"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 real 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, 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.

  • Robot Rumble parodies the robot combat shows Robot Wars and BattleBots.

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

  • "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot" at The Simpsons.com