The Man Who Grew Too Much

General

References/Trivia

Appearances

Gags

Credits

Quotes

	Season 25 Episode
← 542 "Diggs"	543 "The Man Who Grew Too Much"	"The Winter of His Content" 544 →

"The Man Who Grew Too Much" 250px

Episode Information Episode number: 543 Season number: S25 E13 Production code: SABF07 Original airdate: March 9, 2014 Title screen: Ned Flanders is flown across the screen, ravaged, by a winged demon. Couch gag: Earth's single large land mass breaks apart into five Simpsons-shaped continents, only for a Moe-shaped asteroid to destroy the planet. Guest star(s): Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob Showrunner: Al Jean Written by: Jeff Westbrook Directed by: Matthew Schofield

"The Man Who Grew Too Much" is the thirteenth episode of season 25 of The Simpsons and the five-hundred and forty-third episode overall. It originally aired on March 9, 2014. The episode was written by Jeff Westbrook and directed by Matthew Schofield. It guest stars Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob.

Plot

"On a research trip, Lisa is shocked to discover that Sideshow Bob is now the chief scientist at a massive chemical engineering company, but her fears are allayed as she becomes enamored with his like-minded appreciation of high-culture. Meanwhile, Marge's attempt to preach healthy sexual practices to a teen church group goes awry."

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.

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  The Script for this episode

International premieres

Country Date Channel Note Latin America July 20, 2014 Fox Latin America

Reception

The episode was watched by 3.75 million people and received a 1.6 rating-share, beating Bob's Burgers, 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.

Gallery

• The Man Who Grew Too Much promo 1.jpg
• The Man Who Grew Too Much promo 3.jpg
• The Man Who Grew Too Much promo 4.jpg
• The Man Who Grew Too Much promo 5.jpg
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  Promotional gif for the episode

Promo videos

• Marge's Puppet Preaching Problem at YouTube

Wikisimpsons has a collection of images related to "The Man Who Grew Too Much".

← Season 24 Season 25 Episodes Season 26 →

Homerland • Treehouse of Horror XXIV • Four Regrettings and a Funeral • YOLO • Labor Pains • The Kid Is All Right • Yellow Subterfuge • White Christmas Blues • Steal This Episode • Married to the Blob • Specs and the City • Diggs • The Man Who Grew Too Much • The Winter of His Content • The War of Art • You Don't Have to Live Like a Referee • Luca$ • Days of Future Future • What to Expect When Bart's Expecting • Brick Like Me • Pay Pal • The Yellow Badge of Cowardge