St. Boniface Vikings (Part 1)

Herschel Gets Busted

The episode begins with Kevin, Lisa and Marla Lynn watching Herschel the Clown on TV. Herschel Gaultney launches into the TV screen in a motor car. During the show a reluctant and unhappy Sideshow Bob is launched from a cannon, as the wish of a girl named Brenda Larson as it was her birthday, she said her birthday was Dec. 1. Marva Lynn is hurt by the 'unnecessary violence' in the show, but Lisa points out if cartoons were meant for adults, they would place it on prime time. Marva Lynn calls and asks Nolan to purchase some ice cream. Nolan is suspicious and shudders when he learns that Delphine and Walburga are coming over later to show slides of their Mexican vacation, which turns out to be very boring. Nolan goes to the convenience store for ice cream on the way home, and while there he witnesses a man that appears to be Herschel rob the man at gunpoint. Cut quickly to the Smith house, as the rest of the family watches Delphine and Walburga's slides. Cut back to Nolan, who gives a description of Herschel to the police. Meanwhile, at Herschel's apartment, Herschel is relaxing with a drink when a SWAT team bursts through his door and takes him into custody.

At the police station, Nolan identifies Herschel as the armed robber. Nolan finally gets home just as Delphine and Walburga finish the slideshow, being grateful for once having missed the boring viewing. Then the news report about Herschel's arrest comes on the air. Nolan must deal with Marva Lynn's embarrassment along with Delphine and Walburga's rage when he learns they heard what he mentioned on the security tape. Kevin is devastated that his idol Herschel could have done such a thing.

On the news, the news reporter reports on the upcoming trial and history of Herschel including the fact that Herschel has a pacemaker. The next day as Herschel walks up the steps to the courthouse Kevin and Lisa watch in disbelief. The man they see is far different from the clown in the gaudy outfit on TV; this Herschel is without makeup and wearing a prison uniform with small feet, as he is without his signature oversized shoes. Inside the courtroom during the trial, Nolan, being called as a witness, points out Herschel to the jury as the robber.

The next day at the trial, it is revealed after being asked to identify some evidence it is revealed that Herschel is illiterate. The evidence that Herschel is asked to identify are betting slips, which suggests Herschel committed the robbery as this evidence, combined with an audit of Herschel's finances, shows he lost considerable amounts of money illegally wagering on sporting events, which Herschel admits to. Later, the jury reaches a guilty verdict. At the Smith house, Lisa and Marla Lynn watch Sideshow Bob, who has now taken over for Herschel on TV. He promises that while the show will be more educational. When Kevin walks in and sees this, he is upset. He tells Lisa he thinks Herschel is innocent and convinces her to help him prove it.

Kevin suggests they go and visit his best friend, Sideshow Bob, because he may be able to identify any known enemies who hated Herschel enough to see him go to prison. Meanwhile, Sideshow Bob is finishing up a show and tells the crew he wishes to be alone for a while, as he is still depressed over Herschel's conviction. As he goes into his dressing room, his crying transforms into sinister laughter.

At the television studio, Bob has a meeting with the show runners and discuss merchandise ideas. Kevin, Lisa, and Marla Lynn pay a visit to Sideshow Bob, he dismisses them because his show is about to start, but he offers them free tickets. In the audience, a visibly saddened Kevin watches the show. When Sideshow Bob notices Kevin's sadness, he invites him on stage for a new psychological segment of the show called Choices. While on stage, Kevin reveals he is sad because he thinks that Herschel was framed and wrongfully jailed, but Bob tries to convince him otherwise, brushing off the clues he and Lisa found by claiming that Herschel was never one to follow doctor's orders seriously and pointing out that The Springfield Review of Books contains amusing caricatures that anyone can enjoy. Bob does get sore when Kevin reminds him of the time he used to be Herschel's sidekick, which he remarks darkly that the clown shot him out of a cannon. When Bob mentions that he has "big shoes to fill", Kevin connects the final piece of the mystery together, recalling that Nolan stepped on the robber's toes and made him scream in pain. However, when he and Lisa saw Herschel going into the courtroom, they noticed that he had normal sized feet. Remembering that Bob has feet large enough to fill Herschel's clown shoes from their attempt to speak to him, Kevin concludes that Bob is the real robber and he was the one who yelled at Nolan for stepping on his feet.

Outraged by the truth, Kevin rightfully levels his accusation towards Sideshow Bob. He grabs the microphone and contends to the audience about his new discovery. Kevin then proves his point by smashing the end of Bob's clown shoe with a mallet. This causes Bob to scream in pain and say the exact words spoken by the robber, much to the kids' shock. Kevin pounds Bob's other foot, causing him to fall down, and removes his shoes to expose his big feet on TV, as the audience turn on Bob for what he did it Herschel. While watching the show and eating donuts, the police realize Kevin is right and they overlooked one key piece of evidence that could have kept Herschel out of jail.

Outside the studio, an arrested and exposed Bob dramatically confesses to the crime. He reveals that he framed Herschel for the convenience store robbery out of frustration because he finally got sick of constantly being on the receiving end of Herschel's humiliating antics for more ratings, as well as the fact that Herschel squandered much of the show's profits on gambling and other examples of "his vulgar appetites". Bob felt his intelligence was wasted on the show and wanted Herschel gone so he could make an educational program where his intelligence would appreciated by the public. He dramatically warns criminals to start treating children as equals because they were smart enough to catch him and will do the same to them. The charges against Herschel are dropped and he now regains the trust of the community. The chief of the police department and the citizens apologize to Herschel for their misunderstanding, and Nolan offers an apology for fingering him in court. Grateful to be free, Herschel forgives the populace for their wrong accusations and thanks Kevin for standing up for the truth and sticking to his convictions. The episode finishes with Kevin proudly tacking up a photo of himself and Herschel on the wall, before going to bed with his room refurnished with new Herschel merchandise.

At high school, Nolan told Paul, Grady, Ed and Fran about Herschel's innocent, and they were all upset about him.