The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star

"The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star"
The Simpsons episode
Homer with Father Sean (Liam Neeson)
Episode no.Season 16
Episode 21
Directed byMichael Polcino
Written byMatt Warburton
Production codeGABF09
Original air dateMay 15, 2005 (2005-05-15)
Guest appearances
Liam Neeson as Father Sean
Marcia Wallace as Edna Krabappel
Episode features
Couch gagThe Simpsons are depicted as parade balloons that float to the couch. The Homer balloon, however, ends up getting popped by Snowball II.
CommentaryAl Jean
Matt Warburton
Matt Selman
Tim Long
Michael Price
Tom Gammill
Max Pross
Hank Azaria
Tress MacNeille
Michael Polcino
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Home Away from Homer" 		Next →
"The Bonfire of the Manatees"
The Simpsons season 16
List of episodes

"The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star" is the twenty-first and final episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 15, 2005. The episode was written by Matt Warburton and directed by Michael Polcino.

In this episode, Marge enrolls Bart in Catholic school after he is expelled from Springfield Elementary for performing a prank. Liam Neeson guest starred as Father Sean. The episode received mixed reviews.

Originally supposed to air April 10, the episode was dropped from the week's schedule due to the death of Pope John Paul II, since this episode revolved around Catholicism.[1] This episode is also the 350th episode in production order (in broadcast order, "Future-Drama" is the 350th episode).

Plot

After Bart is expelled from school after being blamed for Groundskeeper Willie's prank unleashing hundreds of rats during the school's medieval festival, Marge enrolls him in St. Jerome's Catholic School, where Bart's rebel attitude is frowned upon. Bart meets a sympathetic Father Sean, who gives him a comic book about saints, and he is drawn into it. Marge becomes concerned over Bart's interest in the Catholic Church, due to the Catholic ban on birth control. Homer goes to the school to confront Sean, but decides to convert to Catholicism as well for easy absolution of his sins. With Bart and Homer considering joining the Church, Marge seeks help from Rev. Lovejoy and Ned Flanders, who agree to get them back.

On the road, Marge, Ned and Lovejoy try to bring Bart back to the "one true faith" – The Western Branch of American Reform Presbylutheranism – by taking him to a Protestant Youth Festival where Marge tries bribing him with rock music and paintball, only for Homer and Sean to arrive there in a motorcycle and sidecar; having been alerted by Lisa, who agrees with Homer and Bart's desire to join a new faith, and engage in a Mexican standoff with Ned and Lovejoy. Bart mocks the feuds between the different forms of Christianity, explaining that the topics they disagree on are nothing compared to the topics they agree on. The two groups agree to fight monogamist gays and stem cells, taking Bart's idea to heart.

The episode then jumps 1,000 years into the future, when Bart is believed to be the last Prophet of God. Mankind is waging war over whether Bart's teachings were about love and tolerance, or understanding and peace (and whether he was betrayed by Milhouse). Engaging in a bloody battle, one side cries Bart's catchphrase "Eat my shorts", the other cries "Cowabunga".

Production

Liam Neeson guest starred as Father Sean. Joe Mantegna was announced to guest star as Fat Tony but did not appear in the final episode. The episode originally had Fat Tony suggest to Marge to enroll Bart in Catholic school.[2]

Release

The episode aired immediately following the previous episode as part of a one-hour season finale.[2] The episode was originally scheduled to air on April 10, 2005.[3] However, due to the death of Pope John Paul II in April 2005, the episode was postponed, and a repeat of the episode "On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister" aired instead.[4][5]

Reception

Viewing figures

The episode earned 3.5 rating and was watched by 9.69 million viewers, which was the 38th most-watched show that week.[6]

Critical response

Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide thought the episode was a "lackluster finale" but said it was better than "Thank God, It's Doomsday", which also dealt with religion.[7]

On Four Finger Discount, Guy Davis and Brendan Dando liked the performance by Liam Neeson. They highlighted the scene depicting Catholic Heaven, saying "it looks dope".[8]

Eric Goldman, Dan Iverson, and Brian Zormski of IGN called this episode the best episode of the sixteenth season. They thought of it as a great episode that dealt with the sensitive topic of religious tolerance, stating that "with a daring story, we can't help but remember when The Simpsons was an edgy hip show that would frequently shed a light on cultural complexes". They thought it would be ideal if there were more episodes like this one.[9]

L'Osservatore Romano, the daily broadsheet of the Vatican, praised the episode for taking up issues such as Christian faith and religion.[10] It insisted that Homer is a Catholic, but executive producer Al Jean responded by saying that Homer is not a Catholic.[11]

Awards and nominations

Matt Warburton was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Animation at the 58th Writers Guild of America Awards for his script to this episode.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Our Favorite Simpsons Episode: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star". Bingohall.com. May 22, 2005. Archived from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "(SI-1615/1609) "Home Away from Homer/The Father, The Son And The Holy Guest Star"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "(SI-1609) "The Father, The Son and The Holy Guest Star" (Repeat)". The Futon Critic. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  4. ^ "Episode Title: (SI-1605) "On A Clear Day I Can't See My Sister" (Repeat)". The Futon Critic. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  5. ^ "Neeson Simpsons episode postponed in honour of Pope". Irish Examiner. April 11, 2005. Archived from the original on August 10, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  6. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. May 17, 2005. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  7. ^ Jacobson, Colin (December 11, 2013). "The Simpsons: The Complete Sixteenth Season [Blu-Ray] (2004)". DVD Movie Guide. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  8. ^ Davis, Guy; Dando, Brendan (January 12, 2023). ""The Father, The Son And The Holy Guest Star" Podcast Review (S16E21)". Four Finger Discount (Simpsons Podcast) (Podcast). Event occurs at 11:05. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  9. ^ Goldman, Eric; Iverson, Dan; Zormski, Brian (September 8, 2006). "The Simpsons: 17 Seasons, 17 Episodes". IGN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  10. ^ Squires, Nick (October 17, 2010). "Homer Simpson 'is a true Catholic'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on November 9, 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  11. ^ Snierson, Dan (October 18, 2010). "'Simpsons' producer on Vatican's assertion that Homer is Catholic: 'I really don't think he could go without eating meat on Fridays'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  12. ^ McNary, Dave (December 14, 2005). "Peacock laffers have the write stuff". Variety. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
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