In the universe of the Simpsons, Krusty has always been the most successful celebrity on TV and always will be. From the kids to the adults, everyone loves Krusty (and will kill themselves if Krusty goes off-air). Over the years, the show has used this character for many things. From meta commentary on their own show, to satirical comments about the general entertainment industry, Krusty and Itchy and Scratch always had a special place in the Simpsons. In this very first episode about Krusty though, we not only get our usual comments about the entertainment industry, but also get a look at how much Bart truly idolises the clown.
Our first look at the episode is about the nature of the Krusty show. From shooting sideshow Mel out of a cannon, to chanting “love Krusty" lines, we see that the Krusty show is just your typical kids' cartoon show which appeals to the kids' love for wacky physical abuse and glamorous set pieces. From there, we see Homer horrified at the fact that he has to sit through another one of the visits from Marge's sisters, and stops by to pick up some ice-cream. At the Kwik-E-Mart, Homer witnesses Krusty robbing the store and reports to the police. Back at home, we see Bart devastated at the news. The child truly idolises Krusty, and is horrified that his childhood hero turns out to be a crook.
With Krusty behind bars, Sideshow Bob takes over the show. Sideshow Bob is a completely different man compared to Krusty. While Krusty is a more glamorous clown who utilises shallow physical jokes to appeal to the kids, Sideshow Bob truly wants to instill something in the children. Unlike Krusty, he wants the children to learn something from his show. From reading novels to discussing preadolescence troubles, Sideshow Bob is someone much more learnt than Krusty and genuinely believes that the children can be something more than just Krusty's shenanigan eaters.
We also see the nature of the children's devotion. Unlike Bart, Lisa and the other kids merely see Krusty as a clown, a tool for entertainment. Also unlike Bart, Krusty is not truly their hero and so they aren't as devastated and bandwagons quickly to love Sideshow Bob. With the children completely switching their faith, Bart still believes that Krusty is framed and enlists Lisa to help him to prove it. At the Kwik-E-Mart, Bart's suspicion is confirmed as Lisa points out many holes in Sideshow Bob's framing of Krusty. At the Sideshow Bob's show, Bart reveals and proves Sideshow Bob to be the real crook on stage. Krusty is finally freed and Bart gets a signed poster from Krusty.
This episode is often credited with its introduction of Sideshow Bob and the chain of hilarious episodes about him afterwards. Here though, we also see that the children's devotion is Krusty is paper thin. They don't really love Krusty for who he is, but for his glamorous set pieces and his shooting people out of a cannon. It also shows that while it maybe true that Sideshow Bob is able to instill more knowledge in the kids and the show might be more beneficial to the children if ran by him, it is ultimately still the low brow, easy-to- understand comedy that the kids enjoy. After all, they are kids. So why should they be pestered with literature from a comedy show.
Characterisation: 5/5
Plot: 3/3
Subjective: 1/2
Overall: 9/10
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