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{{Distinguish|Cape Fear (disambiguation){{!}}Cape Fear}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use mdy dates |date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox Simpsons episode {{Infobox Simpsons episode
| image =
| episode_name = Cape Feare
| caption =
| image = ]
| episode_no = 83 | season = 5
| prod_code = 9F22 | episode = 2
| airdate = ], ] | director = ]
| show runner = ] & ] | writer = ]
| production = 9F22
| writer = ]
| director = ] | airdate = {{Start date|1993|10|07}}
| guests = * ] as ]
| blackboard = "The cafeteria deep fryer is not a toy"
| blackboard = "The cafeteria deep fryer is not a toy"{{sfn|Richmond & Coffman|1997|p=121}}
| couch_gag = The family forms a chorus line, which turns into a large production number
| couch_gag = (first) The family dances along with various circus performers in a ]. / (second) After arriving in Terror Lake, the family (as "The Thompsons") sits on their new couch, only to get covered by a falling mound of fish.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season5/page2.shtml|title=Cape Feare|last1=Martyn|first1=Warren|last2=Wood|first2=Adrian|year=2000|work=BBC|access-date=2007-02-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209132014/https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season5/page2.shtml|archive-date=2012-02-09}}</ref>
| guest_star = ] as ]
| commentary = ]<br />Al Jean<br />Jon Vitti
| season = 5
| prev = ]
| next = ]"<hr>"]
}} }}
"'''Cape Feare'''" is the second episode of the ] of the American animated television series '']''. It originally aired on the ] in the United States on October 7, 1993. The episode features guest star ] in his third major appearance as ], who attempts to kill ] again after getting out of jail, spoofing the 1962 film '']'' and its ]. Both films are based on ]'s 1957 novel '']'' and allude to other horror films such as '']''.


The episode was written by ] and was the final episode directed by ]. The idea was pitched by ], who wanted to parody ''Cape Fear''. Originally produced as the last episode for ], it was held over to the fifth and was, therefore, the last episode produced by the show's original writers, most of whom subsequently left. The production crew found it difficult to stretch "Cape Feare" to the standard duration of half an hour (minus commercials), and consequently padded several scenes. In one such sequence, Sideshow Bob continually steps on rakes, the handles of which then hit him in the face; this scene has been cited as one of the show's most memorable moments, becoming a recurring gag. The score received an ] nomination.
"'''Cape Feare'''" is the second episode of '']''<nowiki>'</nowiki> ]. The title&mdash;and plot&mdash;are a spoof of the ] film '']''. This is also the last episode written by the original writing staff.


==Synopsis== ==Plot==
] sends anonymous threatening letters in the mail to ] from prison, wanting revenge on Bart for his two previous defeats.{{refn|group=N|As depicted in the 1990 episode "]" and the 1992 episode "]"}} Bob is soon ]d; the parole board no longer considers him a threat to society. After encountering Bob at a local movie theater and realizing he sent the letters, ] join the ], which relocates them to a houseboat in Terror Lake and changes their surname to "Thompson". As the family drives to their new home, they are unaware that Bob is strapped to the underside of the car. While suspended there, Bob is hit with speed bumps, has hot coffee poured on him by Homer, and is driven through a large cactus patch. After arriving in Terror Lake, Bob unstraps himself from the car and steps on rakes several times, injuring himself. Bob encounters Bart, but is promptly trampled by a parade of several elephants.
{{spoiler}}
] gets many letters, which threaten to kill him, all written in blood. One letter which is not written in blood was actually written by ], because Bart tattooed "Wide Load" to his butt. ] believes it is "probably the person you least suspect". Bart is left on edge by this, which results in him overreacting to several innocuous situations.


During the night, Bob reaches the houseboat and unmoors it from the dock. He ties up ], ], ], ] and ] so they cannot stop him. Bob then enters Bart's room and almost dispatches him as he flees out of the window. Bob catches up to Bart and corners him at the edge of the boat, offering him a last request. Having noticed a sign saying ] is fifteen miles away, Bart quickly has an idea: to stall for time, he compliments Bob on his beautiful voice and asks him to sing the entire score of '']''. Delighted by Bart's compliment, Bob grants his request by delivering a performance that includes several props, costumes and backdrops.
Marge pleads with ] for protection, but in vain. Lisa thinks the culprit could be ], who may have discovered that it was Bart who had been making prank calls to his bar. It turns out that Moe is only stocking ]s in the backroom. Bart still wonders who the culprit really is...


As the musical concludes, Bob prepares to murder Bart until the boat runs aground, knocking him off his feet and preventing him from doing so. Bob is arrested by ], whose police force was patronizing a riverside brothel. With Bob defeated once more, the Simpsons return home and discover that ] has grown breasts and long hair because he had left his medications inside the formerly abandoned house.
The scene switches to the ] State Prison, and we see that the writer is ]. He writes another threatening letter in blood to Bart and then proceeds to write to ] (in blood). He faints due to the blood-loss and his cell-mate, ], advises him to use a pen. The next day, Sideshow Bob's parole hearing is up. Wiggum and ] give their testimonies, which Bob's lawyer rebuffs. After promising that he is no threat to Bart, he is paroled. Later, the Simpson family goes to watch a movie "Ernest Goes Somewhere Cheap". Sideshow Bob is also there sitting in front of them, smoking a ] and laughing quite exaggeratedly. Homer (who is smoking an even larger cigar) bends over to Sideshow Bob, asking him to quiet down, but a funny moment in the film causes Homer to nearly bust Bob's eardrums. When Bob protests, the family on seeing who it is, realise that Bob had actually sent those letters.


==Production==
At the Simpson home, Chief Wiggum helps set up a network of trap strings attached to a ] doll, with Wiggum assuring the Simpsons that the trap is infallible and once someone is in your home, whatever you do to him is nice and legal. Homer, eager to try that theory out, invites Flanders over, but Wiggum says that it doesn't work when you invite them over. Later, Homer goes to a shady-looking ], who promises to run Sideshow Bob out of town, but actually pleads with him and fails. The next day, Bob goes around Evergreen Terrace in an ice-cream truck, calling out all the people whom he ''won't'' kill, and Bart's name is not on that list.


