The Great Louse Detective

Season 14, Episode 6, Aired
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Episode Summary

The family receives an invitation to go to a health spa. While there Homer is alone in the steam room, when some unknown person locks him inside and turns the heat up to the "MURDER" setting. Homer and Marge go to see Chief Wiggum for help in finding Homer's attempted murderer. Chief Wiggum decides to call in an expert on the twisted mind of a murderer. He takes the Simpson family to Campbell's Chunky Soup Maximum Security Prison to consult with Sideshow Bob. Chief Wiggum strikes a deal Sideshow Bob that will allow him to stay with the Simpson family, which makes Bart nervous. A device is hooked to Sideshow Bob that will allow the family to shock him if he gets out of control. Sideshow Bob follows Homer through a "normal" day. Sideshow Bob sets up a Homer dummy as a trap for Homer's potential killer. Everyone, including Homer beats the dummy up. At Moe's someone takes a shot at Homer. Sideshow Bob recommends that Homer stay out of sight, which isn't going to happen when Homer is elected King of Mardi Gras. At the parade Homer's float becomes a runaway when its brake line is cut. Sideshow Bob launches himself out of cannon and saves Homer from certain death. Then Homer and Sideshow Bob go after and corner the potential killer, Frank Grimes Jr. Later that evening in Bart's bedroom, Sideshow Bob appears and he tries to kill Bart quickly, but finds he can't do it, as he's "grown accustomed to Bart's face."moreless
8.2
out of 10
EPISODE RATING: Great
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Cast & Crew

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  • Julie Kavner

    Marge Simpson, Patty Bouvier, and Selma Bouvier

  •

    Harry Shearer

    Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner, Waylon Smithers, Kent Brockman, and others

  •

    Dan Castellaneta

    Homer Simpson, Grampa Simpson, Barney Gumble, Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, and others

Fan Episode Reviews (8)

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  • Frank Grimes JR. tries to kill Homer

    8.5
    "Great"
    By Hornets3, Oct 27, 2011 Report Abuse
    The family is invited to a free weekend at a health spa. Homer is locked in a steam room by somebody trying to kill him. The police hire Sideshow Bob, someone with experience, to find out who is trying to kill Homer. They invite him to stay with the Simpsons. Bob follows Homer through the course of a normal day in order to find clues. Whilst at Moe's Tavern, a bullet just misses Homer in a second attempt to take his life. Homer is elected King of Mardi Gras and rides around on a float. When the brakes on the float are cut, Homer is saved by Bob. The killer is found and revealled to be Frank Grimes Jr, wanting revenge for his father's death. Bob and Homer chase him into a corner and the Police arrest him. Later that night, Bob confronts Bart and attempts to finally kill him. He realizes he can't do it as he's grown accustomed to his face. He sings a song before exiting out the window. A good parody of the Silence of the Lambs. (One killer used to try to catch another) Maybe not the best sideshow bon episode, but it was pretty funny. Watch it.moreless

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    0 1

  • Good episode, but not as good as other Bob episodes.

    8.0
    "Great"
    By fenway98, Oct 27, 2011 Report Abuse
    During a trip to the spa, Homer gets locked into a sauna put on MURDER level. Cheif Wiggum lets Sideshow Bob free, to help Homer. Bob gets to live in their house, but only with a shock bracelet. Soon, Homer is voted king of Mardi Gras. He is fully exposed to teh town, so the killer get kill him. The killer is soon revealed to be Frank Grimes Junior, Frank Grimes(who Homer drove insane)son. Junior wants to get revenge on Homer, who caused Grime's death. However, he is caught. In the end of the episode, Sideshow Bob tries to kill Bart, but he realizes he's grown accoustumed to his face.

    This was a pretty good episode. I loved when the spa worker was drowning in Homer's flab. I also loved the song Bob sang, and when Homer went parasailing to impress Bob. However, this episode wasnt as great as other sideshow bob episodes, but its still good.

    Overall Grade: 80%/Bmoreless

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    0 1

  • Sideshow Bob helping save Homer?

    8.8
    "Great"
    By Iverson82094, Jan 08, 2008 Report Abuse
    Homer comes in with the mail. He uses the George Foreman mail sorter to find out what's good and what's bad. The bad pile is then grilled into a patty, which Homer eats on a bun. In the good pile is an invitation for the family to spend a free weekend at Stagnant Springs Spa.

    Marge enjoys a mud bath and neck massage from turtles. Homer ducks in for a steam. A mystery man sneaks by and turns the steam room thermostat from "Invigorating" to "Murder," and bars the door shut with a wrench. Homer begins to sweat profusely, then passes out. Later, Krusty opens the door. A prune-like Homer falls out.Marge and Homer tell Wiggum about the attempted murder. He says they need someone who can understand the twisted mind of a murderer to solve this case, so Sideshow Bob is freed from prison. Bob starts on the case by following Homer around during a normal day. Homer smashes his car and yells at a tow truck driver. Bob tells him not to make any more enemies. Later, at Moe's, it doesn't seem like Bob is over his Bart-killing lust. A hand sticks a pistol inside the door and shoots at Homer, hitting the pickled egg jar. We see a tow truck outside, then hear it start - sounding just like the tow truck from before - and drive off.At home, Bob makes a dummy Homer and ties it to a line, which makes it look like Homer is walking around the yard. They'll sit and wait to see who the killer is. That night, Moe attacks "Homer" with a baseball bat. Then Patty hits him with a cinder block. Then Willie jams a hoe in his neck. Then Reverend Lovejoy repeatedly kicks him in the crotch. Then the real Homer tackles the dummy and begins punching it, saying, "Once I kill you, everyone will think I'm the real Homer." Bob thinks Homer should lay low to avoid the killer. At that moment, people come to his house and inform him that he's been named the King of Mardi Gras. Marge says that means he has to ride around on a float all day. He'll be a sitting duck.Bob says the only reason he won is because he was set up. Somebody stuffed the ballot box. He ignores them both and hits the parade route.

