"The Great Louse Detective" | |
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The Simpsons episode | |
Episode no. | Season 14 Episode 6 |
Directed by | Steven Dean Moore |
Written by | John Frink and Don Payne |
Production code | EABF01 |
Original air date | December 15, 2002 |
Guest appearance | |
Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob | |
Episode features | |
Couch gag | When Homer uses the remote, the family travels back in time to the prehistoric era and the Roman times. |
Commentary | Matt Groening Al Jean John Frink Ian Maxtone-Graham Matt Selman Tim Long Michael Price Tom Gammill Dan Castellaneta Steven Dean Moore Mike B. Anderson David Silverman |
"The Great Louse Detective" is the sixth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons . It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 15, 2002. In the episode, the Simpson family wins a free spa weekend, and Homer is nearly killed when a mysterious figure locks him in a sauna. Chief Wiggum decides to hire someone who can think like a murderer in order to find the mystery assailant. Bart's arch-enemy Sideshow Bob is sent to live with the Simpsons so he can help find Homer's attempted killer, who turns out to be the son of the late Frank Grimes.
Since airing, the episode has received generally positive reviews from critics. The episode's title is a reference to the 1986 Disney animated feature The Great Mouse Detective .
The Simpsons win a free spa weekend. At the spa, Homer is nearly killed when a mysterious person locks him in a steam room with a wrench, but is saved inadvertently when Krusty the Clown unlocks the door. Homer and Marge see Chief Wiggum, who suggests they seek help from someone who can understand a murderer's twisted mind – the incarcerated Sideshow Bob. Wiggum places a shock bracelet on Sideshow Bob's ankle to discipline any bad behavior while he stays at the Simpson house. Bob asks Homer to list all the people who may want him dead, and follows him around to investigate who the assailant could be. They end up at a repair shop, where Homer chastises the mechanic, Junior.
Homer and Bob go to Moe's Tavern, where Lenny gives Bob advice on how to murder Bart. The assailant shoots at Homer, before escaping in a tow truck. Bob suggests that Homer stay out of sight to be safe, but Homer is named the King of the Springfield Mardi Gras, and must ride on a float for the whole day. Bob is sure that someone rigged the ballot in Homer's favor, but Homer takes part in the parade anyway in hopes of luring out his attempted killer. At the parade, Bob notices a brake line on Homer's float has been cut, and draws a correlation between the wrench used to lock Homer in the steam room, the wrenches in the tow truck and a smudge on the spa invitation, realizing that Junior is the killer. As the float goes out of control, Bob saves Homer by getting fired out of a cannon, hanging onto the Duff blimp, and grabbing Homer with his huge feet from above, just before the float crashes into the Museum of Swordfish.
Homer and Bob give chase on stilts to the killer, who says he is Frank Grimes Jr, the illegitimate son of Frank Grimes, and holds Homer responsible for his father's death. Junior is caught by the police. That night, Bob confronts Bart, having taken possession of the remote for his shock bracelet. Considering Lenny's advice, Bob decides to kill Bart, but realizes that he has grown accustomed to Bart's face and cannot bring himself to do it. He tries to take his leave, but gets zapped continuously by his shock bracelet (because of birds pecking the remote after it landed in their nest).
"The Great Louse Detective" was written by John Frink and Don Payne and directed by Steven Dean Moore as part of the fourteenth season of The Simpsons (2002–03). [1] American actor Kelsey Grammer guest starred in the episode, returning to voice the recurring character Sideshow Bob. [2] [3] Since season three's "Black Widower" (1992), the writers have echoed the premise of Wile E. Coyote chasing the Road Runner from the 1949–1966 Looney Tunes cartoons by having Bob unexpectedly insert himself into Bart's life and attempt to kill him. Executive producer Al Jean has compared Bob's character to that of Wile E. Coyote, noting that both are intelligent, yet always foiled by what they perceive as an inferior intellect. [4]
This is one of the first episodes of The Simpsons that were animated with digital ink and paint, and marked the series' permanent switch to that technique, but the opening sequence made in cel animation is not definitively abandoned until years later. Previously, episodes had been animated using the traditional ink-and-paint process. Digital ink and paint had previously been used by the animators of The Simpsons for season 7's "Radioactive Man" and season 12's "Tennis the Menace", primarily to test the technique. [5]
The episode originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 15, 2002. [1] It was viewed in approximately 8.75 million households that night. With a Nielsen rating of 8.2, the episode finished 23rd in the ratings for the week of December 9–15, 2002. It was the highest-rated broadcast on Fox that week, beating shows such as King of the Hill , Malcolm in the Middle , 24 , That '70s Show , and the 2002 Billboard Music Awards. [6] On December 6, 2011, "The Great Louse Detective" was released on Blu-ray and DVD as part of the box set The Simpsons – The Complete Fourteenth Season. [7] Staff members Matt Groening, Al Jean, John Frink, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Matt Selman, Tim Long, Michael Price, Tom Gammill, Steven Dean Moore, Mike B. Anderson, and David Silverman, as well as cast member Dan Castellaneta, participated in the DVD audio commentary for the episode. Deleted scenes from the episode were also included in the box set. [8]
The episode has received generally positive reviews from critics. In 2009, IGN's Leo Waldbaum listed "The Great Louse Detective" at number seven on his list of the "Top 10 Sideshow Bob Episodes". At that time, ten episodes revolving around the character had aired. Canning wrote that the episode "was a lot of fun as it put Bob in an unexpected situation with the Simpsons, interacting more with Homer than with Bart." He added that the episode "is also memorable for having Homer's attempted murderer turn out to be Frank Grimes Jr., son of Frank 'Grimey' Grimes. This was a nice reference to 'Homer's Enemy' and was a rare instance where the series carried through some continuity." [9]
DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson commented that "Over the years, we’ve gotten many a great Sideshow Bob episode, so this one has to live up to steep competition. While not a bad show, 'Louse' fails to live up to its predecessors. It does throw out some good moments, and it’s fine by Season 14 standards, but it doesn’t qualify as a Sideshow Bob classic." [8]
Chief Clancy Wiggum is a fictional character from the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Hank Azaria. He is the chief of police in the show's setting of Springfield, and is the father of Ralph Wiggum and the husband of Sarah Wiggum.
