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Difference between revisions of "Missionary: Impossible"

Wikisimpsons - The Simpsons Wiki
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{{Episode
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|image= Misionary Impossible.jpg
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|image= Misionary Impossible.png
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|Episode Number= 241
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|number= 241
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|productionCode= BABF11
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|season=11
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|originalAirdate= February 20, 2000
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|snumber=15
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|blackboardText= "A belch is not an oral report"
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|prodcode= BABF11
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|couchGag= The living room is a subway station. The family wait on a bench before getting on the train which arrives.
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|airdate= February 20, [[2000]]
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|specialGuestVoices= [[Betty White]] as [[Betty White (character)|herself]]
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|blackboard= "A belch is not an oral report"
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|Written By= [[Ron Hauge]]
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|couchgag= The living room is a subway station. The family wait on a bench before getting on the train which arrives.
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|Directed By= [[Steven Dean Moore]]
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|guests= [[Betty White]] as {{Ch|Betty White|herself}}
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|showrunner1= Mike Scully
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|writer= [[Ron Hauge]]
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|director= [[Steven Dean Moore]]
 
|DVD features=yes
 
|DVD features=yes
 
}}
 
}}
  
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'''Missionary: Impossible''' is the fifteenth episode of [[season 11]]. It originally aired on February 20, 2000. The episode was written by [[Ron Hauge]] and directed by [[Steven Dean Moore]]. [[Betty White]] guest stars as [[Betty White (character)|herself]].
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"'''Missionary: Impossible'''" is the fifteenth episode of [[season 11]] of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and the two-hundred and forty-first episode overall. It originally aired on February 20, [[2000]]. The episode was written by [[Ron Hauge]] and directed by [[Steven Dean Moore]]. It guest stars [[Betty White]] as {{Ch|Betty White|herself}}.
  
 
== Synopsis ==
 
== Synopsis ==
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[[Homer Simpson|Homer]] becomes a missionary on a remote, tropical island as part of his effort to evade the local PBS affiliate's pledge drive collection officials.
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{{Desc|[[Homer]] becomes a missionary on a remote, tropical island as part of his effort to evade the local PBS affiliate's pledge drive collection officials.}}
  
 
== Plot ==
 
== Plot ==
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While watching the rowdy British sitcom, ''[[Do Shut Up]]'' on {{w|Public Broadcasting Service|PBS}}, Homer becomes annoyed by the interruption of the telethon. In an attempt to end the pledge drive so they put the show back on, Homer pledges $10,000 to the network. Homer is applauded for saving the network: However, it quickly becomes apparent that Homer doesn't have the money. This prompts pledge drive host {{ch|Betty White}} and a mob of characters and personalities from various PBS shows to chase him through the streets. Fleeing to the church ("Bingo!"), seeking sanctuary, he pleads for help from [[Reverend Lovejoy]]. Lovejoy gets Homer out past the PBS mob by hiding him in a bag, disguised as a sack of children's letters to God. Lovejoy then puts Homer on a cargo plane to the South Pacific, where he will become a {{w|Missionary|missionary}} in Microatia until the heat is off, despite Homer's lack of religious faith (to the point, that he mistakenly calls Jesus, "Jebus").
+
Homer is watching [[PBS]] where they show the British sitcom ''[[Do Shut Up]]''. Homer and [[Bart]] are enjoying it until the show is interrupted by a pledge drive by PBS, hosted by {{Ch|Betty White}}. In order to get the interruption to stop, Homer pledges $10,000 anonymously to them. However, PBS manages to work out that Homer was the one who pledged the money and a large group of people from PBS turn up at his house to get the money from him. Homer is taken to the bank where he eventually reveals to Betty White that he doesn't have the money. Betty then sets a mob of PBS characters and personalities after Homer as he tries to escape. Homer goes to the [[First Church of Springfield]] where he asks [[Reverend Lovejoy]] for help. Lovejoy hides Homer in his car then takes him to the airport where he puts Homer on a [[Christian Relief]] plane to [[Microatia]] so he can be a missionary, against Homer's wishes.
  
