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{{Infobox Simpsons episode | {{Infobox Simpsons episode | ||
| image = | |||
| episode_name = Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming | |||
| caption = | |||
| image = ] | |||
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| season = 7 | ||
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| episode = 9 | ||
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| director = ] | ||
| writer = ] | |||
| show runner = ]<br>&<br>] | |||
| production = 3F08 | |||
| writer = ] | |||
| |
| airdate = {{Start date|1995|11|26}} | ||
| guests = * ] as ] | |||
| blackboard = "Wedgies are unhealthy for children and other living things" | |||
* ] as Colonel Leslie Hapablap | |||
| couch_gag = The family appears as ], swim to a row of clams (in the place of the couch), and watch an open treasure chest (in the place of the TV). | |||
| blackboard = "Wedgies are unhealthy for children and other living things"<ref name="Book">{{cite book |last=Groening |first=Matt |authorlink=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 |page= |ref={{harvid|Richmond & Coffman|1997}} }}.</ref> | |||
| guest_star = ] as ]<br>] as Col. Leslie "Hap" Hapablap | |||
| couch_gag = The Simpsons are a family of ] and swim to a couch made of clam shells to stare at an open treasure chest.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season7/page9.shtml |title=Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming |access-date=2009-04-16 |author1=Martyn, Warren |author2=Wood, Adrian |year=2000 |publisher=BBC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030903133031/https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season7/page9.shtml|archive-date=2003-09-03}}</ref> | |||
| season = 7 | |||
| commentary = Bill Oakley<br>Josh Weinstein<br>Dominic Polcino | |||
| prev = ] | |||
| next = ] | |||
}} | }} | ||
"'''Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming'''" is the ninth episode of '']'' |
"'''Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming'''" is the ninth episode of the ] of the American animated television series '']''. It originally aired on ] in the United States on November 26, 1995. In this episode, ] attempts to rid Springfield of television by threatening to detonate an ]. When that backfires, he attempts to kill ] once again, but this time along with ]. | ||
The episode was written by freelance writer ], and features the fifth major appearance of Sideshow Bob. Although Feresten received credit for the episode, the writing staff completely rewrote the episode and very little of Feresten's original script was left in the finished version. It was the first episode of ''The Simpsons'' to be directed by ], who described it as being very difficult to direct. ], known for his role in '']'', guest stars as Col. Leslie "Hap" Hapablap while ] reprises his role as Sideshow Bob. | |||
==Synopsis== | |||
{{spoiler}} | |||
] begins another episode of his show on a serious note ... he thanks the children for their contributions to a food drive. | |||
The episode is a parody of "'60s-era ] movies" and contains several references to Cold War films, including '']'', '']'', and '']''. In its original broadcast, the episode finished 49th in ratings for the week of November 20–26, 1995, with a ] of 8.7 and a 13 share of the audience. | |||
But are the cans and boxes of vegetable soup, fruit cocktail, refried beans and macaroni going to feed needy families? Of course not! They're going to be used for a super-sloppy obstacle course competition (a la ]). Bart and Lisa, as usual, revel in the mayhem and Krusty's abuse of Sideshow Mel. | |||
The episode received generally positive reviews by critics. | |||
The prisoners at Springwood Minimum Security Prison are also laughing at the proceedings, causing ] to lose his concentration while building a model of ] inside a bottle and ruin his project. | |||
==Plot== | |||
He enters the nearby room where the other inmates were laughing at the inane antics of Krusty. After the other inmates remind Sideshow Bob he used to be Krusty's sidekick, the embittered ex-TV star begins to defame other 'trash TV' shows, all of which he pans as pointless, mindless drivel, until ] steps in to end Bob's attack on TV claiming "I own 60% of that network!", which is presumably the ]. While on work duty at a local airfield (which is being cleaned for an annual air show), the quality of television programming eats at Bob's mind, and he forms a plan ... | |||
At Springfield Minimum Security Prison, ] is disturbed when he hears the other inmates laughing at the inane antics of ]'s television show. Believing that television is a fountain of "mindless drivel" and wanting to rid the world of it, Bob escapes while on work duty at a local Air Force Base. By mimicking one of the base's colonels he gains access to a restricted area of the hangar, where he steals a 10-megaton ]. | |||
