Faith Off
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| "Faith Off" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| File:Faith Off.gif | |
| Episode no. | Season 11 |
| Directed by | Nancy Kruse |
| Written by | Frank Mula |
| Original air date | January 16, 2000 |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | "I will stop 'phoning it in'." |
| Couch gag | A psychiatrist is seated next to the couch. Homer yells, “Oh, doctor, I’m crazy!” and sobs while the rest of the family stares at each other. |
| Commentary | Mike Scully George Meyer Matt Selman Nancy Kruse |
"Faith Off" is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons' eleventh season. The episode aired on January 16, 2000.
Plot
Homer visits Springfield University (from "Homer Goes to College") to pull a prank on Dean Bobby Peterson with his old nerd friends, Benjamin, Doug, and Gary (mistakenly referred to as his old roommates.) Homer tries to put a bucket filled with glue on the Dean's head, but another bucket full of glue is already above the door and falls on Homer's head, and he cannot get it off. The family attends a religious revival, hosted by a faith healer named Brother Faith, and Bart pulls the bucket off Homer's head. Brother Faith considers this act a sign that Bart has the "gift" of healing. Lisa is skeptical and attempts to use reason to explain that the hot stage lights heated the metal bucket, allowing Bart to pull it off. Undaunted, Bart becomes a faith healer, pulls miracles of his own, and even forms his own church where he heals Springfield's residents.
The church is cut short, however, when Milhouse is run down after he mistakes an oncoming truck for a dog. Bart had "healed" him of his myopia during his revival meeting by knocking his glasses off his face. Subsequently, Bart decides to end his career as a faith healer. Meanwhile, Homer prepares for Springfield University's homecoming football game by building a float that he has fashioned out of flowers he has stolen from Ned Flanders. At the game, everyone (including the family) cheers for S.U.'s football team's star player, a kicker named Anton Lubchenko. Homer gets drunk and forgets he has made a float to celebrate SU. He crowd surfs down to the playing field, and runs to his float. Unfortunately, the other floats have left the field and the players have come back on. Homer drives his float over the leg of Lubchenko, horribly wounding him. Fat Tony threatens to kill Homer with an ice pick if Lubchenko does not return to the game. Homer convinces Bart to try and heal the kicker. Bart prays to God to help him heal the kicker. With his team down by 2 points, Lubchenko returns to the game and kicks the winning field goal, losing his leg in the process. Bart announces at the end of the game that he does not have special powers and is not a healer. Dr. Hibbert tells Bart he is happy with this, as he will surgically reattach Lubchenko's leg and get all the healing business for himself.
Cultural references
- The title is a reference to the John Travolta and Nicolas Cage movie, Face/Off.
- The plot of the episode borrows heavily from The X-Files episode Miracle Man.
- The song performed during the parade is a parody of (I've Had) The Time of My Life by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes.
- Brother Faith's catchphrases and tone of voice are a parody of James Brown.
- The rivalry between Springfield U and Springfield A&M parodies the rivalry between the University of Texas and Texas A&M.
- Springfield U's athletic teams are known as the "Nittany Tide," likely a parody of the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Reception
The Orlando Sentinel's Gregory Hardy named it the fifth best episode of the show with a sports theme.[1]
References
- ^ Hardy, Gregory (February 16, 2003). "Hitting 300 - For Sporting Comedy, 'The Simpsons' Always Score". Orlando Sentinel. p. C17.
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External links
