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Difference between revisions of "The Bob Next Door"

Wikisimpsons - The Simpsons Wiki
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{{Quote|The sum total is the greatest murder since [[Snape]] killed Dumbledore!|[[Sideshow Bob]]}}
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{{Episode
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|image = The Bob Next Door.jpg
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|image= The Bob Next Door.png
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|Episode Number = 463
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|number= 463
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|productionCode = MABF11
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|season=21
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|originalAirdate = May 16, 2010
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|snumber=22
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|blackboardText = Batman is not "nothing without his utility belt."
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|prodcode= MABF11
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|couchGag = Harold (of the Purple Crayon) makes a line drawing of the Simpsons' living room, and the fully-drawn Simpsons come in and sit on the couch, and then draws beer for Homer.
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|airdate= May 16, [[2010]]
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|billboard = TBA
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|blackboard= Batman is not "nothing without his utility belt."
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|titlescreen = [[Krusty the Clown]] and [[Sideshow Mel]] performing a trapeze act
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|couchgag= Harold from ''{{W|Harold and the Purple Crayon}}'' draws the Simpsons' living room, as well as a can of [[Duff]] for [[Homer]].
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|specialGuestVoices = [[Kelsey Grammer]] as [[Sideshow Bob]]
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|billboard= [[Springfield Retirement Castle]]: New Vacancies Every Flu Season
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|Written By = [[John Frink]]
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|titlescreen= [[Krusty the Clown]] and [[Sideshow Mel]] performing a trapeze act
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|Directed By = [[Nancy Kruse]]
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|guests= [[Kelsey Grammer]] as [[Sideshow Bob]]
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|showrunner1= Al Jean
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|writer= [[John Frink]]
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|director= [[Nancy Kruse]]
 
}}
 
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{{Quote|The sum total is the greatest murder since Snape killed Dumbledore!|[[Sideshow Bob]]}}
 
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'''The Bob Next Door''' is the twenty-second episode of [[Season 21]]. It aired on May 16, 2010. The episode was written by [[John Frink]] and directed by [[Nancy Kruse]]. [[Kelsey Grammer]] reprises his role as [[Sideshow Bob]].
 
  
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[[Bart]] becomes convinced that his new neighbor, Walt, is his archenemy, Sideshow Bob, disguised and back for revenge. But when [[Marge]] tries to convince Bart otherwise by taking him to the state penitentiary, a disturbing truth is revealed, leading to danger for the spiky-haired boy.
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"'''The Bob Next Door'''" is the twenty-second episode of [[season 21]] of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and the four-hundred and sixty-third episode overall. It originally aired on May 16, [[2010]]. The episode was written by [[John Frink]] and directed by [[Nancy Kruse]]. It guest stars [[Kelsey Grammer]] as [[Sideshow Bob]].
 +
 
 +
== Synopsis ==
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{{desc|[[Bart]] becomes convinced that his new neighbor, [[Walt Warren]], is his archenemy, [[Sideshow Bob]], disguised and back for revenge. But when [[Marge]] tries to convince Bart otherwise by taking him to the state penitentiary, a disturbing truth is revealed, leading to danger for the spiky-haired boy.}}
 +
 
 
== Plot ==
 
== Plot ==
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[[Springfield]] is suffering from an economic crisis so massive that the Quimby Administration could no longer hide it by cooking the books and fudging the numbers. [[Mayor Quimby]] enacts cost-cutting measures such as stopping the service of removing dead animals from the road, drastically shortening the school day at [[Springfield Elementary School]] (to the extent that the only "school time" was the bus ride over to the School Building), and ordering [[Springfield Penitentiary]] to release prisoners convicted of minor offenses. The [[Springfield Police Department]] is also affected by the cutbacks, being forced to allow low-level criminals to get away with crimes, due to lacking the resources -- and especially the funding -- to go after them.
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=== Act I ===
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[[File:The Bob Next Door 1.png|thumb|left|[[Simpson family|The Simpsons]] watch their new neighbor move in.]]
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At an emergency [[Springfield Town Hall|town-hall]] meeting, [[Mayor Quimby]] announces to [[Springfield]]'s citizens that the town is suffering from an economic crisis. Therefore, he decides to enact several cost-cutting measures, one of which includes the release of all prisoners convicted of minor offenses from [[Springfield Penitentiary]].
 +
 
