Time and punishment' was funnier than this. Aside from that, I think I have to disagree.
'Homer Badman' is great and all, and it's satire is a bit sharper, but I just didn't laugh as much as I did here.

[Comicshow MolemanBob]

Watched it. Loved it. Will write a review later...

[cloneasaurus]

"Sideshow Bob Roberts", written by Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, is my favourite Sideshow Bob episode. Whilst many will point to "Cape Feare" as Sideshow Bob's defining moment, "Roberts" manages to be funnier than its predecessors and contemporaries, containing biting yet light-hearted political satire and typical Simpsons humour, and also have a unique plot that is not as simple as "Sideshow Bob tries to kill Bart". This essential element of differentiation that newer Bob episodes lack is what makes "Roberts" and other classic Bob episodes, for example, "Brother From Another Series" so fulfilling to watch.

"Attempted murder? Now honestly, what is that? Do they give a Nobel prize for attempted chemistry? Do they?"

Humour-wise, "Roberts" never fails, succeeding in being one of the few episodes where I think every joke hits. Whether it's Barts line about having 2 mortal enemies, or the fabulous sequence including Lionel Hutz, "Roberts" continually has me in stitches even on immediate repeat viewings. "Roberts" is the quintessential example of the Simpsons in their comedic prime. Jokes are well timed and all within character. Yet the beauty of the episode is, that even with these numerous jokes, the episode hardly loses footing and stays on track, more than can be said for more recent episodes. "Roberts" weaves jokes so delicately and masterfully into its plot that without realising, you can be laughing away whilst the plot chugs along. This too highlights the mastery of the comedy in "Roberts", it waits for no one, it executes it perfectly, and leaves the audience to do the rest. There's no over explanation or unnecessary build up - it fires out the gags rapidly, but not so much as to overflow the episode.

It's important to note though, that although satirical, "Roberts" is hardly a politically themed piece of television. Rather, it relishes in jabbing fun at both ends of the US political spectrum, remaining neutral (okay, slightly left-wing) and light-hearted, yet simultaneously acerbically witty, whether it be referring to Republicans as outdated, and stupid (applauding a water dispenser as their mayoral candidate) or Democrats as illiterate and sleazy. This not only enhances the comedy in "Roberts" but also makes it multi-dimensional and appealing to all audiences - the beauty of the classic era.

Animation-wise the episode is vibrant and exciting, if not spectacular. Unlike some episodes, "Roberts"' story takes us to many places in Springfield. The library, the Simpson home, the nuclear power-plant, the town hall, the school, and even the graveyard. Whilst not as essential as comedy in terms of enjoyment, there is no doubt good direction and varying environments help make an episode more captivating. Animation wise, my favourite moments here have to be:

Bart's stance here is just great, perfectly conveying his shock and leading on brilliantly to his "mortal enemies" line.

With the shading and atmosphere, Bob's speech (ie.long laugh) did excellently in reminding us of Bob's presence and wickedness.

Smithers' scene also helped at some drama and conflict to the episode.

This nice reference to All The President's Men is certainly an interesting (I hate my limited vocabulary) angle and helped what would be a perhaps boring scene (Lisa at the library) become that little bit more enticing.

All this culminated results in one fine episode of the Simpsons, that succeeds in giving us an interesting and unique plot, plenty of laughs, and excellent satire. Whilst one could say that episode lacks an emotional core, and the lack of direct Bob-Bart interaction could be.. an anti-climax, the episode, without a doubt, succeeds and fulfils what it set out to be, and very well at that.

A+

10/10

[zartok-35]

Good job, SpeedwaySquad. I've never considered the vast variety of locations this episode travels too, but it deffinatley makes it that much more interesting.
The brilliant execution of the gags and the fact that they tie in and don't distract or takeaway from the plot is one of my favorite things about this episode also.

[cloneasaurus]

Thanks zartok! I agree about the gags, I actually think this may be one of the funniest Simpsons episode of all time.

Also Raspberry, can I be put on the episode nomination list? Thanks in advance

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

^Added

Nice review too SpeedwaySquad!

