Episode 7G07
Written by Al Jean, Mike Reiss, Sam Simon, Matt Groening
Directed by Rich Moore
Additional cast: Marcia Wallace, Pamela Hayden, Tress MacNeille

Premise: Homer and Bart sneak through the streets of Springfield by night, only to be met by a bloodthirsty mob. But what events led to this grim confrontation - and how are they connected with the statue of town founder Jebediah Obadiah Zachariah Jedadiah Springfield?

Features: Principal Skinner, Ms Krabappel, Mr Burns, Smithers, Grampa, Moe, Barney, Janey, Wiggum. The mob also contains Dr Marvin Monroe, Patty and Selma, Otto, Ned Flanders, Mr and Mrs Winfleld, Milhouse, Jasper, the two barflies.

Couch: The Simpsons rush into the living room with such force that Bart is squeezed out and thrown into the air.

And introducing: Rev. Lovejoy, Krusty, Jimbo Jones, Kearney, Dolph, Apu. Lovejoy and Krusty are given their first few lines as part of the mob. Sideshow Bob appears for the first time as Krusty's silent stooge. Not a hint of the terrors to come. And his hair is in curls rather than dreads.

Trivia:

• Jimbo has a copy of Playdude magazine, which appears in several subsequent episodes.
• Four squishees comes to $4.52.
• Homer flips through the Bowl Earth Catalog to select a new bowling ball, and likes the look of the Stealth Bowler.
• Jebediah Springfield built the town's first hospital in 1848, and is said to have killed a bear with his bare hands.
• KBBL runs a show called Mambo in the Morning.

Homage: The title refers to Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Tell-Tale Heart, published in 1843 (and thus a close contemporary of Jebediah) and a staple text in American public education. (Poe's influence is felt again in Treehouse of Horror and Lisa's Rival.)

Notes: This episode is one of only two to bear an on-screen title (Christmas and Hallowe'en specials aside). This is a lot more like it, with the Simpsons grossly dysfunctional in church, Homer dispensing terrible advice, and a real moral dilemma for Bart.