Simpsons Review: "Krusty Gets Busted"

Today is a very cool anniversary: it's my fourth year on Vocal. I joined this amazing site on this day in 2021, and it's been so awesome so far. I've written over 1600 stories in four years, going from writing about villainesses and sports to writing fiction stories (lately involving wrestling), and several other reviews, and some tidbits about cartoons. I love Vocal so much, and here's to reaching Year Five on this site!

But that's not the anniversary I want to talk about. This one is much, much bigger and it involves one of the earliest landmark episodes of The Simpsons: "Krusty Gets Busted."

So the episode starts innocently enough: the kids are watching Krusty the Klown celebrate a little girl's birthday--doing so by shooting Krusty's sidekick, Sideshow Bob, out of a cannon (on the little girl's request). Krusty shows an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon, and the kids love it. Marge walks in and voices her concern about the violence, with Bart saying that Marge isn't expected to understand. Lisa adds, "If cartoons were meant for adults, they'd show them on primetime." Oh look, an inside joke! Awesome!

At work, Homer gets a call from Marge telling him to pick up some ice cream, which puts a huge smile on his face. However, Homeboy senses a catch, and he's right: Patty and Selma are coming with slides of their vacation. Homer's not the only one "D'oh-ing"; we hear one from Bart when the sisters appear at the house. So Homer's at the Kwik-E-Mart (yes, I know) picking up the ice cream, and we suddenly see Krusty--in a black eye mask reading a magazine. Hmmm. As Homer vents about his SILs being at the house, Krusty takes out a gun and robs the joint! Ay caramba!

Krusty is suddenly arrested at his home after Homer gives his witness statement to the police. Homer arrived at home to tell the family what had just happened. The news pops up, and there it is, Krusty's arrested for armed robbery, much to the shock and heartbreak of Bart--a moment Homer feared. The replay of the robbery includes also replaying Homer's complaint about his SILs, though the main focus is Bart being inconsolable. Marge tries to comfort Bart by telling him that it could be all a mistake, but Homer says Krusty's guilty. Bart's in his room glumly playing with a talking Krusty doll, which says, "You're my best friend," (Bart sadly says "Thanks"), and twice says "Buy my cereal!" When Krusty says his "I didn't do it" line, Bart wishes he could believe his hero.

Kent Brockman reports on Krusty's arrest, which includes giving a mini bio of Krusty, which includes mentioning his near fatal heart attack that resulted in Krusty's pacemaker, as well as Krusty being a champion for child literacy. The trial takes place, and Bart and Lisa were stunned by Krusty's appearance. All the while, the court of public opinion has already convicted Krusty, with Rev. Lovejoy announcing that he's leading a public burning of all Krusty memorabilia, with Homer joining in. The trial saw Homer finger Krusty as the robber, and also saw a few more revelations. For one, Krusty's an avid gambler (and still is), and secondly, a huge shocker: Krusty's illiterate.

Krusty's convicted, and later on, we see Lisa and Maggie watching the show, which is hosted by Sideshow Bob. So we hear that velvety voice for the first time state that while the show will continue to display Itchy and Scratchy, there will also be an educational flair as well. Bart walks in and is upset over Lisa watching Sideshow Bob, who she says "isn't as patronizing as Krusty was." Lisa tells Bart that Krusty isn't who they thought he was, but Bart says that Krusty's innocent, and he has a strong gut feeling. He wants to prove it, but needs Lisa's help. When Lisa asks why, Bart, after much reluctance, finally admits that he needs Lisa because she's smarter than he is.

The duo headed to the Kwik-E-Mart to investigate, and Lisa points at the microwave and spots the warning against those with pacemakers being near it, yet Krusty (who has one) was using it. Plus, Lisa stated that Krusty was reading the Springfield Review of Books, despite being illiterate. So the duo realized that Krusty was framed; all the while, Sideshow Bob's show had just ended, and he's talking with all sorts of interviewers about his popularity, while shedding some tears for Krusty. Well, in public he was. In private, the tears became a fit of diabolical laughter. Yeah, that's not suspicious at all.

Prior to this, Bart suggested visiting Sideshow Bob, and the kids do just that after Bob's meeting with agents. He gives them tickets to his show, and they attend, with Bart looking glum over still not seeing Krusty. Bob notices Bart's despondence and brings him to the stage, where Bart mentions that he and his sisters had been looking into Krusty's case, and they realized that Krusty was framed. Bart mentions Krusty being near a microwave despite his pacemaker, only for Bob to state that as much as he "loved" Krusty, Krusty was not one to follow instructions. Bart mentions Krusty reading the Springfield Review of Books despite being illiterate, though Bob states that one doesn't have to know how to read to enjoy that review. Bob states that they should not focus on Krusty's criminal act, but they should continue to know him as the clown who, among other things, brought joy to millions.

"And shot you out of a cannon," Bart adds.

"And shot me out of a cannon," Bob grumbles. "Yes, we will never forget that one. Bob states that he admits that he has big shoes to fill, and once those last four words were said, everything clicked in Bart's mind. He thought back to Krusty's foot being accidentally stepped on, Bart seeing Krusty in chains, and Bart's visit to Bob's office. Everything added up.

"Wait a minute... you did it!"

Bart grabs the mic and says that Sideshow Bob framed Krusty, and he has the proof. He grabs a mallet and strikes one Bob's feet, causing Bob to exclaim in pain--the same exclamation from the night in question. That was the proof. Krusty wore big shoes, but had small feet, while Bob's feet were abnormally large. The police couldn't believe they couldn't see that evidence, and after Chief Wiggum sends his sergeants to the studio. Sideshow Bob is handcuffed, and we hear this memorable rant afterwards:

"Yes, I admit it... I hated him! His hackneyed shenanigans robbed me of my dignity for years! I played the buffoon while he squandered his fortune on his vulgar appetites! That's why I framed Krusty!"

Bob even borrows from Scooby-Doo: "And I would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for those meddling kids." So Bob's taken away, Krusty's freed, Krusty thanks Bart for clearing him, and the episode ends with Bart, asleep in his room, with new Krusty stuff all over.

"Krusty Gets Busted," the 12th overall episode of The Simpsons, and the penultimate episode of the show's very first season, aired 35 years ago today: April 29, 1990. There were a lot of firsts in this episode. For one, it was the first of many, many times that we see Bart and Lisa go into investigations. Secondly, this was the first episode to look into Krusty's life prior to becoming a TV star. But most importantly of all, this episode marked the official debut of Sideshow Bob, Krusty's sidekick turned diabolical recurring foe. That's right. The trend of Sideshow Bob episodes began with a simple armed robbery and frame job.

Here's how old this episode is. I had turned five a month prior to this episode's airdate. I hadn't started kindergarten yet. The Edmonton Oilers were on their way to winning their fifth Stanley Cup, and their only one since they traded that Wayne Gretzky guy to LA. The Atlanta Braves' division title streak hadn't started yet. And also, Kelsey Grammer, at the time he officially debuted as the voice of Sideshow Bob, was playing Frasier Crane, but he was doing so on Cheers.

So yeah, today is the 35th anniversary of Sideshow Bob's debut, with the episode kicking off a trend of Sideshow Bob episodes that followed for decades throughout the series. The Sideshow Bob episodes are immensely loved by Simpsons fans, myself especially. I myself place that group of episodes right behind the Treehouse of Horror episodes; I love Sideshow Bob's episodes with a passion, they are always awesome and amazing, and they always stand out immensely.

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