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

Sideshow Bob Roberts

My apologies if my review seems repetitive this week. The show's fourth episode involving Sideshow Bob deals with political satire. Written by future Showrunners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein this episode feels like something that could've come from their era of the show. It masterfully parodies politics and political films, while also managing to tell a fun, interesting, and smartly written story. Mark Kirkland directs this beautifully animated episode. Aside from that, let's get started.

We begin with a spot on parody of Rush Limbaugh with the conservative talk show host Birch Barlow. The loudmouth happens to have many fans, including for some reason Homer Simpson. He begins having conversations on air with Sideshow Bob and manages to sway his listeners into demanding Bob's release from prison. Mayor Quimby, forever corrupt, blows the way the wind does and decides to release Bob. At Republican Party HQ, Bob is chosen as the candidate who will run against Quimby in Springfield's upcoming Mayoral Election. Bob campaigns at school where his antics delight most, but Bart and Lisa manage to steal the spotlight and give it to Quimby. Bob also campaigns at the Retirement Castle, where it just wouldn't feel like an Oakley and Weinstein episode without the mandatory Matlock references.

The Key is to Tell 'Em Stories That Don't Go Anywhere...

Larry King moderates a debate that makes Quimby look like a devil and ensures Bob's victory. As new Mayor, Bob vows to demolish the Simpson house, but Lisa is still unsure of how a convicted felon could've beaten another convicted felon so easily. It is here where we get the Watergate stuff which feels so very much like Oakley and Weinstein writing. Lisa eventually comes into contact with a mysterious stranger, revealed to be Smithers, eager to help her in her quest to find out the truth. Lisa and Bart discover that Bob has rigged the election and manage to make him confess in a scene reminiscent of A Few Good Men. The episode ends with Bob back in prison, but a much nicer one.

Alright so that's the episode in a nutshell, but how do I feel about it? As a child it was always my least favorite Bob episode, but to fully appreciate this one you need to know your political history so that's understandable. Watching it today I enjoy it much more, as it is just full of the typical Oakley and Weinstein "smart" humor, but also has great little moments that don't take much to enjoy like Bart's nice little guffaw while listening to Fred Flinstone, or Homer getting thrown out of Riverdale, or even the bullies wrapping Milhouse in bumper stickers. Kelsey Grammer is yet again masterful as Sideshow Bob, brilliantly displaying both the calm, cool, educated and seemingly harmless man, as well as the overly maniacal lunatic with that amazing laugh ending act 2.

The political satire is great, and at least here more punches seem to be thrown at Republicans, but the Democrats don't come out exactly unscathed. Both political ads are just so very great. Just the other day I was singing the part of Quimby's song about the stadium collapsing and was delighted to see it in this episode. Bob's might actually be better though, as he manages to discredit Quimby for allowing HIMSELF to be released from prison! I mentioned Barlow earlier but he really is just a perfect imitation of Limbaugh who has really only gotten worse and more popular in the 16 or so years since this episode originally aired. My favorite joke involving him is at the debate where he just hammers Quimby about a question regarding crime, only for the whole pointless little tirade to have nothing to do with his real question about the budget. Ironically this episode was probably more resonant during the eight years when Bush Jr. was in office than when it originally aired. In fact the style of jokes here almost seem tame compared to some of the stuff we've seen since, particularly from Seth MacFarlane's shows. But here the stuff rarely feels heavy handed which is an important distinction to make. The only time it really does is when we visit the Republican Party HQ, but this actually might be my favorite gag of the episode. That whole scene, vampire and all, is just so great. I think it might even be the first appearance of the Rich Texan.