 +
Many Springfieldians move because of the crisis, including [[Simpson family|The Simpsons]]' neighbors, [[Ruth Powers|Ruth]] and [[Laura Powers]] and their [[740 Evergreen Terrace|home]] is put on the market. [[Homer]], after smelling cookies baked by realtor [[Cookie Kwan]] to attract buyers, decides he wants to purchase the house. Just as Homer is filling out loan paperwork, Cookie informs him that someone has already bought the property. Shortly after, Marge, [[Lisa]] and Bart watch several movers carrying personal possessions into the house. They conclude that their new neighbor is a lover of hybrid cars, antique furniture, and [[Koi Pond|koi ponds]]. Just then, the new neighbor — Walt Warren — arrives and Bart heads over to introduce himself, "Bart Simpson-style". Bart spits on his hand and holds it out to shake in a playful prank. Walt greets him with a eerily familiar "Hello, Bart." Bart immediately recognizes Walt's voice as that of Sideshow Bob's and runs off screaming in terror.
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 +
=== Act II ===
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Bart begins barricading himself into his home, all the while trying to convince the rest of the family that Sideshow Bob is living next door, using the identity of Walt Warren as a distraction. Homer and Marge attempt to reassure him that "a lot of people sound like Sideshow Bob, like Frasier on ''[[Cheers]]'', Frasier on ''{{W|Frasier}}'', and Lt. Commander Tom Dodge on ''{{W|Down Periscope}}''" but Bart remains unconvinced. He decides to unmask Walt as Bob and reveal to everyone the truth.
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[[File:The Bob Next Door 2.png|thumb|left|[[Bart]] suspects [[Sideshow Bob]] is at it again.]]
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Joined by [[Milhouse]] in his [[Bart's treehouse|treehouse]], Bart attempts to trick Bob into exposing his identity by singing loudly to a [[Gilbert and Sullivan|Gilbert & Sullivan]] operetta, knowing that his nemesis, who has a fondness for such music, would overhear and be unable to resist joining in. Their plan fails, however, when Walt expresses his distaste for opera and instead declares his love for country.
 +
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Later, at a neighborhood party, while Walt is giving a speech to a group of Springfieldians, Bart sneaks into Walt's home, to try and locate any proof. He searches through cupboards, drawers and a stack of magazines, but fails to find any solid confirmation that Walt is indeed Bob. He ultimately ends up getting caught by Marge. To put an end to Bart's paranoia, Marge decides to take him to Springfield Penitentiary to prove that Bob remains incarcerated.
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[[File:The Bob Next Door 3.png|thumb|right|[[Bart]] was right all along...]]  
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A guard leads them to Bob's padded cell, where Bart's nemesis is preoccupied with scrawling "Bart Simpson will die" all over the walls. Once Bob spots Bart looking at him through the vision panel, he jumps towards the cell door and mumbles something, before the guard intervenes. Marge and Bart leave, now convinced that Walt cannot be Bob. That night, Bob launches an escape plan. Attracting the attention of a guard, Bob manages to wrestle the guard's taser off him, stunning him and escaping outdoors. After avoiding capture by prison hounds (one of which mistakes Bob's hair for a bush and urinates on him), he makes it over the wall and escapes. He heads for [[Evergreen Terrace]]. The next morning, Walt invites Bart to a [[Springfield Isotopes]] baseball game. Bart accepts the invitation and shortly after, the pair begin their journey to the [[Springfield Stadium]].
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Meanwhile, Sideshow Bob arrives at the Simpsons' home and shocks Marge and Homer, the latter who holds Bob captive. Bob explains that he isn't actually Sideshow Bob, he's the ''real'' Walt Warren. "If you're the real Walt Warren", Marge questions, "Then who's taking our son to the baseball game right now?" Concurrently, 'Walt' doesn't take the freeway turn-off to the stadium and Bart suspects that something is up. "You don't have to call me Mr. Warren anymore", 'Walt' says slyly, "See Bart, you were right all along ... I ''am'' Sideshow Bob!" Bob reveals his true self by taking off his shoes, subsequently unfolding his unusually large feet—undeniable proof that he indeed is Robert Underdunk Terwilliger. "And now I am free to sing all the Gilbert & Sullivan I damn well please!" Bob remarks, as Bart watches, unnerved.
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=== Act III ===
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Back at the Simpson house, Homer and Marge release Walt and head over to Bob's house, where, in his bedroom, they discover dozens of pictures of Bart with knives in them, effigies of Bart being hanged and drowned in an aquarium, and so on. Lisa also finds a brochure for the fictional [[Five Corners]], the only point in the U.S.A. where five states meet, with the notation "KILL BART HERE" handwritten in red. The Simpsons and Walt set off for Five Corners.
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Meanwhile, Bob recounts his escape from prison to Bart. He explains that his cell-mate, Walt, a minor offender, who fortuitously had the same build and facial structure as him, was up for early release. Shortly before his release took place, Bob performed plastic surgery on Walt and switched their faces, before simply walking out posing as Walt when he was set free. He then used the proceeds from Walt's investments to buy the house next door to the Simpsons.<br>
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[[File:The Bob Next Door 4.png|thumb|right|Showdown at [[Five Corners]].]]
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Later, Bob stops at a [[Gas and Grub|diner]] for food, where a waitress (mistaking a suture for a jacket thread) accidentally pulls his face off. Bob dashes back into his car and, after fixing his face, continues his journey with Bart to Five Corners. Soon after, the Simpsons and Walt arrive. The unsettled waitress sends the Simpsons to [[Mexico]], while Walt, sensing that she fell in love with his face and is purposefully sending them on the wrong route, carries on for Five Corners. Bob and Bart arrive at The Five Corners. Bob tells Bart that he will stand in one state; reach into a second state and shoot his gun; have the bullet travel through a third state; hit Bart in a fourth state; and Bart will fall dead in the fifth state. No single portion of the sequence is illegal, therefore none of the five states will be able to prosecute him for Bart's murder. Just as Bob is about to put his plan into action, Walt arrives and wrestles the gun away.
  
