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| {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} | |||
| {{Infobox Simpsons episode| | |||
| {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}} | |||
| episode_name = I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot| | |||
| {{Infobox Simpsons episode | |||
| episode_no = 322| | |||
| | image = | |||
| prod_code = FABF04| | |||
| | image_size = | |||
| airdate = ], ] | | |||
| | caption = | |||
| writer = ]<br>]| | |||
| | season = 15 | |||
| director = ]| | |||
| | episode = 9 | |||
| blackboard = None| | |||
| | director = ] | |||
| couch_gag = The family is decorated on top of a giant cake.| | |||
| | writer = ]<br/>] | |||
| guest_star = None| | |||
| |
| production = FABF04 | ||
| | airdate = {{Start date|2004|01|11}} | |||
| season = 15 | | |||
| | couch_gag = The couch is a white ] and the Simpsons are squeezed out like ] on top of it. | |||
| color = #EFEFEF | |||
| | commentary = ]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />] | |||
| | prev = ] | |||
| | next = ] | |||
| }} | }} | ||
| "'''I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot'''", also known as "'''I, D'oh-Bot'''", is the ninth episode of the ] of the American animated television series '']''. It originally aired on the ] in the United States on January 11, 2004. The episode was written by ] and ] and was directed by ]. | |||
| In this episode, Homer pretends to be a battle robot to make Bart think he can competently construct things. This episode represents a milestone in the ] as ] is killed off. The primary plot is based on ]'s short story "]". The episode received mixed reviews. | |||
| "'''I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot'''", best known as "]", is the ninth episode of '']''<nowiki>'</nowiki> fifteenth season, first airing on ], ]. | |||
| == |
==Plot== | ||
| ] is taunted by school bullies ], ], ] and ] because he does not have a 10-speed bike as they do. In order to get ] to buy him one, Bart places his current bike so that it is run over and destroyed by ]. Homer buys the 10-speed for Bart, but refuses to pay the small assembly fee and builds it himself. Bart is happy since it looks great and works perfectly at first, but it falls apart when he ] the bullies. Homer, wanting Bart to be proud of him, tries to build a battle ] for the show '']''. He fails to construct one, and instead assumes the identity of one, which Bart names "Chief Knock-a Homer". Unaware of Homer's ruse, Bart enters the robot in the Rumble. | |||
| {{spoiler}} | |||
| Meanwhile, Dr. Hibbert's car runs over and kills the Simpsons' cat ],<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Delaney |first=Tim |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7s1cMbUotdgC |title=Simpsonology: There's a Little Bit of Springfield in All of Us |date=December 2, 2009 |publisher=]|isbn=9781615921348 |page=135}}</ref> shortly after crushing Bart's bike. A devastated Lisa recites a ] tearfully at the ], where Snowball II is buried next to ].<ref name=":0" /> Lisa adopts a ginger cat, which she names ], but he drowns in the fish tank.<ref name=":0" /> The next cat, ], jumps out of a window after hearing Lisa play her ].<ref name=":0" /> The owner of the cat sanctuary refuses to give Lisa any more cats, but the ] wanders past and throws a cat at Lisa that strongly resembles Snowball II.<ref name=":0" /> Although Lisa tries to shoo it off, worried that it will meet the same fate as the others, it survives a near miss on the street when ] swerves to avoid hitting it while driving and crashes into a tree. Lisa decides to keep the cat, officially naming it ]; however, the family will call it Snowball II in order to ]. ] comments disparagingly on the choice, but relents when Lisa points out that ]. | |||
| ] excitedly runs over to the ] house, with a package under his arm, deftly avoiding many obstacles like ]s, vicious dogs and hedges and reaches the door. However, his victory is short-lived, when ] opens the door right in Milhouse's face and knocks him out. Homer leaves for work and Milhouse stays unconscious for about four hours. Finally, when ] comes outside, he sees Milhouse... after he sees the package, which contains a Psycho Cycle ] conversion kit. He gets excited as well and uses it on his bike making it look cooler. Milhouse claims the slap-on ] and puts it on quickly, but realizes too late that it says "Biker Chick". | |||
