The capsule for "Day of the Jackanapes" is now available at The Simpsons Archive, at "http://www.snpp.com/episodes.html". You may access it by following the link for episode CABF10.
We plan to have "New Kids on the Blecch (CABF12)" up next. (This is subject to change due to schedule and resource demands, however.)
For your convenience, a copy the CABF10 capsule follows immediately. Enjoy!
Day of the Jackanapes Written by Al Jean
Directed by Michael Marcantel
==============================================================================
Production code: CABF10 Original Airdate on FOX: 18-Feb-2001
Capsule revision A (18-Jan-2003)
============================================================================================================================================================
[TV Guide ad] Double page advertisement for episode CABF10 "Day of the
Jackanapes". "Sideshow Bob Returns to Springfield for Revenge!" "Guest
Star: Kelsey Grammer". The head (and hair) of Sideshow Bob appears spread
across two pages, with Bart in the background, arms crossed, saying "It's
not every kid my age who has an archenemy." Fox is pulling out all the
stops for the February sweeps. Small boxes for three other shows appear on
the same pages. {bg} [TV Guide Close-Up] Inside the Criminal Mind -- Kelsey Grammer returns as
Sideshow Bob, who surfaces with yet another murderous scheme. Krusty the
Clown decides to retire (again) because he's sick of creative input from
network executives. In an interview leading up to his last show, Krusty
reveals that his early episodes with Bob were lost (Krusty taped over
them). That news makes Bob see red, so he talks his way out of prison and
into a job at Springfield Elementary. There, he captures Bart, who
declares he has no fear as Bob's always been the loser in their
entanglements. But hypnosis turns Bart into a zombie-like accomplice for
Bob's plan to send Krusty on a fond-and-explosive-farewell. {bg}==============================================================================
============================================================================== Blackboard: THE HAMSTER DID NOT HAVE "A FULL LIFE"
THE HAMSTER DID NOT HAVE " at cutoff
Couch: Sigmund Freud is sitting on a chair next to the couch. The
family runs toward the couch, and Homer is the first one
there. He lies down, and as the rest of the family watches,
complains that he's gone crazy. [Recycled from BABF06]==============================================================================
============================================================================== ... it is Pyro who takes Luanne and Milhouse to the show?
Don Del Grande:
... unlike WWTBAM, there was no 30-second clock when Moe phoned Homer?
... in "Me Wantee!", Moe had to decide whether or not to continue before
hearing the question (like on "The $64,000 Question", but unlike
WWTBAM)?
... the archery targets only have red and white rings?
... the school's shed only has wooden bats? (Do they still even make those
for non-professionals?)
... Krusty was in show business for 17 years before his first TV
appearance?
... the crowd didn't go quiet when Gary Coleman walked by?Joe Green: ... Bob reads "Prison Bride" magazine?
Darrel Jones:
... Bob is on the top bunk of his prison bed, like in his previous
appearance in [4F14]?
... we don't see if Cecil Terwilliger is in the bunk under Bob?Joe Klemm: ... one of the college nerds watching Bart destroying the Krusty statue? ... Krusty has retired at least four times?
Haynes Lee:
... the game show hostess wears a green Marge-type dress?
... Homer obviously learned nothing from Physics 101 in "Homer Goes to
College"?
... Principal Skinner doesn't mind Sideshow Bob's "Bart killing policy"?
... Wiggum's bat remark that "everything is aluminum this and George W.
that" is the first reference to Dubya since he was sworn in?Troy J. Mathews: ... at the Pimento Grove there were pictures of Al Bundy and Birch Barlow?
David Plotkin:
... Bob has a TV in his jail cell?
... someone besides Willy wore/brought a kilt to school?
... Springfield Elementary has an archery team (The dartboards in the
sports equipment shed)?Benyamin Powers: ... Ringo Starr had a picture at the Pimento Grove?
Benjamin Robinson: ... the old slice of pizza Bob left on one of his boxes? ... Krusty actually hauls his checkbook around in his formal tux?
Tad Winslow: ... there's a curling stone in the equipment shed?
