[The long of it]
The relationship between mankind and God is a complex one. Philoso- phers, theologians, and scholars have contemplated the bond for centuries. And then there's Homer, who has managed to reduce it to its most elemental form. God is the Big Guy upstairs who can grant you favors, if you play (or pray) your cards right.
At least, that's what Homer deduces after observing the charmed life Flanders leads. (The fact that Ned has, at various times, lost his wife, home, business, and sanity doesn't enter into his thinking.) So, he goes around entreating the Lord for the most trivial things. What's interesting is that he seems to get results. Perhaps the Almighty was as amused as I was about the way Homer prayed. Before praying for the return of a lost remote control, Homer acknowledges that the Lord blessed mankind with two kinds of clam chowder. Another prayer invokes the image of Colonel Sanders, sitting at the Lord's right hand and feeding Him popcorn chicken. Homer's even considerate enough to pray for others, asking for help with Bart's homework (although we don't see how that one turned out).
As with anything else he does, Homer's prayer strategy goes haywire. After his old house suffers some structural damage, he prays for a new one, and then breaks his leg on church property. By now, though, nothing will swerve Homer from his newfound zeal. He interprets the accident as a sign from God to sue the church. He wins, and it's here that the show becomes a bit less imaginative. As anyone who watched "Homer the Heretic (9F01)" knows, Homer has as much business heading up a church as Beelzebub. Within the space of one act, most of the former churchgoers are behaving in a way that reminded me of the Israelites worshiping the golden calf in "The Ten Commandments." It makes sense, but isn't terribly surprising.
What's more interesting is the way the episode showcases the spectrum of faith in Springfield. On one hand we have the dissolute Homer, who seeks God's favor, but isn't willing to pay His dues. At the other end of the piety scale is Ned Flanders, who sticks to his usual God- fearing routine. There's a quiet little scene where Ned fashions a makeshift cross from two pool cues and promises God that wherever Ned is, He is welcome. It's a nice touch, even if they writers do quickly cut to a silly speaking-in-tongues gag. On the whole, Ned is portrayed really well here; deeply religious, but not simplistically fanatical. In between Homer and Ned is Rev. Lovejoy, who supports the old-fashioned way of doing things, but whose faith is shaken when the town abandons him. This, too, is a nice portrayal. Marge, as usual, is the voice of reason, knowing that Homer is trying the Lord's patience, but unable to get him to stop.
Humor-wise, "Pray Anything" doesn't knock one out of the park, but it does have keep a consistent level of humor from the opening act until the ending, which is a commendable quality nowadays. Bits I liked include Homer's predicament with the remote. He considers changing the channel by hand, but in his eyes the TV is like 100 yards away. Later, Marge encourages Homer to pray silently, but he dismisses the idea, pointing Heavenward and saying God, "is way the hell up there." The embittered Arnold "In the Sky" Pie's helicopter report is also good.
In the end, "Pray Anything" does about as well as last week's "The Strong Arms of the Ma (EABF04)," even though that show was saddled with an outrageous third act. Which is better, a show that's consistently pretty good, but not great, or a show that's sporadically great, but with more dramatic flaws? It's a complex question. Perhaps Homer can simplify it for us.
[The short of it]
A good, if not great episode. There are some excellent funny moments, and the plot is nice despite being a wee bit predictable. The most interesting thing for me was the different ways each character approached their faith. Homer's, ah, interesting prayers were good. So were the portrayals of Ned (pious, but not a zealot) and Rev. Lovejoy (faithful, but knows when he's licked). This episode reinforces my belief that "The Simpsons" may frequently talk about religion, but it doesn't get preachy. (B)
[DYNs]
... the sparse attendance at the game? ... Patty and Selma are in the crowd? ... the family's kitchen curtains on one of the stained-glass windows? ... the green Teletubby in the claw machine? ... God, as usual, has five fingers, while Buddha has four?