As the Simpsons and other residents of Springfield are attending an ] held at the base, the signal on the big screen is interrupted by Bob, who threatens to detonate the bomb unless Springfield disables all of its television broadcasts. Upon hearing the announcement, everyone flees the airfield in panic, except for ] and ]. Unable to locate Bob, Mayor Quimby decides to give in to Bob's ultimatum. Krusty, refusing to submit to Bob's demands, takes refuge in a ] shack in the desert, which he uses to transmit a heavily improvised show. | |||
Meanwhile, everyone in town (including the Simpson family) goes to the air show, where the usual antics occur. At the same time, Bob – impersonating an Air Force colonel – gains access into the restricted area of a hangar, where he finds a 10-megaton ]. He then finalizes his plans ... | |||
Lisa deduces that the unusually high-pitched voice of Bob in his broadcast was due to ], and locates him in the envelope of the Duff blimp. Bob, having lost his patience thanks to Krusty, tries to detonate the bomb, which turns out to be a ], because it had passed the ] of November 1959. Lisa alerts the police to Bob's location using the blimp's ], but Bob deflates the blimp and kidnaps Bart, before stealing the original ], which had been an ] at the air show. Holding a knife against Bart's throat, Bob attempts to carry out a deadly ] attack against the civil defense shack where Krusty is hiding and kill him, Bart, and himself, but the slow-moving plane ends up merely bouncing harmlessly off the shack. The authorities quickly arrest Bob and take him back into custody while Bart is reunited with the rest of the family. | |||
Col. Hapablap tries to begin the show, but the signal on a giant-screen television is lost and just as quickly restored on Sideshow Bob. Bob suggests life would be better without television, and then makes his demand: Abolish television within two hours, or he'll detonate the nuclear bomb. Everyone flees the airfield in panic (''']''': "Stamp your hand for reentry!" but everyone ignores him); ] and ] are separated from their parents. | |||
==Production== | |||
While National Guardsmen frantically search the base for Sideshow Bob, Mayor Quimby and Col. Hapablab meet to decide what to do. When Bob is nowhere to be found, Quimby (out of options and running out of time) decides to give in to Bob's ultimatum, despite Krusty's (self-interest motivated) insistence that in a world without television, "the survivors would envy the dead!". Television transmitters are destroyed, and television stations hastily plan farewell programs. ] gives a farewell speech, toasting all the good times he's shared with viewers. | |||
] guest starred as Sideshow Bob for the fifth time. |alt=A man wearing a cap smiles broadly.]] | |||
"Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" was the fifth episode of ''The Simpsons'' to feature Sideshow Bob as the main character, after "]", "]", "]", and "]". Executive producers ] and ] believed that every season of the show should contain an episode featuring Bob. However, Bob had already been in four episodes and the writers were having a difficult time coming up with new ways to include him.<ref name="Oakley">Oakley, Bill (2005). Commentary for "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season'' . 20th Century Fox.</ref> The first draft of the episode was written by ], a freelance writer who later became known for his work on '']''.<ref name="Oakley"/> Although he received credit for the episode, the writing staff completely rewrote the episode and very little of Feresten's original script was left in the episode.<ref name=collegehumour>{{cite web|url=http://www.collegehumor.com/article:1705773 |title=Soup For You – an interview with Spike Feresten |access-date=2009-01-02 |date=2006-09-29 |author=Rubin, Jeff |publisher=College Humour |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215105943/http://www.collegehumor.com/article%3A1705773 |archive-date=2007-12-15 }}</ref> Oakley describes the episode as "one of the most arduous rewrites in the history of the show" because much of the dialogue had to be re-written.<ref name="Oakley"/> | |||
"Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" was the first episode of ''The Simpsons'' to be directed by ]. Polcino had worked as an assistant director on the show and had left the show, but was offered a chance to be a director. He describes the episode as a "tough one to start with", especially the scenes with the ].<ref name="Polcino">Polcino, Dominic (2005). Commentary for "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh SeasoreturnVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref> An early version of the script featured a longer scene at the air show that featured ] flying an early flying machine.<ref name="Oakley"/> The scene where ] is in a jet pretending to fire missiles at his parents because he's upset with them, would later inspire the episode "]". In that episode, Milhouse's parents become divorced, and it is also a reference to Dr. ].<ref name="Oakley"/> | |||