] voiced Sideshow Bob in the episode.]]
The Simpsons decide to opt for the ]'s ]. After a lengthy tutoring by the Fed, Homer becomes Homer Thompson. The Thompsons move to Terror Lake, with new identities, jobs and a new ] to live in. The Feds also throw in a free set of cassette tapes, "The FBI ] Society Sings the Complete ]". As they drive in the car, we see that Sideshow Bob has strapped himself to the underside of the car. But Homer racing on speedbumps, throwing out extremely hot coffee and driving through a cactus patch don't exactly give him the smoothest ride ever.


Sideshow Bob is a recurring character on ''The Simpsons''. Since ]'s "]" (1992), the writers have echoed the premise of ] from the 1949–1966 '']'' cartoons by having Bob unexpectedly insert himself into Bart's life and attempt to kill him as revenge for the events of the Season 1 episode "]" and the numerous other times Bart foiled his plans. Executive producer ] has compared Bob's character to that of Wile E. Coyote, noting that both are intelligent yet always foiled by what they perceive as an inferior intellect.<ref name="JeanBW">{{cite AV media|first=Al|last=Jean|author-link=Al Jean|date=2003|chapter=Commentary for 'Black Widower'|title=The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season|type=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox|location=Los Angeles, California}}</ref> The scene in which Bob is stomped on by multiple elephants and bounced right back up is a reference to Wile E. Coyote.<ref name="jean"/>
We see an intro sequence very similar to that from "The Simpsons", except the name is "The Thompsons". They go inside their houseboat, after driving away all their neighbours with their manic laughing. Bob gets out, bruised and battered, from under the car and steps on a set of rakes repeatedly with his oversized feet in an absurd, prolonged sequence. Later, as Bart walks down the road, he hears Sideshow Bob's sinister voice and sees him extricate himself from the underside of another car. As he lies in the middle of the road, a parade (with elephants) comes through, celebrating ] crossing the ]. The elephants then start walking on him.


American actor ] was brought in to guest star as Sideshow Bob for the third time.{{sfn|Richmond & Coffman|1997 |p=121}} At that time, Grammer had become a household name as the lead of the television series '']'', which was in production at the same time as this episode and would premiere on September 16, 1993. Grammer did not know the rake scene was extended because he had made the moan only once and was surprised when he saw the final product. The show's writers admire Grammer's singing voice and include a song for each appearance, including this episode.<ref name="jean"/> ], the primary composer for ''The Simpsons'', commented that " is so great. He's just amazing. You can tell he has this love of musical theater, and he has the vocal instrument to go with it, so I know whatever I write is going to be sung the way I've heard it."<ref>{{Cite web |first=Todd|last=Leopold|title=The man who makes 'The Simpsons' sing |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/20/simpsons.clausen/index.html |publisher=] |location=Atlanta, Georgia|date=September 21, 2007|access-date=January 3, 2009}}</ref>
Bart runs home and warns his parents that Sideshow Bob is threatening to kill him. That night, as Bart sleeps, Homer runs in with a knife... to cut him some brownies before he goes to bed. Again, Homer busts in the room asking Bart if he saw his new chainsaw and hockey mask. Bart nearly goes catatonic with shock.


In '']'', author ] writes that Bob is built into a highbrow snob and conservative ], so the writers can continually hit him with a rake and bring him down. He represents ] while ], one of his archenemies, represents ], and Bart, stuck in between, always wins out.{{sfn|Turner|2004|pp=129–131}} In the book '']'', David L. G. Arnold comments that Bart is a product of a "mass-culture upbringing" and thus is Bob's enemy.{{sfn|Arnold|2003|pp=2–3}}
Later, Sideshow Bob arrives on the houseboat, cutting it loose from the dock, as he holds a knife that he hopes to kill Bart with, and he approaches Bart in his bedroom. Bob has also tied up the other members of the Thompsons. Bart escapes out the window and tries to hide from Bob, but he can't jump off the boat, as there are ]s and ]s in the water. He sees that they are 15 miles from Springfield. Bob advances on Bart and asks if he has any last requests. Thinking fast, Bart asks Bob to sing the entire score to the ], much to Bob's delight and he obliges. After he finishes, he advances on Bart again, but the boat runs aground and Bob is apprehended by the cops there (who were incidentally visiting a nearby brothel).


Bob's intelligence serves him in many ways. For example, during this episode, the parole board asks Bob why he has a tattoo that says "Die Bart, Die"; Bob replies that it is German for "The Bart, The". The board members are impressed and release him because "no one who speaks German could be an evil man" (an allusion to ]).<ref name="vitti"/> However, his love of high culture is sometimes used against him. In this same episode, Bob agrees to perform the operetta '']'' in its entirety as a last request for Bart. The tactic stalls Bob long enough for the police to arrest him.{{sfn|Arnold|2003|p=16}}
Bob is taken away and the Simpsons (no longer the Thompsons) return home, to find ] looking like a woman, because he could not get to his medication while the family was away.


