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

Written by Jonathan Collier and directed by Jeffrey Lynch, the episode was inspired by several stories about lost art surfacing.

The episode scored a Nielsen rating of 8.3, making it the second-highest-rated show on the Fox network the week it aired, and received positive reviews from critics, who particularly praised the animation of its action and underwater scenes.

During Grandparents' Day at Springfield Elementary School, Grampa embarrasses Bart with his tall tales, straining their relationship.

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.

Unwilling to wait for Grampa's natural death, Burns hires an assassin named Fernando Vidal to kill him.

In a flashback, he reveals that the Flying Hellfish discovered several priceless paintings in a German castle during the final days of World War II.

To avoid being caught stealing the paintings, the soldiers formed a tontine and locked them in a strongbox, which was hidden away; the last surviving member of their group would inherit the collection.

When Bart calls him a coward and an embarrassment to the Hellfish, Burns kicks him into the empty strongbox, which locks and topples back into the lake.

The agents confiscate the paintings and hand them to a Eurotrash heir of one of the original owners, leaving Bart and Grampa empty-handed.

[3] 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.

Other animators that worked on the episode include Chris Clements, Ely Lester, James Purdum, Tommy Tejeda, and Orlando Baeza.

The song played by Baron von Wortzenberger as he drives off is Caterpillar (Rabbit in the Moon mix) by DJ Keoki.

[7] 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".

[1] 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.