| Homer defeats numerous opponents and makes it to the finals, despite being injured from the battles with the other robots. In the final match against ]'s undefeated super-robot, Killhammad Aieee, Bart finds Homer in the bot after the grueling first round. Caught, Homer apologizes to Bart, but Bart is impressed because of all the pain Homer went through to win his son's admiration. In the second round, Killhammad Aieee squeezes Homer out of the robot, but immediately stops as soon as it sees him. Frink explains that the robot follows ]'s ] and has been programmed to serve humans rather than harm them. Killhammad Aieee sets out a chair for Homer and pours him a ]. Homer wins the match (although one of the commentators points out that the tournament rules prohibit any human combatants) and Bart is proud of him. | |||
| The two of them start riding the bike and passers-by seem impressed (] even goes so far as to shock his own kids by calling the bike "bitchin'"). As they ride, the bullies (], ], ] and ]) come up behind them, riding "big-boy bikes" and tease them. Kearney even steals the ]s from Bart's bike's handlebars and remarks that his mom "can wear these on her boobies at work". Bart tries to keep up with them as they go uphill, but the bullies hit first-gear and power ahead, leaving Bart and Milhouse struggling to keep up and finally they give up, wishing they had a ten-speed bike like the bullies have. | |||
| ==Cultural references== | |||
| Bart goes and asks Homer for one, but Homer tells him that he will only get him one when his current bike is busted, "no questions asked". Bart laughs evilly and later, sacrifices his bike in front of ]'s ]. Hibbert promises to pay for the damages and leaves, promising himself that he will keep his eyes on the road from now on. | |||
| {{More citations needed|section|date=February 2024}} | |||
| * The title of the episode includes the phrase "(Annoyed Grunt)" which is how Homer's catchphrase "]" is written in episode scripts. Making the episode title read "I, D'oh-bot" - a play on Isaac Asimov's '']'' as well as ] released later the same year.<ref name=”Halpern”>{{cite book|first=Paul|last=Halpern|date=2007|title=What's Science Ever Done For Us?: What the Simpsons Can Teach Us About Physics, Robots, Life, and the Universe|publisher=]|isbn=978-0-470-11460-5}}</ref> | |||
| * ''Robot Rumble'' parodies the ] shows '']'' and '']''.<ref name=”Halpern”/> | |||
| * Homer's robot, Chief Knock-a Homer, is a reference to the former ] mascot ]. | |||
| * The song playing while Bart and Milhouse are cycling is "]" performed by ]. | |||
| * During one of the Robot Rumble matches, one of the commentators states that one robot is "killing him softly with his saw," a reference to the ] ]. | |||
| * Dr. Hibbert has a ] air-freshener in his car. | |||
| * The song playing during the Robot Rumble montage is "]" performed by ] (The same song played in the Season 3 episode "]" as Homer was helping Bart build a soapbox racer). Homer also sings part of this song when delirious from ] and a ]. | |||
| * One of the robots advertised for Robot Rumble is the ] endoskeleton from the '']'' film series. | |||
| * Professor Frink's robot is named 'Smashius Clay' a.k.a. 'Killhammad Aieee', based on the boxer ] and his birth name Cassius Clay. | |||
| * Professor Frink's robot is designed after the ED-209 from the film '']'' and its accompanying series. | |||
| * Lisa's fourth cat, Coltrane, is named after the influential jazz performer ].<ref name=":0" /> | |||
| * The robot Circuit Ray Leonard is based on the boxer ]. | |||
| * The song playing while Homer fights Professor Frink's robot is "...In A Bag" by ]. | |||
| * While Lisa is preparing food for Snowball III, she sings a song with the same melody as the ] song. | |||
| ==Reception== | |||
| Bart and Homer get a new bike, but it needs to be assembled. The store-clerk offers to assemble it for a fee, but Homer declares that he will do it himself, though Bart has his doubts. Homer starts building the bike in his basement, getting confused by the instructions and wondering what the big, round rubber circle with treads is. The next morning, Bart is ecstatic to see the bike all prepared. He thanks Homer and pedals outside, still in his ]. He comes across the bullies on their bikes and races them. Once he overtakes them, he moons them, saying "This butt's for you," but suddenly his bike starts falling apart and he falls on the road, to the amusement of the bullies, who ride off laughing. Homer runs up with his home-made ] kit, but when he opens it, the instruments fly out and embed themselves in his head, making him run around and scream in pain. | |||
| ===Viewing figures=== | |||