Even though the episode aired during the beginning of the fifth season, it was produced by the fourth season's crew. A large part of the original crew left the show after season four. This led to the addition of several scenes that normally would not have been considered because the departing crew's mentality was, "what are they going to do, get us fired?"<ref name="vitti">{{cite AV media|first=Jon|last=Vitti|date=2004|chapter=Commentary for 'Cape Feare'|title=The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season|type=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox|location=Los Angeles, California}}</ref> Although most of the episode was completed by the staff of season four, the end was rewritten by the team of season five.<ref name="jean">{{cite AV media|first=Al|last=Jean|date=2004|chapter=Commentary for 'Cape Feare'|title=The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season|type=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox|location=Los Angeles, California}}</ref>
{{endspoiler}}


] had seen the 1991 version of '']'' and pitched the idea of spoofing the film. ] was then assigned to write a parody of the ] from 1962 as well as the remake (both films are based on the 1957 novel by ], entitled '']''<ref>{{cite book |first=John D.|last=Macdonald|author-link=John D. Macdonald|title=Cape Fear: A Novel (Formerly Titled the Executioners) |publisher=]|location= Robbinsdale, Minnesota|date=1957|isbn=0449131904}}</ref>). Instead of using the spoof as only a part of the episode, which could have contained a B-story, the entire episode was devoted to this parody. Sideshow Bob was cast as the villain, and Bart became the main victim. The episode followed the same basic plot outline as the films and used elements from the original film's score by ] (which was also used in the 1991 version). The theme was so popular that after this episode, it became Sideshow Bob's theme, usually played in the darkest Bob moments.<ref name="jean"/> This episode marked the first time a Sideshow Bob episode was not a mystery.<ref name="vitti"/>
==Trivia==
*There is a classic scene where Sideshow Bob steps on nine ], just as soon as the Thompsons move to Terror Lake. DVD Commentary on the episode reveals that this sequence was extended because the episode ran short. This gag was repeated in "]" and "]" as a tribute to its infamy. ] didn't know that the scene was extended becuase he had only done the moan once.
*Germany banned this episode from airing for a few years due to the Up Late with McBain part in the beginning, where the announcer is shown wearing a ] uniform and a swastika arm band.
*When Homer mistakes a letter as threatening to himself and the family rushes to him, a mouse can be seen rushing out of a mousehole on the lower-left corner of the screen.
*]s appear prominently in this episode: Bart writes "WIDE LOAD" on Homer's butt (which prompts him to write an angry letter in black ink), and Sideshow Bob has many tattoos throughout the episode, which include a tattoo of Bart's severed head saying "Ouch, man!" on a ], a ] on his right arm, a ] on his left arm, the infamous "Die, Bart, Die" tattoo on his chest, and tattoos of three-letter words on three fingers on hands, which are "L-U-V" and "H-Ā-T" (in tribute to '']'').
*"Die, Bart, Die" is German for "The, Bart, The" indeed (as Bob claims), but "die" is the feminine German article. In order to be correct the masculine article "der" would have to be used, though using an article with a given name is very uncommon and colloquial in German anyway. "Bart" is also German for "]", but is a masculine noun and also requires "der" rather than "die".
*A brief part of the episode can be seen in the movie '']''.
*The ] seen behind ] is inaccurate.
*Homer is smoking a '']'' cigar in the movie theatre.
*This is the first of the "Sideshow Bob episodes" to air while '']'' was in production.
*The Simpson family sings ''Three Little Maids'' on their way to Cape Feare. Kelsey Grammer would also sing the song in the ''Frasier'' episode "Leapin' Lizards."
*A plot similar to this episode was used in the '']'' episode "]".


Difficulties were encountered with getting the episode to the minimum length, and many scenes were added in post-production. The episode starts with a repeat of a ] that was first used in the episode "]", which is considerably longer than the typical couch gag. The crew added an ] cartoon, and a few ]s as to who was trying to kill Bart. Even with all these additions, the episode still ran short of time. This led to creating the rake sequence, which became a memorable moment of the episode, and the entire series.<ref name="sprcon">{{cite book |last1=Reiss |first1=Mike |last2=Klickstein |first2=Mathew |title=Springfield confidential: jokes, secrets, and outright lies from a lifetime writing for the Simpsons |date=2018 |publisher=Dey Street Books |isbn=978-0062748034 |page=96|location=New York City}}</ref> Originally, Sideshow Bob was supposed to step on only one rake after he stepped out from the underside of the Simpson family's car, but this was changed to nine rakes in a row. According to executive producer Al Jean, the idea was to make the scene funny, then drag the joke out so that it is no longer funny, and then drag it out even longer to make it funny again.<ref name="jean"/>
==Cultural References==
*The "L-U-V" and "H-Ā-T" tattoos on Sideshow Bob's hands reference the tattoos "L-O-V-E" and "H-A-T-E" on ]'s character's fingers in '']''. Mitchum also starred in ].
*This episode spoofs three of ]s' most renowned characters: ], ] and ]. When Ned Flanders encounters Bart, he is wearing the trademark Freddy Krueger finger-razors (albeit to trim his hedges). Later, in Terror Lake, Homer scares Bart, wearing a hockey mask (like Jason) and brandishing a running chainsaw like Leatherface (although he was simply showing them off).
*The angel that Flanders makes out of a large bush is a reference to ].
*The motel that ] was in when writing his plans to kill Bart was called the "Bates Motel", the name of the motel where the classic thriller '']'' takes place.
*Bart and Lisa watch an episode of ] which parodies the famous laser scene from the ] movie ]. The same scene is also parodied in the later episode '']''.


Additions to the end musical number, including visual gags such as Bob appearing in uniform, were added after the ]. The crew felt watching the character singing would not be interesting enough, and they had to include these gags to make it work.<ref name="jean"/> ''The Simpsons'' creator ] was surprised when he saw the additions because he originally thought they were silly and would not appear in the final cut, but he has grown to like them.<ref name="groening"/>
==Awards==
This episode earned composer ] an Emmy award nomination for the musical score in the episode.


==Cultural references==


]''.]]


