Cape Feare (The Simpsons)

Cape Feare (The Simpsons) "HYRHYRHYHRYR" - Sideshow Bob Series: The Simpsons Part of Season: 5 Episode Number: 2 Air Date: October 7, 1993 Writer: Jon Vitti Director: Rich Moore Previous episode: "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" Next episode: "Homer Goes to College"

Cape Feare is the second episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on October 7, 1993 on Fox.

Plot

Bart receives many threatening letters from an anonymous source. It is soon revealed that Sideshow Bob, who was just released on parole, sent the letters, with intent to kill Bart, forcing the Simpson family into the Witness Relocation Program.

Why It Rocks

1. Considering the episode is about a criminal who chases down a 10 year old boy with intent to kill him, it somehow managed to be hilarious, but also have some suspense thrown in.
2. The scene where Sideshow Bob steps on rakes for 30 seconds is hysterical and extremely memorable, even though it was just created because the episode was short.
3. Even people who haven’t seen the movie that this episode was based on (Cape Fear) can still enjoy the episode for it’s originality.
4. The sequence at the end where Sideshow Bob sings HMS Pinafore is a great performance by Kelsey Grammar, the voice of Sideshow Bob.
5. The “hello Mr. Thompson” exchange is really funny.
6. The part where Sideshow Bob is hanging onto the Simpsons’ car and gets hit by a bunch of cactus's, and the scene where he gets run over by a parade when lying in the middle of the street are both solid.
7. Sideshow Bob’s “Die Bart Die” tattoo and his explanation for it are both fantastic.

The Only Bad Quality

1. The ending scene leaves something to be desired.

Reception

Since it’s release, Cape Feare has received widespread acclaim and is considered my many to be one of the best episodes of The Simpsons, appearing high up on a large number of top 10 lists. The score was nominated for an Emmy award.