‘The Simpsons’ Season 36 Highlights Bob’s Huge Plot Hole and Character Problem

The following contains spoilers for The Simpsons Season 36 Episode 2, “Yellow Lotus,” now streaming on Hulu.

The Simpsons brought back Sideshow Bob for Season 36, highlighting a long-standing hole in the character’s support gallery. Introduced in the first season as Krusty’s sidekick, Sideshow Bob first came into the spotlight in that season’s Krusty Gets Busted. Since then, Bob has returned several times to confuse the Simpsons and Springfield in general. During this time, Bob also developed his own supporting cast, which included members of his family who shared his homicidal tendencies. However, these characters ultimately faded into the background along with countless other guest stars and supporting players. The Simpsons‘ world.

Season 36’s “Yellow Lotus” highlights this issue in the way it brings Bob back.. Bob, still played by the ever-present Kelsey Grammer, has a minor but important role in this episode. The episode also introduces a new supporting character into his life in the form of the character’s newest love interest, which came at the expense of Bob’s previous romantic relationships. One of these previous relationships remains one of the most underused supporting characters in history. The Simpsons a story whose potential was never fully realized – and whose return to the series could revive Bob in future stories.

The Simpsons gave Bob a third wife

The Simpsons Introducing Bob’s new wife, Tasha.

The Simpsons Season 36 gives Sideshow Bob a third wifewithout even delving into what happened to his second daughter, Francesca. Season 36’s “Yellow Lotus” brings Bob back and reveals that he has an amazing new wife in wealthy Tasha. Tasha and Bob are engaged, leaving the titular family suspicious of Bob’s intentions. This makes sense considering that the third season of Black Widower had Bob marrying Selma in an attempt to steal her money. Even Bob acknowledges this reality when he accepts their suspicions, urging the Simpsons to remain silent.

Despite these concerns, “The Yellow Lotus” shows that Bob appears to be truly innocent and appears to be supported by the fortune he made from his folding rake. Instead, the relationship falls apart when the unexpectedly unstable and unpredictable Tasha suddenly pushes Bob off a cliff. This potentially leaves Bob open to other romantic options in future episodes, such as the return of his love interest Cassandra from Season 31’s “Bobby, It’s Cold Outside.” However, this also opens the door for Francesca’s returnBob’s second wife and seemingly forgotten member The Simpsons‘ massive supporting cast.

Sideshow Bob’s second wife was a great supporting character on The Simpsons

What happened to Francesca?

Francesca was introduced in season 17 of “Italian Bob”. Francesca, played by Maria Grazia Cucinotta, lived in the small Tuscan village of Salsiccia. When Bob moved to Italy in an attempt to escape his feud with the Simpsons, he became mayor and fell in love with Francesca. By the time the Simpson family met Bob again while in Italy, Bob and Francesca had married and even had a son, Gino. Initially kept in the dark regarding Bob’s criminal past. Francesca and Gino were incredibly pleased with Bob’s murderous rage.even working with him to try to kill the Simpsons.

Francesca brought out a new side of Bob, showcasing an authentic side of the character who is often seen mid-performance or during a manic turn. Bob and Francesca seemed to genuinely love each other, which made their murderous rage surprisingly complimentary. Gino shared their bloodthirsty nature, but was also seen playfully dancing with Maggie at one point. Both characters brought something different to Bob.and easily fit into his orbit. Their episode even ended with a “family-style” vendetta vow that never came to fruition, which is a shame considering Francesca’s potential.

Minor characters Bob from The Simpsons wasted

Sideshow Bob’s family finds itself on the sidelines

The Simpsons has a very large cast of supporting characters due to the long-running nature of the series. Often, characters played by guest stars only appear a few times, which explains why they fade into the background. Sideshow Bob is the exception to the rule: at the time of writing, Kelsey Grammer has reprized the role over a dozen times. However, The Simpsons never used the full potential of Bob’s supporting cast. Along with Francesca and Gino, Bob’s return in Season 19’s “Funeral of a Villain” marked the return of his previously introduced brother Cecil, as well as their parents.

However, none of them have officially returned since, save for clever cameos in episodes like Season 36’s “Bart’s Birthday.” Bob’s loved ones fighting the Simpsons was a fun idea that deserved further exploration, especially with Francesca. Francesca could become a direct hindrance to Marge, or develop a special hatred towards Lisa for accidentally instigating Bob’s expulsion from Salsicci, which reflected Bob’s obsession with Bart. Even just having Bob be a family man and potentially empathize more with the Simpsons could have been compelling. Instead of, Bob’s subsequent appearances focused solely on him, with mixed results..

The Simpsons may have run out of Sideshow Bob stories.

Future episodes of Sideshow Bob need revival

Sideshow Bob is a favorite The Simpsonsits various episodes are often cited as highlights of their respective seasons. However, they are also becoming less and less exciting. Season 25’s “The Man Who Grew Too Much” misses the interesting idea of ​​connecting Bob and Lisa in a bizarre sci-fi twist. Season 29’s “Gone Man” was a solid episode, but it brought closure to Bart and Bob and seemed to resolve their long-running feud. As a result, “Bobby, It’s Cold Outside” and “Yellow Lotus” felt much less compelling. Bob ends up being more forgettable as a supporting character rather than an outright antagonist..

It’s a shame, because returning Bob to his more murderous ways would ruin the truly sweet and touching elements of Gone Man. However, Francesca’s return could be the key. This could explain what happened to her and why the show has never mentioned her since season 19, as well as what happened to their son. Bringing Francesca back and allowing her to carry out their vendetta could lead to direct conflict with the more peace-loving Bob.. WITHideshow Bob may have lost his appeal in The Simpsons unless they find new ways to expand it, and Francesca may be the key to that.