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Difference between revisions of "Simpsons Bible Stories"

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"'''Simpsons Bible Stories'''" is the eighteenth episode of [[season 10]] of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and the two-hundred and twenty-first episode overall. It is an anthology episode and consists of three parts. It originally aired on April 4, [[1999]]. The episode was written by [[Tim Long]], [[Larry Doyle]] and [[Matt Selman]] and directed by [[Nancy Kruse]].
+
"'''Simpsons Bible Stories'''" is the eighteenth episode of [[season 10]] of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and the two-hundred and twenty-first episode overall. It is an anthology episode and consists of four parts. It originally aired on April 4, [[1999]]. The episode was written by [[Tim Long]], [[Larry Doyle]] and [[Matt Selman]] and directed by [[Nancy Kruse]].
  
 
== Synopsis ==
 
== Synopsis ==
{{Desc|A particularly boring sermon by Reverend Lovejoy sends each member of the Simpson family into his or her own biblical fantasy. Marge imagines herself and Homer as Adam and Eve, Lisa dreams of herself and the other kids of Springfield Elementary as the Israelites in ancient Egypt, and Homer dreams he is King Solomon, solving every dispute by cutting the contested object in half.}}
+
{{Desc|A particularly boring sermon by [[Reverend Lovejoy]] sends each member of the [[Simpson family]] into his or her own biblical fantasy. [[Marge]] imagines herself and [[Homer]] as [[Adam]] and [[Eve]], [[Lisa]] dreams of herself and the other kids of Springfield Elementary as the Israelites in ancient [[Egypt]], [[Homer]] dreams he is [[King Solomon]], solving every dispute by cutting the contested object in half, and [[Bart]] dreams that he is [[King David]] who is overthrown by [[Goliath II|the son]] of [[Goliath]].}}
  
 
== Plot ==
 
== Plot ==
=== Wrapround part 1 ===
+
=== Opening ===
The Simpsons are in church, listening to a long and boring [[Easter]] sermon in a sweltering heat. Each Simpson (except for Maggie) falls asleep and has a Bible-related dream.
+
At the [[First Church of Springfield]] on a hot [[Easter]] Sunday, [[Reverend Lovejoy]] has the collection plate passed around to collect donations from the congregation. When [[Helen Lovejoy]] brings it to him, he finds a chocolate bunny within the collection, which was put in there by Homer. Lovejoy gets annoyed by this and decides to start reading from the Bible, but not before [[Ned]] asks him to turn the fans off so they can hear him better. The Simpsons then begin falling asleep.
  
=== Marge: Homer & Marge ===
+
=== Marge's Dream ===
[[Marge]] (as Eve) sees [[Homer]] (as Adam) fall from the sky onto sharp rocks. [[Ned]] (as God) forbids them to eat the Forbidden Fruit. The Snake ([[Snake Jailbird]]) tempts Homer into eating loads of the apples. Homer tempts Marge into eating one, but she is caught by God and kicked out of the garden. Adam tries to smuggle Eve back in, enlisting the help of many animals to dig a tunnel. Gary the Unicorn dies in the attempt. They are caught in the act, and Homer is kicked out too.
+
[[File:Adam and Eve apple.png|thumb|left|The Temptation Serpent offers Adam and Eve an apple.]]
 +
Marge dreams that she and Homer are [[Adam]] and [[Eve]] in the [[Garden of Eden]]. When Eve meets Adam, Adam gets her some food from the [[Pig of Eden]] before [[God]] (played by Ned Flanders) speaks to them. God tells Adam and Eve not to eat from the forbidden tree before he leaves again. As Adam and Eve are relaxing by the forbidden tree, the [[Temptation Serpent]] comes down from it and offers Adam an apple from the tree. Adam accepts it and starts to eat the apple, then begins to eat more and more apples until he eventually convinces Eve to eat one. However, when Eve takes a bite, God shows up again and sees Eve eating the apple and kicks her out of the Garden of Eden, leaving Adam alone.
  