As Bob (whom, we learn, was televising his demands from a stolen Duff Blimp) gleefully celebrates the success of his plan (whilst rueing the fact that he didn't make more demands, including one for some "decent local ]"), ] is determined not to give in to his former co-star's demands (if he can stay on the air, he'd have 100% of the audience). He takes refuge in a civil defense shed and, after turning on the transmitter, heavily improvises a show including ''The Stingy and Battery Show''. Bob finds out and is outraged - even the threat of nuclear destruction is no match for television. | |||
A character modeled after ] owner ] briefly appears in a scene set in jail. The censors said that Murdoch could not be shown, but Murdoch gave his permission for his caricature to be used. Murdoch was voiced in that scene by series regular ].<ref name="Oakley"/> ], known for his role in '']'', guest stars as Col. Leslie "Hap" Hapablap. The role was specifically written for him and much of his dialogue was difficult to write.<ref name="Oakley"/> The line "What is your major malfunction?" is based on dialogue from ''Full Metal Jacket''.<ref name="Book"/> | |||
Bart and Lisa find their way into the cockpit of the Duff Blimp, where Bob – having lost his patience – tries to detonate the bomb. However, the bomb is a dud and no damage is done. | |||
==Cultural references== | |||
But at least Bob can gain some satisfaction ... by taking Bart hostage and, after landing the blimp, putting a knife against his neck. Lisa manages to sneak away and creates a message announcing Bob's whereabouts. When ] tries to arrest Bob, he just laughs at him and takes his 10-year-old hostage to a hangar, where he steals the original ] ] (which had been an exhibit at the air show). | |||
] from '']''.]] | |||
The episode is a parody of "'60s-era ] movies" and contains several references to Cold War films.<ref name="Oakley"/> There were also several references to '']'': the underground compound resembles the ] from the film; Professor Frink was redesigned to parody the title character; the tune that Sideshow Bob whistles while preparing the bomb is "]", as sung by ] at the end of the film; and Krusty's acting whilst he defends television is based on ]'s performance as General Buck Turgidson.<ref name="Oakley"/><ref name="Weinstein">Weinstein, Josh (2005). Commentary for "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season'' . 20th Century Fox.</ref> An alien appears in Hangar 18, a reference to the ], and indirectly the ]. | |||
Another parodied film is the 1964 thriller '']'' by ]: at the beginning of the third act of the episode, scenes of everyday life across Springfield are shown, and one by one, with a 'zooming' sound effect, they all freeze-frame in anticipation of the (supposedly) imminent ]; such was the ending of ''Fail-Safe''.<ref name="Oakley"/> One of the scenes before the supposed nuclear blast shows Maggie picking flowers in a field, with the camera zooming into her eye, and then the minuscule blast occurs. This is a parody of the innovative and controversial ] used by ] in the ].<ref name="Weinstein"/> | |||
Bob, holding the knife's blade to Bart's neck, plans a kamikaze mission by crashing the plane into the civil defense shed where Krusty is hiding. He flies towards Krusty's shed, humoursly yelling "DIE KRUSTY DIE!!". However, the plane is mechanically unable to carry out Bob's kamikaze mission, and it merely bounces (harmlessly) off the shack's roof. The plane lands and stalls, and authorities quickly tackle Bob and take him into custody. As Bob bemoans his failed plan, an unharmed Bart is reunited with his parents. | |||
The dud bomb is partially a reference to the film ], which also features a nonfunctional nuclear bomb with mice inside. In the episode the bomb is revealed to be a dud after it falls apart and mice run out from it; in the movie, after the mouse leaves the bomb starts working again. Sideshow Bob's bomb also has a note that says "Best before 1959," the year ''The Mouse That Roared'' was made. | |||
However, all is not well. Just as Bob is being arrested, an air-force operative accidentally drives a tank over the ] plane, crushing it to bits - which is perhaps to be expected, as tanks aren't usually driven in the Air Force. | |||
{{endspoiler}} | |||
]'s ] from '']'' makes an appearance.<ref name="BBC" /> | |||
==''The Stingy and Battery Show''== | |||
A fictional ] briefly improvised by ]. Determined to stay on air, Krusty broadcast from a small emergency broadcasting system shack in the Springfield ]. | |||
==Reception== | |||
