I'm Goin' to Praiseland

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The Simpsons episode
"I'm Goin' to Praiseland"

Episode no.	267
Prod. code	CABF15
Orig. Airdate	May 6, 2001
Show Runner(s)	Mike Scully
Written by	Julie Thacker
Directed by	Chuck Sheetz
Chalkboard	"Genetics is not an excuse"
Couch gag	A cement truck pours out concrete versions of the family onto the couch, but Homer's figure dries out quickly.
Guest star	Shawn Colvin as Rachel Jordan
SNPP capsule
Season 12 November 1, 2000 – May 20, 2001
Treehouse of Horror XI A Tale of Two Springfields Insane Clown Poppy Lisa the Tree Hugger Homer vs. Dignity The Computer Wore Menace Shoes The Great Money Caper Skinner's Sense of Snow HOMR Pokey Mom Worst Episode Ever Tennis the Menace Day of the Jackanapes New Kids on the Blecch Hungry, Hungry Homer Bye Bye Nerdie Simpson Safari Trilogy of Error I'm Goin' to Praiseland Children of a Lesser Clod Simpsons Tall Tales
List of all Simpsons episodes...

"I'm Goin' to Praiseland" is the nineteenth episode of the twelfth season of The Simpsons. It aired on May 6, 2001.

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Ned Flanders is reunited with his old flame, Rachel Jordan, from the episode, "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily". She stays at the Flanders house with him, and leaves briefly after Flanders molds her into his deceased wife Maude's image. Ned realizes that he needs to break his obsession with Maude. And sure he does, by having the Simpson family remove every reminder of Maude he has in his house, although Homer has a thing for putting Maude's things in the wood chipper, except for one: a sketchbook of designs for a Christian amusement park, Praiseland. With the help of the family and several Springfield citizens, Flanders builds Praiseland as a tribute to Maude, on the site of the abandoned Storytown Village (from "Lisa the Vegetarian").

However, after Praiseland is established, it becomes very unsuccessful. But when a mask of Maude rises up in front of a Maude statue, the visitors who leave think it is a miracle. Eventually, anyone who stands in front of the statue (which Ned calls the "Miracle Maude", which he says will raise money for an orphanage) has a vision. However, Ned finds out that the cause of everyone's "visions" is actually a gas leak. Ned reluctantly shuts down Praiseland, but it allows him to go on another date with Rachel Jordan.

[edit] Cultural references

The whole concept of Praiseland is based on the Christian theme park, Heritage USA, that was built in the 1980s by donotations made to televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker.
The title of the episode is a spoof of the famous slogan "I'm Going to Disneyland!" or perhaps a reference to the Paul Simon song "Graceland", whose refrain repeats the line "I'm going to Graceland"
The old popular Whack-A-Mole game is titled Whack a Satan in Praiseland.
Comic Book Guy says shazbot, the expletive used by Mork in the TV show Mork and Mindy.
The scene where Ned cuts Rachel's hair to model Maude's hair refers to the movie Rebecca.
The end sequence song (and the song that plays when Disco Stu hallucinates that he's being let into a disco version of Heaven) is Get Dancing by Disco Tex & The Sex-O-Lettes.