<!--Warning: uncited text will be removed.-->
==External links==
Besides borrowing the overall plot structure of the ''Cape Fear'' films, the episode made several direct references to specific scenes from the films. References to the original include: ]'s going to Chief Wiggum only to be told Sideshow Bob has not broken any laws (also references the 1991 remake). References to the 1991 remake include Sideshow Bob's tattoos; the shot of him leaving the prison gate; the scene with him smoking in the movie theater; part of his "workout" scene; his hiding under the Simpson family's car; Wiggum's rigging wire around the house to a toy doll as an alarm; his suggestion that Homer can do anything to someone who enters his home; Bob, strapped under a car, pulling up beside Bart for a conversation; and Homer's hiring a private investigator who attempts to persuade Bob to leave town.<ref name="jean"/>
* {{snpp capsule|9F22}}


The episode also contains elements of ]'s '']'' (1960 ), with Sideshow Bob staying at the Bates Motel.{{sfn|Richmond & Coffman|1997 |p=121}} When Bart receives death threats in the mail, he asks who'd want to kill him, as he's "This century's ]."<ref>{{cite web |first=Nathan |last=Rabin |title=The Simpsons (Classic): "Cape Feare"|url=https://www.avclub.com/the-simpsons-classic-cape-feare-1798175018 |work=avclub.com|date=2012-11-18}}</ref> The scene featuring ] with his "finger razors" references the 1984 film '']'' and its villain ] (threatening Bart with the razors); also the 1990 film '']'' (shaping the hedge into an angel, just as Edward had done a dinosaur).<ref name="totalfilm"/> Homer's surprising Bart with his new hockey mask recalls the film '']''<ref name="BBC"/> and Sideshow Bob's tattoos on his knuckles are similar to those of ]'s character in '']''. (Mitchum also played the villain ] in the original 1962 version of ''Cape Fear''.)<ref name="totalfilm"/> Bob, composing his to-do list in the Bates motel, exclaims "Ah! ]", the maxim of ]. Before driving to Terror Lake, Lisa notes that the Witness Relocation Program included a recording of ''The ] Light Opera Society Sings the Complete ]''. While singing "]" from '']'' during the car trip to Terror Lake, Homer's and Bart's hats recall '']''.<ref name="jean"/> Bart asks Bob to sing the complete score of the '']'' to stall for time.
]


==Reception and legacy==
]
"Cape Feare" originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 7, 1993.{{sfn|Richmond & Coffman|1997 |p=121}} It finished 32nd in the ratings for the week of October 4–10, 1993, with a ] of 12.3.<ref name=ratings>{{cite news |title=Nielsen Ratings /Oct. 4–10 |date=October 16, 1993 |page=C5 |work=] |agency=Associated Press }}</ref> The episode was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week.<ref name=ratings/>

] considers "Cape Feare" his favorite episode.]]
''Cape Feare'' is considered one of the darkest and one of the best episodes of ''The Simpsons''. Scenes which changed the ultimate feel of the storyline involved Bob nearly killing Bart by cornering him along with tying up the rest of the family, along with the bloody tone at the beginning due to Bob sending Bart those letters. With these particular reasons, many consider this episode as one of the best in the show. According to Matt Groening, people often include this episode among their top 10 favorites.<ref name="groening">{{cite AV media|first=Matt|last=Groening|author-link=Matt Groening|date=2004|title=Commentary for "Cape Feare"|work=The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season|type=DVD|publisher=]|location=Los Angeles, California}}</ref> In '']''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s top 25 ''The Simpsons'' episodes ever, it was placed third.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/article/2003/02/02/best-simpsons-episodes-nos-1-5 |title= The best ''Simpsons'' episodes, Nos. 1-5|access-date=December 14, 2015 |date=February 2, 2003 |magazine=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204071025/http://ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C417748~3~0~25bestand1%2C00.html |archive-date=February 4, 2009}}</ref> To celebrate the show's 300th episode "]", '']'' published a top 10 chosen by the webmaster of ], which had this episode at a ninth place.<ref>{{cite web |first=Jouni|last=Paakkinen|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2003-02-06-fan-favorites_x.htm |title=10 fan favorites |work=]|publisher=]|location=Mclean, Virginia|date=February 6, 2003|access-date=December 14, 2015}}</ref> In 2006, '']'' named "Cape Feare" the best episode of the fifth season.<ref name="IGN2">{{cite web |first1=Eric|last1=Goldman|first2=Dan|last2=Iverson|first3=Brian|last3=Zoromski|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/01/08/the-simpsons-20-seasons-20-episodes |title=The Simpsons: 20 Seasons, 20 Episodes |publisher=] |date=January 8, 2010 |access-date=January 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302212129/http://tv.ign.com/articles/731/731095p1.html |archive-date=March 2, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> '']'' called it the show's fourth-best episode in 2007, as "this episode's masterful integration of filmic parody and a recurring character puts it near the top."<ref>{{cite web |first=John |last=Orvted|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2007/08/top10simpsons200708|title=The Simpsons: Springfield's Best |work=] |publisher=]|location=New York City|date=July 5, 2007 |access-date=December 14, 2015}}</ref> James Walton of '']'' characterized the episode as one of "The 10 Best ''Simpsons'' TV Episodes",<ref>{{cite news |first=James|last=Walton |title=The 10 Best Simpsons TV Episodes (In Chronological Order) |work=] |location=London, England|page=3 |date=July 21, 2007}}</ref> while the '']'' placed it in their "''The Simpsons'' Top 20".<ref>{{cite news |title=The Simpsons Top 20 |work=] |date=2007-04-21 |page=W09}}</ref> Karl Åkerström of the Swedish newspaper '']'' called it his "all-time favorite" episode of the show.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bt.se/blogg/karl_akerstrom/topp-tio-1991(879620).gm?commentdialog=open#article-toolbar-bottom |title=Topp Tio 1991 |last=Åkerström |first=Karl |date=2008-09-29 |work=] |language=sv |access-date=2009-08-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927183653/http://www.bt.se/blogg/karl_akerstrom/topp-tio-1991%28879620%29.gm?commentdialog=open |archive-date=2011-09-27}}</ref> Michael Moran of '']'' and Emily VanDerWerff of '']'' both ranked "Cape Feare" as the fourth-best in the show's history.<ref>{{cite web |first=Michael|last=Moran |url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/tv-radio/article2448600.ece |title=The 10 best Simpsons episodes ever |work=]|date=January 14, 2010 |access-date=2010-01-14}}{{subscription required}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Emily|last=VanDerWerff|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/tv/5-for-the-day-the-simpsons/ |title=5 for the Day: The Simpsons |work=] |access-date=2022-01-16|date=2007-08-01 }}</ref> Cast member ] cited this episode as his favorite in the series.<ref>{{cite tweet |user=HankAzaria|number=293843041003921408 |title= Many have asked about my favorite #Simpsons episode. Cape Feare! |last=Azaria |first=Hank |date=January 22, 2013|access-date=2022-01-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hank-azarias-favorite-simpsons-voice-video_n_3729696|title=Hank Azaria Shares Favorite 'Simpsons' Voice And Episode On 'Watch What Happens: Live' |format=video |date=August 9, 2013 |work=] |access-date=2022-01-16}}</ref>