| The episode was watched by 16.30 million viewers, which was the 13th most-watched show that week.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/41428762/the-los-angeles-times/|title=National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 5-11)|date=January 14, 2004|work=]|access-date=June 10, 2023|via=]|archive-date=May 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514044551/https://www.newspapers.com/article/41428762/the-los-angeles-times/|url-status=live}}{{free access}}</ref> | |||
| ===Critical response=== | |||
| Later, Bart watches "]", where a father-son team uses their robot to destroy the other father-son team's robot. Homer, on seeing this, asks if Bart is interested. Bart tries to tell Homer nicely that he doesn't think for him as a ]-type of person. Homer believes that Bart thinks he's an ], but he resolves to create a robot. The robot he creates is a disaster and Homer then remembers something he thought he heard ] say and decides to become a robot instead of building one. | |||
| Colin Jacobson of ''DVD Movie Guide'' was critical of the episode, saying it "starts pretty well but droops before too long. The robot theme is too silly, and the cat sequences are too morbid. Some of the battle bots bits amuse, but they're not enough to overcome the episode's general flaws."<ref>{{cite web|first=Colin|last=Jacobson|date=December 13, 2012|title=The Simpsons: The Complete Fifteenth Season (2003)|url=http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonfifteen.shtml|website=DVD Movie Guide|access-date=October 27, 2024|archive-date=August 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806152020/http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonfifteen.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| On ''Four Finger Discount'', Brendan Dando and Guy Davis liked the episode because it showed Homer being a good father and also because they were fans of ''Robot Wars''.<ref>{{cite podcast|first1=Guy|last1=Davis|first2=Brendan|last2=Dando|title=I (Annoyed Grunt) Bot (S15E09)|work=Four Finger Discount (Simpsons Podcast)|date=April 15, 2022|url=https://fourfingerdiscount.podbean.com/e/i-annoyed-grunt-bot-simpsons-podcast-review/|time=1:40|access-date=October 27, 2024|archive-date=July 23, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240723153335/https://fourfingerdiscount.podbean.com/e/i-annoyed-grunt-bot-simpsons-podcast-review/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| == References == | |||
| When Bart wakes up, he finds a rather large (Homer-sized) robot in his room. The robot has a large metal shell made from a ] and is powered by a ], while holding a ] in its right hand. Bart sees a note from Homer saying that he has finished the robot, with which Bart can enter the Robot Rumble. Bart, skeptical at first, stomps his foot on the floor and is pleasantly surprised to see that the robot is still standing. He then brings some ]s and, using the rather crude-looking ], makes the robot smash the beers with the mallet. Excitedly, he runs out and Homer, inside the robot, comes out feeling rather proud. Seeing the smashed beer cans, he starts sucking up the beer from the carpet. | |||
| {{Reflist}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{Wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_15#Episode_9.I,_(Annoyed_Grunt)-Bot|"I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot"}} | |||
| {{Portal|The Simpsons}} | |||
| * at The Simpsons.com | |||
| *{{IMDb episode|0763032}} | |||
| {{The Simpsons episodes|15}} | |||
| Bart competes on "Robot Rumble", with the robot he has named "Chief Knock-A-Homer". He wonders where Homer is and sees another note, saying that Homer has to meet someone and cannot attend the match. Bart's first match is against the reigning champs, whose robot is called "Buzzkill," rather small, but has a mechanical arm with a ] on its end. Homer manages to defeat the robot (by using its own buzzsaw on itself), but receives many cuts and bruises and his right arm half-severed. Bart is thrilled to bits to see his robot win. | |||
| Chief Knock-A-Homer is going great guns at the "Robot Rumble", where he destroys many an unfortunate robot. In one bout against the "Murderpuss"(operated by ] and his daughter, ], Homer disqualifies the parent-child couple by smashing Jessica's remote. Another one pited Homer against the Ralph-0-Cop, operated by ] and ]. This robot brandishes a ] and fires at Homer many times, nearly hitting him. Homer manages to wrest the gun away and shoot the robot in the "face", till it goes down. But all these battles are taking a toll on Homer's well-being. He has many cuts and bruises, but he grins and bears it for Bart's sake. | |||
