What makes these episodes endure is not the plot, but the performance . Grammer delivers lines like “Attempted murder? No, no, no. Now, honestly, what is that? Do they give a Nobel Prize for ‘attempted chemistry’?” with the righteous indignation of a fallen king. Bob’s pathology is that he cannot stop explaining his genius. If he simply killed Bart silently, he would win. But he needs Bart to understand the poetry of his revenge. That need to be appreciated is his tragic, hilarious anchor.