==============================================================================
==============================================================================
- Starring
- Dan Castellaneta (Homer, Krusty, Gil, Mel)
- Julie Kavner (Marge)
- Nancy Cartwright (Bart)
- Yeardley Smith (Lisa)
- Hank Azaria ("Me Wantee" announcer, Exec {jlm}, Moe, Wiggum, Raphael,
Cletus, Lou, Leo {jlm})
- Harry Shearer (Virgil, Director, Smithers, Kent, Guard, Judge Snyder,
Skinner, Eddie, Rainier Wolfcastle, Announcer [?], Hibbert)- Special Guest Voice - Gary Coleman (His own self) - Kelsey Grammer (Bob)
- Also Starring - Pamela Hayden (Lady) - Tress MacNeille (Lindsey) - Karl Wiedergott (Extra Guy)
==============================================================================
==============================================================================
+ "The Day of the Jackal" (novel and movie)
- title a parody of this Frederick Forsythe novel, which is about an
assassination attempt + "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" (TV series)
- "Me Wantee!" based on this game show
- has prizes of $500,000 and $1,000,000 {dj}
- has multiple-choice questions {dj}
- host similar in looks to "Millionaire's" Regis Philbin {bjr}
- graphics used for question and answers almost identical {bjr}
- phone-a-friend is a lifeline {dj}
- host asks if contestant has given "ultimate response" (cf. "Final
answer?") {bjr}
- rival networks predicted WWTBAM would be just a passing fad, as
Krusty's execs do {bjr}
- [See "Comments" section for more -- Ed.] - "Gettin' Jiggy Wit' It" (song) {jg2}
- "Could you get jiggy with something?" - Fridays (TV series) {jk}
- Krusty refusing to take part in a restaurant sketch - "The Bear and the Dragon" (novel) {jc}
- the inmates have been pummeling Sideshow Bob with this 1028-page Tom
Clancy hardcover techno-thriller + "Cape Fear" (movie) {bjr}
- camera composition as Bob leaves jail and walks toward our point of
view ~ "Frasier" (TV series) {jk}
- Sideshow Bob doing the morning announcements at school a spoof of
Frasier being a radio therapist + "The Manchurian Candidate" (movie)
- soldier is brainwashed into carrying out an assassination plot, like
in the 1962 film + "The Naked Gun" (movie) {sh}
- in the movie, Ricardo Montalban hypnotizes Priscilla Presley into
assassinating the Queen of England at the baseball game - "Foul Play" (movie) {hl}
- assassination attempt in theatre ending up in the catwalk above the
stage + Happy Meals (McDonalds promotional item) {bjr}
- the KrustyBurger equivalent is "Laffy Meals" + "I Love Lucy" (TV series) {hl}
- Lucy could not say the word "pregnant" (cf. "pants") on television
[See "Comments" section for more -- Ed.] + "Chippendale's" (male strip clubs) {bjr}
- Krusty introduces Teeny the Chimp's as "Chimpendales" + "The Full Monty" (movie) {jg2}
- Krusty says, "Our Chimpendale's dancer's gonna give you the full
monkey!" ~ "War and Peace" (novel) {pm}
- right after Sideshow Bob says "Napoleon Blown-aparte", and the stage
hand critics the remark, Bob refers to him as Leo. Could this be a
reference to the author, Leo Tolstoy? [Well, I *did* mark it as a
tentative reference -- Ed.] + "Mandy" (song)
- Krusty riffs on this Barry Manilow song during his tribute to Sideshow
Bob + "Terminator 2" (movie)
- when Bart walks through the empty playground bares a strong
resemblance to the scene in the T2 movie at the playground just before
the hypothetical nuclear strike {tjm}
- network executives apparently made of liquid metal, like the T-1000
robot in the movie
- ~"Les Miserables" (novel) {dld}
- maybe a stretch, but the fact that Chief Wiggum brought a guillotine
with him seems to emphasize the Inspector Javert/Jean Valjean
relationship he has with SSB ...==============================================================================
==============================================================================
- Sideshow Bob's six previous losses {dj}
- [7G12] Unsuccessfully frames Krusty for Kwik-E-Mart robbery
- [8F21] Unsuccessfully murders Bart's Aunt Selma on their honeymoon
- [9F22] Unsuccessfully murders Bart on a houseboat
- [2F03] Unsuccessfully gets revenge on Bart after rigging a mayoral
election
- [3F08] Unsuccessfully murders Krusty after eliminating all TV in
Springfield
- [4F14] Unsuccessfully clears himself of embezzlement committed by Cecil- [7G12] Krusty mentions Sideshow Bob framing him for robbery {ddg}
- [7G12], [9F19], [3F12], [5F10] Krusty's four previous "retirements" {dj}
- [9F13] Lisa gets a ticket to the taping of a Krusty special {jg2}
- [9F22] Rakes, Sideshow Bob's enemy {dj}
- [9F22] Sideshow Bob faces a parole board {bjr}
- [9F22] Camera angle Bob leaves jail {bjr}
- [1F07] Homer mangles "Mandy" (cf. Krusty doing it in this episode) {bjr}
- [2F02] Bats in the public library {hl}
- [2F20] Maggie shoots Mr. Burns ... again! {jg2}
- [2F20] "Maggie shot Mr. Burns again!" {ddg}
- [3F08] Someone plots revenge with an atom bomb {bjr}
- [3G04], [CABF06], [CABF10] Another one of Homer's goofy pennants {bjr}
- [4F12] The word "dyad" is used {jg2}
- [4F15] Chief Wiggum subjects someone to an outdated form of punishment
{jg2}
- [5F10] Krusty retires {jg2}
- [5F13] Ralph Wiggum complaining to Bart that he can't walk as fast as
because his legs are shorter {hl}
- [5F19], [BABF02] Ron Howard appears {bjr}
- [BABF07] Gary Coleman -- and his karate moves -- appear {bjr}
- [CABF05] Springfield Elementary hires a convicted criminal {jg2}==============================================================================
==============================================================================
- Moe's "Me Wantee!" question {bjr} WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS
NOT A SUBATOMIC PARTICLE? A. PROTON B. NEUTRON
C. BONBON D. ELECTRON- Sideshow Bob's accommodations {bjr}
BROKEN DREAMS
STORAGE LOCKERS THE MOST DEPRESSING [this part is in cheerful]
PLACE ON EARTH [multi-color letters ]- Sign on stage door {bjr}
NETWORK
EXECUTIVES
ONLY==============================================================================
==============================================================================
+ Krusty's claim that he was in show business for 61 years seems to
inconsistent with what we know about him. [See "Comments" section for more
-- Ed.] {dld}= Smithers comes in to announce that Maggie has just shot Burns, and yet
Maggie is sitting there at the table in her high chair! (Perhaps it's the
little sister of Lester and Eliza that did the evil deed, and she's trying
to frame Maggie?) {dld}- How come Cecil wasn't sharing a cell with Bob? [Anthony Scrima theorizes, "Maybe they got separated?" -- Ed.]
+ Why did Bob turn evil again after [4F14]? [Eric Sansoni counters, "I think
it's obvious by the end of the Cecil episode that just being arrested again
was enough to frustrate Sideshow Bob back into a criminal career."] {jg2}+ If Sideshow Bob is ashamed of his work as Krusty's sidekick as in previous
episodes, why would he be so angry that they've been taped over? [Eric
Sansoni answers, "Because whether or not I'm proud of my work, it's a huge
insult for someone to destroy it without even consulting me." -- Ed.] {el}- Either he [Krusty] only taped over the Sideshow Bob tapes or he records a lot of Judge Judy because he did the show for over 30 years. {jk}
* Why in the world would Principal Skinner hire Sideshow Bob to do work at
the school, given his long criminal record (and especially after the events
in "Pokey Mom" earlier this season)? {dld}- The curling stone in the sports shed was far too big. {ddg}
- Sideshow Bob was spinning a target with concentric circles, so it shouldn't have appeared as a hypnotic spiral.
+ Flanders was not only at the Krusty Farewell Show, he had also brought Rod
and Todd with him? (This IS the guy who had locked out almost all his
satellite dish channels on the TV, and nearly had a conniption fit when he
and his family witnessed their first Itchy And Scratchy cartoon, which of
course is carried on Krusty's show). {dld}+ Krusty's early TV history contradicts what we saw in "Bart of Darkness (1F22)" and "I Love Lisa (9F13)."
+ If Krusty really was sorry about laying off Bob and wanted to make amends,
why did he tape over all Bob's episodes and publicly decry him to Kent?
Mucho plot hole ... {al}= When Mr. Teeny grabbed the plastic explosive belt, the detonators were no longer attached to it ... {ddg}
- ... yet it managed to explode when he threw it into the room with the executives. {ddg}
- Bob got the death penalty for attempted assassination? Wow, the police in Springfield are tough on crime. {bjr}
==============================================================================
============================================================================== Steve Alpert: The Sideshow Bob episodes have traditionally been excellent compared to others of their season, and this was no exception. Finally, plot development within the first few minutes. Typical Simpsons logical leaps (Bob getting the school announcement, no one caring when Bart goes to the abandoned toolshed, Simpsons getting free passes to Krusty's final show), and the endings continue to get slightly and slightly more normal. Overall, it's hovering on the brink of an A, and given the show's continued recovery, I'll give in just this once. (A)
Joe Green: The first act was almost pure gold, but the main body of this episode didn't live up to my expectations. In the final act it started to pick up again, but the ending was too silly for its own good. I have mixed feelings about Sideshow Bob's role- he made a great recurring villain, but this episode seemed to be based on the idea that [4F14] never happened. (B+)
Darrel Jones: What a way to end a run! Definitely Bob's best episode since
"Sideshow Bob Roberts". More deserving for an ending than "Brother from
Another Series". True, not all of it worked, but Bob's scheme was good,
and Chief Wiggum and the network execs were supoib. ("Sure, they're a fad,
but they'll be around forever" is bound to become one of OFF's all-time
classic lines.) I give it 9 thumbs up, or 9/10 (A+)Troy J. Mathews: My premise on the three acts of tonight's episode were as follow: 1. ok 2. great 3. ok -- with a let down. The let down of course was Sideshow Bob and Krusty getting along with each other at the end of the show. Otherwise a decent episode. (A-)
Michael Nusair: Sideshow Bob episodes are always good, and this one was no exception. While this wasn't one of the best in the Bob series, it was still a good episode. There were lots of laughs, but the plot didn't quite seem right to me. And apparently, the sarcastic guy's name is Raphael, which is a little strange. Good to know, I guess. Anyway, this was a good episode, but for a Sideshow Bob episode, not a great one. (B+)
Alex Parrish: After the absolutely appalling "Tennis the Menace", this was a delightful return to some more involved humour. Although the plot was still formed around the jokes instead of the other way round, "Day of the Jackanapes" had some great scenes, although you still get the baffling sense that the characters are waiting for your laughter to subside after making a joke; something that is indeed very strange to witness on an animated show, as we all know that live cartoons put a terrible strain on the animator's wrist. This wasn't even as good as "Homer vs. Dignity" or "The Great Money Caper", but compared with everything else from this ungodly season, it was a welcome breath of fresh air from the other crap. (B-)
Mike Reed: Maybe Sideshow Bob just makes an episode good. All of them have been above-average and CABF10 was no exception. I liked the way it started out with a good parody of "Millionaire" and it only went up from there. The "Maggie shoots Burns" bit had me in stitches, and Krusty unveiling the tribute to Bob is my biggest laugh this season. (So far.) Not to mention the rake reprisal, the quarter, the cops in the restaurant, etc, etc, etc. My one complaint could be the ending, which plays on shock-value for a laugh, but, I'll let it slide by this time. Best of season? Yep. (A-)
Robin Steinmann: Although far from being a classic Sideshow Bob-episode a pretty decent showing for the last seasons. Hardly any flaws, apart from a massive under-usage of Lisa, who was always one of the main characters in Bob show. I excuse the [...] exaggerated use of meta-jokes and references on TV-politics in the first few minutes, because otherwise we saw a rather coherent plotline with stable characterisations, great references to older SB-appearances, and quite amusing moments. The ending was a bit alienating though, not only the liquid TV-execs, but also the foreshadowed death of Robert Underdunk Terwilliger. I would really like to see him back, as he made me giving this episode a solid (S12 standard) (A)
Yours Truly: Sideshow Bob's back, and back to his (mostly) malevolent form. As usual, his scenes are the best ones in the show. His plot for revenge on both is mortal enemies, and his efforts to brainwash Bart, are great. The pacing of the rest of the show was off, though. In particular, the scene at the restaurant felt overlong, even though it didn't use much "clock time." The network exec kibitzing seemed accurate enough, but felt like something I had seen on the show before. This episode would have been funnier, or at least more dramatic, if the people who knew Bart confronted him more about his odd behavior. It was nice to see Bob again, though. Let's hope that it isn't another three years before he and Bart cross swords again. (B-)
AVERAGE GRADE: B+ (3.18) Std Dev.: 0.7873 (13 reviews computed)