Robert Underdunk Terwilliger Jr., PhD, better known as Sideshow Bob, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head". Bob is a self-proclaimed genius who is a graduate of Yale University and a champion of high culture, including the adoption of a transatlantic accent, similar to that of Grammer's portrayal of Dr. Frasier Crane from the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier. He began his career as a sidekick on Krusty the Clown's television show, but after enduring constant abuse, Bob framed his employer for armed robbery in "Krusty Gets Busted", only to be foiled by Bart Simpson, and sent to prison. Bob started seeking revenge against Bart while in prison, and the two became feuding arch-enemies.
Ralph Wiggum is a recurring character in the animated series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright. Ralph is characterized largely by his frequent non-sequiturs which range from nonsensical and bizarre to profound. His dim-witted behavior lends him an air of blissful ignorance.
"Homer's Enemy" is the twenty-third episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on May 4, 1997. "Homer's Enemy" was directed by Jim Reardon and written by John Swartzwelder, based on an idea pitched by executive producer Bill Oakley.
"The Dad Who Knew Too Little" is the eighth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 12, 2003. In the episode, Homer disappoints Lisa on her birthday when he gives her a thoughtless present. He realizes that he knows little about her and decides to hire private detective Dexter Colt to spy on her.
"Cape Feare" is the second episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 7, 1993. The episode features guest star Kelsey Grammer in his third major appearance as Sideshow Bob, who attempts to kill Bart Simpson again after getting out of jail, spoofing the 1962 film Cape Fear and its 1991 remake. Both films are based on John D. MacDonald's 1957 novel The Executioners and allude to other horror films such as Psycho.
"Krusty Gets Busted" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 29, 1990. The episode was written by Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky and directed by Brad Bird. In the episode, Krusty the Clown is convicted of armed robbery of the Kwik-E-Mart. Believing that Krusty has been framed for it, Bart and Lisa investigate the crime and learn that Krusty's sidekick, Sideshow Bob, is the culprit.
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"The Parent Rap" is the second episode and official premiere of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 11, 2001. In the episode, Bart and his father, Homer, are sentenced by the cruel judge Constance Harm to be tethered to each other as a result of Bart stealing Police Chief Wiggum's car thanks to Homer's negligence. Eventually, Homer's wife, Marge, is fed up with the punishment and cuts the rope, which instead leads to Judge Harm sentencing them to have their heads and hands locked up in wooden stocks.
"Large Marge" is the fourth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 24, 2002. In the episode, Marge decides to get liposuction, thinking that Homer does not find her attractive anymore. However, she accidentally receives breast implants, so she becomes adored by many men in Springfield and becomes a model. Meanwhile, Bart and Milhouse try to imitate a stunt they saw on an episode of Batman that guest starred Krusty the Clown. When the stunt ends badly, media watchdog groups blame Krusty, forcing the clown to make his show more safety-conscious and less fun.
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"Black Widower" is the twenty-first episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 9, 1992. The episode was written by Jon Vitti and directed by David Silverman. Kelsey Grammer guest starred as Sideshow Bob for the second time. In the episode, Sideshow Bob — Bart's new archenemy — returns, apparently in a romantic relationship with Bart's aunt Selma, but when Bart later realizes that Bob is planning to kill Selma, he prevents the attempted murder and Bob is sent back to prison. "Black Widower" finished 39th in Nielsen ratings for the week that it originally aired. Reviewers generally enjoyed the episode, and gave Grammer's portrayal of Sideshow Bob particular praise.
"Brother from Another Series" is the sixteenth episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 23, 1997. Sideshow Bob is released from prison after his arrest in "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" into the care of his brother Cecil and claims to be a changed man. However, Bart does not believe him and tries to find out what Bob is up to. It was the first episode directed by Pete Michels and was written by Ken Keeler. The episode guest stars Kelsey Grammer in his sixth appearance as Sideshow Bob and David Hyde Pierce in his first appearance as Cecil. The title is not only a pun on the movie The Brother from Another Planet, but for the fact that guest stars Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce also played bickering brothers Frasier Crane and Niles Crane, respectively, on the NBC sitcom Frasier.
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