Season

14

Production Code

EABF01

Broadcast Index

S14E06

Episode Number

297

Airdate

15 December 2002

Writer

John Frink
Don Payne

Director

Steven Dean Moore

Executive Producer

Al Jean

Guest Stars

Kelsey Grammer

DVD 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

Editor

Jimmy Heenan

Plot When the Simpson family go to a free spa weekend, Homer is nearly killed when a mysterious man locks him into an incredibly hot steam room. This prompts Homer and Marge to see Chief Wiggum, who suggests that they get someone who can understand a murderer's twisted mind — Sideshow Bob (voiced by Kelsey Grammer), who is released from prison, much to Bart's discomfort. To ensure Bart's safety, Wiggum placed a shock bracelet on Bob's ankle to keep his murderous urges at bay when he comes to live at the Simpson house. He asks Homer to list all the people who may want him dead, and decides to follow Homer around to investigate who the killer could be. During their day, they go hang gliding (Homer wanted to impress him), visit the Kwik-E-Mart and end up at a repair shop, where Homer chastizes the mechanic, Junior.<br /><br />Later, Homer and Bob go to Moe's, where a hand, holding a gun, appears at the door and fires at Homer, but it hits and shatters Moe's pickled egg jar. The person gets away in a tow truck. Bob suggests that Homer should stay home and out of sight to be safe, but he is told that he was named the King of the Springfield Mardi Gras, in which he must ride on a float for the whole day. Bob discovers that Homer won because someone filled the ballot box with ballots listing Homer's name, but Homer takes part in the parade anyway. At the parade, Bob learns that Homer's engine is having a problem due to the repair by the mechanic (the brake line is cut), and draws a correlation between the wrench used to lock Homer in the steam room, the wrenches in the tow truck, a smudge on the spa invitation, and the tow truck driver (Junior). He saves Homer by getting fired out of a cannon, and grabs Homer by his feet, just before the float hits the Museum of Swordfish. Homer and Bob end up giving chase to the killer on stilts, who is found out to be, indeed, Junior, Homer's mechanic. He admits his name is Frank Grimes Jr., who blames Homer for his father's death. The police arrive, and Chief Wiggum places Grimes Jr. under arrest and has Bob tranquillised with a dart.<br /><br />That night, after Homer puts Bart in bed, Bob, who was hanging to the back of the door, gags Bart, bent on killing him once again. However, through song, Bob claims he's been accustomed to his face and he cannot bring himself to do it. With that, Bob takes his leave and Bart hurriedly shuts his window. At that point, Bob becomes electrified with his shock bracelet by two birds who plays with the remote on their nest.<br />