A Serious Flanders

"A Serious Flanders"
The Simpsons episodes
Promotional poster for the episodes
Episode nos.	Season 33 Episodes 6 and 7
Directed by	Debbie Mahan (Part One) Matthew Faughnan (Part Two)
Written by	Cesar Mazariegos
Featured music	"The Ninety and Nine" by Burl Ives "Uno Esta" by Bobbi Humphrey "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" "Deck the Halls" "Aphrodite Part II" by Chase (Part One) "Good Time Charlie" by Bobby Bland "Sabor a Mí" by Eydie Gormé and Los Panchos "Las Vegas Tango" by Gary Burton "Bemidji, MN" by Jeff Russo from Fargo (Part Two)
Production codes	QABF21 (Part One) QABF22 (Part Two)
Original air dates	November 7, 2021 (2021-11-07) (Part One) November 14, 2021 (2021-11-14) (Part Two)
Guest appearances
Brian Cox as Kostas Becker Joe Mantegna as Fat Tony (Part One only) Cristin Milioti as Barb Chris O'Dowd as Seamus Timothy Olyphant as Sheriff Flanders Jessica Paré as Collette

"A Serious Flanders" is a two-part episode of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It is the sixth and seventh episodes of the thirty-third season and the 712th and 713th episodes overall. Part One premiered on the Fox network in the United States on November 7, 2021, while Part Two premiered on November 14, 2021. Both parts are written by Cesar Mazariegos. Part One is directed by Debbie Mahan, while Part Two is directed by Matthew Faughnan.

It is the series' fourth two-part episode following Season 6 and 7's "Who Shot Mr. Burns?", Season 28's "The Great Phatsby", and Season 31's "Warrin' Priests". Both parts received overwhelmingly positive reception from critics, with some citing both of them as being one of the best episodes to happen in the last decade of the show.

Plot

This crime film spoof is told in two different parts where each of them has three chapters, like a six-episode miniseries:

Part 1

Cold opening

The Rich Texan is attempting to escape from a ruthless debt collector named Kostas Becker and his henchmen Seamus and Collette, but is captured and murdered for not paying his debt.

Chapter 1: The Harder the Good

Later, Ned Flanders is picking up trash in the park when he encounters Homer doing the same. He stumbles and falls down a hill and finds a bag containing over $173,296 in cash, which he donates to a local orphanage in the name of his grandfather, Sheriff Ned Flanders. Kostas finds out that Ned is the grandson of Sheriff Flanders, who he killed because of a debt.

Chapter 2: The Hippo's Conundrum

Kostas finds Ned at church and tells him that he will retrieve the money one way or another. Ned takes Barb, the director of the orphanage, on a date to a festival, and they return to her home to make out, but Ned realizes she is Sideshow Mel's wife and Ned leaves in disgust.

Homer is captured by Seamus and Collette after they mistake him for Ned. Kostas tells them they have captured the wrong man, and calls Ned and threatens to kill Homer if Ned calls the police. Marge goes to Ned's house to see if he knows where Homer is, but Ned lies and tells her that Homer left for Shelbyville.

Chapter 3: A Donut for the Devil

Marge looks for Homer around Springfield and ends up at Lard Lad's donut shop while Kostas is eating breakfast there. Fat Tony and his minions Johnny Tightlips, Legs and Louie confront him after Seamus and Collette attacked Comic Book Guy and demands that he leave Springfield, but Kostas single-handedly kills them, which also results in the deaths of Disco Stu and Mr. Burns. Kostas spares Marge and leaves, but drops Homer's work ID on his way out, and Marge realizes Homer has been kidnapped by Kostas.

Homer is left by Kostas to be tortured, while Ned goes to church and hopes that God can forgive him of sinning with Barb.

Part 2

Chapter 4: Tree Money, Where Art Thou?

After the Lard Lad massacre, the Springfield police search for Kostas while Marge searches for Homer. Meanwhile, Ned worries that the debt collectors will kill Homer if they don't get their money. This makes Ned wonder where the money came from and how it got into the tree.

In a flashback, it's revealed that Sheriff Flanders was actually corrupt and took bribes from the Capital City mafia, went to nightclubs, and even used various drugs. One night while the mafia is negotiating with the Szyslak brothers over money Kostas (who was the collector back then) took, the two groups engage in a gunfight that kills all but one. Sheriff Flanders shoots the last man and takes the money and hides it in a tree. Kostas arrives and demands the money from Sheriff Flanders, but he accidentally kills him when Sheriff Flanders slides right into his knife. The police arrive and accidentally crash a car into the tree, knocking it down the hill.

Chapter 5: Uff-Da!

