Season 16 Finale: The Father, The Son, & The Holy Guest Star

Simpsons News — Posted 31 May, 2005 by MrBurns

Sorry for the delay guys, but I am finally back from break :).

Bart is given the role of a cooper in the school's medieval festival, while Lisa is the queen. Bart is blamed and expelled when rats come out of large pie that is presented to the queen. Marge looks for a new school for Bart and decides to try out a Catholic school. In his first day at school Bart encounters a tough nun and Father Sean (played by Liam Neeson). Bart takes a liking to Father Sean and begins to embrace the Catholic faith, which concerns Homer and Marge. Homer goes to the school with the purpose of taking Bart out of school, only to himself being converted before the night is through. With her husband and son gone Marge finds herself alone at church. Continue...

Reverend Lovejoy tells her that when they die she and Homer will be going to different heavens. Marge, Ned and Reverend Lovejoy go to Homer and Bart's first communion class to at the very least liberate Bart from becoming Catholic. To bring Bart back to his old religion they take him to a religious festival. Father Sean and Homer arrive hoping to take Bart back, but Bart in one his rare moments of insight brings both sides together, that is until 1,000 years later.

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Couch: The family float into the living room as balloons and Snowball II pops the one that looks like Homer.

Originally scheduled to air April 10, 2005. It was pulled due to the death of Pope John Paul II the previous week.

It is made clear that the Simpsons and most of the characters in Springfield are Protestant.

This is the second time in the series that Bart is expelled from school since the episode Wacking Day.

This is the third time a Simpson family member attempts to convert to a new Religion and Marge, Ned, and Reverend Lovejoy attempt to bring that family member back.
The previous episodes were The Joy of Sect and She Of Little Faith.

This episode was rated TV-14 DLV. The third episode to have this rating.

Bart's Book: Who Made The Barrel? You Did.

Statue Plaque: St. Jerome. He died for our sins. Now it's your turn.

The paintball splotches on Marge's beehive keep changing. Three strike her just over the temple and leave small spots. There's a cutaway, and the blobs are now bigger and have moved into the center. Another cutaway, and now there are twice as many spots and they seem to go all around her hairdo.

The rule that Roman Catholics must abstain from eating meat on Fridays abolished a few decades back.

Wouldn't Bart's yelling in the middle of class have gotten him in trouble?

The title of the episode references the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

Father Sean convinces the townspeople of Springfield to dance like Michael Flatley's Riverdance.

Otto recreates Jimi Hendrix's setting fire to his guitar, only Otto burns his lute.

Van: The Ministry Machine
A quick parody of The Mystery Machine fromt he cartoon show Scooby Doo, Where Are You?

Homer: Man, you guys have got crazier rules than Blockbuster Video
A quick and funny reference to the "No Late Fees" promotion from Blockbuster in late 2004. The deal involved the price of the film being charged to your credit card if you didn't return the movie within a certain time. Occasionaly included was a "restocking fee."

Marge's Ringtone: Hawaii Five-O
The ring on Marge's phone is the theme to the late 60's show, Hawaii Five-O.

Lovejoy: Back off Popé Le Pew.
A quick and funny reference to the Looney Toons character Pepé Le Pew.

Skinner: Now kids, since the middle ages had no compact disks or Super Mario Men...
"Super Mario Men", as Skinner calls them, is an obvious reference to Nintendo's long-running Super Mario Bros. franchise.