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Many citizens move because of the cutbacks, and a house next to the Simpsons' goes on the market. [[Homer]] decides he wants to buy the house because of the smell of cookies coming from it, but someone's beaten him to it. The Simpsons have a new neighbor, [[Walt Warren]], who closed the deal on the house while Homer was filling out the loan paperwork. Also, at least one of the banks in the world that received Homer's loans, the Iceland National Bank, [[Wikipedia:2008–2010 Icelandic financial crisis|closed down due to not having enough money]], causing the populace to want to kill Homer Simpson.
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Suddenly, a bee appears under Bob's transplanted face, which distracts Walt—Bob takes the gun back and is seconds away from shooting both Walt and Bart, before [[Chief Wiggum]] arrives with [[Eddie]] and [[Lou]]. The law enforcement officials from the other four states quickly make an appearance, cutting off Bob's escape. Bob is arrested by the [[New Jersey]] cops and taken away.
  
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[[Marge]] and [[Lisa]] watch movers (and Walt himself) carrying personal possessions into the house, and conclude that Walt is a lover of antique furniture and [[Koi Pond|koi ponds]]. [[Bart]], however, believes that Walt is actually [[Sideshow Bob]] as soon as he hears Walt's voice (and the catch phrase "Hello, Bart."). Bart decides to unmask Walt as Sideshow Bob. He first tries singing Gilbert & Sullivan music, knowing that Bob has a fondness for it and figuring that he won't be able to resist joining in. When that doesn't work (and Walt says he likes country music instead), Bart then sneaks into Walt's house looking for proof but gets caught by Marge. In order to put an end to Bart's paranoia, Marge decides to take Bart to Springfield Penitentary to show him that Sideshow Bob remains in jail. Bart and Marge see Sideshow Bob in his cell, wearing a straitjacket and writing "Bart Simpson Will Die" all over the walls with a pen held in his teeth, which satisfies Bart for the moment.
+
Back at Evergreen Terrace, Walt's former house is now vacant, but only temporarily. A distant [[Flanders Family|Flanders]] relative called [[Ted Flanders]] moves into the house, and he and [[Ned]] start a conversation laced with "Flanders-isms", talking to each other from across the Simpsons' front yard. Homer goes stir-crazy.
  