Back in the present, Homer discovers that Seamus and Collette are married and celebrating their tenth anniversary. After Homer tricks them into a fight, a pot on the stove catches fire and spreads, causing the ceiling under the bathroom to collapse and a bathtub crushes Seamus and Collette. Marge saves Homer from the burning house, while Ned, still believing that Homer is being held hostage, breaks into Barb's orphanage to steal the money, only to find the key to the safe is on Barb's neck, and he seduces her to get it. Ned drives away with the money and passes by an escaped Homer, which causes Ned to crash his car which catches on fire. Homer goes to save Ned, but after seeing the money attempts to save it first, and inadvertently pulls Ned out of the car with it. The townsfolk hail Homer as a hero, while Ned is forced to run away from both the law and Kostas. Marge, knowing Homer's true intentions, is ashamed of him.

Chapter 6: From Red to Black

Three years pass and Homer now owns a car repair shop with Marge, who is still ashamed of him. Bart is a well-behaved Boy Scout, and Lisa now has several friends. After receiving a blank postcard from Wyoming, Homer travels there to visit Ned, who is hiding out in a cabin in the woods, to deliver him supplies. Marge secretly follows Homer, and finally sees him as a decent man when she sees him helping Ned. Unfortunately, Kostas followed her and ambushes them. They escape from the cabin, and Ned fights Kostas on a frozen lake where Kostas reveals to Ned his grandfather's dark secrets, causing an enraged Ned to attack Kostas. Ned throws his debt book onto the frozen lake, and Kostas goes to retrieve it, which causes the ice to break, and he falls in and drowns. After returning home to Springfield, Homer tells the townsfolk the entire story and Ned's reputation is restored while Homer and Marge finally reconcile.

Production

QABF21 was announced on December 7, 2020, under the title of "A Serious Flanders". QABF22 received a table read on December 17, 2020, but executive producer Al Jean chose not to reveal the title or any details on it. It had been kept secret for nearly three months, before Cesar Mazariegos finally announced it to be "A Serious Flanders: Part 2" in March 2021 after having being asked on Twitter, revealing that the final two episodes of the QABF production line are a two-parter. Meanwhile, "A Serious Flanders" was renamed, with "Part 1" now added in the title.

On October 2021, Fox released promotional images for both parts. On November 2, 2021, the official poster was revealed. Sneak peeks for Part 1 were released by Fox on November 3, while sneak peeks for Part 2 were released on November 9.

Pop culture references

The title is a reference to the 2009 film A Serious Man, while the plot is inspired by television series Fargo, as well as the continued rise of prestige premium drama on cable and streaming. The introduction featuring the "Simpflix" streaming service is a parody of Netflix.

Reception

Part 1 reception

Tony Sokol of Den of Geek gave the Part One episode 5 out of 5 stars stating, “‘A Serious Flanders,’ written by Cesar Mazariegos, and directed by Debbie Mahan, is an installment even non-Simpsons watchers will like. It is detailed, nuanced, and overloaded with jokes or their ghosts. Because the rules of character continuity are suspended, Part II should provide a satisfying conclusion.”

Marcus Gibson of Bubbleblabber gave the Part One episode an 8 out of 10 stating, “Overall, part one of ‘A Serious Flanders’ started the bloody two-part event on the right foot. From its comedy to the guest stars, the episode proves that no good deed goes unpunished. It would be interesting to see how they will follow that up in part two next week. Until then, all we can do now is pray that Flanders would find a way out of this deadly predicament.”

Part 2 reception

Tony Sokol of Den of Geek gave the Part Two episode 5 out of 5 stars stating, “A Serious Flanders (Part Two)’ was written by Cesar Mazariegos, and directed by Matthew Faughnan. It continues the pace and excellence of the first part, which only edges it out in enjoyability because it was surprisingly novel. For a series which has run for 33 seasons, this is an achievement in itself. The Simpsons have been inconsistent in the past few years. They’ve given quite a few excellent episodes, but have been tossing away too many feeble entries, trying to maintain a balance between irreverence and respect. Fargo only changes names out of respect for the dead. This two-parter is a classic, and sets a high bar for the season.”

Marcus Gibson of Bubbleblabber gave Part Two and 8 of 10 stating “Overall, part two of ‘A Serious Flanders’ is a solid conclusion to the latest Simpsons two-part event. Despite its plot shortages involving Ned and his father, the episode has enough laughs and intrigue to deliver a worthy challenge for Ned’s Christian beliefs. In conclusion, I would say that ‘A Serious Flanders’ is another satisfying two-part episode from The Simpsons. It’s far from perfect, but it serves as an example of how the show can properly provide character development and situations in more than just one episode.”

External links

• "A Serious Flanders: Part 1" at the Internet Movie Database
• "A Serious Flanders: Part 2" at the Internet Movie Database