Misplaced Pages

The Italian Bob: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 03:43, 12 December 2005 edit209.143.29.172 (talk) →Synopsis← Previous edit Latest revision as of 22:45, 26 December 2024 edit undoPallettown (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users4,579 edits →External links: Added category 
(955 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox Simpsons episode|
{{Infobox Simpsons episode
episode_name = The Italian Bob |
| image =
episode_no = 364 |
| caption =
prod_code = HABF02 |
| season = 17
airdate = ], ] |
| episode = 8
writer = ] |
director = ] | | director = ]
| writer = ]
blackboard = None |
| production = HABF02
couch_gag = A hand tosses out playing cards with picture of each Simpson on them |
| airdate = {{Start date|2005|12|11}}
guest_star = ] and ] |
| guests = ] as ]<br />] as ]
season = 17 |
| blackboard = "That one's more jazzy"
| couch_gag = A pair of cartoon hands deal out a wild royal flush, consisting of the jack of diamonds (]), the queen of diamonds (]), the king of diamonds (]), the ace of diamonds (]), and the joker (]).
| commentary = {{Plainlist|
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
}} }}
| prev = ]
'''"The Italian"''' is the eighth episode of '']<nowiki>'</nowiki>'' seventeenth season. It first aired on ], ]. The title is a take off of the film '']''.
| next = ]
}}

"'''The Italian Bob'''" is the eighth episode of the ] of the American animated television series '']''. It first aired on the ] in the United States on December 11, 2005. The episode was written by ] and directed by ].

In this episode, the Simpsons go to Italy to pick up Mr. Burns' new car and encounter Sideshow Bob after the car is involved in a collision. Serving as a sequel to "]", it features ] in his ninth appearance as ] and is the first time the Simpsons visit ]. ] also guest starred. The episode received mixed reviews. Grammer won the ] for his performance in this episode. Frink won the ] for his script to this episode.

The episode's title is a reference to the 1969 British caper film '']''. Among the locations the Simpsons visit in this episode are ], ], ], ] and ].

==Plot==
After ] gets teased about his old car by the kids at ], he sends ] to pick up a brand new ''Lamborgotti Fasterossa'' car in ]. The Simpsons fly over on ], and tour the country. After a huge wheel of ] lands on their car and crushes the hood, they push it into a small fictional ] village called Salsiccia (]), and are told that the mayor speaks English.

The Simpsons visit the mayor, who turns out to be ]. He explains that after he last attempted to kill ], he decided to get a fresh start in Italy. He helped the villagers crush ]s into ] using his enormous feet, and they elected him mayor. Bob has resisted all intention of killing Bart, and introduces the Simpsons to his wife, ], and his son, ]. Bob begs the Simpsons not to tell anyone about his past crimes and arranges to have the car fixed.

One month later, Bob hosts a farewell party for the Simpson family. ] gets drunk on ] and spouts off about Bob being an attempted murderer. He leads her away from the table, but as she stumbles backwards, she rips off his suit to reveal his prison uniform. Upon this revelation, the village sacks Bob as Mayor. Bob swears a murderous ] on the Simpsons. The family flees in the fixed car, but Bob follows on a motorcycle. Homer drives into a ditch and onto a Roman aqueduct, landing on top of ] in the ]. Bob's wife and son catch up with him. Francesca professes her love and loyalty to Bob and offers to help him take revenge.

The Simpsons are left with no car and no money. Lisa spots a bus with a poster advertising ]'s performance in the opera '']''. They meet up with him at the ], and he puts them in as extras. Bob, Francesca, and Gino find them and corner them on the stage while Krusty flees through a trap door. Lisa warns the audience that the Terwilligers are about to actually kill her and the family, but Bob tricks the audience by performing the climax of '']''. Before Bob and his family can kill the Simpsons, Krusty's limousine picks them up; Krusty needs them to smuggle an ancient artefact back to America. The Terwilligers are disappointed at first, but then walk away plotting revenge together.