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Marge and Bart return home, and Walt asks Bart if he would go with him to see a baseball game, as the [[Springfield Isotopes|Isotopes]] are playing the Spokane Cascades. Bart accepts the invitation and they start driving to the game. When Walt doesn't make the turn off of the freeway to [[Springfield Stadium]], Bart suspects that something's up. Then Walt says Bart was right all along because he really '''is''' Sideshow Bob! To prove it, "Walt" takes off his shoes and unfolds his long feet, revealing himself to be Sideshow Bob.
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== Production ==
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"The Bob Next Door" was written by long-term writer [[John Frink]] and directed by [[Nancy Kruse]].  
  
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Meanwhile, "Sideshow Bob" escapes from prison (by spitting his pen into the guard's eye, grabbing the guard's taser in his teeth, and stunning the guard) and goes to the Simpsons' house. After Marge soaks him with a hose and Homer closes a window on him, "Bob" tells them that he's really Walt. As proof Walt shows them his '''short''' feet, and then takes them into Bob's house and shows them pictures of Bart with knives in them, photos of Bart being hanged (and drowned) [[wikipedia:Effigy|in effigy]], and so on. Lisa finds a picture of The Five Corners, the only point in the U.S.A. where five states meet, with the handwritten notation "kill Bart here." Walt and the Simpsons then head for Five Corners.
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According to executive producer [[Al Jean]], "The Bob Next Door" was slated to air on January 14, 2010, along with "[[Once Upon a Time in Springfield]]" and "[[The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special in 3-D on Ice]]", but was instead moved to May 16 for an unknown reason.<ref>[http://uk.ign.com/articles/2009/09/25/the-simpsons-say-hello-to-season-21?page=2 IGN - The Simpsons Say Hello to Season 21 - "Executive Producer Al Jean tells us what's to come this season."]</ref>
  
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Sideshow Bob tells Bart how he escaped from prison: He had heard that prisoners convicted of minor offenses were going to be released, and his cellmate Walt was a minor offender and fortuitously had the same build and facial structure as he did. Just before the release took place, Bob knocked Walt out, switched their faces (doing facial transplant surgery right there in the cell), and then simply walked out posing as Walt when the minor offenders were set free. He then used the proceeds from Walt's investments (which had done very well during his incarceration) to buy the house next door to the Simpsons.
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== Reception ==
 +
The episode was watched by an estimated total of 6.25 million viewers and received a 2.1 in the key demographic, losing out to ''[[Family Guy]]''.<ref>[http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/05/17/tv-ratings-survivior-finale-tops-abcs-finale-sunday/51572/ TVbytheNumbers - "TV Ratings: Survivor Finale Tops ABC's Finale Sunday, Celebrity Apprentice Ties Series Low"]</ref>
  