''IGN''{{'}}s Robert Canning gave the episode a perfect score of 10 out of 10 and named it the best Sideshow Bob episode of ''The Simpsons''. He added that there are "many, many reasons for its perfection, but what stands out most for me was how savage and single-minded Bob is in the episode. He wants to kill Bart and he makes no secret of it, save for lying to the parole board. Episodes since have made Bob far too wishy-washy. This was Bob in his prime—his vengeful, glorious, hilarious prime."<ref>{{cite web |first=Robert|last=Canning |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/06/30/the-simpsons-flashback-cape-feare-review |title=The Simpsons Flashback: "Cape Feare" Review|website=]|publisher=j2Global|location=San Francisco, California|date=June 30, 2009 |access-date=December 14, 2015}}</ref> Canning also placed it at #1 on the list of the Top 10 Sideshow Bob episodes.<ref>{{cite web |first=Robert|last=Canning |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/12/03/the-simpsons-top-10-sideshow-bob-episodes?page=2 |title=The Simpsons: Top 10 Sideshow Bob Episodes (Page 2) |website=] |publisher=j2Global|location=San Francisco, California|date=December 2, 2009|access-date=December 14, 2015}}</ref> Nathan Rabin of '']'' noted that the episode "turns limitations into strengths by spinning the need to fill out time into some of the series' sharpest, funniest and weirdest gags. The Rake Effect might be its greatest gift to comedy but its virtues go far beyond that. Sideshow Bob episodes consistently rank among the show's best and this represents the gold standard all subsequent Sideshow Bob episodes aspire to."<ref>{{cite web |first=Nathan|last=Rabin |url= https://www.avclub.com/the-simpsons-classic-cape-feare-1798175018 |title=The Simpsons (Classic): "Cape Feare" |work=] |publisher=onion, Inc.|location=Chicago, Illinois|date=November 18, 2012 |access-date=December 14, 2015}}</ref> '']'' called Bob's mishaps while strapped under the Simpsons' car the eighth-best film parody in the show, and called the rake scene "the best bit of slapstick in ''Simpson'' history."<ref>{{cite news|first=Colin|last=Kennedy|title=The Ten Best Movie Gags In ''The Simpsons''|work=]|publisher=]|location=London, England|date=September 2004|page=77}}</ref> The parody of ''Cape Fear'' was named the 33rd greatest film reference in the history of the show by '']''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Nathan Ditum.<ref name="totalfilm">{{cite news |first=Nathan|last=Ditum|url=http://www.totalfilm.com/features/the-50-greatest-simpsons-movie-references/page:18 |title=The 50 Greatest Simpsons Movie References |work=] |date=June 6, 2009 |access-date=July 22, 2009}}</ref> The Norwegian newspaper '']'' listed Sideshow Bob's "Die Bart, die" tattoo from the episode as the fifth-best tattoo in film and television history.<ref>{{cite news|first=Jorunn|last=Egeland|url=http://pub.tv2.no/nettavisen/side2/film/article1367489.ece|title=De beste film-tatoveringene|work=]|publisher=Egmont Magazines|location=København, Norway|date=October 6, 2007|access-date=August 11, 2009|page=2|language=no|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424031551/http://pub.tv2.no/nettavisen/side2/film/article1367489.ece|archive-date=April 24, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> ] named it among the 10 greatest ''Simpsons'' episodes of all time.<ref name="EntIe">{{cite web |url=https://entertainment.ie/tv/tv-news/10-greatest-the-simpsons-episodes-of-all-time-418495/ |title=The 10 greatest 'The Simpsons' episodes of all time |author=Molumby, Deidre |publisher=] |date=September 6, 2019 |access-date=September 7, 2019}}</ref> '']'' called it the best episode of the fifth season and the third greatest episode of ''The Simpsons''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/the-simpsons-best-episodes-ranked/|title=The Simpsons: The Best Episode In Every Season, Ranked|last=Sim|first=Bernardo|date=2019-09-22|website=Screen Rant|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-22}}</ref> In 2019, '']'' ranked the episode ninth in its list of 10 best ''Simpsons'' episodes picked by ''Simpsons'' experts.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Raisa Bruner |title=We Asked Experts for 10 of Their Most Memorable Simpsons Episodes of All Time |magazine=]|date=2019-12-10 |url=https://time.com/5743465/best-simpsons-episodes/|access-date=2019-12-11}}</ref>

]'s play '']'' features a group of apocalypse survivors recounting the plot of the episode around a fire in its first act, the same survivors attempting to mount a play based on the episode in the second act, and the story having entered apocryphal legend decades later in the third act.<ref>{{cite news|first=Eric|last=Grode|title='The Simpsons' as a Text for the Ages|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/theater/mr-burns-morphs-the-simpsons-at-woolly-mammoth.html|work=]|location=New York City|date=May 31, 2012|access-date=July 1, 2014}}</ref>

The "]" segment "Ei8ht" begins with an alternate ending to this episode in which Bob successfully kills Bart, spurring Lisa to become a criminal psychologist.