| Chief Knock-A-Homer quickly works his way into the finals, although Bart is sorry that his father hasn't been able to see any of the Chief's victories. The Chief's final match is scheduled to be against ] and his son's deadly looking robot (which resembles the ] from ]). Homer is fearful for his life because he had watched one of the robot's previous victories. In that battle, the robot won by stepping on a ]-like robot and turned it into a trophy. However, Bart is confident of a victory. | |||
| That night, Homer and Marge talk in bed. Marge says that Lisa is depressed because her cats end up waking up in the afterlife. Homer says that Bart's robot won so many matches, and lies that he didn't see it. He then starts pulling out metal bits out of his body, which got embedded during the course of Chief Knock-A-Homer's battles. | |||
| The next day, Bart even brings the bullies over, who tell Homer that his robot is cool. Not wanting to embarrass his son, he tells them that he installed a chip that makes the robot more bloodthirsty. He then tells them to look after Bart if anything happens to him. | |||
| During the first round of the finals, the Frink robot is making mince-metal of Chief Knock-A-Homer. Bart, wondering what could be wrong with it, opens the lower back panel, only to see Homer's butt staring at him. Caught, Homer apologises to Bart, but Bart thinks his dad is even cooler for doing that. In the second round, the Frink robot goes back to work on Chief Knock-A-Homer, finally squeezing it so hard that Homer is popped out, his presence in the robot revealed to everyone. When the Frink robot sees Homer, it stops immediately. Frink explains that the robot follows the ] (coined by ]) and will not harm a human. The robot even starts to make Homer feel comfortable, by placing him on an easy-chair and serving him a ]. The commentator/judges run outside and declare that the winner is "Nature's greatest killing machine" - MAN!!! (despite this being against the first rule in the book) Homer wins and Bart is proud of his dad. Homer asks Bart if he had any idea about Homer controlling the robot internally. Bart replies that he wasn't around quite often, but he was already used to that. The episode ends with Homer saying, "I like you, son." and Bart stating, "I like you too, Dad." | |||
| ==Trivia== | |||
| *Lisa calling Skinner "Principal Tamzarian" is a reference to ], another episode that isn't talked about. This is an in-joke to The Simpsons series maintaining its ] (i.e. Snowball V becoming the new Snowball II). Technically, by referring to the incident, Lisa is now guilty of a crime punishable by torture. It is interesting to note that if anyone tried to notify the authorities about this, they too would be referring to the incident, and thus also guilty of a crime punishable by torture. | |||
| *Judging by the grille, Gil's car is a ], which is reputed to be a very safe car, but Gil's explodes upon hitting a tree. | |||
| *A joke about ] is cut out when the episode airs on ] in the ], as Domino's Pizza have sponsored the show on that channel since January 1998. | |||
| *] and her father are one of the opposing teams Bart faces in "Robot Rumble". | |||
| *The title for this episode seen through certain digital cable readouts is seen as I (Annoyed Grunt) Bot, since when Homer says D'oh, the subtitles read Annoyed Grunt. | |||
| *Marge is flipping the ''When Bad Things Happen To Small Children'' book from back to front. | |||
| *The Frink robot is named "Smashius Clay aka Killhammed Aieee" | |||
| * Maggie can be seen shortly when Killhammed Aieee is shaking the Homer Bot. | |||
| ==Cultural references== | |||
| *The title is a spoof of Isaac Asimov's story collection ]. | |||
| *"Robot Rumble" is based on the shows '']'' and '']''. | |||
| *The idea of a fighting robot turning out to actually be controlled by a mysteriously absent parent may be a reference to '']''. An episode of the Jetsons also featured a robot controlled by a parent inside, but in a race rather than a battle. | |||
| *One of the tapes that Homer and Bart are watching has the description "Killhammad Aieee Vs. Bender"; ] is a character in ]. Other tapes are Vs. Jersey Joe Wall Switch (alluding to boxer ]), Circuit Ray Leonard (boxer ]), and the Grim Beeper (referring to the ]). | |||
| *The robot "Killhammad Aieee" is similar in appearance to a robot which appears in the ] movies, "]". Its name is a reference to ], once known as Cassius Clay. | |||
| *One of the robots to lose to Aieee looks just like the ]'s endoskeleton. | |||
| *The name of the Simpsons' "robot" is very similar to former ] ] ]. | |||
| *] episode with Lee Marvin is also rumored to be the inspiration for the Simpsons episode "Chief Naka-Homer". | |||
| ==Quotes== | |||
| *'''Moe:''' Go, go! Ah, jeez, I'm the only adult here. <br/> '''Pimple-faced Kid:''' Are you here with your children, sir? <br/> '''Moe:''' Uh, yes. I am here with my kids. ''(holds his fists)'' Screw and You!(kisses both fists) | |||