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Bob and Bart stop at a diner, and a waitress falls for Sideshow Bob as Walt. She removes what she thinks is a loose thread on his jacket, but it's really one of the stiches from the face transplant. All of the sutures come undone, revealing that his face has been sewn on. Sideshow Bob then runs away, taking Bart with him. Shortly after this, the Simpson family and Walt arrive at the diner, describe Sideshow Bob to the waitress, and ask her where they went. She tells them that Sideshow Bob was headed for Mexico, and accidentally unmasks Walt as also having a sewn-on, transplanted face. The Simpsons believe her and go to Mexico, but Walt, sensing that the waitress is attracted to Bob, knows this is ''not'' true and heads for Five Corners instead.
+
Critically, "The Bob Next Door" received very positive reviews. [http://uk.ign.com/ IGN] described the episode as "a funny return to form that proved there's still a lot to enjoy when ''The Simpsons'' pit Bob and Bart against each other." They ultimately gave "The Bob Next Door" a 8.5/10 rating, adding that the episode "reminded us what makes Bob so much fun."<ref>[http://uk.ign.com/articles/2010/05/17/the-simpsons-the-bob-next-door-review IGN: The Simpsons: "The Bob Next Door" Review]</ref>
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[http://www.avclub.com/ The A.V Club] called it "refreshing" and "a fine half-hour of entertainment." They compared the episode's final moments to previous Sideshow Bob episode "[[Cape Feare]]" and concluded, "If ''The Simpsons'' intends to self-plagiarize (and it obviously does), that's a good episode to copy." They ultimately awarded the episode a B+ grade.<ref>[http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-bob-next-doorclevelands-angelsthe-splendid-sou,41204/?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=feeds&utm_source=avclub_rss_daily A.V Club - FOX Animation - "The Bob Next Door"/"Cleveland's Angels"/"The Splendid Source"/"Great Space Roaster"]</ref> [http://www.thetvcritic.org/ The TV Critic] also gave positive opinion. They wrote that "The Bob Next Door" was better than recent Sideshow Bob stories "owing to the ''{{W|Face/Off}}'' elements which added a new twist on Bob's escape and murder attempts."<ref>[http://www.thetvcritic.org/reviews/comedies/the-simpsons/season-46/the-bob-next-door/ TVCritic.org Simpsons - Episode 22 - The Bob Next Door review]</ref>[http://www.tvfanatic.com/ TV Fanatic] gave the episode a 4/5 star rating, and complimented its "strong plot line" and "good twists."<ref>[http://www.tvfanatic.com/2010/05/the-simpsons-review-the-bob-next-door/ TVFanatic.com: The Simpsons Review: "The Bob Next Door"]</ref>
  
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Sideshow Bob arrives at The Five Corners and has himself and Bart stand in two of the states at the meeting point. Then he tells Bart of his plan to kill him: Bob will stand in one state; reach into a second state and shoot his gun; have the bullet travel through a third state; hit Bart in a fourth state; and Bart will collapse and die in the fifth and last state. Because no single portion of the sequence is illegal, none of the five states will be able to prosecute him for Bart's murder. Bob brags about his plan, saying that "the sum total is the greatest murder since Snape killed Dumbledore." Bart jumps to the same state Bob's standing in, knowing that if Bob shoots him in the same state, he'll go to jail. They both do several rounds of hopping between the different states, until Bob hits a rake. He then becomes frustrated enough that he's on the verge of just shooting Bart and getting it done with, regardless of jurisdiction, and tell people that he did the plan.
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Fan reaction was also positive. On [http://www.nohomers.net/forum.php The No Homers Club], a fan poll had a majority 4/5 rating, with many commenting that the episode was better than previous Sideshow Bob episodes, notably "[[Funeral for a Fiend]]" and "[[The Italian Bob]]". Fans complimented the final showdown at Five Corners, which was described as "inspired", but many were critical of Bob switching faces with Walt labeling it as "a bit too far fetched."<ref>[http://www.nohomers.net/showthread.php?87185-R-amp-R-The-Bob-Next-Door NoHomers.net Fan forum - Episode discussion: R&R: The Bob Next Door]</ref>
  
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Walt arrives in the nick of time and and takes the gun from Sideshow Bob. Walt unfortunately has a bee under Bob's transplanted face, which distracts Walt and leaves Sideshow Bob an opening to take the gun back. [[Chief Wiggum]] then arrives with other cops from [[Springfield's state]] to arrest Bob, revealing that Bart wasn't really convinced that Bob was Walt. After Bart alerted them ''before'' he left with Bob, the police then were able to track them because Bob's car is a Hybrid, and all Hybrids are secretly monitored by the government. Bob compliments Wiggum, before jumping to another state (and out of Wiggum's jurisdiction). However, law enforcement officials from the other four states arrive, cutting off Sideshow Bob's escape. Bob is arrested and taken away, and the Simpsons return from Mexico, where Homer has been having misadventures such as arguing with a cook over "How do you say 'taco' in Mexican?"
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The episode currently has a 7.4/10 IMDb rating and a 8.7/10 rating on TV.com.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1645678/ IMDb "The Bob Next Door" page]</ref><ref>[http://www.tv.com/shows/the-simpsons/the-bob-next-door-1304155/ TV.com The Simpsons The Bob Next Door]</ref>
  