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=N}}

==References==

{{Reflist}}
'''Bibliography'''
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Arnold |first=David L. G. |editor=John Alberti|year=2003 |title=] |location=Detroit |publisher=] |chapter=Use a Pen, Sideshow Bob: The Simpsons and the Threat of High Culture |isbn=0-8143-2849-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Groening |first=Matt |author-link=Matt Groening |editor1-first=Ray |editor1-last=Richmond |editor1-link=Ray Richmond |editor2-first=Antonia |editor2-last=Coffman |title=] |edition=1st |year=1997 |location=New York |publisher=] |lccn=98141857 |ol=433519M |oclc=37796735 |isbn=978-0-06-095252-5 |ref={{harvid|Richmond & Coffman|1997}}}}
* {{cite book |last=Turner |first=Chris |author-link=Chris Turner (author) |title=] |others=Foreword by ]. |edition=1st |year=2004 |location=Toronto |publisher=] |oclc=55682258 |isbn=978-0-679-31318-2}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_5#Cape_Feare|"Cape Feare"}}
{{Portal|The Simpsons}}
* {{IMDb episode|0701080}}
* {{Snpp capsule|9F22}}

{{Simpsons Sideshow Bob}}
{{The Simpsons episodes|5}}

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Latest revision as of 04:27, 3 January 2025

Not to be confused with Cape Fear.

2nd episode of the 5th season of The Simpsons
"Cape Feare"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 2
Directed byRich Moore
Written byJon Vitti
Production code9F22
Original air dateOctober 7, 1993 (1993-10-07)
Guest appearance
Episode features
Chalkboard gag"The cafeteria deep fryer is not a toy"
Couch gag(first) The family dances along with various circus performers in a kickline. / (second) After arriving in Terror Lake, the family (as "The Thompsons") sits on their new couch, only to get covered by a falling mound of fish.
CommentaryMatt Groening
Al Jean
Jon Vitti
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Homer's Barbershop Quartet" 		Next →
"Homer Goes to College"
"Ei8ht"
The Simpsons season 5
List of episodes

"Cape Feare" is the second episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 7, 1993. The episode features guest star Kelsey Grammer in his third major appearance as Sideshow Bob, who attempts to kill Bart Simpson again after getting out of jail, spoofing the 1962 film Cape Fear and its 1991 remake. Both films are based on John D. MacDonald's 1957 novel The Executioners and allude to other horror films such as Psycho.

The episode was written by Jon Vitti and was the final episode directed by Rich Moore. The idea was pitched by Wallace Wolodarsky, who wanted to parody Cape Fear. Originally produced as the last episode for the fourth season, it was held over to the fifth and was, therefore, the last episode produced by the show's original writers, most of whom subsequently left. The production crew found it difficult to stretch "Cape Feare" to the standard duration of half an hour (minus commercials), and consequently padded several scenes. In one such sequence, Sideshow Bob continually steps on rakes, the handles of which then hit him in the face; this scene has been cited as one of the show's most memorable moments, becoming a recurring gag. The score received an Emmy Award nomination.

Plot

Sideshow Bob sends anonymous threatening letters in the mail to Bart from prison, wanting revenge on Bart for his two previous defeats. Bob is soon paroled; the parole board no longer considers him a threat to society. After encountering Bob at a local movie theater and realizing he sent the letters, the Simpsons join the Witness Protection Program, which relocates them to a houseboat in Terror Lake and changes their surname to "Thompson". As the family drives to their new home, they are unaware that Bob is strapped to the underside of the car. While suspended there, Bob is hit with speed bumps, has hot coffee poured on him by Homer, and is driven through a large cactus patch. After arriving in Terror Lake, Bob unstraps himself from the car and steps on rakes several times, injuring himself. Bob encounters Bart, but is promptly trampled by a parade of several elephants.

During the night, Bob reaches the houseboat and unmoors it from the dock. He ties up Homer, Marge, Lisa, Maggie and Santa's Little Helper so they cannot stop him. Bob then enters Bart's room and almost dispatches him as he flees out of the window. Bob catches up to Bart and corners him at the edge of the boat, offering him a last request. Having noticed a sign saying Springfield is fifteen miles away, Bart quickly has an idea: to stall for time, he compliments Bob on his beautiful voice and asks him to sing the entire score of H.M.S. Pinafore. Delighted by Bart's compliment, Bob grants his request by delivering a performance that includes several props, costumes and backdrops.

As the musical concludes, Bob prepares to murder Bart until the boat runs aground, knocking him off his feet and preventing him from doing so. Bob is arrested by Chief Wiggum, whose police force was patronizing a riverside brothel. With Bob defeated once more, the Simpsons return home and discover that Grampa has grown breasts and long hair because he had left his medications inside the formerly abandoned house.

Production

A man wearing a cap smiles broadly.
Kelsey Grammer voiced Sideshow Bob in the episode.

Sideshow Bob is a recurring character on The Simpsons. Since season three's "Black Widower" (1992), the writers have echoed the premise of Wile E. Coyote chasing the Road Runner from the 1949–1966 Looney Tunes cartoons by having Bob unexpectedly insert himself into Bart's life and attempt to kill him as revenge for the events of the Season 1 episode "Krusty Gets Busted" and the numerous other times Bart foiled his plans. Executive producer Al Jean has compared Bob's character to that of Wile E. Coyote, noting that both are intelligent yet always foiled by what they perceive as an inferior intellect. The scene in which Bob is stomped on by multiple elephants and bounced right back up is a reference to Wile E. Coyote.

American actor Kelsey Grammer was brought in to guest star as Sideshow Bob for the third time. At that time, Grammer had become a household name as the lead of the television series Frasier, which was in production at the same time as this episode and would premiere on September 16, 1993. Grammer did not know the rake scene was extended because he had made the moan only once and was surprised when he saw the final product. The show's writers admire Grammer's singing voice and include a song for each appearance, including this episode. Alf Clausen, the primary composer for The Simpsons, commented that " is so great. He's just amazing. You can tell he has this love of musical theater, and he has the vocal instrument to go with it, so I know whatever I write is going to be sung the way I've heard it."