==Production==
] guest starred as Sideshow Bob's wife Francesca. ] voiced the role of Bob's son Gino.<ref name="Farley"/>

==Reception==
===Viewing figures===
The episode earned a 3.7 rating and was watched by 10.30 million viewers, the 28th most-watched show that week.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=] Medianet|date=December 13, 2005|url=http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=121305_04 |title=Weekly Program Rankings (Dec. 5-11)|access-date=June 10, 2023|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221202525/http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=121305_04|archive-date=December 21, 2008}}</ref>


===Critical response===
==Synopsis==
Ryan J. Budke of '']'' said the episode was funny but did not like the abrupt ending with Sideshow Bob singing. He highlighted the joke of ] from the television series '']'' being accused of plagiarism and ] from the television series '']'' being accused of plagiarizing plagiarism.<ref>{{cite web|first=Ryan J.|last=Budke|date=December 12, 2005|title=The Simpsons: The Italian Bob|url=http://www.tvsquad.com:80/2005/12/12/the-simpsons-the-italian-bob/|website=]|access-date=October 5, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060203023149/http://www.tvsquad.com:80/2005/12/12/the-simpsons-the-italian-bob/|archive-date=February 3, 2006}}</ref>
{{spoiler}}
After ] car breaks down, he tells Homer to pick him up a brand new Lamborgotti Fasterossa car in Italy. The rest of the family comes along with him, and after they pick up the car, they have a great time touring the country. However, after a huge chunk of Mortadella cheese lands on their car, they are forced to push it into a small town nearby called Salsiccia. When they get there, they ask an elderly woman for help, and she tells them that the mayor speaks English. However, they find out the mayor is none other than ]. He explains to them that after he attempted to ], he came to Italy to start a new life. After a rough start, the natives warm up to him after he helped them crush grapes into wine (using his enormous feet). After that, they elected him mayor of their town. Bob no longer has any intention of killing Bart, and it is revealed that he has a wife and son, Francesca and Gino, and they don't know anything about his past life in America. Bob begs the Simpsons not to tell anyone, and they agree.


Colin Jacobson of ''DVD Movie Guide'' said while Sideshow Bob episodes are usually good, this episode "doesn't live up to those heights, but it manages to mostly work well."<ref>{{cite web|first=Colin|last=Jacobson|date=December 10, 2017|title=The Simpsons: The Complete Seventeenth Season (2005-06)|url=http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonss17.shtml|website=DVD Movie Guide|access-date=October 5, 2024|archive-date=August 18, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240818182606/http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonss17.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>
The Simpsons enjoy spending time in the town, and they continue to keep Bob's past a secret. However, after Lisa drinks some wine at a party, she starts to spout off about him being a killer. He leads her away from the table, but as she stumbles backwards, she rips off his suit and underneath is his prison outfit from Springfield Prison. Everyone finds out the Bob is a killer, and they take away his title as mayor. The Simpsons take off in the fixed car, and Bob vows vengeance on them all.


On ''Four Finger Discount'', Brendan Dando and Guy Davis enjoyed the episode, saying the episode with the Simpsons traveling abroad had a story that made sense and liked that it "poked fun" of the Italian stereotypes.<ref>{{cite podcast|first1=Guy|last1=Davis|first2=Brendan|last2=Dando|title="The Italian Bob" Podcast Review (S17E08)|work=Four Finger Discount (Simpsons Podcast)|date=April 20, 2023|url=https://www.fourfingerdiscount.com.au/episodes/the-italian-bob-simpsons-podcast-review|time=10:05|access-date=October 5, 2024|archive-date=October 7, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007020746/https://www.fourfingerdiscount.com.au/episodes/the-italian-bob-simpsons-podcast-review|url-status=live}}</ref>
After the family flees, Bob begins to follow them on a motorcycle. Homer drives into a ditch and ends up driving on ancient Roman ruins, and after they jump off, the car ends up on top of a huge monument. Bob's wife meets up with him, and she tells him that they will kill the Simpsons together as a family (Gino, too).


In 2009, Robert Canning of '']'' placed "The Italian Bob" last on his list of the "Top 10 Sideshow Bob Episodes". At that time, ten episodes revolving around the character had aired. Canning wrote that the episode "falls lowest in the ranking for a few reasons, but the biggest of these is the fact that Bob had no intention of killing Bart. Plus we're in Italy. Plus Bob is married and has a son. All the things we love about a Sideshow Bob episode—the vengeance, the familiar settings and characters, the elaborate scheming—were missing from this half-hour. Without it, Bob wasn't nearly as entertaining, and the episode didn't result in a whole lot of laughs."<ref>{{cite web|last=Canning|first=Robert|title=The Simpsons: Top 10 Sideshow Bob Episodes|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/12/03/the-simpsons-top-10-sideshow-bob-episodes|website=]|accessdate=2012-08-23|date=2012-12-09}}</ref>
Meanwhile, the Simpsons are wondering what they should do next. Lisa spots a bus with a poster for an opera that ] is performing in: Krusty E Pagliacci. They meet up with him at the Colloseum, and he puts them in as extras. However, Bob, Francesca and Gino find them and corner them in on the stage while Bob replaces Krusty, who went into a trap door. Before they can kill them, though, Krusty's limo picks them up. The Terwilligers walk away with evil smiles, no doubt plotting revenge.