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Back in the Simpsons' neighborhood, Walt's former house is vacant, but only temporarily. A distant [[Flanders Family|Flanders]] relative moves into the house, and he and [[Ned]] start a conversation laced with "Flanders-isms," talking to each other from across the Simpsons' front yard, to Homer's dismay.
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== Gallery ==
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==Reception==
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<gallery>
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The episode was viewed by an estimated 6.258 million households, making it one of the highest rated shows that evening, after ''Family Guy''. It recieved positive reviews from critics. Sharon Knolle said: "I'd say overall this ep ranks with some of the better Sideshow Bob eps, if not the very best. Certainly, it beats the heck out of [[The Italian Bob]] and [[Funeral for a Fiend]].'"
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File:The Bob Next Door promo.png|Promotional image
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</gallery>
  
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{{Sideshow Bob}}
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== References ==
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{{Reflist}}
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{{Images|ep=yes}}
 
{{Season 21}}
 
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[[Category:Bart episodes]]
 
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[[Category:Sideshow Bob episodes]]
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[[Category:Crime-themed episodes]]
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[[Category:Episodes written by John Frink]]
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[[Category:Episodes directed by Nancy Kruse]]
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[[sv:The Bob Next Door]]

Latest revision as of 08:52, August 31, 2024

Season 21 Episode
← 462 "Moe Letter Blues"
463
"The Bob Next Door"
"Judge Me Tender" 464 →
"The sum total is the greatest murder since Snape killed Dumbledore!"
―Sideshow Bob
"The Bob Next Door"
The Bob Next Door.png
Episode Information
Episode number: 463
Season number: S21 E22
Production code: MABF11
Original airdate: May 16, 2010
Title screen: Krusty the Clown and Sideshow Mel performing a trapeze act
Billboard gag: Springfield Retirement Castle: New Vacancies Every Flu Season
Chalkboard gag: Batman is not "nothing without his utility belt."
Couch gag: Harold from Harold and the Purple Crayon draws the Simpsons' living room, as well as a can of Duff for Homer.
Guest star(s): Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob
Showrunner: Al Jean
Written by: John Frink
Directed by: Nancy Kruse


"The Bob Next Door" is the twenty-second episode of season 21 of The Simpsons and the four-hundred and sixty-third episode overall. It originally aired on May 16, 2010. The episode was written by John Frink and directed by Nancy Kruse. It guest stars Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob.

Synopsis[edit]

"Bart becomes convinced that his new neighbor, Walt Warren, is his archenemy, Sideshow Bob, disguised and back for revenge. But when Marge tries to convince Bart otherwise by taking him to the state penitentiary, a disturbing truth is revealed, leading to danger for the spiky-haired boy."


Plot[edit]

Act I[edit]

The Simpsons watch their new neighbor move in.

At an emergency town-hall meeting, Mayor Quimby announces to Springfield's citizens that the town is suffering from an economic crisis. Therefore, he decides to enact several cost-cutting measures, one of which includes the release of all prisoners convicted of minor offenses from Springfield Penitentiary.

Many Springfieldians move because of the crisis, including The Simpsons' neighbors, Ruth and Laura Powers and their home is put on the market. Homer, after smelling cookies baked by realtor Cookie Kwan to attract buyers, decides he wants to purchase the house. Just as Homer is filling out loan paperwork, Cookie informs him that someone has already bought the property. Shortly after, Marge, Lisa and Bart watch several movers carrying personal possessions into the house. They conclude that their new neighbor is a lover of hybrid cars, antique furniture, and koi ponds. Just then, the new neighbor — Walt Warren — arrives and Bart heads over to introduce himself, "Bart Simpson-style". Bart spits on his hand and holds it out to shake in a playful prank. Walt greets him with a eerily familiar "Hello, Bart." Bart immediately recognizes Walt's voice as that of Sideshow Bob's and runs off screaming in terror.

Act II[edit]

Bart begins barricading himself into his home, all the while trying to convince the rest of the family that Sideshow Bob is living next door, using the identity of Walt Warren as a distraction. Homer and Marge attempt to reassure him that "a lot of people sound like Sideshow Bob, like Frasier on Cheers, Frasier on Frasier, and Lt. Commander Tom Dodge on Down Periscope" but Bart remains unconvinced. He decides to unmask Walt as Bob and reveal to everyone the truth.