=== Lisa: The School-Slaves ===
+
Adam gets sad that Eve has gone and starts to feel guilty so he goes to the fence to talk to Eve. Adam then decides to sneak Eve back into Eden by having [[Gary the Unicorn]] tunnel out of Eden. As Eve sneaks back in through the tunnel, God shows up again and is angry to find that Adam has let Eve back in, and then sees that Gary has died. God then flicks Adam and Eve out of Eden, with Eve landing on Adam. The two of them complain about being out of Eden and Adam wonders how long God could hold a grudge for.
[[Lisa]] and [[Milhouse]] (as Moses) command [[Skinner]] (the Pharaoh) to let their people go. After several failed plagues and an escape from a Pyramid prison, they lead the Israelites to the shore, simultaneously flushing all the Egyptians' toilets to drain the sea. After they have crossed the seabed, the water fills the sea back up, washing away the pursuing Pharaoh and his guards. Moses asks Lisa if they will have an easy life from now on - she tells him they will wander the desert for forty years. When he asks if it's plain sailing after that, she quickly changes the subject.
 
  
=== Homer: Homer the Self-King ===
+
=== Lisa's Dream ===
Homer is King Solomon, deciding which of two men owns a pie. He sentences both persons to death, cutting the pie in two and eating both pieces himself. His next case begins: Jesus Vs. {{W|Checker Taxi|Checker Chariot}} (A paper Jesus has says "My Accident" on it.).
+
[[File:Moses drains the sea.png|thumb|right|Moses drains the sea.]]
 +
As Reverend Lovejoy continues his sermon, Lisa starts to dream next. Lisa dreams that she and the kids of [[Springfield Elementary School]] are Israelites building the [[Pyramids of Giza]] with [[Milhouse]] as [[Moses]]. As [[Slavedriver Willie]] gets the kids working, the [[Pharaoh]] shows up, being driven in a chariot. The Pharaoh notices that his sarcophagus has been vandalized and a burning bush claims that Bart did it. After Bart is taken away for punishment, the rest of the slaves are whipped. Lisa and Moses decide that this can't keep happening so they go to the Pharaoh to ask him to let their people go. However, the Pharaoh kicks them out of his tent. Lisa and Moses then unleash a plague of frogs on the Pharaoh's tent, but the Pharaoh just eats them. The Pharaoh then throws Lisa and Moses into the tomb of the Great Pyramid.
  
=== Wrapround part 2 ===
+
After managing to escape the Great Pyramid, Lisa and Moses tell the other slaves that they are leaving. The Pharaoh and his men give chase until the Israelites get to the sea. Moses has the Israelites all flush the toilets by the sea at the same time, temporarily draining it. As they all get to the other side, the Pharaoh's men make it to the sea and start to cross before the water all comes flooding back in. As all the Pharaoh's men play in the water, the Israelites leave to spend forty years wondering the desert.
Bart wakes Homer up before the case can proceed.
 
  
=== Bart: King Bart vs. Goliath II ===
+
=== Homer's Dream ===
Bart (as King David) has killed Goliath, but his oldest friend Methuselah ([[Abe Simpson]]) is killed by Goliath II ([[Nelson]]). David tries to kill him, mistaking him for Sampson and chopping off his hair, before being thrown by a slingshot away into the mountains. David tells Shepherd [[Ralph Wiggum]] of his plight. Ralph tries to kill Goliath II but dies trying. David sneaks into Goliath II's tower, which is blown up in the ensuing battle. Goliath II emerges from the flames, ready to strike, when Ralph kills him with his own tombstone ("Ralph! I thought you were dead!" "Nope!"). David is then thrown in jail for Megacide, since the people agree Goliath II was a better king than he ever was.
+
[[File:Jesus vs. Checker Chariot.png|thumb|left|Jesus Christ vs. Checker Chariot.]]
 +
As Reverend Lovejoy starts talking about [[King Solomon]], Homer starts his dream next. Homer dreams that he is King Solomon as [[Lenny]] and [[Carl]] are brought before him, disputing ownership of a pie. King Solomon decides that the pie shall be cut in two, and that he'll eat both halves and Lenny and Carl will be executed. Kind Solomon's next case is [[Jesus]] vs. Checker Chariot.
  
