Review: The Simpsons “Pulpit Friction”

Spoilers Below

The Simpsons need a new couch after having parachuted into the house and smashing it to bits. As a result, the Simpsons order a new couch from Brooklyn infested with bed bugs while the old one sits on the curb. Shit goes down when Bart hosts a sleep over and all his friends get hit with the bugs, which causes the bed bugs to spread all over the town leaving everyone scratching! Soon the entire town is throwing out their beds, dousing themselves with water, and resorting to church! Its here where everybody starts to point fingers. However, its here we are introduced to a new reverend,  Rev. Elijah Hooper from Shelbyville. Elijah is there to try and make church more fun by telling Springfield’s residents to stop going. It isn’t long before Eli starts making his way through town, and eventually runs into Homer of whom he offers up to be a deacon to which Homer agrees. At the next service, Homer gets introduced to the entire clergy and as a result Lovejoy decides to leave the church. Homer begins to embrace his role as a Deacon by getting out of traffic, changing the church bulletins, and helping with the offer basket. Unfortunately, Homer becoming a Deacon isn’t sitting right with Bart whom misses his dad nor Ned whom doesn’t like all the changes going down at the church courtesy of Elijah. They decide to find Lovejoy to get his job back as opposed to his pool salesman job that he’s holding down now.  Unfortunately, Lovejoy isn’t budging and Ned throws Bart in jail. Milhouse comes to bail him out and then the boys tae all of the dead bed bugs and lead a trail all throughout town in an attempt to convey God’s message that Eli is NOT the answer.  Frogs SWARM the area and they force all of the church attendees to stay holed up inside with Elijah not knowing what the hell to do. Thankfully Lovejoy comes by to save the day by boring the frogs with his sermons long enough for Willie to sweep them all up. Homer drops the Deacon gimmick to spend time with his boy.

The Simpsons return from the Dry Cleaners which Marge finding out that her wash was mixed in with Krusty’s. Turns out he threw out Marge’s wedding dress.  Marge is pissed because she’s been saving that for Lisa’s wedding to which Lisa had no interest in attending.  That said, Lisa actually found the dress as a young couple won it in an auction to which Marge is fine with because it looks to be going to a good home.

I would’ve liked to have seen a more sorrowful goodbye to the couch, but alas this week’s episode of The Simpsons was lead by a plot that was so damn good it makes me angry. Edward Norton playing Eli felt right at home. However, the real star tonight was Homer’s role as the Deacon and how funny as hell that was. Like when he wanted to choke Bart but he couldn’t because “Mustn’t kill my own son. Only God can do it!” I really thought that Ned would’ve played a bigger part this week as well, but using Milhouse to help unleash the frogs worked just as well. Unfortunately, we did get another throwaway plot with Marge’s dress, but it didn’t matter because this pulpit was led by Homer and Bart. This show is still strong, I don’t care what anyone says.