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Upon his arrival, Homer makes a call to [[Marge]] back in [[Springfield]], during which he promotes [[Bart]] to "the man of the house", [[Lisa]] to "boy", [[Maggie]] to the "brainy girl" and the toaster to "Maggie", making Marge a consultant. Bart replaces Homer at the [[Springfield Power Plant]], where Mr. Burns criticizes Homer's record and (not recognizing, who he is talking to) pokes Bart with a stick. After coming home from a hard day at work, Bart agrees to take Marge out for dinner one night.
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Reverend Lovejoy goes to see the rest of the [[Simpson family]] and tells them where Homer is, and gives them a HAM radio to contact him. When Homer arrives at Microatia, he meets {{ap|Craig|Missionary: Impossible}} and {{ap|Amy|Missionary: Impossible}}, the two missionaries who were there already. Craig and Amy then leave on the plane, leaving Homer alone to deal with the natives. Homer tries to hand out Bibles to the natives, but they tell him that they can't read. Homer then tries to settle into his new life and meets [[Qtoktok]], [[Ak]], and a girl who he calls [[Lisa, Jr.]] When Homer realizes that the island doesn't have television, or even couches, he starts to panic.
  
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Homer meets [[Qtoktok]] and [[Ak]]. He also meets a native girl, who looks and sounds exactly like Lisa (Homer names her, "[[Lisa, Jr.]]"). At first, Homer is so desperate, that he drops to the ground, writhing and crying, "Oh, God!", repeatedly (which the natives all imitate, following his example). Homer eventually begins trying to teach them about religion, but realizing that he knows nothing about it, he tries something new. While the natives were noble savages ignorant of and unspoiled by civilization, Homer decides to build a casino on the island, which he names, "[[The Lucky Savage]]". This introduces alcohol, gambling, and violence to the island, and ruins the natives' virtuous way of life.
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When Homer is in his hut, getting high off licking toads, he hears his radio go off, with [[Marge]] trying to contact him. Homer talks to his family and tells [[Bart]] that he has to be the man of the house now. Homer then goes about trying to do missionary work, but quickly realizes that he has no idea what he is doing. He then decides that instead, he will build a casino, with the help of the natives. Back at home, Bart takes being man of the house seriously and goes to the [[Springfield Nuclear Power Plant]] to work Homer's job. Whilst there, [[Mr. Burns]] rips into him for Homer's appalling record and causing seventeen meltdowns.
  
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After the failure of the casino, Homer builds a chapel in penance, but he and Lisa, Jr. ring the bell too loudly, causing an earthquake that releases a river of lava. The chapel (carrying Homer and Lisa, Jr.) starts to sink into the lava. As the two are about to meet their deaths, the scene cuts to another pledge drive, this time for the [[FOX]] network. It is revealed that Homer's adventures and mishaps were all recorded, while he was on the island, but the show as well as the network are in danger of cancellation. Various FOX show personalities are manning the phones, joined by a cranky {{w|Rupert Murdoch}} and hosted again by Betty White, who entreats the viewers to help keep "crude, low-brow programming", such as ''{{w|Family Guy}}'', on air. Bart calls in and pledges a $10,000 donation. Rupert remarks that Bart has saved his network, to which Bart replies, "Wouldn't be the first time!".
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Back on Microatia, Homer unveils [[The Lucky Savage]] casino to the islanders. He teaches them how to gamble and reveals that he has made a form of beer for them to drink too. However, the next time Homer enters the casino, he finds that everything has gone wrong, the casino is on fire and people are fighting. Back at the Simpson house, Bart comes home from work and has an argument with Marge. Marge tells Bart that he's taking being man of the house too seriously, and Bart offers to take her out for a steak meal. Back on Microatia, Homer is working on building the chapel that Craig and Amy were building before they left. When the islanders see this, they question what Homer's doing, and he tells them that they've all become sinners since he arrived. The islanders help Homer finish the chapel and he and Lisa, Jr. go up to the bell and start ringing it, with Homer getting very aggressive ringing it. This causes a landslide and an earthquake, which splits the ground around the chapel and it sinks into the lava with Homer and Lisa, Jr. holding each other, not knowing how they'll escape.
  