In Planet Simpson, author Chris Turner writes that Bob is built into a highbrow snob and conservative Republican, so the writers can continually hit him with a rake and bring him down. He represents high culture while Krusty, one of his archenemies, represents low culture, and Bart, stuck in between, always wins out. In the book Leaving Springfield, David L. G. Arnold comments that Bart is a product of a "mass-culture upbringing" and thus is Bob's enemy.

Bob's intelligence serves him in many ways. For example, during this episode, the parole board asks Bob why he has a tattoo that says "Die Bart, Die"; Bob replies that it is German for "The Bart, The". The board members are impressed and release him because "no one who speaks German could be an evil man" (an allusion to Adolf Hitler). However, his love of high culture is sometimes used against him. In this same episode, Bob agrees to perform the operetta H.M.S. Pinafore in its entirety as a last request for Bart. The tactic stalls Bob long enough for the police to arrest him.

Even though the episode aired during the beginning of the fifth season, it was produced by the fourth season's crew. A large part of the original crew left the show after season four. This led to the addition of several scenes that normally would not have been considered because the departing crew's mentality was, "what are they going to do, get us fired?" Although most of the episode was completed by the staff of season four, the end was rewritten by the team of season five.

Wallace Wolodarsky had seen the 1991 version of Cape Fear and pitched the idea of spoofing the film. Jon Vitti was then assigned to write a parody of the original Cape Fear film from 1962 as well as the remake (both films are based on the 1957 novel by John D. MacDonald, entitled The Executioners). Instead of using the spoof as only a part of the episode, which could have contained a B-story, the entire episode was devoted to this parody. Sideshow Bob was cast as the villain, and Bart became the main victim. The episode followed the same basic plot outline as the films and used elements from the original film's score by Bernard Herrmann (which was also used in the 1991 version). The theme was so popular that after this episode, it became Sideshow Bob's theme, usually played in the darkest Bob moments. This episode marked the first time a Sideshow Bob episode was not a mystery.

Difficulties were encountered with getting the episode to the minimum length, and many scenes were added in post-production. The episode starts with a repeat of a couch gag that was first used in the episode "Lisa's First Word", which is considerably longer than the typical couch gag. The crew added an Itchy & Scratchy cartoon, and a few red herrings as to who was trying to kill Bart. Even with all these additions, the episode still ran short of time. This led to creating the rake sequence, which became a memorable moment of the episode, and the entire series. Originally, Sideshow Bob was supposed to step on only one rake after he stepped out from the underside of the Simpson family's car, but this was changed to nine rakes in a row. According to executive producer Al Jean, the idea was to make the scene funny, then drag the joke out so that it is no longer funny, and then drag it out even longer to make it funny again.

Additions to the end musical number, including visual gags such as Bob appearing in uniform, were added after the animatics. The crew felt watching the character singing would not be interesting enough, and they had to include these gags to make it work. The Simpsons creator Matt Groening was surprised when he saw the additions because he originally thought they were silly and would not appear in the final cut, but he has grown to like them.

Cultural references

A brown one-story motel with a car parked outside. A big mansion is seen in the background.
Bob stays at the Bates Motel from the 1960 film Psycho.

Besides borrowing the overall plot structure of the Cape Fear films, the episode made several direct references to specific scenes from the films. References to the original include: Marge's going to Chief Wiggum only to be told Sideshow Bob has not broken any laws (also references the 1991 remake). References to the 1991 remake include Sideshow Bob's tattoos; the shot of him leaving the prison gate; the scene with him smoking in the movie theater; part of his "workout" scene; his hiding under the Simpson family's car; Wiggum's rigging wire around the house to a toy doll as an alarm; his suggestion that Homer can do anything to someone who enters his home; Bob, strapped under a car, pulling up beside Bart for a conversation; and Homer's hiring a private investigator who attempts to persuade Bob to leave town.

The episode also contains elements of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960 ), with Sideshow Bob staying at the Bates Motel. When Bart receives death threats in the mail, he asks who'd want to kill him, as he's "This century's Dennis the Menace." The scene featuring Ned Flanders with his "finger razors" references the 1984 film A Nightmare on Elm Street and its villain Freddy Krueger (threatening Bart with the razors); also the 1990 film Edward Scissorhands (shaping the hedge into an angel, just as Edward had done a dinosaur). Homer's surprising Bart with his new hockey mask recalls the film Friday the 13th Part III and Sideshow Bob's tattoos on his knuckles are similar to those of Robert Mitchum's character in The Night of the Hunter. (Mitchum also played the villain Max Cady in the original 1962 version of Cape Fear.) Bob, composing his to-do list in the Bates motel, exclaims "Ah! Le mot juste!", the maxim of Gustave Flaubert. Before driving to Terror Lake, Lisa notes that the Witness Relocation Program included a recording of The F.B.I. Light Opera Society Sings the Complete Gilbert and Sullivan. While singing "Three Little Maids From School Are We" from The Mikado during the car trip to Terror Lake, Homer's and Bart's hats recall I Love Lucy. Bart asks Bob to sing the complete score of the H.M.S. Pinafore to stall for time.

Reception and legacy

"Cape Feare" originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 7, 1993. It finished 32nd in the ratings for the week of October 4–10, 1993, with a Nielsen rating of 12.3. The episode was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week.

Cast member Hank Azaria considers "Cape Feare" his favorite episode.