Desperate to fill in time, he invented a substitute for his long-time ratings winner '']'' using a live ] and a ], naming it ''The Stingy and Battery Show'' on the spot. He also performed the theme song: "They ], and ], and bite and light and ], Bite bite bite.... yadda yadda, you know what I'm talkin' about". He then accidentally drops the scorpion and looks worried. He also had two sidekicks: a framed picture of former President ] and a fuel can named Professor Gas Can. | |||
In its original broadcast, "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" finished 49th in ratings for the week of November 20–26, 1995, with a ] of 8.7 and a 13 share of the audience.<ref>{{cite news |title='Beatles Anthology' Falls Short in Ratings |work=] |date=1995-11-30 |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> It was the fourth highest-rated show on the Fox network that week behind '']'', '']'', and '']''.<ref>{{cite news |title='A-Beatles-C' takes a beating by NBC in Nielsen Ratings |work=St. Paul Pioneer Press |agency=Associated Press |date=2009-04-16}}</ref> | |||
The authors of the book ''I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide'', Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, wrote, "Probably the least satisfying of Sideshow Bob's gleamings – but there's enough slapstick and satire to keep things ticking along nicely."<ref name="BBC"/> | |||
==Trivia== | |||
*This episode was due to be shown on ] on ] ], but was replaced with ] because of the part where Sideshow Bob steals the Wright Brothers plane at the air show, kidnaps Bart, and plans to crash the plane into the shack where Krusty was doing his "show" was considered "in poor taste" due to the ]. | |||
*One of the O's in Ocho is an eight-Ball. | |||
*Lisa says particularly out-of-character at the start of the episode, "I want to meet the first female ] pilot. During the ] she destroyed seventy ] and her name is Lisa too." | |||
DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson wrote, "Though it doesn't compete with the best Bob shows, it has more than a few nice moments." He added that he enjoyed R. Lee Ermey's guest appearance as well as the jokes about the Fox network.<ref name=dvdmovieguide>{{cite web |access-date=2009-04-16 |url=http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonseven.shtml |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season (1995) |publisher=DVD Movie Guide |date=2006-01-05 |author=Jacobson, Colin}}</ref> Jennifer Malkowski of DVD Verdict considered the best part of the episode to be when Milhouse was playing in the fighter jet at the air show. Malkowski concluded her review by giving the episode a grade of B−.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2009-04-16 |url=http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/simpsonsseason7.php |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season |publisher=DVD Verdict |date=2006-01-16 |author=Malkowski, Judge |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204055914/http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/simpsonsseason7.php |archive-date=2008-12-04 }}</ref> | |||
==Cultural References== | |||
* ] – Spoofed in the opening "'''Krusty the Clown Show'''" segment. | |||
* Twilight's Last Gleaming - Title and similar plot. | |||
* ] – At the beginning of the third act, we see scenes of everyday life across Springfield. One by one, with a "zooming" sound effect, they all freeze-frame in anticipation of the (supposedly) imminent ]. Such was the ending of the ] ] thriller by ]. | |||
* ] – The montage of scenes mentioned above ends with ] picking at a daisy - a parody of the famous political ad for the American presidential candidate ]. | |||
* ] – A vintage aircraft, said to be the plane used for the historic flight, is on display at the Springfield Air Show. | |||
*'']'' – The underground compound resembles the War Room from the film; also Professor Frink appears as the title character from the film. The tune that Sideshow Bob whistles while preparing the bomb is "]," as sung by ] at the end of the film. | |||
*] arrives in character as ] (from '']''), as part as a delegation of esteemed TV Representatives. Other representatives include: | |||
**] | |||
**] | |||
**] | |||
**] | |||
*] – An airport in Raleigh, NC, which is about three hours from where the ]' first flight was. | |||
*"High Flight" sonnet quoted by the purportedly American Air Force general, which is actually more affiliated with the Royal Canadian Air Force. It is a similar jab to the British-made ] joke. | |||
*Col. Leslie "Hap" Hapablap (voiced by ]) says, "What is your major malfunction?" to Sideshow Bob, which is a line delivered by Ermey's character in another ] war movie, ]. | |||
*Col. Hapablap also exclaims, "What in the World According to Garp?", which is a reference to the famous ] novel and film adaptation, "]. | |||
* At the time of this episode, a woman named Awilda Lopez was arrested for killing her adoptive daughter. When she was arrested, Lopez admitted to using her child as a mop to clean the floors of her house, similar to how Krusty the Clown uses Sideshow Mel in the beginning of this episode. Many fans found the joke to be in bad taste due to the timing of the events, but the joke has not been edited out and is included on the season seven DVD set. | |||
* An alien is found in ] which could be a reference to the 1980s film or the song by Megadeth | |||
* Kent Brockman ends his farewell speech by announcing that he will be writing a column for ] magazine. | |||
==References== | |||
*The song played during the airplane show is Rock You Like a Hurricane by German Hard Rock band the Scorpions | |||
{{Reflist|30em}} | |||
==External links== | |||
*Krusty the Clown thinks of a way to stay on the air while the TV station was conducting an ] test. Though FCC regulations prohibited the actual EBS tone from airing on that show, the tone heard on this episode is actually used as an ] attention signal on ]. When Krusty started airing his show in a civil defense shack, the EBS was activated as if there were an actual emergency. | |||
{{wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_7#Sideshow_Bob.27s_Last_Gleaming|"Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming"}} | |||
*{{snpp capsule|3F08}} | |||
*{{IMDb episode |id=0701208}} | |||
{{Simpsons Sideshow Bob}} | |||
==Quotes== | |||
{{The Simpsons episodes|7}} | |||
{{cleanup|November 2006}} | |||
{{Portal bar|1990s|Animation|Comedy|The Simpsons}} | |||
*'''Bart (seeing the Wright Brothers plane):''' Look at that hunk of junk. <br/> '''Grandpa:''' Oh, jeeh—you're ignorant! That's the Wright Brothers' plane. At ] in ], ] flew it fifteen miles on a ] full of corn oil. Single handedly won us the ], it did! <br/> '''Bart:''' So how do you know so much about American history? <br/> '''Grandpa:''' I piece it together mostly from sugar packets. | |||
*'''Chief Wiggum:''' Hey, where is Sideshow Bob and that guy who eats people and takes their faces?<br/>'''Normal-looking prisoner:''' I'm right here, Chief!<br/>'''Wiggum:''' Oh. Then where's Sideshow Bob?<br/>'''Another prisoner:''' Uh, he ran off.<br/>'''Wiggum:''' Oh, great. Well...if anyone asks, I beat him to death, okay? ''(Leaves the place)'' | |||
*'''Col. Leslie "Hap" Hapablap:''' What a day for an airshow! Not a cloud in the sky!</br>'''Sideshow Bob:''' Except perhaps...a mushroom cloud. ''(Bob laughs manically as he carries away a 10 Megaton nuclear weapon in a wheelbarrow, but his laugh becomes less manic after the bomb almost falls out)''</br> | |||
*'''Sideshow Bob''' ''(having appeared on television in order to threaten the town to abolish television):'' By the way, I am aware of the irony of appearing on television in order to decry it. So don't bother pointing that out. | |||
*'''Grandpa (in a porta-loo):''' This elevator only goes to the basement. And someone made an awful mess down there. | |||
*'''Col. Hapablap:''' We've searched this base from top to bottom and found nothing but porno, porno, porno! <br> '''Mayor Quimby:''' Well then we have no option, bring in the esteemed representatives of television. <br> ''Tom Baker, Steve Urkel, Kent Brockman, Bumblebee Man and Krusty come in.'' <br> '''Krusty:''' (Upon seeing the porno) Hey hey! This is my kinda meeting! | |||
*'''Bart:''' ''(to the squeaky-voiced Security Police Senior Airman)'' Way to guard the parking lot, Top Gun! <br/> '''Squeaky-voiced SP:''' I have three medals for this! | |||
*'''Soldier:''' (After he runs over the Wright Plane with a tank) Whoah...sorry. We don't normally drive these in the Air Force. | |||
*'''Sideshow Bob:''' Well, if it isn't my arch nemesis, Bart Simpson. And his sister Lisa, to whom I'm fairly indifferent. | |||
==External links== | |||
{{wikiquote}} | |||
*{{snpp capsule|3F08}} | |||
* | |||
] | ] | ||
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Latest revision as of 05:55, 22 December 2024
9th episode of the 7th season of The Simpsons
"Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" | |||
---|---|---|---|
The Simpsons episode | |||
Episode no. | Season 7 Episode 9 | ||
Directed by | Dominic Polcino | ||
Written by | Spike Feresten | ||
Production code | 3F08 | ||
Original air date | November 26, 1995 (1995-11-26) | ||
Guest appearances | |||
| |||
Episode features | |||
Chalkboard gag | "Wedgies are unhealthy for children and other living things" | ||
Couch gag | The Simpsons are a family of Sea-Monkeys and swim to a couch made of clam shells to stare at an open treasure chest. | ||
Commentary | Bill Oakley Josh Weinstein Dominic Polcino | ||
Episode chronology | |||
| |||
The Simpsons season 7 | |||
List of episodes |
"Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" is the ninth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 26, 1995. In this episode, Sideshow Bob attempts to rid Springfield of television by threatening to detonate an atomic bomb. When that backfires, he attempts to kill Bart once again, but this time along with Krusty the Clown.
The episode was written by freelance writer Spike Feresten, and features the fifth major appearance of Sideshow Bob. Although Feresten received credit for the episode, the writing staff completely rewrote the episode and very little of Feresten's original script was left in the finished version. It was the first episode of The Simpsons to be directed by Dominic Polcino, who described it as being very difficult to direct. R. Lee Ermey, known for his role in Full Metal Jacket, guest stars as Col. Leslie "Hap" Hapablap while Kelsey Grammer reprises his role as Sideshow Bob.
The episode is a parody of "'60s-era nuclear war movies" and contains several references to Cold War films, including Twilight's Last Gleaming, Dr. Strangelove, and Fail-Safe. In its original broadcast, the episode finished 49th in ratings for the week of November 20–26, 1995, with a Nielsen rating of 8.7 and a 13 share of the audience.
The episode received generally positive reviews by critics.
Plot
At Springfield Minimum Security Prison, Sideshow Bob is disturbed when he hears the other inmates laughing at the inane antics of Krusty the Clown's television show. Believing that television is a fountain of "mindless drivel" and wanting to rid the world of it, Bob escapes while on work duty at a local Air Force Base. By mimicking one of the base's colonels he gains access to a restricted area of the hangar, where he steals a 10-megaton nuclear weapon.
As the Simpsons and other residents of Springfield are attending an air show held at the base, the signal on the big screen is interrupted by Bob, who threatens to detonate the bomb unless Springfield disables all of its television broadcasts. Upon hearing the announcement, everyone flees the airfield in panic, except for Bart and Lisa. Unable to locate Bob, Mayor Quimby decides to give in to Bob's ultimatum. Krusty, refusing to submit to Bob's demands, takes refuge in a civil defense shack in the desert, which he uses to transmit a heavily improvised show.
Lisa deduces that the unusually high-pitched voice of Bob in his broadcast was due to inhaling helium, and locates him in the envelope of the Duff blimp. Bob, having lost his patience thanks to Krusty, tries to detonate the bomb, which turns out to be a dud, because it had passed the expiration date of November 1959. Lisa alerts the police to Bob's location using the blimp's variable-message sign, but Bob deflates the blimp and kidnaps Bart, before stealing the original Wright Brothers aircraft, which had been an exhibit at the air show. Holding a knife against Bart's throat, Bob attempts to carry out a deadly kamikaze attack against the civil defense shack where Krusty is hiding and kill him, Bart, and himself, but the slow-moving plane ends up merely bouncing harmlessly off the shack. The authorities quickly arrest Bob and take him back into custody while Bart is reunited with the rest of the family.
Production
"Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" was the fifth episode of The Simpsons to feature Sideshow Bob as the main character, after "Krusty Gets Busted", "Black Widower", "Cape Feare", and "Sideshow Bob Roberts". Executive producers Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein believed that every season of the show should contain an episode featuring Bob. However, Bob had already been in four episodes and the writers were having a difficult time coming up with new ways to include him. The first draft of the episode was written by Spike Feresten, a freelance writer who later became known for his work on Seinfeld. Although he received credit for the episode, the writing staff completely rewrote the episode and very little of Feresten's original script was left in the episode. Oakley describes the episode as "one of the most arduous rewrites in the history of the show" because much of the dialogue had to be re-written.
"Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" was the first episode of The Simpsons to be directed by Dominic Polcino. Polcino had worked as an assistant director on the show and had left the show, but was offered a chance to be a director. He describes the episode as a "tough one to start with", especially the scenes with the Wright Flyer. An early version of the script featured a longer scene at the air show that featured Hans Moleman flying an early flying machine. The scene where Milhouse is in a jet pretending to fire missiles at his parents because he's upset with them, would later inspire the episode "A Milhouse Divided". In that episode, Milhouse's parents become divorced, and it is also a reference to Dr. Frasier Crane.
A character modeled after Fox Network owner Rupert Murdoch briefly appears in a scene set in jail. The censors said that Murdoch could not be shown, but Murdoch gave his permission for his caricature to be used. Murdoch was voiced in that scene by series regular Dan Castellanetta. R. Lee Ermey, known for his role in Full Metal Jacket, guest stars as Col. Leslie "Hap" Hapablap. The role was specifically written for him and much of his dialogue was difficult to write. The line "What is your major malfunction?" is based on dialogue from Full Metal Jacket.
Cultural references
The episode is a parody of "'60s-era nuclear war movies" and contains several references to Cold War films. There were also several references to Dr. Strangelove: the underground compound resembles the War Room from the film; Professor Frink was redesigned to parody the title character; the tune that Sideshow Bob whistles while preparing the bomb is "We'll Meet Again", as sung by Vera Lynn at the end of the film; and Krusty's acting whilst he defends television is based on George C. Scott's performance as General Buck Turgidson. An alien appears in Hangar 18, a reference to the film of the same name, and indirectly the Roswell incident.
Another parodied film is the 1964 thriller Fail-Safe by Sidney Lumet: at the beginning of the third act of the episode, scenes of everyday life across Springfield are shown, and one by one, with a 'zooming' sound effect, they all freeze-frame in anticipation of the (supposedly) imminent nuclear blast; such was the ending of Fail-Safe. One of the scenes before the supposed nuclear blast shows Maggie picking flowers in a field, with the camera zooming into her eye, and then the minuscule blast occurs. This is a parody of the innovative and controversial Daisy advertisement used by Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1964 United States presidential election.
The dud bomb is partially a reference to the film The Mouse That Roared, which also features a nonfunctional nuclear bomb with mice inside. In the episode the bomb is revealed to be a dud after it falls apart and mice run out from it; in the movie, after the mouse leaves the bomb starts working again. Sideshow Bob's bomb also has a note that says "Best before 1959," the year The Mouse That Roared was made.
Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor from Doctor Who makes an appearance.
Reception
In its original broadcast, "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" finished 49th in ratings for the week of November 20–26, 1995, with a Nielsen rating of 8.7 and a 13 share of the audience. It was the fourth highest-rated show on the Fox network that week behind The X-Files, Beverly Hills, 90210, and Melrose Place.
The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, wrote, "Probably the least satisfying of Sideshow Bob's gleamings – but there's enough slapstick and satire to keep things ticking along nicely."
DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson wrote, "Though it doesn't compete with the best Bob shows, it has more than a few nice moments." He added that he enjoyed R. Lee Ermey's guest appearance as well as the jokes about the Fox network. Jennifer Malkowski of DVD Verdict considered the best part of the episode to be when Milhouse was playing in the fighter jet at the air show. Malkowski concluded her review by giving the episode a grade of B−.
References
- ^ Groening, Matt (1997). Richmond, Ray; Coffman, Antonia (eds.). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family (1st ed.). New York: HarperPerennial. p. 190. ISBN 978-0-06-095252-5. LCCN 98141857. OCLC 37796735. OL 433519M..
- ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming". BBC. Archived from the original on September 3, 2003. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
- ^ Oakley, Bill (2005). Commentary for "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming", in The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season . 20th Century Fox.
- Rubin, Jeff (September 29, 2006). "Soup For You – an interview with Spike Feresten". College Humour. Archived from the original on December 15, 2007. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
- Polcino, Dominic (2005). Commentary for "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming", in The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh SeasoreturnVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Weinstein, Josh (2005). Commentary for "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming", in The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season . 20th Century Fox.
- "'Beatles Anthology' Falls Short in Ratings". New York Daily News. Associated Press. November 30, 1995.
- "'A-Beatles-C' takes a beating by NBC in Nielsen Ratings". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Associated Press. April 16, 2009.
- Jacobson, Colin (January 5, 2006). "The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season (1995)". DVD Movie Guide. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
- Malkowski, Judge (January 16, 2006). "The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
External links
- "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming episode capsule". The Simpsons Archive.
- "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" at IMDb
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