Left Behind (The Simpsons)

Last updated

"Left Behind"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 29
Episode 19
Directed by Lance Kramer
Story by Al Jean
Teleplay by Joel H. Cohen
John Frink
Production codeXABF12
Original air dateMay 6, 2018 (2018-05-06)
Guest appearances
Episode features
Couch gag The Simpsons turn the home into a Ferris wheel.
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Forgive and Regret"		Next →
"Throw Grampa from the Dane"
The Simpsons season 29
List of episodes

"Left Behind" is the nineteenth episode of the twenty-ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons , and the 637th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Lance Kramer with a story by Al Jean and teleplay by Joel H. Cohen and John Frink. It aired in the United States on Fox on May 6, 2018.

Contents

In the episode, Ned Flanders loses his job and struggles to find a new one, turning to the Simpson family for assistance. The episode received mixed reviews.

The episode features the late Marcia Wallace, who died on October 25, 2013, appearing as Edna Krabappel via the use of archive audio recordings.

Plot

During dinner, a solar eclipse occurs. Marge, Lisa, Bart, Maggie and Grampa go outside to watch the solar eclipse, but Homer stays inside and continues to eat because it is "pork chop night". Marge is irritated by Homer's apathy, so he takes her out for a romantic date night the next day. As Homer and Marge return from their date, Ned Flanders comes to them looking for advice, now unemployed after being forced to close his store the Leftorium. Homer helps Ned get a human resources job at the power plant, while Rod and Todd stay with the Simpsons, with Todd getting on Lisa's nerves.

At the plant, Ned's heavy-handed methods irritate the other employees, especially Homer. That night, Homer prays for Ned to be fired, which occurs the next day after he suggests Mr. Burns give money to charity. Ned takes on several more jobs, including a harbor cruise dance instructor, a photographer for Rolling Stone Magazine, and a roadside bible salesman, but fails each time and becomes depressed. Marge suggests Ned follow Jesus's example and become a teacher, leading him to become a substitute teacher at Springfield Elementary. He is quickly overwhelmed by all of the unruly students in Bart's class, and resigns after Bart is peer-pressured by Nelson into spitballing his mustache.

Feeling bad about ruining Ned's life, Bart and Homer go to his house to apologize and convince him to return to teaching. Ned is hesitant, but Bart convinces him by reminding him of Bart's former teacher, Ned's deceased wife Edna Krabappel. Ned and Bart organize a plan to get the students to be obedient. Using a series of tricks by Bart, he and Ned are able to pacify the students by creating supposed acts of God that frighten them. Ned is instilled with a newfound confidence, and thanks Bart for his help.

Reception

Dennis Perkins of The A.V. Club gave this episode a D+, stating, "’Left Behind’ is about everything and nothing. To be more accurate, this record-setting episode begins being about more than a half-dozen things, and then never pays off a single one. An oil-in-water quality suffuses episodes like this, the half- (at best) realized plot lines too insubstantial to register for moments past their half-assed completion." [1]

Tony Sokol of Den of Geek gave the episode 4.5 stars out of 5, calling it a "righteous episode." [2]

"Left Behind" scored a 4 share and was watched by 2.15 million people, making it Fox's highest rated show of the night. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edna Krabappel</span> Character from The Simpsons

Edna Krabappel-Flanders is a fictional character from the American animated sitcom The Simpsons, voiced by Marcia Wallace. A 4th-grade teacher, she teaches Bart Simpson's class at Springfield Elementary School. In the twenty-third season, she marries Ned Flanders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ned Flanders</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

Nedward "Ned" Flanders Jr., commonly referred to by his surname, is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Harry Shearer and first appearing in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire." He is the good-natured, cheery next-door neighbor to the Simpson family and is generally loathed by Homer Simpson, though there are numerous instances where the two are portrayed as good friends. A scrupulous and devout Evangelical Christian, he is among the friendliest and most compassionate of Springfield's residents and is generally considered a pillar of the Springfield community.

"Bart the Lover" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on Fox in the United States on February 13, 1992. In the episode, Bart, playing a prank on his teacher Edna Krabappel, responds to her personal ad as a man named Woodrow, which goes off the rails. In the subplot, Ned Flanders asks Homer to curtail his swearing, so Homer starts using a swear jar.