Cape Feare is considered one of the darkest and one of the best episodes of The Simpsons. Scenes which changed the ultimate feel of the storyline involved Bob nearly killing Bart by cornering him along with tying up the rest of the family, along with the bloody tone at the beginning due to Bob sending Bart those letters. With these particular reasons, many consider this episode as one of the best in the show. According to Matt Groening, people often include this episode among their top 10 favorites. In Entertainment Weekly's top 25 The Simpsons episodes ever, it was placed third. To celebrate the show's 300th episode "Barting Over", USA Today published a top 10 chosen by the webmaster of The Simpsons Archive, which had this episode at a ninth place. In 2006, IGN named "Cape Feare" the best episode of the fifth season. Vanity Fair called it the show's fourth-best episode in 2007, as "this episode's masterful integration of filmic parody and a recurring character puts it near the top." James Walton of The Daily Telegraph characterized the episode as one of "The 10 Best Simpsons TV Episodes", while the Herald Sun placed it in their "The Simpsons Top 20". Karl Åkerström of the Swedish newspaper Borås Tidning called it his "all-time favorite" episode of the show. Michael Moran of The Times and Emily VanDerWerff of Slant Magazine both ranked "Cape Feare" as the fourth-best in the show's history. Cast member Hank Azaria cited this episode as his favorite in the series.

IGN's Robert Canning gave the episode a perfect score of 10 out of 10 and named it the best Sideshow Bob episode of The Simpsons. He added that there are "many, many reasons for its perfection, but what stands out most for me was how savage and single-minded Bob is in the episode. He wants to kill Bart and he makes no secret of it, save for lying to the parole board. Episodes since have made Bob far too wishy-washy. This was Bob in his prime—his vengeful, glorious, hilarious prime." Canning also placed it at #1 on the list of the Top 10 Sideshow Bob episodes. Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club noted that the episode "turns limitations into strengths by spinning the need to fill out time into some of the series' sharpest, funniest and weirdest gags. The Rake Effect might be its greatest gift to comedy but its virtues go far beyond that. Sideshow Bob episodes consistently rank among the show's best and this represents the gold standard all subsequent Sideshow Bob episodes aspire to." Empire called Bob's mishaps while strapped under the Simpsons' car the eighth-best film parody in the show, and called the rake scene "the best bit of slapstick in Simpson history." The parody of Cape Fear was named the 33rd greatest film reference in the history of the show by Total Film's Nathan Ditum. The Norwegian newspaper Nettavisen listed Sideshow Bob's "Die Bart, die" tattoo from the episode as the fifth-best tattoo in film and television history. Entertainment.ie named it among the 10 greatest Simpsons episodes of all time. Screen Rant called it the best episode of the fifth season and the third greatest episode of The Simpsons. In 2019, Time ranked the episode ninth in its list of 10 best Simpsons episodes picked by Simpsons experts.

Anne Washburn's play Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play features a group of apocalypse survivors recounting the plot of the episode around a fire in its first act, the same survivors attempting to mount a play based on the episode in the second act, and the story having entered apocryphal legend decades later in the third act.

The "Treehouse of Horror XXXIV" segment "Ei8ht" begins with an alternate ending to this episode in which Bob successfully kills Bart, spurring Lisa to become a criminal psychologist.

Notes

  1. As depicted in the 1990 episode "Krusty Gets Busted" and the 1992 episode "Black Widower"

References

  1. ^ Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 121.
  2. ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Cape Feare". BBC. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
  3. Jean, Al (2003). "Commentary for 'Black Widower'". The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season (DVD). Los Angeles, California: 20th Century Fox.
  4. ^ Jean, Al (2004). "Commentary for 'Cape Feare'". The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season (DVD). Los Angeles, California: 20th Century Fox.
  5. Leopold, Todd (September 21, 2007). "The man who makes 'The Simpsons' sing". Atlanta, Georgia: CNN Entertainment. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  6. Turner 2004, pp. 129–131.
  7. Arnold 2003, pp. 2–3.
  8. ^ Vitti, Jon (2004). "Commentary for 'Cape Feare'". The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season (DVD). Los Angeles, California: 20th Century Fox.
  9. Arnold 2003, p. 16.
  10. Macdonald, John D. (1957). Cape Fear: A Novel (Formerly Titled the Executioners). Robbinsdale, Minnesota: Fawcett Publications. ISBN 0449131904.
  11. Reiss, Mike; Klickstein, Mathew (2018). Springfield confidential: jokes, secrets, and outright lies from a lifetime writing for the Simpsons. New York City: Dey Street Books. p. 96. ISBN 978-0062748034.
  12. ^ Groening, Matt (2004). Commentary for "Cape Feare". The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season (DVD). Los Angeles, California: 20th Century Fox.
  13. Rabin, Nathan (November 18, 2012). "The Simpsons (Classic): "Cape Feare"". avclub.com.
  14. ^ Ditum, Nathan (June 6, 2009). "The 50 Greatest Simpsons Movie References". Total Film. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  15. ^ "Nielsen Ratings /Oct. 4–10". Press-Telegram. Associated Press. October 16, 1993. p. C5.
  16. "The best Simpsons episodes, Nos. 1-5". Entertainment Weekly. February 2, 2003. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  17. Paakkinen, Jouni (February 6, 2003). "10 fan favorites". USA Today. Mclean, Virginia: Gannett Company. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  18. Goldman, Eric; Iverson, Dan; Zoromski, Brian (January 8, 2010). "The Simpsons: 20 Seasons, 20 Episodes". IGN. Archived from the original on March 2, 2007. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  19. Orvted, John (July 5, 2007). "The Simpsons: Springfield's Best". Vanity Fair. New York City: Condé Nast. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  20. Walton, James (July 21, 2007). "The 10 Best Simpsons TV Episodes (In Chronological Order)". The Daily Telegraph. London, England. p. 3.
  21. "The Simpsons Top 20". Herald Sun. April 21, 2007. p. W09.
  22. Åkerström, Karl (September 29, 2008). "Topp Tio 1991". Borås Tidning (in Swedish). Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
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Bibliography

External links

The Simpsons Sideshow Bob episodes
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The Simpsons episodes
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Season 5
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