| *'''Homer:''' Oh, so much metal in my eye! | |||
| *'''Bart:''' (pointing to a button on the "robot remote") Then what did this button do? <br/> '''Homer:''' All that button ever did was send a mild electric shock up my spine. <br/> '''Bart:''' Why would you make it do that? <br/> '''Homer:''' (Gets shocked) Keep me focused. | |||
| *'''Announcer 2:''' Can robots actually feel pain? If so, then we are horrible, horrible people. | |||
| *'''Homer:''' Did you ever suspect it was me in that robot? <br/> '''Bart:''' Well, you did disappear a lot, but I've gone for summers without you around. <br/> '''Homer:''' Yup, I'm pretty unreliable. I like you, son. <br/> '''Bart:''' I like you, Dad. | |||
| *'''Gil (after a car wreck):''' Oh, boy! Gil's gonna collect big from ]! I'll be eatin' food tonight! ''(car explodes; Gil is now on fire)'' | |||
| *'''Homer:''' Hey, I'm always needed over at the nuclear plank. | |||
| *'''Marge:''' (crying) Oh, Cinnamon! It should have been ''me'' who chewed through that extension cord! <br/> '''Homer:''' There, there. You're ''both'' right. | |||
| *'''Bart:''' My bike! My crappy, crappy bike! | |||
| *'''Lisa:''' I'll call you Snowball V! But to save money on a new cat dish, we'll just say you're Snowball II. <br/> '''Principal Skinner:''' Isn't that a bit of a cop-out? <br/> '''Lisa:''' I guess it is, '']'' <br/> '''Principal Skinner:''' I'll just be moving along. Lisa. Snowball II. | |||
| *'''Homer:''' Woo-hoo! I mean, beep beep! | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 18:16, 16 January 2025
9th episode of the 15th season of The Simpsons
| "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |||
| Episode no. | Season 15 Episode 9 | ||
| Directed by | Lauren MacMullan | ||
| Written by | Dan Greaney Allen Glazier | ||
| Production code | FABF04 | ||
| Original air date | January 11, 2004 (2004-01-11) | ||
| Episode features | |||
| Couch gag | The couch is a white cake and the Simpsons are squeezed out like frosting on top of it. | ||
| Commentary | Matt Groening Al Jean Allen Glazier Matt Selman Michael Price Tom Gammill Max Pross Matt Warburton Nancy Cartwright Lauren MacMullan Alan Sepinwall | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
| |||
| The Simpsons season 15 | |||
| List of episodes | |||
"I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot", also known as "I, D'oh-Bot", is the ninth episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 11, 2004. The episode was written by Dan Greaney and Allen Glazier and was directed by Lauren MacMullan.
In this episode, Homer pretends to be a battle robot to make Bart think he can competently construct things. This episode represents a milestone in the history of the series as Snowball II is killed off. The primary plot is based on Richard Matheson's short story "Steel". The episode received mixed reviews.
Plot
Bart is taunted by school bullies Nelson, Jimbo, Dolph and Kearney because he does not have a 10-speed bike as they do. In order to get Homer to buy him one, Bart places his current bike so that it is run over and destroyed by Dr. Hibbert. Homer buys the 10-speed for Bart, but refuses to pay the small assembly fee and builds it himself. Bart is happy since it looks great and works perfectly at first, but it falls apart when he moons the bullies. Homer, wanting Bart to be proud of him, tries to build a battle robot for the show Robot Rumble. He fails to construct one, and instead assumes the identity of one, which Bart names "Chief Knock-a Homer". Unaware of Homer's ruse, Bart enters the robot in the Rumble.
Meanwhile, Dr. Hibbert's car runs over and kills the Simpsons' cat Snowball II, shortly after crushing Bart's bike. A devastated Lisa recites a poem tearfully at the funeral, where Snowball II is buried next to Snowball I. Lisa adopts a ginger cat, which she names Snowball III, but he drowns in the fish tank. The next cat, Coltrane (Snowball IV), jumps out of a window after hearing Lisa play her saxophone. The owner of the cat sanctuary refuses to give Lisa any more cats, but the Crazy Cat Lady wanders past and throws a cat at Lisa that strongly resembles Snowball II. Although Lisa tries to shoo it off, worried that it will meet the same fate as the others, it survives a near miss on the street when Gil Gunderson swerves to avoid hitting it while driving and crashes into a tree. Lisa decides to keep the cat, officially naming it Snowball V; however, the family will call it Snowball II in order to maintain the status quo. Principal Skinner comments disparagingly on the choice, but relents when Lisa points out that the same had previously been done for him.
