Lisa the Skeptic

"Lisa the Skeptic" 250px

Episode Information Showrunner: [[{{{showrunner}}}]]

"Lisa the Skeptic" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons' ninth season, first aired on November 23, 1997. On an archaelogical dig with her class, Lisa discovers a skeleton that resembles an angel. All of the townspeople believe that the skeleton actually came from an angel, but skeptical Lisa attempts to persuade them that there must be a rational scientific explanation. The skeleton is later revealed to be a publicity stunt for a new mall going up in Springfield, and the townspeople forget their concerns about the skeleton to go shopping.

Writer David S. Cohen had the inspiration for the episode after visiting the American Museum of Natural History, and decided to loosely parallel themes from the Scopes Monkey Trial. The episode has been discussed in the context of concepts involving virtual reality, ontology, existentialism, and skepticism. The episode received mixed reviews, but has since been used in Christian religious education clases - to form a discussion around angels, skepticism, and the balance between science and faith.

Plot

As Homer attempts to get a motorboat, a new shopping mall in Springfield is being built on an area where a large number of fossils were found. Lisa condemns and protests the building of the mall. Thanks to her protest, it prompts the school to conduct an archaeological dig. When Lisa is digging, it reveals a human skeleton with wings. Springfield's residents are convinced it is an angel, and Homer cashes in by moving the skeleton into the family's garage; however, Lisa is skeptical, believing it may not actually be an angel, and even has Stephen Jay Gould test a sample of the skeleton. The next day, Dr. Gould runs to the Simpson house and said the tests came out inconclusive and after Lisa on television compares belief in angels to belief in unicorns and leprechauns, Springfield's religious zealots riot and destroy all of the scientific institutions. In keeping with the typical collective Springfield intelligence, the victims of this rampage include a Christian Science library. Lisa goes into the garage to destroy the skeleton; however, it has disappeared. A mob soon converges on The Simpson household, and Lisa is promptly arrested and put on trial for stealing the skeleton. However, before the trial can proceed, the courtroom's attention is diverted when the skeleton appears outside.

When the skeleton reappears, it carries a foreboding message that The End will come at sundown. As for science vs. religion, Judge Snyder issues a restraining order that keeps science and religion 500 yards apart at all times. Sundown approaches, and Springfield's citizens are frightened, but nothing catastrophic occurs. Lisa gets prepared to tell off everyone and when she begins, the skeleton suddenly yells "Prepare for the end... the end of high prices!" and is hoisted over to the entrance of a new discount shopping mall. Lisa realizes that the "end is near" saga was actually a publicity stunt for the mall as a way to exploit the deepest beliefs of people, and calls for a boycott of the mall. However, the bargain-hunting public still go shopping immediately. Dr. Gould also confesses to Lisa that he actually did not do any testing. In the end Marge points out to Lisa that, despite all her skepticism, for a few seconds while the Angel was rising Lisa really did believe the Angel was real. Lisa denies this, but thanks her mother for her support in her moment of weakness.

Production

"Lisa the Skeptic" was written by David S. Cohen, and directed by Neil Affleck. Cohen was inspired to write the episode after a trip to Manhattan's American Museum of Natural History, where he decided to turn the visit into a "business trip", and think of a possible episode connection to the museum. He initially wanted Lisa to find a "missing link" skeleton, and do an episode reminiscent of the Scopes Monkey Trial. Writer George Meyer convinced him to instead have the focus be on an angel skeleton, while keeping an emphasis on the conflict between religion and science. Both Cohen and Meyer acknowledged how silly the "angel skeleton" idea was due to simple questions raised such as why an angel died and why bones were left behind - but they went forward with the idea anyway.

In an early draft of the script, the skeleton was made of baked pasty dough, baked by the mall's window dresser. Cohen had initially written Steven Jay Gould's part as being a generic scientist or paleontologist, not knowing that they would eventually get Gould. He had taken Gould's Introduction to Paleontology class at Harvard University. The only phrase Gould had objected to in the script was a line that introduced him as the "world's most brilliant paleontologist." His original final line was "I didn't do the test. I had more important work to do" but was cut because the writers felt it would be better to give him a short final line. Also, some thought it was too mean. In an earlier version of the episode, Marge would have ended up apologizing to Lisa for not supporting her, letting the ending be more of a nod to Lisa's correct assumptions all along.