The story flows nicely until the end, which is probably the only thing that bothers me much. Bob's breakdown in front of Bart and Lisa, while certainly possible considering the character, still comes a little too quickly for me. I'd like to think it should take more than that to trick him into revealing his crime, but that is a minor problem really and I mean they obviously ran out of time. This episode already contained a rare extremely short opening anyway. I believe the only non Halloween episode that had an even shorter intro was Season 22's "The Great Simpsina." As a whole this is a well written episode which I enjoy greatly. Personally I wish it had a few more long, hard laughs but it is strong regardless. As a Sideshow Bob episode I'd probably rank it somewhere between 3-5. I definitely prefer "Cape Fear," as that is arguably the funniest episode in the history of the show, but after that I'm not really sure. I think I might have to choose "Krusty Gets Busted" next but it has been far too long since I've seen that one to know for sure. Regardless, this is definitely one of the stronger Bob episodes. 5/5 I need to rewatch many of the Sideshow Bob episodes though now that I think of it....

PS: I love the banner when Quimby visits the elderly which reads "Gripe At The Mayor Night."

[zartok-35]

Nice review, Raspberry. The Rich Texan's first apperance was actually in season 5's "$pringfield", but this is probably his next turn since then, and is still quite early.

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

I was not aware of that zartok, thanks!

Actually now that I think of it $pringfield was another Oakley and Weinstein episode.

[Old painty-can Ned]

So many great political moments/themes parodied in this one. The Bernard Shaw question, the play on water gate, The Nixon/JFK debate and of course the play on Limbaugh and other Republicans and Democrats. Plus on top of all this there are a boatload of film/TV references. Amazing episode will go into further detail later.

How well do you think this episode stacks up against Two Cars, Mr.Lisa Goes to Washington or Mr.Spritz Goes to Washington? I'm not including Bart Mangled Banner because its satire is just too shitty.

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

Comparing those four episodes is actually really tough for me Darren as I haven't seen Mr. Spritz or Mr. Lisa in well over a year, and my last viewing of Two Cars was also a fairly long time ago as well. Just going off of what little memory I have though, this would probably be at least the second best of the four, maybe even the best. Right now I'd probably put Two Cars first, but I honestly don't know for sure. Mr. Lisa always comes off as Season 1-esque to me for some reason where the story is sweet, but it is missing the consistently hilarious moments, but again I haven't seen it in a long time.

[CousinMerl]

Great reviews so far, everyone! (and Speedway Squad, I see you used two screenshots I also used for my review; that exact shot of Bob laughing manically is great). Anyway, comparing this to the other political episode, I must first say that I haven't seen 'Mr. Spritz' in a long time so I can't compare it, but the others ones I can compare; I think i'd put 'Two Cars' first, then this one and 'Mr. Lisa' third (still, I think all of them are rather solid episodes).

Now, here's a question I started thinking of yesterday and would like to ask: how would you rank the episode among the rest of the classic era Sideshow Bob episodes? (I've been rewatching the others yesterday and I have one more left, then I'll post my rankings' list of the classic era Bob episodes).

[zartok-35]

This is my favorite Sideshow Bob episode, obviously. It's off my 'List of 15'.

[cloneasaurus]

this was done a few months ago but I wasn't around, so I'll just say that this is my favourite Bob episode, and the rest (classic-wise) sorta goes like this:

1. Sideshow Bob Roberts
2. Brother From Another Series
3. Cape Feare
4. Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming
5. Krusty Gets Busted
6. Black Widower

I think most people consider Cape Feare to be the best though.

[Old painty-can Ned]

The Simpsons in the classic era always seems to excel when it dishes out satire in heavy forms. I would probably agree with the consensus that 2 Cars is the strongest because I love its use of subtle political satire and easier satire. It's also our first look at the mighty Burns how he is evil but still likable and the character he gets created in 2 Cars is exceptionally strong. While Bob Roberts is strong in its satire it lacks the depth of 2 Cars and some of the satire while true comes off really easy. Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington is the worst out of the three classic era political satires but mainly just because of its overt preachiness state. It's still filled with plenty of moments with satirical bite but is somewhat cheesy. Mr. Spritz isn't terribly done either. Although some of its satire is heavy handed and the episode drags if you watch it more than once or twice.