=== Wrapround part 3 ===
+
=== Bart's Dream ===
The Simpsons wake up in an empty church. Marge is ashamed they fell asleep in church, to which Homer answers "It's not the end of the world!" As they walk outside, they discover the Apocalypse/Rapture is upon them. The Flanders go to Heaven (because of them being extremely devout and going to church a lot) while the Simpsons go to Hell (because of them not having Christian beliefs although they go to church.) Lisa is the only one going up to Heaven, but Homer pulls her down, saying "Where do you think you're going, missy?" A stairway opens to Hell, and they enter. Homer can be heard screaming: "They're out of hot dogs! And the coleslaw has pineapple in it! Ahhhhhhhh! German potato salad!"
+
[[File:D vs. G2 Stone Cold.png|thumb|right|D vs. G2: Stone Cold.]]
 +
Reverend Lovejoy's next section is about [[King David]] and [[Goliath]]. Bart dreams that he is David, who finds that his best friend, [[Methuselah]] (played by [[Grampa]]) has been stabbed to death by [[Goliath II]], the son of Goliath. Goliath II is looking for revenge for the death of his father so King David goes to confront him. However, David is easily outmatched by the giant and thrown away from town. Outside of town, David meets [[Ralph]], who then goes to fight Goliath II himself but dies. King David then starts training for his rematch against Goliath II.
 +
 
 +
When David is ready, he goes to the [[Tower of Babel]] and scales it to confront Goliath II. After a brief fight, David causes an explosion using a lamp, which he thinks kills Goliath II. However, the giant comes out of the smoke and tries to kill David again before he is killed by Ralph, who turned out to not be dead after all, using his own gravestone. As David and Ralph scale back down the tower, the people of [[Jerusalem]] tell David that Goliath II was the greatest king they ever had and King David is arrested for megacide.
 +
 
 +
=== Ending ===
 +
As the Simpsons all wake up, they find that the church is empty and that the apocalypse has started. After the [[Flanders family]] are taken up to [[Heaven]], Lisa is also chosen for Heaven but Homer refuses to let her go. A stairway to [[Hell]] then opens up and the Simpsons go down to Hell, with Homer finding that the food options are horrible.
  
 
== Production ==
 
== Production ==
The episode was pitched by [[Bob Bendetson]] and would later lead to the creation of "[[Simpsons Tall Tales]]".
+
The episode came around because Fox wanted an Easter episode and the show never usually put episodes out on Easter.<ref name="Scully">{{Com|Scully, Mike|Simpsons Bible Stories|Tenth|(2007).|link=Mike Scully}}</ref> [[Matt Selman]], [[Donick Cary]], and [[Dan Greaney]] did an episode brainstorming session together and Donick and Dan came up with doing a Bible trilogy.<ref name="Selman">{{Com|Selman, Matt|Simpsons Bible Stories|Tenth|(2007).|link=Matt Selman}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
Many scenes had to be cut for time as the episode was running too long.<ref name="Scully"/> One scene that was cut had Bart fighting three sexy women. Another changed scene had King David pull down hundreds of people from the Tower of Babel and use their bodies to climb up.<ref name="Kruse">{{Com|Kruse, Nancy|Simpsons Bible Stories|Tenth|(2007).|link=Nancy Kruse}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
The producers wanted to use "{{W2|Highway to Hell|song}}" by [[AC/DC]] at the end of the episode, but couldn't get permission to do so until Mike Scully got in contact with the manager for the band who signed off on permission to use it and even cut the cost of using the song in half when he found out that ''The Simpsons'' wanted to use the song.<ref name="Scully"/>
  
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
File:AABF14_Script.jpg|Script Cover for the Episode
+
File:AABF14 Script.jpg|Script Cover for the episode
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 +
 +
== Reception ==
 +
"Simpsons Bible Stories" won a [[1999]] {{W|Annie Award}} for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Program.<ref name="Annie1999">[https://web.archive.org/web/20110210192801/http://annieawards.org/27thwinners.html The Annie Awards - "Legacy: 27th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (1999)"] (archived on {{W|Wayback Machine}})</ref>
 +
 +
A lot of fans apparently got angry at the end of the episode because it made the wraparounds non-canon.<ref name="Scully"/>
 +
 +
Showrunner Mike Scully didn't submit the episode as an Emmy nominee because the stories of the segments were based on Bible stories and so weren't original. However, he believes this was a mistake on his part because the animation of the episode was so good and he feels that it would have won an Emmy had it been submitted.<ref name="Scully"/>
 +
 +
As of October [[2023]], the episode has a 7.3 rating on {{W|IMDb}}.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0781980/ IMDb - "Simpsons Bible Stories"]</ref>
  
 
== In other languages ==
 
== In other languages ==
Line 72: Line 94:
 
|itTrans=Biblical passages
 
|itTrans=Biblical passages
 
}}
 
}}
 +
 +
== References ==
 +
{{Reflist}}
  
 
{{Images|ep=yes}}
 
{{Images|ep=yes}}

Latest revision as of 11:24, April 14, 2024

Season 10 Episode
220 "Maximum Homerdrive"
221
"Simpsons Bible Stories"
"Mom and Pop Art" 222
Donut Homer.png This episode is considered non-canon and the events featured do not relate to the series and therefore may not have actually happened/existed.

