Alone Again, Natura-Diddily
"Alone Again, Natura-Diddily"
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Episode Information
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"Alone Again, Natura-Diddily" is the fourteenth episode of The Simpsons' eleventh season. The episode aired on February 13, 2000.
Plot
On a trip to the bird sanctuary, the family sees that a new speedway has been built and is opening that day. The family goes to the racetrack and are surprised to meet the Flanders family, who came not to see the race but for the high levels of safety used. Not long after arriving, a squad of cheerleaders is giving out free t-shirts by firing them from a cannon into the crowd, and Homer demands one. Homer takes off his t-shirt, and waves it around, shouting. Behind him were Ned and Maude Flanders; irritated by his antics, Maude goes to buy some hot dogs. Homer draws a target on his chest and gains the attention of the promotional cheerleaders. The cheerleaders send a full salvo of t-shirts in Homer's direction, but Homer bends down at the last second to pick up a bobby pin. The t-shirts hit Maude instead, who is returning from the hot dog stand. They knock her from the top of the bleachers to the ground. Dr. Hibbert is fortunately there, but Maude is pronounced dead.
Reverend Lovejoy eulogized her as follows: "In many ways, Maude Flanders was a supporting player in our lives. She didn't grab our attention with memorable catchphrases, or comical accents. But, whether you noticed her or not, Maude was always there... and we thought she always would be."
Everyone shows their condolences for Ned's loss, but Ned has to deal with being a widower and a single parent. Homer secretly makes a videotape of Ned Flanders to show to the interesting single girls across Springfield at the "Video Matchmaking", helping him, but the dates are sour. On Sunday morning, Ned Flanders says he does not want to go to church, because he doubts the Lord for having taken Maude. Guilt-ridden, he later rushes to church (apologizing out loud to God the whole way) and sees a Christian rock band, Kovenant, perform. He is attracted (both physically and spiritually) to the singer, Rachel Jordan.
Criticism
Lowe's Motor Speedway president Jerry Gappens expressed his concern over the episode, as it appeared to parody an actual incident. During the aborted Indy Racing League IndyCar Series Visionaire 500k event, on May 1, 1999, flying tires in a Lap 62 crash killed three spectators, forcing the track to abandon the race before the halfway point. WCCB, the Fox affiliate in Charlotte, North Carolina, home to Lowe's Motor Speedway, refused to show the promotional advertising for this episode.[1]
Many viewers criticised the show at the time for killing off a popular and beloved character.[citation needed]
Groening later revealed that Maggie Roswell, the actress who voiced Maude, moved away from the studios to Colorado, making it difficult to continue the character's role in the show.[2]
