Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish"

Plot

The relationship between Grampa and Bart deteriorates after Grampa's senility and abrasiveness embarrass Bart during Grandparents Day at Springfield Elementary School.

Back at the retirement home, Grampa receives word that Asa Phelps, one of the men who served under his command in the Army during World War II, has died. Grampa and Mr. Burns are now the only two surviving members of their infantry squad, known as the "Flying Hellfish". Not wanting to wait for Grampa's natural death, Burns hires an assassin to kill him. After avoiding several attacks, Grampa takes shelter with the Simpsons. He moves into Bart's room, putting further strain on their relationship, and reveals to Bart his reason Burns wants him dead.

In a flashback, it is revealed that during the final days of World War II, the Flying Hellfish discovered several priceless paintings in a German castle. To avoid being caught for theft, the soldiers set up a tontine and locked the paintings in a strongbox to be hidden away; the one who outlived all the others would inherit the collection. Each man was given a key, all of which would eventually be needed to trigger a mechanism that would reveal where the paintings were hidden.

After Grampa finishes his story, Burns breaks into his room and tries to take Grampa's key by force. However, Bart manages to steal both keys back and the two Simpsons go after the paintings. They hurry to the local cemetery, where a monument to the Hellfish is located. After activating the locator mechanism built into the monument, they discover that the paintings have been hidden at the bottom of a lake, so they borrow a motorboat from Ned Flanders and head out onto the water. Bart brings up the strongbox, but just as he and Grampa open it, Burns shows up to take the paintings at gunpoint. When Bart calls him a coward and an embarrassment to the Hellfish, Burns kicks him into the empty strongbox, which topples back into the lake. Grampa dives in to save Bart, and the two chase Burns back to shore, where Grampa overpowers Burns. However, rather than killing Burns, Grampa instead gives him a dishonorable discharge for trying to kill his commanding officer and his grandson, and expels him from the tontine, much to Burns' distress.

Before Grampa and Bart can go home with the paintings, several agents of the U.S. Department of State arrive on the scene, as the U.S. government has been trying for 50 years to track down the paintings to avoid an international incident with the German government. As such, the agents take the paintings and turn them over to a Euro-trash heir of one of the original owners, and Bart and Grampa are left empty-handed. Despite the loss, Grampa is somewhat relieved that he at least proved to Bart that he used to be something besides a pathetic old man, and Bart says that he never thought of Grampa that way. The two hug, their relationship back on good terms.

Production

Jonathan Collier, who wrote the episode, got the idea after reading several then-current stories about lost art surfacing. The story then evolved into one involving Grampa and Burns, and it gave the writers a chance to introduce the relatives of some of the recurring characters. The other members of the Flying Hellfish were based on stereotypical war movie characters. The idea of having a tontine came from Bill Oakley, who got the idea from "an old Barney Miller episode". Collier originally named the unit the "Fighting Hellfish" but it was later changed to the "Flying Hellfish". The logo for the unit was designed using the original name and was not subsequently changed when the name was switched.

Supervising director David Silverman describes the directing in the episode as an "amazingly brilliant job". Director Jeffrey Lynch received help from Brad Bird, with whom he worked on many complex staging shots. Lynch did not have any other episodes to work on at the time and was able to devote a lot of time to working on the episode. He storyboarded most of it by himself. The episode contains more effects shots than an average episode of The Simpsons, many of which were worked on by animator Dexter Reed. Other animators that worked on the episode include Chris Clements, Ely Lester, James Purdum, Tommy Tejeda, and Orlando Baeza.

Reception

In its original broadcast, "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish" finished 48th in the ratings for the week of April 22 to April 28, 1996, with a Nielsen rating of 8.3. The episode was the second highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following The X-Files.

The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, wrote that the episode is "notable for Mr Burns' impersonation of Marge, some spectacular action sequences, and some good underwater scenes – but [it is] not especially brilliant".

Dave Foster of DVD Times said: "It's easily the highlight of this season in terms of cinematic presence, with wonderful animation, staging and lighting which complements what is essentially a mini action adventure movie superbly realised via Grandpa and Bart. Like numerous episodes this season it also works as another example of family ties being reinforced though never at the sake of entertainment." DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson wrote that "many Grampa episodes tank, but “Hellfish” provides a very notable exception. It’s a lot of fun to see his wartime past, especially since we find precursors of series regulars. I also like the action swing the story takes, as it becomes clever and inventive. This comes out as a terrific show." Adam Finley of TV Squad listed "Raging Abe" as one of the most touching episodes of The Simpsons, noting that it is "more 'crazy action flick' than emotional, but I list it here because it shows Grandpa Simpson as someone other than a crazy old coot."