Bart suspects Sideshow Bob is at it again.

Joined by Milhouse in his treehouse, Bart attempts to trick Bob into exposing his identity by singing loudly to a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta, knowing that his nemesis, who has a fondness for such music, would overhear and be unable to resist joining in. Their plan fails, however, when Walt expresses his distaste for opera and instead declares his love for country.

Later, at a neighborhood party, while Walt is giving a speech to a group of Springfieldians, Bart sneaks into Walt's home, to try and locate any proof. He searches through cupboards, drawers and a stack of magazines, but fails to find any solid confirmation that Walt is indeed Bob. He ultimately ends up getting caught by Marge. To put an end to Bart's paranoia, Marge decides to take him to Springfield Penitentiary to prove that Bob remains incarcerated.

Bart was right all along...

A guard leads them to Bob's padded cell, where Bart's nemesis is preoccupied with scrawling "Bart Simpson will die" all over the walls. Once Bob spots Bart looking at him through the vision panel, he jumps towards the cell door and mumbles something, before the guard intervenes. Marge and Bart leave, now convinced that Walt cannot be Bob. That night, Bob launches an escape plan. Attracting the attention of a guard, Bob manages to wrestle the guard's taser off him, stunning him and escaping outdoors. After avoiding capture by prison hounds (one of which mistakes Bob's hair for a bush and urinates on him), he makes it over the wall and escapes. He heads for Evergreen Terrace. The next morning, Walt invites Bart to a Springfield Isotopes baseball game. Bart accepts the invitation and shortly after, the pair begin their journey to the Springfield Stadium.

Meanwhile, Sideshow Bob arrives at the Simpsons' home and shocks Marge and Homer, the latter who holds Bob captive. Bob explains that he isn't actually Sideshow Bob, he's the real Walt Warren. "If you're the real Walt Warren", Marge questions, "Then who's taking our son to the baseball game right now?" Concurrently, 'Walt' doesn't take the freeway turn-off to the stadium and Bart suspects that something is up. "You don't have to call me Mr. Warren anymore", 'Walt' says slyly, "See Bart, you were right all along ... I am Sideshow Bob!" Bob reveals his true self by taking off his shoes, subsequently unfolding his unusually large feet—undeniable proof that he indeed is Robert Underdunk Terwilliger. "And now I am free to sing all the Gilbert & Sullivan I damn well please!" Bob remarks, as Bart watches, unnerved.

Act III[edit]

Back at the Simpson house, Homer and Marge release Walt and head over to Bob's house, where, in his bedroom, they discover dozens of pictures of Bart with knives in them, effigies of Bart being hanged and drowned in an aquarium, and so on. Lisa also finds a brochure for the fictional Five Corners, the only point in the U.S.A. where five states meet, with the notation "KILL BART HERE" handwritten in red. The Simpsons and Walt set off for Five Corners.

Meanwhile, Bob recounts his escape from prison to Bart. He explains that his cell-mate, Walt, a minor offender, who fortuitously had the same build and facial structure as him, was up for early release. Shortly before his release took place, Bob performed plastic surgery on Walt and switched their faces, before simply walking out posing as Walt when he was set free. He then used the proceeds from Walt's investments to buy the house next door to the Simpsons.

Showdown at Five Corners.

Later, Bob stops at a diner for food, where a waitress (mistaking a suture for a jacket thread) accidentally pulls his face off. Bob dashes back into his car and, after fixing his face, continues his journey with Bart to Five Corners. Soon after, the Simpsons and Walt arrive. The unsettled waitress sends the Simpsons to Mexico, while Walt, sensing that she fell in love with his face and is purposefully sending them on the wrong route, carries on for Five Corners. Bob and Bart arrive at The Five Corners. Bob tells Bart that he will stand in one state; reach into a second state and shoot his gun; have the bullet travel through a third state; hit Bart in a fourth state; and Bart will fall dead in the fifth state. No single portion of the sequence is illegal, therefore none of the five states will be able to prosecute him for Bart's murder. Just as Bob is about to put his plan into action, Walt arrives and wrestles the gun away.