The reason behind this decision is: Framing ends with the apocalypse taking place.

If you dispute this, please bring it up on the episode's talk page.

"Simpsons Bible Stories"
Simpsons Bible Stories promo.png
Homer and Marge as Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Episode Information
Episode number: 221
Season number: S10 E18
Production code: AABF14
Original airdate: April 4, 1999
Chalkboard gag: "I can not absolve sins"
Couch gag: Everybody slips on banana peels, and land on the couch. Maggie ends up in Marge's arms.
Showrunner: Mike Scully
Written by: Tim Long
Larry Doyle
Matt Selman
Directed by: Nancy Kruse
DVD features


"Simpsons Bible Stories" is the eighteenth episode of season 10 of The Simpsons and the two-hundred and twenty-first episode overall. It is an anthology episode and consists of four parts. It originally aired on April 4, 1999. The episode was written by Tim Long, Larry Doyle and Matt Selman and directed by Nancy Kruse.

Synopsis[edit]

"A particularly boring sermon by Reverend Lovejoy sends each member of the Simpson family into his or her own biblical fantasy. Marge imagines herself and Homer as Adam and Eve, Lisa dreams of herself and the other kids of Springfield Elementary as the Israelites in ancient Egypt, Homer dreams he is King Solomon, solving every dispute by cutting the contested object in half, and Bart dreams that he is King David who is overthrown by the son of Goliath."


Plot[edit]

Opening[edit]

At the First Church of Springfield on a hot Easter Sunday, Reverend Lovejoy has the collection plate passed around to collect donations from the congregation. When Helen Lovejoy brings it to him, he finds a chocolate bunny within the collection, which was put in there by Homer. Lovejoy gets annoyed by this and decides to start reading from the Bible, but not before Ned asks him to turn the fans off so they can hear him better. The Simpsons then begin falling asleep.

Marge's Dream[edit]

The Temptation Serpent offers Adam and Eve an apple.

Marge dreams that she and Homer are Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. When Eve meets Adam, Adam gets her some food from the Pig of Eden before God (played by Ned Flanders) speaks to them. God tells Adam and Eve not to eat from the forbidden tree before he leaves again. As Adam and Eve are relaxing by the forbidden tree, the Temptation Serpent comes down from it and offers Adam an apple from the tree. Adam accepts it and starts to eat the apple, then begins to eat more and more apples until he eventually convinces Eve to eat one. However, when Eve takes a bite, God shows up again and sees Eve eating the apple and kicks her out of the Garden of Eden, leaving Adam alone.

Adam gets sad that Eve has gone and starts to feel guilty so he goes to the fence to talk to Eve. Adam then decides to sneak Eve back into Eden by having Gary the Unicorn tunnel out of Eden. As Eve sneaks back in through the tunnel, God shows up again and is angry to find that Adam has let Eve back in, and then sees that Gary has died. God then flicks Adam and Eve out of Eden, with Eve landing on Adam. The two of them complain about being out of Eden and Adam wonders how long God could hold a grudge for.

Lisa's Dream[edit]

Moses drains the sea.

As Reverend Lovejoy continues his sermon, Lisa starts to dream next. Lisa dreams that she and the kids of Springfield Elementary School are Israelites building the Pyramids of Giza with Milhouse as Moses. As Slavedriver Willie gets the kids working, the Pharaoh shows up, being driven in a chariot. The Pharaoh notices that his sarcophagus has been vandalized and a burning bush claims that Bart did it. After Bart is taken away for punishment, the rest of the slaves are whipped. Lisa and Moses decide that this can't keep happening so they go to the Pharaoh to ask him to let their people go. However, the Pharaoh kicks them out of his tent. Lisa and Moses then unleash a plague of frogs on the Pharaoh's tent, but the Pharaoh just eats them. The Pharaoh then throws Lisa and Moses into the tomb of the Great Pyramid.

After managing to escape the Great Pyramid, Lisa and Moses tell the other slaves that they are leaving. The Pharaoh and his men give chase until the Israelites get to the sea. Moses has the Israelites all flush the toilets by the sea at the same time, temporarily draining it. As they all get to the other side, the Pharaoh's men make it to the sea and start to cross before the water all comes flooding back in. As all the Pharaoh's men play in the water, the Israelites leave to spend forty years wondering the desert.

