Lisa the Skeptic

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The Simpsons episode
"Lisa the Skeptic"
"The end will come at sundown"
Episode no. 186
Prod. code 5F05
Orig. airdate November 23, 1997[1]
Show runner(s) Mike Scully
Written by David S. Cohen
Directed by Neil Affleck
Chalkboard "I will not tease fatty"
Couch gag Three old men in towels use the couch as a sauna, with one of them pouring water onto the coals. The family arrives in the room in towels and leaves.
Guest star(s) Stephen Jay Gould as himself
DVD
commentary		 Matt Groening
Mike Scully
David X. Cohen
George Meyer
Yeardley Smith
Pete Michels
Season 9
September 21, 1997 – May 17, 1998
  1. "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson"
  2. "The Principal and the Pauper"
  3. "Lisa's Sax"
  4. "Treehouse of Horror VIII"
  5. "The Cartridge Family"
  6. "Bart Star"
  7. "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons"
  8. "Lisa the Skeptic"
  9. "Realty Bites"
  10. "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace"
  11. "All Singing, All Dancing"
  12. "Bart Carny"
  13. "The Joy of Sect"
  14. "Das Bus"
  15. "The Last Temptation of Krust"
  16. "Dumbbell Indemnity"
  17. "Lisa the Simpson"
  18. "This Little Wiggy"
  19. "Simpson Tide"
  20. "The Trouble with Trillions"
  21. "Girly Edition"
  22. "Trash of the Titans"
  23. "King of the Hill"
  24. "Lost Our Lisa"
  25. "Natural Born Kissers"
List of all The Simpsons episodes

"Lisa the Skeptic" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons' ninth season, first aired on November 23, 1997. On an archaeological dig with her class, Lisa discovers a skeleton that resembles an angel. All of the townspeople believe that the skeleton actually came from an angel, but skeptical Lisa attempts to persuade them that there must be a rational scientific explanation. The skeleton is later revealed to be a publicity stunt for a new mall going up in Springfield, and the townspeople forget their concerns about the skeleton to go shopping.

Writer David S. Cohen had the inspiration for the episode after visiting the American Museum of Natural History, and decided to loosely parallel themes from the Scopes Monkey Trial. The episode has been discussed in the context of concepts involving virtual reality, ontology, existentialism, and skepticism. The episode received mixed reviews, but has since been used in Christian religious education classes to form a discussion around angels, skepticism, and the balance between science and faith.

Contents

[edit] Plot

As Homer attempts to get a motorboat, a new shopping mall in Springfield is being built on an area where a large number of fossils were found. Lisa condemns and protests the building of the mall. Thanks to her protest, it prompts the school to conduct an archaeological dig. During the excavations, Lisa finds a human skeleton with wings. Springfield's residents are convinced it is an angel, and Homer cashes in by moving the skeleton into the family's garage. Lisa remains skeptical and—believing it may not actually be an angel—has Stephen Jay Gould test a sample. When Dr. Gould appears at the Simpson house the next day to tell Lisa that the tests were inconclusive, Lisa goes on television to compare the belief in angels to the belief in unicorns and leprechauns. In response, Springfield's religious zealots go on a rampage to destroy all scientific institutions (including, in a side joke, the destruction of a Christian Science library). Appalled by the violence, Lisa goes into the garage to destroy the skeleton, only to find that it has disappeared. The mob soon converges on the Simpson household, and Lisa is promptly arrested and put on trial for stealing the skeleton. However, before the trial can proceed, the courtroom's attention is diverted when the skeleton appears outside.

When the skeleton reappears, it carries a foreboding message that "The End" will come at sundown. Meanwhile, Judge Snyder issues a restraining order to keep science and religion 500 yards (460 m) apart at all times. Sundown approaches, and Springfield's citizens are frightened, but nothing catastrophic occurs. Lisa gets prepared to tell off everyone and when she begins, the skeleton suddenly yells "Prepare for the end... the end of high prices!" and is hoisted over to the entrance of the new discount shopping mall that it was originally found under. Lisa realizes that the "end is near" saga was actually a publicity stunt for the mall as a way to exploit the deepest beliefs of people, and calls for a boycott of the mall. She fails, and the bargain-hunting public go shopping anyway. Dr. Gould subsequently confesses that he did not actually do any testing. In the end Marge points out to Lisa that, despite all her skepticism, for a few seconds while the Angel was rising Lisa really did believe the Angel was real. Lisa denies this, but thanks her mother for her support in her moment of weakness.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

[edit] Production

David S. Cohen wrote the episode after being inspired by a visit to the American Museum of Natural History.
David S. Cohen wrote the episode after being inspired by a visit to the American Museum of Natural History.