Two Cars: A+
Mr.Lisa:B+
Sideshow Bob Roberts A-
Mr.Spritz:C+

Ranked against other Sideshow Bob episodes it ranks up there. I still think Cape Feare is his strongest output but the more I watch the less I really enjoy it but we'll see I guess. For now it probably goes like this

Krusty Gets Busted: B+
Black Widower:B
Cape Feare: A
Sideshow Bob Roberts: A-
Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming B
Brother From Another Series:A-

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

Cape Fear
Krusty Gets Busted
Black Widower
Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming = Sideshow Bob Roberts
Brother From Another Series

I really need to rewatch several of these to know for sure though.

[zartok-35]

This episode is interesting as a Sideshow Bob episode, as it isn't about him, or him trying to kill bart, so much as it's about politics in Springfield, and he's just along for the ride. It's a lot more worldly than other Bob outtings.

[Zombies Rise from the Sea]

Review is up.

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

This episode is interesting as a Sideshow Bob episode, as it isn't about him, or him trying to kill bart, so much as it's about politics in Springfield, and he's just along for the ride. It's a lot more worldly than other Bob outtings.

Looking at it like that to me actually hurts the episode, at least if we're comparing it to other Bob episodes that are more about him.

[zartok-35]

You have a point there...But I like this one too much to allow that to discredit it! If anything, the episode is in a league of it's own, and Bob's being there makes it that much better.

[CousinMerl]

Now when I have given the Bob episodes of the classic era a rewatch (all of them are definitely solid episodes), I think I'll have to rank them in this order:

Cape Feare
Brother From Another Series
Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming
Sideshow Bob Roberts
Black Widower
Krusty Gets Busted.

EDIT: One thing I noticed was that the majority of the classic era Bob episodes has some really great examples of rather fluid animation: one bit that comes to mind is when Bob slaps around the bellboy and then talks to the camera in 'Black Widower'. Overall, it feels like they put some extra effort when it came to the animation in the episodes centered around Bob; anyone else agree?

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

I'm not really sure that they put extra effort into the Bob episodes really animation wise, but they all have at least nice animation. I am surprised to see you chose Krusty Gets Busted as your least favorite of the classic era though.

Also NumberZone as I've already told you it is your turn for episode nomination so please pick an episode sometime today.

[Old painty-can Ned]

I'm not really sure that they put extra effort into the Bob episodes really animation wise, but they all have at least nice animation. I am surprised to see you chose Krusty Gets Busted as your least favorite of the classic era though.

Also NumberZone as I've already told you it is your turn for episode nomination so please pick an episode sometime today.

Well Krusty gets Busted/Black Widower really lose their appeal after a second or third viewing. While lots of the other Bob episodes have some mystery surrounding them they're padded by other aspects that I don't think Krusty Gets Bused/Black Widower have.

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

Eh, I guess that is true to a point, but I still really enjoy them both. In fact Busted is my favorite Season 1 episode, not that that is saying much. I think I tend to overrate it because of that.

[CousinMerl]

I am surprised to see you chose Krusty Gets Busted as your least favorite of the classic era though.

As I've said, I think all of the classic era Bob episodes are solid ones and by so none of them are less than about A- worthy to me; I didn't put 'Krusty Gets Busted' as the bottom of the list because it's my least favorite (it's one of S1's strongest episode and has some really funny moments), it's simply because it's not really up to par with the later ones and one bit that is kind of jarring is the part where Homer gives a description of the robber ('Krusty') to the police and mentions 'big red hair' even though 'Krusty' had tufts of green hair like the original; it pretty much gives away who the real criminal is and ruins the episode's plot a little bit (I might sound pretty harsh, but that is how I felt now when I rewatched it).

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

I haven't watched Busted in forever, but Homer actually says that? See that scene, assuming I remember it correctly, always came off as Homer being an oafish coward more than anything else. I find it hard to believe that such an obvious clue wasn't intentional, though I never connected it to Bob. Probably because I don't even remember the line though honestly. If you don't figure out that Bob was behind it by that act break with him laughing though you have to be clueless. And by you I don't mean you literally NumberZone, just the audience in general.