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The scene then cuts to the Fox pledge drive, presented by Betty White and the PBS host again. Betty asks the viewers to show their support by pledging money to Fox. {{Ch|Rupert Murdoch}} then gets a call from Bart, who pledges $10,000. Murdoch tells Bart that he saved the Fox network, and Bart responds saying that it wouldn't be the first time.
 +
 +
== Production ==
 +
Episode writer [[Ron Hauge]] originally pitched an idea for the whole family to become missionaries, but the idea went nowhere. About a month later, [[Mike Scully]] and [[George Meyer]] worked on an episode where Homer becomes a {{W|Peace Corps}} worker, which became the first draft of "Missionary: Impossible". Homer being in the Peace Corps was changed to becoming a missionary because they needed something more emotional. The original choice for Betty White's guest spot was British actress [[Emma Thompson]]. However, they couldn't get her for the role as Thompson was pregnant at the time and couldn't fly.<ref name="Hauge">{{Com|Hauge, Ron|Missionary: Impossible|Eleventh|(2008).|link=Ron Hauge}}</ref>
 +
 +
A joke was cut from the PBS segment where the host asked "Do you ever wonder where your pledge money goes?" and Homer responds with "I don't wonder anything, just put my show back on." However, the scene was cut for time as the PBS segment was overly long.<ref name="Scully">{{Com|Scully, Mike|Missionary: Impossible|Eleventh|(2008).|link=Mike Scully}}</ref> The original ending of the episode had Homer destroy the entire island and he ended up floating away in the debris. [[Ian Maxtone-Graham]] came up with the Fox telethon ending for the episode.<ref name="Hauge"/>
 +
 +
== Reception ==
 +
As of August [[2023]], the episode has a 7.3 rating on {{W|IMDb}}.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701177/ IMDb - "Missionary: Impossible"]</ref>
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== In other languages ==
 +
{{LanguageBox
 +
|de=yes
 +
|deName=Der beste Missionar aller Zeiten
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|deTrans=The best missionary of all time
 +
|br=yes
 +
|brName=Missionário: Impossível
 +
|brTrans=Missionary: Impossible
 +
|es=yes
 +
|esName=Misionero imposible
 +
|esTrans=Missionary Impossible
 +
|la=yes
 +
|laName=Misionero imposible
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|laTrans=Missionary Impossible
 +
|fr=yes
 +
|frName=Missionnaire impossible
 +
|frTrans=Missionary Impossible
 +
|qu=yes
 +
|quName=Missionnaire : impossible
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|quTrans=Missionary: Impossible
 +
|it=yes
 +
|itName=Missionario impossibile
 +
|itTrans=Missionary Impossible
 +
|jp=yes
 +
|jpName=愛の伝道師ホーマー南の島へ
 +
|jpTrans=Homer, the Love Preacher, Goes to the Southern Island
 +
}}
 +
 +
== References ==
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{{Reflist}}
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{{Images|ep=yes}}
 
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Latest revision as of 11:19, September 6, 2024

Season 11 Episode
← 240 "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily"
241
"Missionary: Impossible"
"Pygmoelian" 242 →
"Missionary: Impossible"
Misionary Impossible.png
Episode Information
Episode number: 241
Season number: S11 E15
Production code: BABF11
Original airdate: February 20, 2000
Chalkboard gag: "A belch is not an oral report"
Couch gag: The living room is a subway station. The family wait on a bench before getting on the train which arrives.
Guest star(s): Betty White as herself
Showrunner: Mike Scully
Written by: Ron Hauge
Directed by: Steven Dean Moore
DVD features


"Missionary: Impossible" is the fifteenth episode of season 11 of The Simpsons and the two-hundred and forty-first episode overall. It originally aired on February 20, 2000. The episode was written by Ron Hauge and directed by Steven Dean Moore. It guest stars Betty White as herself.

Synopsis[edit]

"Homer becomes a missionary on a remote, tropical island as part of his effort to evade the local PBS affiliate's pledge drive collection officials."


Plot[edit]

Homer is watching PBS where they show the British sitcom Do Shut Up. Homer and Bart are enjoying it until the show is interrupted by a pledge drive by PBS, hosted by Betty White. In order to get the interruption to stop, Homer pledges $10,000 anonymously to them. However, PBS manages to work out that Homer was the one who pledged the money and a large group of people from PBS turn up at his house to get the money from him. Homer is taken to the bank where he eventually reveals to Betty White that he doesn't have the money. Betty then sets a mob of PBS characters and personalities after Homer as he tries to escape. Homer goes to the First Church of Springfield where he asks Reverend Lovejoy for help. Lovejoy hides Homer in his car then takes him to the airport where he puts Homer on a Christian Relief plane to Microatia so he can be a missionary, against Homer's wishes.

Reverend Lovejoy goes to see the rest of the Simpson family and tells them where Homer is, and gives them a HAM radio to contact him. When Homer arrives at Microatia, he meets Craig and Amy, the two missionaries who were there already. Craig and Amy then leave on the plane, leaving Homer alone to deal with the natives. Homer tries to hand out Bibles to the natives, but they tell him that they can't read. Homer then tries to settle into his new life and meets Qtoktok, Ak, and a girl who he calls Lisa, Jr. When Homer realizes that the island doesn't have television, or even couches, he starts to panic.