"Lisa the Skeptic" was written by David S. Cohen, and directed by Neil Affleck.[7] Cohen was inspired to write the episode after a trip to Manhattan's American Museum of Natural History, where he decided to turn the visit into a "business trip", and think of a possible episode connection to the museum.[8] He initially wanted Lisa to find a "missing link" skeleton, and do an episode reminiscent of the Scopes Monkey Trial.[8] Writer George Meyer convinced him to instead have the focus be on an angel skeleton, while keeping an emphasis on the conflict between religion and science.[8] Both Cohen and Meyer acknowledged how silly the "angel skeleton" idea was due to simple questions raised such as why an angel died and why bones were left behind, but they went forward with the idea anyway.[8]

In an early draft of the script, the skeleton was made of baked pasty dough, baked by the mall's window dresser.[8] Cohen had initially written Steven Jay Gould's part as being a generic scientist or paleontologist, not knowing that they would eventually get Gould. He had taken Gould's Introduction to Paleontology class at Harvard University.[8] The only phrase Gould had objected to in the script was a line that introduced him as the "world's most brilliant paleontologist."[9] His original final line was "I didn't do the test. I had more important work to do" but was cut because the writers felt it would be better to give him a short final line. Also, some thought it was too mean.[8] In an earlier version of the episode, Marge would have ended up apologizing to Lisa for not supporting her, letting the ending be more of a nod to Lisa's correct assumptions all along.[8]

[edit] Themes

Author Joley Wood compared "Lisa the Skeptic" to an alternate reality game, in analyzing the effects of watching the television program Lost on contemporary culture and our own perceptions of reality.[10] Dan O'Brien cited the episode in a discussion of ontology, skepticism and religious faith, in his book An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge.[11] O'Brien leaves it up to the reader to decide whether or not Lisa was justified in her skepticism.[11] In The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer, "Lisa the Skeptic" is cited as a prime example of why Lisa is seen as the epitome of a nerd.[3] The book also cited the episode in noting that Lisa is not infallible, for when the Angel appeared to speak at the end of the episode she became as frightened as everyone else.[3] Lisa's frustration with the marketing gimmick used by the mall developers is seen by Turner's Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation as yet another example of her conflict with corporations throughout the series.[4] Like O'Brien, Turner also analyzed the episode in the context of Lisa's questions about existentialism, self-absorption and consumption.[4] In The Psychology of the Simpsons: D'oh!, the authors discuss Lisa's level of anger displayed in the episode, noting that in this particular case her anger gave her the wherewithal to both confront social injustice, and keep her mind clear for critical thinking.[5] Mark Demming of All Movie Guide noted that Lisa symbolically stood for the side of reason, while her mother Marge symbolized belief and spirituality in the episode.[12]

Parvin's The Gospel According to the Simpsons: Leader's Guide for Group Study is a group study guide companion to Pinsky's The Gospel According to the Simpsons.[2] In the section pertaining to "Lisa the Skeptic," a skeptic is defined as: "a person who doubts, questions or suspends judgment on ideas generally accepted by others.[2] The study group is asked to debate the episode in the context of skepticism as related to other unexplained phenomena, including UFOs, the Loch Ness Monster, the Abominable Snowman, the Bermuda Triangle, Atlantis, near-death experiences, reincarnation, Mediumship, psychics, and fortune telling.[2] In Pinsky's book itself, he noted that Lisa faced the difficult task of confronting religious hysteria and blind faith, and also attempted to reconcile science within her own belief system.[13] He also wrote that when Lisa asks Stephen Jay Gould to estimate the age of the skeleton, the issue is never raised of why angels or other spiritual entities would even leave skeletons behind in the first place.[13]

[edit] Cultural references

The scene in Judge Snyder's courtroom where Lisa is put on trial for stealing the skeleton is seen as a reference to the 1920s Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, Tennessee, which dealt with issues of separation of church and state and the debate between creationism and evolution.[13] The publicity stunt created by the mall developers in the episode has been compared to scientific hoaxes such as the Cardiff Giant and the Piltdown Man.[13] When Lisa asks if the townspeople are outraged at the end of the episode for being fooled by a publicity stunt, Police chief Wiggum is about to answer her but is distracted when he catches sight of a Pottery Barn in the new Heavenly Hills mall.[4] A shot of the diggers in silhouette against the sunset is modeled after Raiders of the Lost Ark.[14]