Homer defeats numerous opponents and makes it to the finals, despite being injured from the battles with the other robots. In the final match against Professor Frink's undefeated super-robot, Killhammad Aieee, Bart finds Homer in the bot after the grueling first round. Caught, Homer apologizes to Bart, but Bart is impressed because of all the pain Homer went through to win his son's admiration. In the second round, Killhammad Aieee squeezes Homer out of the robot, but immediately stops as soon as it sees him. Frink explains that the robot follows Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics and has been programmed to serve humans rather than harm them. Killhammad Aieee sets out a chair for Homer and pours him a martini. Homer wins the match (although one of the commentators points out that the tournament rules prohibit any human combatants) and Bart is proud of him.
Cultural references
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
- The title of the episode includes the phrase "(Annoyed Grunt)" which is how Homer's catchphrase "D'oh!" is written in episode scripts. Making the episode title read "I, D'oh-bot" - a play on Isaac Asimov's I, Robot as well as the sci-fi action movie of the same name released later the same year.
- Robot Rumble parodies the robot combat shows Robot Wars and BattleBots.
- Homer's robot, Chief Knock-a Homer, is a reference to the former Atlanta Braves mascot Chief Noc-A-Homa.
- The song playing while Bart and Milhouse are cycling is "Magic Carpet Ride" performed by Steppenwolf.
- During one of the Robot Rumble matches, one of the commentators states that one robot is "killing him softly with his saw," a reference to the Roberta Flack song.
- Dr. Hibbert has a Kool and the Gang air-freshener in his car.
- The song playing during the Robot Rumble montage is "Watching Scotty Grow" performed by Bobby Goldsboro (The same song played in the Season 3 episode "Saturdays of Thunder" as Homer was helping Bart build a soapbox racer). Homer also sings part of this song when delirious from blood loss and a concussion.
- One of the robots advertised for Robot Rumble is the T-800 endoskeleton from the Terminator film series.
- Professor Frink's robot is named 'Smashius Clay' a.k.a. 'Killhammad Aieee', based on the boxer Muhammad Ali and his birth name Cassius Clay.
- Professor Frink's robot is designed after the ED-209 from the film RoboCop and its accompanying series.
- Lisa's fourth cat, Coltrane, is named after the influential jazz performer John Coltrane.
- The robot Circuit Ray Leonard is based on the boxer Sugar Ray Leonard.
- The song playing while Homer fights Professor Frink's robot is "...In A Bag" by Static-X.
- While Lisa is preparing food for Snowball III, she sings a song with the same melody as the Hokey Pokey song.
Reception
Viewing figures
The episode was watched by 16.30 million viewers, which was the 13th most-watched show that week.
Critical response
Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide was critical of the episode, saying it "starts pretty well but droops before too long. The robot theme is too silly, and the cat sequences are too morbid. Some of the battle bots bits amuse, but they're not enough to overcome the episode's general flaws."
On Four Finger Discount, Brendan Dando and Guy Davis liked the episode because it showed Homer being a good father and also because they were fans of Robot Wars.
References
- ^ Delaney, Tim (December 2, 2009). Simpsonology: There's a Little Bit of Springfield in All of Us. Prometheus Books. p. 135. ISBN 9781615921348.
- ^ Halpern, Paul (2007). What's Science Ever Done For Us?: What the Simpsons Can Teach Us About Physics, Robots, Life, and the Universe. Wiley. ISBN 978-0-470-11460-5.
- "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 5-11)". The Los Angeles Times. January 14, 2004. Archived from the original on May 14, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Jacobson, Colin (December 13, 2012). "The Simpsons: The Complete Fifteenth Season (2003)". DVD Movie Guide. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
- Davis, Guy; Dando, Brendan (April 15, 2022). "I (Annoyed Grunt) Bot (S15E09)". Four Finger Discount (Simpsons Podcast) (Podcast). Event occurs at 1:40. Archived from the original on July 23, 2024. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
External links
- "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot" at The Simpsons.com
- "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot" at IMDb
