The Man Who Grew Too Much

"The Man Who Grew Too Much" is the thirteenth episode of season 25. It originally aired on March 9, 2014.

Production
It was announced that the episode would air on March 9, 2014 as part of a back-to-back airing, along with "Diggs". The episode was the last to feature Marcia Wallace as Edna Krabappel.

Reception
The episode was watched by 3.75 million people and received a 1.6 rating-share, beating , but losing out to Family Guy.

"The Man Who Grew Too Much" received a mixed-to-positive response from TV critics. The A.V Club awarded the episode a B+ rating and highly praised Kelsey Grammer's voice-acting. They summed up, "the greatest reward of any Sideshow Bob episode is Kelsey Grammer who, some 24 years after his first appearance as the fright-wigged, intermittently homicidal, incongruously cultured Robert Underdunk Terwilliger, can make the character as vitally funny and menacing as ever. [...] Essentially, Bob’s machinations bump this episode up an entire grade." Conversely, Teresa Lopez of TV Fanatic gave a somewhat mixed review. Although lauding the "heartwarming" parts of the episode and Marge's B-storyline, Lopez heavily criticized Bob's scheme as "mundane" and pointed out that Bob's devolution "into an out of control genetic monster [...] was silly even for him." The episode ultimately received a 3.6/5 star rating. Bubble Blabber wrote, "It’s hard to mess up a Sideshow Bob episode. This one wasn’t anything to write home about (especially if you do so with your own blood, Sideshow Bob-style) but it didn’t completely miss the mark either. Combining Bob with an episode that touched on political issues like GMOs and the teaching of abstinence could have been a bit too much, but they made it work" and awarded the episode an 8\10 rating. They also commended the reference to the now retired Edna Krabappel, concluding their review with, "Miss you, Marcia."

Fan reception was negative. On No Homers, a fan forum dedicated to Simpsons discussion, the episode received a 2/5 majority rating on a community poll. Users were polarized, with some naming the episode the "worst Sideshow Bob episode ever" and joking that "the script felt more like a first draft", while others praised its premise and Bob's reappearance.

The episode currently has a 6.7/10 IMDb rating and a 7.9/10 rating on TV.com.