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"She of Little Faith"

Episode Information Episode number: 275 Season number: S13 E6 Production code: DABF02 Original airdate: December 16, 2001 Chalkboard gag: "I do not have a cereal named after me" Couch gag: The couch is a slot machine with all the faces of the family members with the exception of Maggie who is a seven. Guest star(s): Richard Gere as himself Showrunner: Al Jean Written by: Bill Freiberger Directed by: Steven Dean Moore DVD features

"She of Little Faith" is the sixth episode of season 13 of The Simpsons and the two-hundred and seventy-fifth episode overall. It originally aired on December 16, 2001. The episode was written by Bill Freiberger and directed by Steven Dean Moore. It guest stars Richard Gere as himself.

Synopsis

"Desperate for money, the First Church of Springfield decides to rent out its wallspace to local advertisers. Horrified at the living commercial the church has become, Lisa withdraws herself from the church and converts to Buddhism."

Plot

While watching television, Bart comes across a commercial for a model rocket. Using Homer's credit card number, he orders one immediately. Soon after, Bart and Homer are in the backyard trying their luck with the device. Unfortunately, there are several premature explosions, sending father and son back to the drawing board. Homer is suddenly inspired when Flanders manages a successful launch of his own. Unwilling to be outdone, Homer contacts nerds Doug, Gary and Benjamin and enlists their help in constructing a rocket from scratch. This time, with Nibbles the hamster on board as pilot, the rocket lifts off majestically and soars into the air. When the rocket veers off-course, Homer contacts Nibbles and relays course correction instructions. But Nibbles bails out, and soon after, the rocket plummets to Earth, where it destroys Reverend Lovejoy's church.

With the church destroyed, Lovejoy turns to parishioners for fundraising ideas. Hope comes in the form of Mr. Burns, who asks for permission to run the church like a business. Lovejoy agrees to the idea. The church is rebuilt, but to Lisa's horror, product displays and advertising are everywhere. Disgusted, Lisa storms out the exit door. Disillusioned, Lisa begins searching for a new faith. She eventually happens upon a Buddhist Temple. Intrigued, she walks inside, where she discovers Lenny and Carl meditating. She also encounters actor Richard Gere as he rakes a Zen garden. He gives Lisa a pamphlet containing the four noble truths and the path to nirvana. Inspired, Lisa converts to Buddhism. Word of her conversion does not sit well with Homer and Marge. (Although, when Homer appears to be shouting at Lisa, he is actually shouting at Bart for not putting butter on his bacon and later for not wrapping it around his sausage.)

At the church, Reverend Lovejoy turns his attention to the Lisa matter, referring to the girl as "Marge Simpson's devil daughter". Lovejoy concludes that Lisa can be wooed back to Christianity by bribing her with Christmas presents. On Christmas Eve, Lisa discovers a pony named Clip-Clop in the living room. Soon after, Maggie offers her a candy cane. But just as Lisa reaches for the confection, she notices Lovejoy watching her from outside... and urging her to "lick it". Realizing she's being bribed, Lisa runs off. The pony turns out to be Milhouse and Ralph in a pony costume. Later, Lisa visits Richard Gere and tells him what happened. Gere tells her that Buddhists are free to embrace any faith and celebrate any holiday, including Christmas. Lisa then returns home and celebrates Christmas with her family. After asking the whereabouts of her pony, Marge ignores her and continues talking about the new year while Lisa begins to call for Clip-Clop.

Production

This is the first episode featuring Al Jean as showrunner.

Reception

"She of Little Faith" was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program in the 51st Primetime Emmy Awards. However, it lost to "Roswell That Ends Well" from Futurama.^[1]

References

Wikisimpsons has a collection of images related to "She of Little Faith".