I'm Goin' to Praiseland

Infobox Simpsons episode
episode_name = I'm Goin' to Praiseland


episode_no = 267
prod_code = CABF15
airdate = May 6, 2001
show runner = Mike Scully
writer = Julie Thacker
director = Chuck Sheetz
blackboard = "Genetics is not an excuse"
couch_gag = A cement truck pours out concrete statues of the Simpson family. The head of Homer’s statue breaks off and falls at his feet.
guest_star = Shawn Colvin as Rachel Jordan
season = 12

"I'm Goin' to Praiseland" is the nineteenth episode of the twelfth season of "The Simpsons". It aired on May 6, 2001, and is the last episode written by Julie Thacker (the wife of showrunner Mike Scully).

Plot

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, which includes 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. In saving the lives of two orphans lighting candles, Ned and Homer are mistaken for child abusers. Ned reluctantly shuts down Praiseland, but it allows him to go on another date with Rachel Jordan.

Cultural references

* The whole concept of Praiseland is based on the Christian theme park, Heritage USA, that was built in the 1980s by donations 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 (and has the clown hallucination music from Homer the Clown)
*Comic Book Guy's vision of heaven has him in the role of Spock on the bridge of the Enterprise from the original Star Trek. In his vision, he says shazbot, the expletive used by Mork in the TV show "Mork and Mindy". After he saves captain Kirk, Uhura tells him she wants to make out with him, as do Catwoman and agent 99.
* The scene where Ned cuts Rachel's hair to model Maude's hair refers to (both Alfred Hitchcock films), "Rebecca" and "Vertigo".
* 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 Dancin'" by Disco-Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes.
* In Disco Stu's hallucination of heaven, he meets a dead Frank Sinatra who states "For me, this is Hell. Ya dig, pally?"
* After getting kicked by his cow, Professor Frink says "Ivan Reitman", who is a film director.
* The scene where there is a gas leak on opening day of the park could possibly be a reference to the opening day of Disneyland, where a gas leak in Fantasyland shut down a part of the park.

Trivia/Bloopers

In "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily" Ned Flanders sleeps on the right side of the bed, but in this episode, Maude's side of the bed is also depicted as the right side of the bed (plus, Maude's indentation wasn't there in "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily").

In a news report, Flanders is referred to as Nedward Flanders

External links

*snpp capsule|CABF15
*imdb episode|id=0701133|episode=I'm Goin' to Praiseland