"My Big Fat Geek Wedding" is the seventeenth episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 18, 2004. The episode was written by Kevin Curran and directed by Mark Kirkland.

"The Ned-Liest Catch" is the twenty-second and final episode of the twenty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. The episode was directed by Chuck Sheetz and written by Jeff Westbrook. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 22, 2011.

"Peeping Mom" is the eighteenth episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 570th overall episode of the series. The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland and written by John Frink. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 19, 2015.

"The Kids Are All Fight" is the nineteenth episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 571st overall episode of the series. The episode was directed by Bob Anderson and written by Rob LaZebnik. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 26, 2015.

"Bull-E" is the twenty-first episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 573rd overall episode of the series. The episode was directed by Lance Kramer and written by Tim Long. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 10, 2015.

"Fland Canyon" is the nineteenth episode of the twenty-seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 593rd episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Mike Frank Polcino and written by J. Stewart Burns. It aired in the United States on Fox on April 24, 2016.

"Simprovised" is the twenty-first episode of the twenty-seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 595th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Matthew Nastuk and written by John Frink. It aired in the United States on Fox on May 15, 2016, and includes a three-minute live-animated segment in which viewers were able to ask Homer Simpson questions.

"Orange Is the New Yellow" is the twenty-second and final episode of the twenty-seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 596th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Matthew Faughnan and written by Eric Horsted. It aired in the United States on Fox on May 22, 2016. The title is a spoof of the book and the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black.

"No Good Read Goes Unpunished" is the fifteenth episode of the twenty-ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 633rd episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland and written by Jeff Westbrook. It aired in the United States on Fox on April 8, 2018.

"Flanders' Ladder" is the twenty-first and final episode of the twenty-ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 639th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Matthew Nastuk and written by J. Stewart Burns. It aired in the United States on Fox on May 20, 2018.

"Bart's Not Dead" is the thirtieth season premiere and 640th episode of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It aired in the United States on Fox on September 30, 2018. The episode was directed by Bob Anderson and written by Stephanie Gillis.

"My Way or the Highway to Heaven" is the 642nd episode of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the third episode of the thirtieth season. It aired in the United States on Fox on October 14, 2018. The episode was directed by Rob Oliver and written by Deb Lacusta, Dan Castellaneta, and Vince Waldron.

"I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say D'oh" is the twentieth episode of the thirtieth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 659th episode overall. The episode was directed by Mike Frank Polcino and written by Jeff Martin and Jenna Martin. It aired in the United States on Fox on April 7, 2019.

"Todd, Todd, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?" is the ninth episode of the thirty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 671st episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on December 1, 2019. The episode was written by Tim Long & Miranda Thompson and was directed by Chris Clements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warrin' Priests</span> 19th and 20th episodes of the 31st season of The Simpsons

"Warrin' Priests" is a two-part episode of the American animated television series The Simpsons. Part One is the 19th episode of the thirty-first season and the 681st episode overall, having originally premiered on the Fox network in the United States on April 26, 2020, Part Two is the 20th episode of the thirty-first season and the 682nd episode overall, having premiered on May 3, 2020. The title "Warrin' Priests" refers to War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. This marks the series' third two-parter following Season 6 and 7's "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" and Season 28's "The Great Phatsby."

"Diary Queen" is the twelfth episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the 696th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on February 21, 2021. The episode was directed by Matthew Nastuk and written by Jeff Westbrook.

"Manger Things" is the sixteenth episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 700th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on March 21, 2021. The episode was directed by Steven Dean Moore and written by Rob LaZebnik.

References

  1. ↑ Perkins, Dennis (May 6, 2018). "Flanders loses his faith and an inconsequential Simpsons tests ours". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on May 8, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  2. ↑ Sokol, Tony (May 7, 2018). "The Simpsons Season 29 Episode 19 Review: Left Behind". Den of Geek . Archived from the original on October 7, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  3. ↑ Porter, Rick (May 8, 2018). "'America's Funniest Home Videos' adjusts down: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on May 8, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.