When Homer is in his hut, getting high off licking toads, he hears his radio go off, with Marge trying to contact him. Homer talks to his family and tells Bart that he has to be the man of the house now. Homer then goes about trying to do missionary work, but quickly realizes that he has no idea what he is doing. He then decides that instead, he will build a casino, with the help of the natives. Back at home, Bart takes being man of the house seriously and goes to the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant to work Homer's job. Whilst there, Mr. Burns rips into him for Homer's appalling record and causing seventeen meltdowns.

Back on Microatia, Homer unveils The Lucky Savage casino to the islanders. He teaches them how to gamble and reveals that he has made a form of beer for them to drink too. However, the next time Homer enters the casino, he finds that everything has gone wrong, the casino is on fire and people are fighting. Back at the Simpson house, Bart comes home from work and has an argument with Marge. Marge tells Bart that he's taking being man of the house too seriously, and Bart offers to take her out for a steak meal. Back on Microatia, Homer is working on building the chapel that Craig and Amy were building before they left. When the islanders see this, they question what Homer's doing, and he tells them that they've all become sinners since he arrived. The islanders help Homer finish the chapel and he and Lisa, Jr. go up to the bell and start ringing it, with Homer getting very aggressive ringing it. This causes a landslide and an earthquake, which splits the ground around the chapel and it sinks into the lava with Homer and Lisa, Jr. holding each other, not knowing how they'll escape.

The scene then cuts to the Fox pledge drive, presented by Betty White and the PBS host again. Betty asks the viewers to show their support by pledging money to Fox. Rupert Murdoch then gets a call from Bart, who pledges $10,000. Murdoch tells Bart that he saved the Fox network, and Bart responds saying that it wouldn't be the first time.

Production[edit]

Episode writer Ron Hauge originally pitched an idea for the whole family to become missionaries, but the idea went nowhere. About a month later, Mike Scully and George Meyer worked on an episode where Homer becomes a Peace Corps worker, which became the first draft of "Missionary: Impossible". Homer being in the Peace Corps was changed to becoming a missionary because they needed something more emotional. The original choice for Betty White's guest spot was British actress Emma Thompson. However, they couldn't get her for the role as Thompson was pregnant at the time and couldn't fly.[1]

A joke was cut from the PBS segment where the host asked "Do you ever wonder where your pledge money goes?" and Homer responds with "I don't wonder anything, just put my show back on." However, the scene was cut for time as the PBS segment was overly long.[2] The original ending of the episode had Homer destroy the entire island and he ended up floating away in the debris. Ian Maxtone-Graham came up with the Fox telethon ending for the episode.[1]

Reception[edit]

As of August 2023, the episode has a 7.3 rating on IMDb.[3]

In other languages[edit]

Language Name Translation
Germany.png Deutsch "Der beste Missionar aller Zeiten" The best missionary of all time
Spain flag.png Español "Misionero imposible" Missionary Impossible
Hispanic America.gif Español "Misionero imposible" Missionary Impossible
France.png Français "Missionnaire impossible" Missionary Impossible
Flag of Quebec.svg.png Français "Missionnaire : impossible" Missionary: Impossible
Italy Flag.png Italiano "Missionario impossibile" Missionary Impossible
Brasil Flag.png Português "Missionário: Impossível" Missionary: Impossible
Flag of Japan.png 日本語 "愛の伝道師ホーマー南の島へ" Homer, the Love Preacher, Goes to the Southern Island

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hauge, Ron (2008). Commentary for "Missionary: Impossible", in The Simpsons: The Complete Eleventh Season.
  2. ↑ Scully, Mike (2008). Commentary for "Missionary: Impossible", in The Simpsons: The Complete Eleventh Season.
  3. ↑ IMDb - "Missionary: Impossible"


The Saga of Carl - title screen.png Wikisimpsons has a collection of images related to "Missionary: Impossible".
Season 11 Episodes
Beyond Blunderdome • Brother's Little Helper • Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner? • Treehouse of Horror X • E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt) • Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder • Eight Misbehavin' • Take My Wife, Sleaze • Grift of the Magi • Little Big Mom • Faith Off • The Mansion Family • Saddlesore Galactica • Alone Again, Natura-Diddily • Missionary: Impossible • Pygmoelian • Bart to the Future • Days of Wine and D'oh'ses • Kill the Alligator and Run • Last Tap Dance in Springfield • It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge • Behind the Laughter
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