    Bob wonders how Homer's float is moving if he never heard the engine start. Wiggum says it's running so quiet because some mechanic tuned it up before the parade. Bob begins to piece everything together. The wrench. The truck starting outside Moe's. The greasy smudge on the spa invite envelope. Homer's run in with a tow truck driver. It turns out that the brakes have been cut on Homer's float. The float races downhill, straight for the Museum of Swordfish. Bob tries to save Homer by shooting himself out of a cannon on the pirate float. In midair, he grabs Homer by his feet and lifts him up right before Homer's throne is impaled on a swordfish. They fly away on the Duff hot air balloon. Another gunshot rings out. It hits Duffman. They look for the shooter. It's a man on stilts. Homer and Bob drop from the balloon and steal stilts from Jimbo and Kearney. They begin chasing the shooter. They corner him in an alley. It's Junior, Homer's mechanic. He removes his mask to reveal that he's Frank Grimes, Jr. The police show up in time to arrest Junior Grimey. Before heading back to prison, Bob tries to kill Bart, but can't. Instead, he breaks into a song about how he's become accustomed to Bart.moreless

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  • Sideshow Bob helps out the Simpsons.

    8.8
    "Great"
    By Clarinet2006, Apr 08, 2007 Report Abuse
    This is the first episode that was digitally animated (just thought I'd let you know.) While Homer is using the steam room, someone sets the heat to "Murder" and nearly kills Homer Simpson. He must use the help of the psychotic criminal named Sideshow Bob to locate his killer. At the end, they find out that the murderer was Frank Grimes Jr. and he is arrested. Some of the funniest parts were all those people attacking the fake Homer and then he attacks himself too, and the very end when Sideshow Bob is singing. While this is a very good episode, Sideshow Bob has become too nice and less funny compared to back then.

    Grade: Bmoreless

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  • Sideshow Bob is back in town!

    8.9
    "Great"
    By spooky_marc, Dec 11, 2006 Report Abuse
    Great episode! I always like the once with Sideshow Bob. He gives it a funny and exciting story.

    This time he's out to help the Simpson-family, especially Homer, 'cause someone is trying to kill him. Sideshow Bob's gonna live in with the Simpsons, under supervision of an electric buzzer. When he just try to look strange or less, the Simpsons can 'buzz' him. When Marge did it, it was funny: the buzz-button was broken... LOL

    The story is well written and so are the jokes. In a long time I was enjoying to watch The Simpsons!moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • You won't likely die after you get a gun shot wound to the arm in real life; it happened to Larry Sid (Duffman) in this episode. Edit
    • Homer: (covering face with curtains) Don't look at me! This is the exact same response Marge's father gave in 6x11, "Fear of Flying," when she discovered he was a steward. Marge's father even tried to cover his face with his apron. Edit
    • In the scene where Homer and Bob are chasing Frank Grimes Jr. you can see his cape fall off. Then you see Homer and Bob again. But when you see FG Jr. again, he is still wearing his cape. Then, when he turns into the alley his cape is gone again. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • Actually, the Dixie Chicks had a cameo appearance in "Grift of the Magi". But since they were guest stars on Krusty's show, Homer didn't do anything to them. Edit
    • Sideshow Bob: "Homer, think carefully. Of all the people you have known, who might have reason to do you ill?" Homer: "Hmm, well there's Mr. Burns, Fat Tony, the emperor of Japan, ex-president Bush..." Marge: "...the late Frank Grimes..." Homer: "...PBS, Stephen Hawking, the fat little Dixie Chick..." Marge: "...and the state of Florida." This quote refers to previous episodes in which Homer offended others: Frank Grimes-"Homer's Enemy"; Ex-president Bush-"Two Bad Neighbors"; the emperor of Japan-"Thirty MInutes over Tokyo"; PBS-"Missionary Impossible"; Stephen Hawking-"They saved Lisa's Brain"; the state of Florida-"Kill the Alligator and Run." However, the Dixie Chicks have not appeared on the Simpsons. Edit
    • This makes references from several past episodes such as "Krusty Gets Busted." Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Chief Wiggum: If I can tranq out just one freak on stilts, I know I've done my job. Lou: You're living the dream, Chief. Edit
    • Duffman: (Upon being shot) Everything... going dark. Like Duff Stout, the beer that made Ireland famous! Edit
    • Kent Brockman: This year's Mardi Gras king is none other than local hothead Homer Simpson. Long live the king! In a related story, Homer Simpson may not have long to live. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • In the first scene we see Sideshow Bob, he is locked up in a high-secured prison-cell. The way he is chained looks very similar to the way that Doctor Octopus is chained in Spiderman: The Animated Series-episode: The Insidious Six (Neogenic Nightmare Part I). In Doctor Octopus' case, they chained his hydraulic metal arms to every corner of the cell. Sideshow Bob's hair is chained the same way. Edit
    • Rainier Wolfcastle: I wore nothing! Rainier's nudist Nazi movie line is a parody of the catch phrase of Sgt. Schultz from the show Hogan's Heroes, "I know nothing! I saw nothing!" Edit
    • At the spa, Bart says he's going to go float a candy bar in the salt spring. This is a reference to a scene from the 1980 film "Caddyshack," where we see a chocolate candy bar floating in a pool and the people swimming confuse it with "something else," and the whole crowd runs out of the pool. Edit

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