"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
During an ice cream social at the church, Ned Flanders is reunited with Rachel Jordan. She stays with Flanders instead of going to a motel (at the insistence of The Simpsons), but Rachel leaves after being creeped out over Ned's obsession with making Rachel look like his deceased wife, Maude (including making Rachel sleep on the side of the bed where Maude was and cutting Rachel's hair in Maude's style). Flanders asks The Simpsons to help him forget about Maude by throwing away everything in the house that reminds him of her. Homer, always wanting things done fast instead of properly, uses a woodchipper to get rid of Maude's Earthly possessions, except for a sketchbook. Flanders looks through his late wife's many sketches until he finds designs for a Christian theme park, Praiseland. At the insistence of The Simpsons (again), Flanders decides to realize Maude's dream by building a Christian theme park in her honor.
Flanders builds the park where Storytime Village (which hasn't been mentioned on the show since season seven's "Lisa the Vegetarian" and is now a wreck) used to be and asks people from all over town to contribute anything that can be useful for the park. Various citizens pitch in and donate.
When Praiseland is finally opened, the townspeople are put off by its wholesomeness and leave—until everyone sees a Maude mask rise up in front of a memorial statue of Maude (which Flanders uses to raise money for the orphanage). Eventually, anyone who stands in front of the statue has his or her own personal vision of Heaven (Principal Skinner tells of being in a perfect elementary school where no one is late, the teacher's lounge is spacious, and Bart isn't there to bother him, Disco Stu dances with Frank Sinatra at a discothèque version of Heaven [which is actually Hell for Sinatra], and The Comic Book Guy saves Captain Kirk from his malfunctioning chair and is offered sex with Uhura from the original Star Trek series, Catwoman from the campy 1960s Batman TV show, and Agent 99 from Get Smart).
Flanders explains to his children that this is God's will... until he notices Homer trying to work the gas grill at a concession stand and discovers that the gas line is near the Maude statue (meaning that everyone's weird behavior and visions of Heaven are really a side effect of inhaling the propane). Flanders tries to shut the place down, but Homer points out that Praiseland has brought everyone together, regardless of race, creed, color, and socioeconomic status. However, the joy is short-lived when Homer spots the orphans (Patches and Poor Violet from "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace") lighting a candle near the leaking gas line and tackle them before an explosion can happen. The townspeople believe Ned and Homer have malicously assaulted the children and the park suffers.
Ned finally shuts down Praiseland, and Rachel (who is now wearing a wig to cover up the Maude-like haircut from earlier in the episode) returns to ask Flanders on a date. Flanders accepts, after the two of them get rid of Maude's imprint on the bed by tightening the sheets.
Cultural references
- The whole concept of Praiseland is based on the Christian theme park, Heritage USA, that was built in the 1970s by donations made to televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker.
- The title of the episode is a spoof of the Paul Simon song Graceland, in which the lyrics "I'm goin' to Graceland" are present.
- The scene where Ned cuts Rachel's hair to model Maude's hair refers to an Alfred Hitchcock film where an insane man models his new love after his deceased lover: 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. The song also appeared in Bart vs. Thanksgiving from season two.
External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: "I'm Goin' to Praiseland" |
- "I'm Goin' to Praiseland" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
- "I'm Goin' to Praiseland" at the Internet Movie Database
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