The Monkey Suit
From Simpsons Wiki
“The Monkey Suit” is the 21st episode of The Simpsons seventeenth season that originally aired on May 14, 2006.
Plot
Lisa brings the family to go to the museum to see a weaving exhibit as her summer activity, but to her and Marge's shock (and Homer and Bart’s joy), it has just been cancelled and replaced by a “History of Weapons” exhibit. Faced with an incredibly long line, Homer notices Ned Flanders and his kids at the front of the line and cuts in front of them. Others start taking advantage of Ned’s kindness, until they are stuck at the end. To lift the boys' spirits a little bit, he makes them turn around with him to pretend that they are at the front of the line again, Homer cuts again and claims that he's everywhere. At the end of the day, the Flanders are still waiting, and are denied entry, as it’s closing time for the Weapons exhibit for the day. So they decide to check out the evolution exhibit next door. Ned is horrified to hear that humans evolved from apes and that the creation account in Genesis is characterized as a “myth.” Covering his kids’ eyes, he drags them out of the exhibit.
He meets up with the church council to suggest promotion of Creationism. This sounds good to Reverend Lovejoy as it might help him regain his patrons, most of who have left his church for a nearby church (with vibrating pews). The next day, Ned and Lovejoy blackmail Principal Skinner into introducing Creationism in the school. Lisa is perturbed by this, and at a town meeting asks everyone to make a choice between Creationism and Darwinism, as there is only one truth. The townspeople vote for Creationism, much to Lisa's chagrin, and the act of teaching or learning Darwinism and Evolution are now made illegal. So Lisa decides to start holding secret classes for people interested in Evolution. However, just as the first lesson is about to begin, she is arrested by Chief Wiggum “for the teaching of non-Biblical science.” She protests at this, saying that there are many other crimes happening, including Snake Jailbird shooting all of the customers of the Kwik-E-Mart. The police then say that they can only enforce the last law passed, which is widely regarded as the worst possible system ever.
She is brought to trial, which is dubbed “Lisa Simpson v. God.” Representing her is Clarice Drummond, a despised ACLU lawyer from New York City, while on God’s (i.e., Ned’s) side is Wallace Brady, a beloved, overweight, southern lawyer. The trial does not go smoothly for Lisa, as Professor Frink (called by Clarice) gives ambiguous answers regarding God’s existence, while a creationist scientist (with a degree in “Truthology” from “Christian Tech”) says that Evolution cannot be real, as there is no proof of a “Missing Link” (depicted in a picture as a savage hominid, holding a rock over his head). At home, Lisa feels dejected and Marge decides to help her out. So she starts reading Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species and gets, pretty much, engrossed in it. When the trial resumes, Marge tells Lisa that she can help her. While Ned is being cross-examined by Clarice, Marge gives Homer a cold beer. Homer, ecstatic at getting a beer, tries to open it unsuccessfully. The more he tries, the more primitive he gets. Finally, Ned loses his cool and calls him “a big monkey-faced gorilla.” Clarice then asks Ned to compare the picture of the “Missing Link” and Homer shaking the beer over his head. Ned concedes defeat and the case is dismissed. Ned walks off sadly, but Lisa explains that she is all right with his beliefs, but considers that science and church should never mix together, a point which Ned agrees upon.
Cultural References
- This is an obvious spoof of the Scopes trial. In addition, the lawyers Clarice Drummond and Wallace Brady are parodies of Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan. Their names were changed to Henry Drummond and Matthew Harrison Brady in Inherit the Wind, the play which dramatized the trial.
- The scene where Bart wins a baseball game parodies The Natural and The Bad News Bears.
- Bart appears in a stage adaptation of Grease 2, in which he confusedly quotes Fonzie.
- The unmaskings of a Lisa-impersonating Milhouse Van Houten and Todd Flanders made by Nelson and the puzzle-piece fade-outs are a reference to The Saint TV series.
- The summer blockbuster Bart watches is a parody of Men in Black.
- The song played in the “Myth of Creation” diorama is “What a Fool Believes” by the Doobie Brothers.
- The blackboard at Lisa’s evolution seminar features the phrase “Viva la Evolución,” a pun on the revolutionary call “Viva la Revolución.”
- Booberella, the character appearing on the TV show at the beginning of the episode, first seen in “I’m Spelling as Fast as I Can,” is a parody of television personalities Vampira and/or Elvira.
- Bart's home run is signalled by the same Musical Piece used frequently in Homer at the Bat.
- Bart claims he has his first kiss in this episode. This is far from true: he was kissed by a girl in a daring contest in 'Flaming Moe's', was kissed by Jessica Lovejoy in 'Bart's Girlfriend' and kissed Gina Vendetti in 'The Wandering Juvie'. He even mentions it in The Way We Weren't, so it's a mystery as to why Bart didn't remember this.no:The Monkey Suit