[References]
"Say Anything" (movie) - title a spoof
"SpongeBob SquarePants" (TV series) - according to the blackboard gag, Bart claimed lead character was a contraceptive
Janeane Garofalo (comedian) - Bart nicknames one of the WNBA players "Jenine Giraffe-elo"
NFL (National Football League) - women's variant, WNFL, is fictitious
Dallas Cowboys Philadelphia Eagles (NFL football teams) - WNFL ticket is for the Cowgirls-She-Gles game
"Roots" (TV miniseries) - landmark miniseries that usually winds up on best-of lists; hence the plumber's metaphor
"Washington Crossing the Delaware" (painting) - cracks in drywall resemble this painting, right before the wall crumbles
"The Sopranos" (TV series) - church sign likens the Lord to Tony Soprano
St. Paul's Cathedral St. Pauli Girl (brand of beer) - Moe's calls his faux church "St. Pauli Girl's Cathedral"
The Book of Genesis - Homer's housewarming sign plays on, "Let there be light"
[Previous Episode References]
[AABF12] Logo of the Omnitouch Corp. seen
[3F01] Homer remembers his troubles with social services
[9F20] Hutz runs over Judge Snyder's dog (cf. a clergyman running
over his wife)
[CABF16] Arnie Pie bristles at one of Kent Brockman's questions[FFF]
Stadium marquee:
TONIGHT: WNBA BASKETBALL
COURTSIDE SEATS 30 CENTSThe winning ticket:
SECTION A
ROW 12
SEAT 16Graphic on WNFL ticket:
[football under]
[ hair dryer ] COWGIRLS
VS.
W N F L SHE-GLESScores at monkey figure skating:
MONKEY OLYMPICS
5.2 5.2 5.2 5.1 5.3
ITA HUN USA FRA AUSTwo great tastes that taste great together:
FUDGE [Johnny holding a strip]
CAUTION: HOT [ of bacon like a bat ]
JOHNNY BENCH'S
PRE-COOKED BACONAnother church sign for Jouni:
GOD:
THE ORIGINAL
TONY SOPRANONativity construction sign:
FUTURE HOME OF OUR NEW
NATIVITY SCENEChurch bulletin:
First Church of
Springfield
BULLETIN [Homer sleeping]
[in church pew ] Jesus died
for this?Church doormats, before and after:
LET NO MAN BE SIMPSON
TURNED AWAY COUNTRYHomer's church sign:
HOUSEWARMING
PARTY
LET THERE BE
LIGHT BEERLovejoy file photo:
PHOTO: ANNIE LIEBOVITZ
[Oops!]
If the Simpsons had the wrong tickets, how'd they get in the arena?
Is the victim's being accident-prone even a legal defense to negligent injury? Maybe Hutz is giving legal advice to the church now ...
[Personal Comments & Observations]
The halftime court shot has become a popular pastime at basketball games today. It works pretty much as shown in the episode: A fan is randomly chosen to come to middle of the court, and asked to shoot the ball into the basket. This is a hard shot even for professional players, so the reward for making it is pretty high. I've even seen, on television, people winning a cool US$1 million for making the shot. That would keep the Belgians in Bibles for years!
The Wienermobile has been a proud Oscar Meyer tradition since the 30s. Today, there is a fleet of six Wienermobiles which travel the country and promote Oscar Meyer products. They're staffed by young people who give out company premiums and answer questions, although giving people a lift home usually isn't a part of the deal. Occasionally, an auto enthusiast magazine will "test drive" one for a lighthearted article. "Car & Driver" determined that driving a car shaped like a twenty- foot-long hot dog takes some getting used to, although Flanders made it look easy. (By the way, the steering wheel on the real Wienermobile didn't resemble an onion ring. Instead, it looked like a steering wheel.)
* Ken Burns -- A documentary filmmaker. He came into prominence with his film on the American Civil War. In addition to the usual talking heads, Burns filled his documentary with period photos, famous actors reading actual letters from people who fought in the war, and spare, haunting music. Nothing if not thorough, the documentary was very long, airing over the course of a week or so. It was a big hit; PBS's most popular documentary to that time, and possibly of all time. It gave Burns the license to follow up with two subjects close to his heart, baseball and jazz music. Both featured the same style as the Civil Warm film, and shared the same exhaustive approach. The baseball documentary was around 18 hours, and the jazz one longer still. Even PBS-friendly TV reviewers were a bit numbed by the length, so you can understand Homer's reaction. (Especially when you consider that Lisa probably hogged the TV so she could watch the jazz film.)
* Colonel (Harlan) Sanders -- Yes, he's a real guy! He founded the first Kentucky Fried Chicken stand in the late 30s, using that famous recipe of secret herbs and spices. It proved so popular he was able to franchise the idea, becoming one of the first fast-food chains. Col. Sanders remained active in promoting the company right up until his death in the 1990s.
* Johnny Bench -- Famous baseball player. I don't remember him pitching pork products (that's Krusty's job, anyway) but he did have some sort of gizmo kids could use to practice baseball skills.
* Annie Liebovitz -- Photographer. Her portraits of celebrities usually show them with unusual poses or props, which gives the viewer some insight into the subject's personality. (Or at least, the public persona they'd like to project.) The shot of Rev. Lovejoy laying on a field of Bibles is in her style.