In 2022, Lloyd Farley of '']'' ranked the episode last out of 15 Sideshow Bob episodes. He said that it lacked Bob's schemes and intentions to kill Bart, which what makes Sideshow Bob's episodes special.<ref name="Farley">{{cite web|first=Lloyd|last=Farley|date=March 17, 2022|title=Hello, Bart: 'The Simpsons' Sideshow Bob Episodes, Ranked|url=https://collider.com/simpsons-sideshow-bob-episodes-ranked/|website=]|access-date=October 5, 2024|archive-date=October 7, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007020831/https://collider.com/simpsons-sideshow-bob-episodes-ranked/|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Quotes==
*'''Bob:''' ''(narrating) I needed a fresh start. But where?''<br/>''(He walks up to the globe and spins it around. He covers his eyes and stabs the knife into the globe, which lands on ])''<br/>'''Bob:''' Not in this lifetime!<br/>''(He spins it again, and the knife lands on ])''<br/>'''Bob:''' Damn it!<br/>''(He spins it again, and the knife lands on Shelbyville)''<br/>'''Bob:''' Never!<br/>''(He spins it again, and the knife lands on a country called Bartovia that looks like Bart winking)''<br/>'''Bob:''' Oh, cut that out.<br/> ''(He moves the globe and stabs the knife in ])''<br/>'''Bob:''' Ah, Tuscany. Fortune is finally smiling upon me. ''(steps on a rake and grunts incoherently)''


===Awards and nominations===
*'''Woman crushing grapes:''' ''(in Italian)'' I give up. This is too difficult.<br/>'''Man crushing grapes:''' ''(in Italian)'' Our tiny feet suck.
] won the ] at the ] for his voice portrayal of ] in this episode.<ref>{{cite web|first=Lynn|last=Elber|date=August 28, 2006|title='24' captures best drama; 'The Office' wins best comedy|url=https://www.ocala.com/story/news/2006/08/28/24-captures-best-drama-the-office-wins-best-comedy/31168409007/|website=]|agency=]|access-date=October 5, 2024|archive-date=October 7, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007020747/https://www.ocala.com/story/news/2006/08/28/24-captures-best-drama-the-office-wins-best-comedy/31168409007/|url-status=live}}</ref> This marks the third time a credited guest star for the show has won an Emmy, the other two being ] and ] although Wallace and Mason both won theirs as a joint win with the rest of the main cast the first time the category was awarded in 1992.<ref name="44th">{{cite news|title=Briefing–'Simpsons' score big in Prime-Time Emmys|date=1992-08-03|page=L20|newspaper=]}}</ref>


] won the ] at the ] for his script to this episode.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2007/film/awards/departed-shines-at-wga-kudos-1117959264/|title='Departed' shines at WGA kudos|last=McNary|first=Dave|date=11 February 2007|website=]|accessdate=23 February 2019|archive-date=February 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190219015713/https://variety.com/2007/film/awards/departed-shines-at-wga-kudos-1117959264/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*'''Bob:''' This is my bride, Francesca, and my son, Gino.<br/>'''Homer:''' Holy moley! I always thought that you were, you know, out and out and proud.<br/>'''Bob:''' Well, I experiemented in college as one does.<br/>'''Homer:''' Yeah, I never went to college.<br/>'''Bob:''' ''(sarcastically)'' Stop the presses.


==References==
*'''Marge:''' ''(to Francesca)'' Hello. I'm Marge, this is my husband, Homer, my daughters, Lisa and Maggie, and my son, Bart Simpson. <br/>'''Francesca:''' Bart Simpson? The name Roberto cries when he has the bad dream?<br/>'''Gino:''' ''(making stabbing motions with his hand)'' Bart Simpson! Bart Simpson! Bart Simpson! I make like my daddy! ''(grunts and makes more stabbing motions)''<br/>'''Bob:''' ''(takes Gino from Francesca and laughs nervously)'' Yes! Bart and I used to go, uh, fly fishing together.<br/>'''Gino:''' ''(running around on the floor in a circle and making more stabbing motions)'' Die, Bart! Die, Bart! ''(steps on a miniature rake and grumbles incoherently)''
{{reflist}}


