We have to talk about "Cape Feare." Often cited as one of the greatest episodes of the series, it features the quintessential Sideshow Bob moment.
Sideshow Bob is a testament to The Simpsons ’ writing at its peak: he’s hilarious and terrifying in equal measure. He has tried to kill Bart over a dozen times, married Bart’s aunt Selma (for access to the family, naturally), and once ran for mayor on a platform of literacy and bridge tolls. Yet audiences root for him to survive each electrocution, each prison escape. Because where other characters provide jokes, Bob provides art . As he himself once said, “Attempted murder? Now honestly, what is that? Do they give a Nobel Prize for attempted chemistry?” side show bob the simpsons
If you ask a casual fan to name the villain of The Simpsons , they might say Mr. Burns or perhaps Nelson Muntz. But for the die-hard fans, there is only one antagonist who truly elevates the show to high art—mostly because he can quote high art while trying to murder a child. We have to talk about "Cape Feare
Which one would you like to see on a Sideshow Bob t-shirt? Yet audiences root for him to survive each
Bob’s visual design is genius in its contradiction. Towering at 6’6”, with a shock of red hair (the “fro” gave way to a sleek, menacing pompadour), a lanky frame, and unmistakable brown wingtip shoes, he cuts an imposing yet absurd figure. But his true weapon is his voice. Voiced with theatrical grandeur by Kelsey Grammer (in a pitch-perfect nod to his Frasier Crane persona), Bob speaks in flowing iambic pentameter, lacing his death threats with references to Gilbert and Sullivan, Italian opera, and classical literature. His signature prop—a rake—becomes a recurring slapstick gag, as stepping on one leads to a painfully hilarious chain reaction of self-inflicted concussions.