Suddenly, a bee appears under Bob's transplanted face, which distracts Walt—Bob takes the gun back and is seconds away from shooting both Walt and Bart, before Chief Wiggum arrives with Eddie and Lou. The law enforcement officials from the other four states quickly make an appearance, cutting off Bob's escape. Bob is arrested by the New Jersey cops and taken away.

Back at Evergreen Terrace, Walt's former house is now vacant, but only temporarily. A distant Flanders relative called Ted Flanders moves into the house, and he and Ned start a conversation laced with "Flanders-isms", talking to each other from across the Simpsons' front yard. Homer goes stir-crazy.

Production[edit]

"The Bob Next Door" was written by long-term writer John Frink and directed by Nancy Kruse.

According to executive producer Al Jean, "The Bob Next Door" was slated to air on January 14, 2010, along with "Once Upon a Time in Springfield" and "The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special in 3-D on Ice", but was instead moved to May 16 for an unknown reason.[1]

Reception[edit]

The episode was watched by an estimated total of 6.25 million viewers and received a 2.1 in the key demographic, losing out to Family Guy.[2]

Critically, "The Bob Next Door" received very positive reviews. IGN described the episode as "a funny return to form that proved there's still a lot to enjoy when The Simpsons pit Bob and Bart against each other." They ultimately gave "The Bob Next Door" a 8.5/10 rating, adding that the episode "reminded us what makes Bob so much fun."[3] The A.V Club called it "refreshing" and "a fine half-hour of entertainment." They compared the episode's final moments to previous Sideshow Bob episode "Cape Feare" and concluded, "If The Simpsons intends to self-plagiarize (and it obviously does), that's a good episode to copy." They ultimately awarded the episode a B+ grade.[4] The TV Critic also gave positive opinion. They wrote that "The Bob Next Door" was better than recent Sideshow Bob stories "owing to the Face/Off elements which added a new twist on Bob's escape and murder attempts."[5]TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4/5 star rating, and complimented its "strong plot line" and "good twists."[6]

Fan reaction was also positive. On The No Homers Club, a fan poll had a majority 4/5 rating, with many commenting that the episode was better than previous Sideshow Bob episodes, notably "Funeral for a Fiend" and "The Italian Bob". Fans complimented the final showdown at Five Corners, which was described as "inspired", but many were critical of Bob switching faces with Walt labeling it as "a bit too far fetched."[7]

The episode currently has a 7.4/10 IMDb rating and a 8.7/10 rating on TV.com.[8][9]

Gallery[edit]

  • Promotional image

References[edit]

  1. ↑ IGN - The Simpsons Say Hello to Season 21 - "Executive Producer Al Jean tells us what's to come this season."
  2. ↑ TVbytheNumbers - "TV Ratings: Survivor Finale Tops ABC's Finale Sunday, Celebrity Apprentice Ties Series Low"
  3. ↑ IGN: The Simpsons: "The Bob Next Door" Review
  4. ↑ A.V Club - FOX Animation - "The Bob Next Door"/"Cleveland's Angels"/"The Splendid Source"/"Great Space Roaster"
  5. ↑ TVCritic.org Simpsons - Episode 22 - The Bob Next Door review
  6. ↑ TVFanatic.com: The Simpsons Review: "The Bob Next Door"
  7. ↑ NoHomers.net Fan forum - Episode discussion: R&R: The Bob Next Door
  8. ↑ IMDb "The Bob Next Door" page
  9. ↑ TV.com The Simpsons The Bob Next Door


The Saga of Carl - title screen.png Wikisimpsons has a collection of images related to "The Bob Next Door".
Season 21 Episodes
Homer the Whopper • Bart Gets a "Z" • The Great Wife Hope • Treehouse of Horror XX • The Devil Wears Nada • Pranks and Greens • Rednecks and Broomsticks • Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou? • Thursdays with Abie • Once Upon a Time in Springfield • Million Dollar Maybe • Boy Meets Curl • The Color Yellow • Postcards from the Wedge • Stealing First Base • The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed • American History X-cellent • Chief of Hearts • The Squirt and the Whale • To Surveil with Love • Moe Letter Blues • The Bob Next Door • Judge Me Tender
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