Themes

Author Joley Wood compared "Lisa the Skeptic" to an alternate reality game, in analyzing the affects of watching the television program Lost on contemporary culture and our own perceptions of reality. Dan O'Brien cited the episode in a discussion of ontology, skepticism and religious faith, in his book An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge. O'Brien leaves it up to the reader to decide whether or not Lisa was justified in her skepticism. In The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer, "Lisa the Skeptic" is cited as a prime example of why Lisa is seen as the epitome of a nerd. The book also cited the episode in noting that Lisa is not infallible - for when the Angel appeared to speak at the end of the episode, she became as frightened as everyone else. Lisa's frustration with the marketing gimmick used by the mall developers is seen by Turner's Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation as yet another example of her conflict with corporations throughout the series. Like O'Brien, Turner also analyzed the episode in the context of Lisa's questions about existentialism, self-absorption and consumption. In The Psychology of the Simpsons: D'oh!, the authors discuss Lisa's level of anger displayed in the episode, noting that in this particular case her anger gave her the wherewithal to both confront social injustice, and keep her mind clear for critical thinking. Mark Demming of All Movie Guide noted that Lisa symbolically stood for the side of reason, while her mother Marge symbolized belief and spirituality in the episode.

Parvin's The Gospel According to the Simpsons: Leader's Guide for Group Study is a group study guide companion to Pinsky's The Gospel According to the Simpsons. In the section pertaining to "Lisa the Skeptic," a skeptic is defined as: "a person who doubts, questions or suspends judgment on ideas generally accepted by others. The group study group is asked to debate the episode in the context of skepticism as related to other unexplained phenomena, including UFOs, the Loch Ness Monster, the Abominable Snowman, the Bermuda Triangle, Atlantis, near-death experiences, reincarnation, Mediumship, psychics, and fortune telling. In Pinsky's book itself, he noted that Lisa faced the difficult task of confronting religious hysteria and blind faith, and also attempted to reconcile science within her own belief system. He also notes that when Lisa asks Stephen Jay Gould to estimate the age of the skeleton, the issue is never raised of why angels or other spiritual entities would even leave skeletons behind in the first place.

Cultural references

The scene in Judge Snyder's courtroom where Lisa is put on trial for stealing the skeleton is seen as a reference to the 1920s Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, Tennessee, which dealt with issues of separation of church and state and the debate between creationism and evolutionism. The publicity stunt created by the mall developers in the episode has been compared to scientific hoaxes such as the Cardiff Giant and the Piltdown Man. When Lisa asks if the townspeople are outraged at the end of the episode for being fooled by a publicity stunt, Police chief Wiggum is about to answer her but is distracted when he catches sight of a Pottery Barn in the new Heavenly Hills mall.

Reception

Donald Liebenson wrote for the Amazon.com movie review that "Bart Sells His Soul" and "Lisa the Skeptic" were not among the best episodes of The Simpsons, however he also noted that: "Without being preachy (or particularly funny), this episode is pretty potent stuff," citing its theme of Apocalypse towards the end of the episode. "Lisa the Skeptic" was utilized in a Salt Lake City, Utah Episcopal Church Sunday school class in 2003, to stimulate a discussion among fourteen-year olds about belief in angels, and the juxtaposition of science and faith. The episode was compared and contrasted with a passage from Proverbs 14:15. The episode is used by the Farmington Trust (UK) for Christian religious education, to teach children about skepticism. The episode is used as a tool, to involve the students in a debate about religion and science, as well as to discuss Lisa's own skepticism, and her respect towards others.

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The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson • The Principal and the Pauper • Lisa's Sax • Treehouse of Horror VIII • The Cartridge Family • Bart Star • The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons • Lisa the Skeptic • Realty Bites • Miracle on Evergreen Terrace • All Singing, All Dancing • Bart Carny • The Joy of Sect • Das Bus • The Last Temptation of Krust • Dumbbell Indemnity • Lisa the Simpson • This Little Wiggy • Simpson Tide • The Trouble with Trillions • Girly Edition • Trash of the Titans • King of the Hill • Lost Our Lisa • Natural Born Kissers