[edit] Reception

Donald Liebenson wrote for the Amazon.com movie review that "Bart Sells His Soul" and "Lisa the Skeptic" were not among the best episodes of The Simpsons, however he also noted that: "Without being preachy (or particularly funny), this episode is pretty potent stuff," citing its theme of Apocalypse towards the end of the episode.[15] "Lisa the Skeptic" was utilized in a Salt Lake City, Utah Episcopal Church Sunday school class in 2003, to stimulate a discussion among fourteen-year olds about belief in angels, and the juxtaposition of science and faith.[16] The episode was compared and contrasted with a passage from Proverbs 14:15.[16]

The episode is used by the Farmington Trust (UK) for Christian religious education, to teach children about skepticism.[17] The episode is used as a tool, to involve the students in a debate about religion and science, as well as to discuss Lisa's own skepticism, and her respect towards others.[17] A group of The Simpsons enthusiasts at Calvin College have also analyzed the religious and philosophical aspects of the episode, including the issue of faith versus science.[18] The episode has been compared with Gabriel García Márquez's short story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" and utilized as a teaching tool in a Saugerties, New York grade school class.[19] In an exam on the subject, students were asked to use details from both "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" and "Lisa the Skeptic", in order to analyze the quotation "Appearances can be deceiving."[19]

[edit] See also

The Simpsons Portal

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Lisa the Skeptic. The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-31.
  2. ^ a b c d Parvin, Samuel F.; Mark I. Pinsky (2002). The Gospel According to the Simpsons: Leader's Guide for Group Study. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 066422590X. , Pages 15-18.
  3. ^ a b c Irwin, William; Aeon J. Skoble, Mark T. Conard (2001). The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer. Open Court Publishing, Pages 16, 32, 55, 138, 287. ISBN 0812694333. 
  4. ^ a b c d Turner, Chris (2005). Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation. Da Capo Press, Page 172, 227, 267. ISBN 030681448X. 
  5. ^ a b Brown, Alan S.; Chris Logan (2006). The Psychology of the Simpsons: D'oh!. BenBella Books, Inc., Page 116. ISBN 1932100709. 
  6. ^ Booker, M. Keith (2006). Drawn to Television: Prime-Time Animation from the Flintstones to Family Guy. Greenwood Press, Page 65. ISBN 0275990192. 
  7. ^ Alberti, John (2004). Leaving Springfield: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Oppositional Culture. Wayne State University Press, 305, 320. ISBN 0814328490. 
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Cohen, David S.. (2006). The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "Lisa the Skeptic" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  9. ^ Scully, Mike. (2006). The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "Lisa the Skeptic" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  10. ^ Wood, Joley (2006). Living Lost: Why We're All Stuck on the Island. Garrett County Press, 12. ISBN 1891053027. 
  11. ^ a b O'Brien, Dan (2006). An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge. Polity, 189. ISBN 0745633161. 
  12. ^ Demming, Mark. "The Simpsons: Lisa The Skeptic (1997), Review Summary", All Movie Guide, The New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-10-29. 
  13. ^ a b c d Pinsky, Mark I.; Tony Campolo (2001). The Gospel According to the Simpsons: The Spiritual Life of the World's Most Animated Family. Westminster John Knox Press, 43, 133, 182. ISBN 0664224199. 
  14. ^ The Simpsons. TheRaider.net. Retrieved on 2008-01-17.
  15. ^ Liebenson, Donald. "The Simpsons Trick Or Treehouse: Vol. 3 Heaven & Hell (vhs): Amazon.com movie review", Amazon.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-29. 
  16. ^ a b Jarvik, Elaine. "Sun-Doh! School — Teachers use pop culture to appeal to masses", Deseret Morning News, December 12, 2003. Retrieved on 2007-10-29. 
  17. ^ a b Taylor, Tessa (August Term 2004). An Introduction to Philosophy: The Wit and Wisdom of Lisa Simpson. St Mary's College, Durham: Farmington Institute, Pages 30-32. 
  18. ^ VandeBunte, Matt. "The Gospel according to The Simpsons; Calvin students find more than laughs in the hit show", Grand Rapids Press, December 27, 2003, pp. Page B1. 
  19. ^ a b Staff. "“A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” & “Lisa the Skeptic”: A Comparison", Saugerties Central School District, Saugerties, New York, saugerties.schoolwires.com, July 16, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-02. 

[edit] External links

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