Homer's Dream[edit]

Jesus Christ vs. Checker Chariot.

As Reverend Lovejoy starts talking about King Solomon, Homer starts his dream next. Homer dreams that he is King Solomon as Lenny and Carl are brought before him, disputing ownership of a pie. King Solomon decides that the pie shall be cut in two, and that he'll eat both halves and Lenny and Carl will be executed. Kind Solomon's next case is Jesus vs. Checker Chariot.

Bart's Dream[edit]

D vs. G2: Stone Cold.

Reverend Lovejoy's next section is about King David and Goliath. Bart dreams that he is David, who finds that his best friend, Methuselah (played by Grampa) has been stabbed to death by Goliath II, the son of Goliath. Goliath II is looking for revenge for the death of his father so King David goes to confront him. However, David is easily outmatched by the giant and thrown away from town. Outside of town, David meets Ralph, who then goes to fight Goliath II himself but dies. King David then starts training for his rematch against Goliath II.

When David is ready, he goes to the Tower of Babel and scales it to confront Goliath II. After a brief fight, David causes an explosion using a lamp, which he thinks kills Goliath II. However, the giant comes out of the smoke and tries to kill David again before he is killed by Ralph, who turned out to not be dead after all, using his own gravestone. As David and Ralph scale back down the tower, the people of Jerusalem tell David that Goliath II was the greatest king they ever had and King David is arrested for megacide.

Ending[edit]

As the Simpsons all wake up, they find that the church is empty and that the apocalypse has started. After the Flanders family are taken up to Heaven, Lisa is also chosen for Heaven but Homer refuses to let her go. A stairway to Hell then opens up and the Simpsons go down to Hell, with Homer finding that the food options are horrible.

Production[edit]

The episode came around because Fox wanted an Easter episode and the show never usually put episodes out on Easter.[1] Matt Selman, Donick Cary, and Dan Greaney did an episode brainstorming session together and Donick and Dan came up with doing a Bible trilogy.[2]

Many scenes had to be cut for time as the episode was running too long.[1] One scene that was cut had Bart fighting three sexy women. Another changed scene had King David pull down hundreds of people from the Tower of Babel and use their bodies to climb up.[3]

The producers wanted to use "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC at the end of the episode, but couldn't get permission to do so until Mike Scully got in contact with the manager for the band who signed off on permission to use it and even cut the cost of using the song in half when he found out that The Simpsons wanted to use the song.[1]

Reception[edit]

"Simpsons Bible Stories" won a 1999 Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Program.[4]

A lot of fans apparently got angry at the end of the episode because it made the wraparounds non-canon.[1]

Showrunner Mike Scully didn't submit the episode as an Emmy nominee because the stories of the segments were based on Bible stories and so weren't original. However, he believes this was a mistake on his part because the animation of the episode was so good and he feels that it would have won an Emmy had it been submitted.[1]

As of October 2023, the episode has a 7.3 rating on IMDb.[5]

In other languages[edit]

Language Name Translation
Germany.png Deutsch "Bibelstunde, einmal anders" Bible study with a difference
Spain flag.png Español "Historias bíblicas de los Simpson" Simpsons Bible Stories
Hispanic America.gif Español "Historias de la Biblia" Bible Stories
France.png Français "Les Simpson dans la Bible" The Simpsons in the Bible
Flag of Quebec.svg.png Français "Histoires bibliques" Bible Stories
Italy Flag.png Italiano "Brani biblici" Biblical passages

References[edit]


The Saga of Carl - title screen.png Wikisimpsons has a collection of images related to "Simpsons Bible Stories".
Season 10 Episodes
Lard of the Dance The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace Bart the Mother Treehouse of Horror IX When You Dish Upon a Star D'oh-in' in the Wind Lisa Gets an "A" Homer Simpson in: "Kidney Trouble" Mayored to the Mob Viva Ned Flanders Wild Barts Can't Be Broken Sunday, Cruddy Sunday Homer to the Max I'm with Cupid Marge Simpson in: "Screaming Yellow Honkers" Make Room for Lisa Maximum Homerdrive Simpsons Bible Stories Mom and Pop Art The Old Man and the "C" Student Monty Can't Buy Me Love They Saved Lisa's Brain Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo