She of Little Faith
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- "I'm a Buddhist!"
- ―Lisa Simpson
"She of Little Faith"
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Episode Information
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"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.
Contents
Synopsis
- "Desperate for money, the First Church of Springfield decides to rent out its space in the church to local advertisers. Horrified at the living commercial the church has become, Lisa has a crisis of faith and looks for a new religion that suits her."
Plot
Bart and Lisa watch the film The Planet from Outer Space when an advertisement for the Orbit King model rocket appears. Bart immediately orders one using Homer's credit card. Six to eight weeks later, the model rocket arrives. Bart asks Homer to help him build it, and they assemble a poorly constructed rocket with glue leaking from every joint. The rocket explodes before Homer can press the launch button. Their second attempt goes no better, with another explosion. Homer, Bart, and Milhouse notice a rocket launching from the Flanders' backyard, and Ned reveals that their attempts inspired him to get a rocket for Rod and Todd. Not wanting to be outdone by Flanders, Homer enlists Benjamin, Doug, and Gary to build a rocket. Nibbles the hamster is chosen as the pilot, and after saying goodbye to his wife, he gets into the rocket. The rocket launches successfully, but when it veers off course, Homer tells Nibbles how to guide it down. Instead, Nibbles hits the eject button and parachutes to safety while the rocket crashes into the First Church of Springfield, destroying it.
Outside the church, Reverend Lovejoy asks the church council how to fund repairs. After failing to come up with ideas, Mr. Burns offers to pay for the repairs in exchange for allowing advertisements and sponsorships in the church. Three weeks later, the newly refurbished church reopens, filled with advertisements. Lisa becomes annoyed, feeling it mocks the religion. When the Noid delivers a sermon about the "sanctity of deliciousness," Lisa interrupts to complain. She tells the parishioners that sponsorships have cost the church its soul and storms out, declaring she's leaving the church forever.
That night, Lisa prays, telling God she isn’t turning her back on him but wants a temple free from corruption. Marge overhears and, pretending to be a Heavenly voice, asks why Lisa has to be so different. Lisa sees through the ruse and tells Marge she still believes in God but thinks there’s another path to him, or her. While researching religions, Bart suggests various options for selfish reasons. Annoyed, Lisa goes for a walk and ends up at the Springfield Buddhist Temple. Inside, she finds Lenny and Carl meditating and learns they are Buddhists. Richard Gere introduces Lisa to the basics of Buddhism. Receptive to the teachings, she takes a pamphlet and later reads it at home, excitedly announcing she is now a Buddhist.
The next day, the family is shocked to learn Lisa is a Buddhist. She plants her own Bodhi Tree in the backyard and meditates under it. At the church, Mr. Burns announces church revenue has increased 1,073%. When Lovejoy asks for some of the money, Burns tries to flee but reluctantly hands over a stack of cash. The conversation turns to Lisa’s conversion, and Lovejoy suggests bribing her with Christmas, as it’s approaching. The family tries to get Lisa into the Christmas spirit but fails repeatedly. On Christmas Eve, Marge attempts to bribe Lisa with a pony, Clip-Clop. Lisa realizes their intention and runs out of the house. The pony is revealed to be Milhouse and Ralph wrapped in paper.
Lisa goes to the Buddhist Temple and talks with Lenny, Carl, and Richard Gere. Gere explains that Buddhists respect the diversity of other religions and assures Lisa she’s free to celebrate any holiday she chooses. Gere mentions he’ll spend Christmas with his stepdaughter, while Lenny and Carl will spend it with Moe. On Christmas Day, the family returns home after failing to find Lisa. They discover her asleep by the Christmas Tree. When she wakes, Lisa explains she’s still Buddhist but can celebrate with her family too. Homer accepts that Lisa will only pay lip service to the church. Lisa then asks about Clip-Clop, but Marge ignores her and changes the subject.
Production
Showrunner Al Jean worked with Bill Freiberger on Teen Angel, and Freiberger asked Jean if he could write a script if Jean became showrunner of The Simpsons again. Al Jean wanted the episode to focus on Lisa becoming a Buddhist, while Freiberger pitched the model rocket part of the story. Lisa becoming a Buddhist was one of the rare plot points that wasn't dropped after the episode ended, as Lisa remained a Buddhist throughout the series.[1] The model rocket idea came from Freiberger and was inspired by an event that happened to him, where he launched a model rocket that went through his house window. Nibbles being put into the rocket was based on an advertisement for a real-life rocket that showed insects being placed in the rocket.[2]
The first draft of the script was 106 pages long, and Freiberger spent more time cutting it down than writing the original draft. In the initial version, Marge had a larger role in the first act. The idea was that Homer was reluctant to build the rocket, and Marge convinced him to do it, only for Homer to become more interested in the rocket than Bart.[2] Richard Gere recorded his part in New York City and requested that Lisa say "free Tibet" and that Buddhism be portrayed accurately. Gere also didn't mind being mocked in the episode.[1] In the final draft, Gere ended up saying the "Free Tibet" line instead.
A deleted scene from the episode featured a man named Hassan Jay Salam getting arrested for blowing up the church due to the initials on the rocket reading "HJS" (Homer Jay Simpson). When the episode was reviewed by producers in October 2001, a month after the September 11 attacks, they were startled by its similarities to the attacks and decided to cut the scene.[1] Another deleted scene involved The Rich Texan in a skybox in the church, claiming he was closer to God than Bart would ever be. Both scenes were included on The Complete Thirteenth Season.
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.[3]
As of November 2024, the episode has a 7.1 rating on IMDb.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jean, Al (2010). Commentary for "She of Little Faith", in The Simpsons: The Complete Thirteenth Season.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Freiberger, Bill (2010). Commentary for "She of Little Faith", in The Simpsons: The Complete Thirteenth Season.
- ↑ Television Academy - "Outstanding Animated Program (for programming less than one hour) - 2002"
- ↑ IMDb - "She of Little Faith"
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