== External links ==
*'''Bart:''' Bob, your family will find out the truth. Sooner or later, you'll try to kill me again! Watch, I'll prove it. (lifts up his shirt and moves his hips around) Come on, Bob. Slice, dice, and serve on rice!<br/>'''Bob:''' (chuckling) You little scamp! (laughs and puts down Bart's shirt) You know, you'll make some murderer very happy one day. But, it shan't be me.
{{Wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_17#The_Italian_Bob|"The Italian Bob"}}
{{Portal|The Simpsons}}
* {{IMDb episode|0701244}}


{{Simpsons Sideshow Bob}}
==Notes==
{{The Simpsons episodes|17}}
*The rake-to-the-face gag is recycled from "]".
{{WritersGuildofAmericaAnimationScreenplay}}
*Lisa mentions ]. Both Bob and '']'''s ] have worn Valjean's prison number in the past.
*] is identified in a ]man's manual as a ], and ] as a plagiarist of a plagiarist.
*The town drunk is two years old, and looks and sounds like a ] ]. He may actually be one of Barney's innumerable children, thanks to the Springfield sperm bank.


{{DEFAULTSORT:Italian Bob, The}}
==Goofs==
]
*Homer did attend college--later in life, yes, but he did go.
] ]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 22:45, 26 December 2024

8th episode of the 17th season of The Simpsons
"The Italian Bob"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 17
Episode 8
Directed byMark Kirkland
Written byJohn Frink
Production codeHABF02
Original air dateDecember 11, 2005 (2005-12-11)
Guest appearances
Maria Grazia Cucinotta as Francesca
Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob
Episode features
Chalkboard gag"That one's more jazzy"
Couch gagA pair of cartoon hands deal out a wild royal flush, consisting of the jack of diamonds (Bart), the queen of diamonds (Marge), the king of diamonds (Homer), the ace of diamonds (Lisa), and the joker (Maggie).
Commentary
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Last of the Red Hat Mamas" 		Next →
"Simpsons Christmas Stories"
The Simpsons season 17
List of episodes

"The Italian Bob" is the eighth episode of the seventeenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 11, 2005. The episode was written by John Frink and directed by Mark Kirkland.

In this episode, the Simpsons go to Italy to pick up Mr. Burns' new car and encounter Sideshow Bob after the car is involved in a collision. Serving as a sequel to "The Great Louse Detective", it features Kelsey Grammer in his ninth appearance as Sideshow Bob and is the first time the Simpsons visit Italy. Maria Grazia Cucinotta also guest starred. The episode received mixed reviews. Grammer won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for his performance in this episode. Frink won the Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Animation for his script to this episode.

The episode's title is a reference to the 1969 British caper film The Italian Job. Among the locations the Simpsons visit in this episode are Pisa, Pompeii, Tuscany, Rome and Venice.

Plot

After Mr. Burns gets teased about his old car by the kids at Springfield Elementary School, he sends Homer Simpson to pick up a brand new Lamborgotti Fasterossa car in Italy. The Simpsons fly over on Alitalia, and tour the country. After a huge wheel of mortadella lands on their car and crushes the hood, they push it into a small fictional Tuscan village called Salsiccia (sausage), and are told that the mayor speaks English.

The Simpsons visit the mayor, who turns out to be Sideshow Bob. He explains that after he last attempted to kill Bart, he decided to get a fresh start in Italy. He helped the villagers crush grapes into wine using his enormous feet, and they elected him mayor. Bob has resisted all intention of killing Bart, and introduces the Simpsons to his wife, Francesca Terwilliger, and his son, Gino. Bob begs the Simpsons not to tell anyone about his past crimes and arranges to have the car fixed.

One month later, Bob hosts a farewell party for the Simpson family. Lisa gets drunk on wine and spouts off about Bob being an attempted murderer. He leads her away from the table, but as she stumbles backwards, she rips off his suit to reveal his prison uniform. Upon this revelation, the village sacks Bob as Mayor. Bob swears a murderous vendetta on the Simpsons. The family flees in the fixed car, but Bob follows on a motorcycle. Homer drives into a ditch and onto a Roman aqueduct, landing on top of Trajan's Column in the Roman Forum. Bob's wife and son catch up with him. Francesca professes her love and loyalty to Bob and offers to help him take revenge.

The Simpsons are left with no car and no money. Lisa spots a bus with a poster advertising Krusty the Clown's performance in the opera Pagliacci. They meet up with him at the Colosseum in Rome, and he puts them in as extras. Bob, Francesca, and Gino find them and corner them on the stage while Krusty flees through a trap door. Lisa warns the audience that the Terwilligers are about to actually kill her and the family, but Bob tricks the audience by performing the climax of Vesti la giubba. Before Bob and his family can kill the Simpsons, Krusty's limousine picks them up; Krusty needs them to smuggle an ancient artefact back to America. The Terwilligers are disappointed at first, but then walk away plotting revenge together.

Production

Maria Grazia Cucinotta guest starred as Sideshow Bob's wife Francesca. Tress MacNeille voiced the role of Bob's son Gino.

Reception

Viewing figures

The episode earned a 3.7 rating and was watched by 10.30 million viewers, the 28th most-watched show that week.

Critical response

Ryan J. Budke of TV Squad said the episode was funny but did not like the abrupt ending with Sideshow Bob singing. He highlighted the joke of Peter Griffin from the television series Family Guy being accused of plagiarism and Stan Smith from the television series American Dad! being accused of plagiarizing plagiarism.

Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide said while Sideshow Bob episodes are usually good, this episode "doesn't live up to those heights, but it manages to mostly work well."

On Four Finger Discount, Brendan Dando and Guy Davis enjoyed the episode, saying the episode with the Simpsons traveling abroad had a story that made sense and liked that it "poked fun" of the Italian stereotypes.

In 2009, Robert Canning of IGN placed "The Italian Bob" last on his list of the "Top 10 Sideshow Bob Episodes". At that time, ten episodes revolving around the character had aired. Canning wrote that the episode "falls lowest in the ranking for a few reasons, but the biggest of these is the fact that Bob had no intention of killing Bart. Plus we're in Italy. Plus Bob is married and has a son. All the things we love about a Sideshow Bob episode—the vengeance, the familiar settings and characters, the elaborate scheming—were missing from this half-hour. Without it, Bob wasn't nearly as entertaining, and the episode didn't result in a whole lot of laughs."

In 2022, Lloyd Farley of Collider ranked the episode last out of 15 Sideshow Bob episodes. He said that it lacked Bob's schemes and intentions to kill Bart, which what makes Sideshow Bob's episodes special.

Awards and nominations

Kelsey Grammer won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance at the 58th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for his voice portrayal of Sideshow Bob in this episode. This marks the third time a credited guest star for the show has won an Emmy, the other two being Marcia Wallace and Jackie Mason although Wallace and Mason both won theirs as a joint win with the rest of the main cast the first time the category was awarded in 1992.

John Frink won the Writers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Writing in Animation at the 59th Writers Guild of America Awards for his script to this episode.

References

  1. ^ Farley, Lloyd (March 17, 2022). "Hello, Bart: 'The Simpsons' Sideshow Bob Episodes, Ranked". Collider. Archived from the original on October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  2. "Weekly Program Rankings (Dec. 5-11)". ABC Medianet. December 13, 2005. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  3. Budke, Ryan J. (December 12, 2005). "The Simpsons: The Italian Bob". TV Squad. Archived from the original on February 3, 2006. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  4. Jacobson, Colin (December 10, 2017). "The Simpsons: The Complete Seventeenth Season [Blu-Ray] (2005-06)". DVD Movie Guide. Archived from the original on August 18, 2024. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  5. Davis, Guy; Dando, Brendan (April 20, 2023). ""The Italian Bob" Podcast Review (S17E08)". Four Finger Discount (Simpsons Podcast) (Podcast). Event occurs at 10:05. Archived from the original on October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  6. Canning, Robert (December 9, 2012). "The Simpsons: Top 10 Sideshow Bob Episodes". IGN. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  7. Elber, Lynn (August 28, 2006). "'24' captures best drama; 'The Office' wins best comedy". Ocala StarBanner. Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  8. "Briefing–'Simpsons' score big in Prime-Time Emmys". Daily News of Los Angeles. August 3, 1992. p. L20.
  9. McNary, Dave (February 11, 2007). "'Departed' shines at WGA kudos". Variety. Archived from the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019.

External links

The Simpsons Sideshow Bob episodes
Major appearances
Minor appearances
The Simpsons episodes
Seasons 1–20
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Season 21–present
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
Season 17
Themed episodes
See also
Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Animation
2000s
2010s
2020s
Categories: