Cape Feare (The Simpsons)
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Cape Feare is the second episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on October 7, 1993 on Fox.
Plot
Bart receives many threatening letters from an anonymous source. It is soon revealed that Sideshow Bob, who was just released on parole, sent the letters and is intending to kill Bart, forcing the Simpson family into the Witness Relocation Program.
Why It Rocks
- Considering the episode is about a criminal who chases down a 10-year-old boy with the intent to kill him, it somehow manages to be utterly hilarious while also having some suspense thrown in.
- The scene where Sideshow Bob steps on rakes for 30 seconds is hysterical and extremely memorable (even though the writers admitted that they only put it in because the episode was running short).
- Even people who haven't seen the movie that this episode was based on (Cape Fear) can still enjoy the episode for its originality.
- The sequence at the end where Sideshow Bob sings the entirety of H.M.S. Pinafore is a great performance by Kelsey Grammer, the voice of Sideshow Bob.
- The "Hello, Mr. Thompson!" exchange is really funny.
- The part where Homer drives through a cactus patch and inadvertently puts Sideshow Bob (who's hanging onto the underside of the Simpsons' car) through serious pain is solid, as is the scene where Bob gets trampled by a parade of circus elephants whilst lying in the middle of the street.
- Sideshow Bob's "Die, Bart! Die!" tattoo and his explanation for it are both fantastic.
- Homer admitting that he wrote one of the threatening letters after Bart tattooed "Wide Load" on his butt is hilarious.
The Only Bad Quality
- The ending leaves something to be desired.
Reception
Since its release, Cape Feare has received widespread acclaim and is considered by many to be one of the best episodes of The Simpsons, appearing high up on a large number of top 10 lists. The score was nominated for an Emmy award.
The episode has a 9.2/10, making it the second highest-rated episode on IMDb, tying with Treehouse of Horror V, You Only Move Twice and Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part 1), and behind only Homer's Enemy.