History Recap / TheSimpsonsS4E3HomerTheHeretic

* AchievementsInIgnorance: When Homer tries to rebuke Reverend Lovejoy's attempt to bring Homer back to church, he tries to invoke a bible verse from the Book of Mathew (the same book Lovejoy quoted from). Not only was it a real verse, but it did also fit in with Homer's argument (albeit awkwardly since Homer was surprised by the passage's existence).

* AnimationBump: A very noticeable one, being the first episode animated overseas by Creator/RoughDraftStudios; the animation is more fast-paced and times more exaggerated, compared to the animation from Creator/{{AKOM}} and [[Creator/SunwooEntertainment Anivision]]. The difference would remain until after Season 6, when all three Korean studios' work would become mostly indistinguishable from each other on this series.

* BadassAdorable: Apu's nephew Jamshed makes his first appearance in this episode, and he manages to be this. As Apu goes to extinguish the fire at the Simpson house, he tells Dolph, Jimbo, and Kearney not to steal anything while he's gone. Since it's clear that they can't be trusted (Kearney is seen eating from a box of Krusty-O's cereal), Apu puts Jamshed in charge to guard the store. Jamshed says, "I have waited for this day" and pulls out a shotgun, which scares off the three bullies.

* BigNo: Ned in the burning house when, while trying to carry Homer out, a burning beam falls in his path and blocks off the front door.

* CallBack: The chalkboard gag this episode is "I will not defame New Orleans", referencing the previous episode and its infamous New Orleans song.

** To a lesser extent, Marge is shown as more religious in this episode than she generally became later on. While she remains the most religious member of the family, things like calling Homer "wicked" or flatly telling him she values her faith over him don't really line up with her later characterization (which frame her focus on church as being more about wanting to appear respectable.)
* ConvenientEscapeBoat: The Flanders family is chasing Homer in their car, so Homer heads to Springfield Harbor. He drives off a pier, landing on a garbage barge. The Flanders' hit the brakes, almost falling into the water. Homer waves back at them, then asks the captain where the barge is headed. "To Garbage Island," he replies. This is apparently a reference to the film ''White Lightning''.
* CouchGag: When the family sit on the couch, the wall rotates around, leaving an empty couch from the other side.

* LiteralGenie: During his HeroicFireRescue, Flanders, before dropping an unconscious Homer out of a window onto the mattress below, asks God to "guide Homer to the mattress, square and true." Sure enough, Homer does land onto the mattress, but bounces right back into the burning house.

* NutritionalNightmare: Homer's "moon waffle", made with waffle batter, liquid smoke, and heaping handfuls of caramel and wrapped around a stick of butter after burning the waffle iron. It currently provides the page image, and was recreated on ''WebVideo/BingingWithBabish''.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Homer falls asleep with a lit cigar in his mouth. It ignites the magazines on the floor and eventually the whole house is engulfed in flames.

* ThreatBackfire: Reverend Lovejoy gives a sermon about a sinner being cast down into the fiery depths of hell, but it is so cold in church that Bart and Lisa actually enjoy the description and imagine themselves there.

* TwoDecadesBehind: Early episodes of the series can be somewhat loose on whether they take place in the modern day or the days of the writers' childhoods, which shows quite a bit in the conflict over Homer not going to church. It was expected in the 50s and 60s and even 70s for people to go to church, even if they weren't particularly religious, if only to keep up appearances, with church being as much a communal event as it was a religious one. By the 90s, this behavior was in decline, which makes the fact that Homer's lack of religiosity sparks such a noticeable backlash very strange.

* LiteralGenie: During his HeroicFireRescue, Flanders, before dropping an unconscious out of a window onto the mattress below, asks God to "guide Homer to the mattress, square and true." Sure enough, Homer does land onto the mattress, but bounces right back into the burning house.

* PlotHole: It's never explained why avid church-goer Flanders wasn't at church with everyone else when the Simpsons' house caught fire.

* LiteralGenie: During his HeroicFireRescue, Flanders, before dropping an unconscious out of a window onto the mattress below, asks God to "guide Homer to the mattress, square and true." Sure enough, Homer does land onto the mattress, [[spoiler:but bounces right back into the burning house]].

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: It's rather odd to see Lisa so upset at Homer for, in her own words, "devoting his life to blasphemy" when later episodes emphasize her as a proponent of freedom of religion who has her own reservations with Christianity.

-->--'''Homer'''

-->'''Lovejoy''': Homer, I'd like you to remember Matthew 7:26. "The foolish man who built his house upon the sand."\\
'''Homer''': And ''you'' remember...Matthew...21:17.\\
'''Lovejoy''': "And he left them and went out of the city, into Bethany, and he lodged there"?\\
'''Homer''': ...yeah. Think about it.

--> '''Marge''': Your father's... resting.\\
'''Bart''': Resting, "hung over", resting, "got fired"... help me out here.

* BigYes: Homer, when the public affairs program he’s watching is interrupted by a football game.
* ByNoIMeanYes: Marge asks Homer if he’s actually giving up his faith when he announces he’s never going to church again. He denies it, then admits he ''is'' giving up his faith.
* CelebritiesHangOutInHeaven: “That’s game, [[Music/JimiHendrix Hendrix!]]”

-->'''Ned Flanders:''' Homer, God didn't set your house on fire.
-->'''Reverend Lovejoy:''' No, but He was working in the hearts of your friends and neighbors when they went to your aid, be they Christian ''[gestures to Flanders]'', Jew ''[gestures to Krusty]'', or ''[pauses]'' ...[[AndTheRest miscellaneous]] ''[gestures to Apu]''!
-->'''Apu:''' Hindu! There are seven hundred million of us!
-->'''Reverend Lovejoy:''' Aw, that's super!

-->'''Insurance agent''': Any valuables in the house?
-->'''Homer''': Well, the Picasso, my collection of classic cars...
-->'''Insurance agent''': Sorry, this policy only covers actual losses, not made-up stuff.
-->'''Homer''': [miffed] Well that's just great!

-->'''Homer''': He appeared before me in a dream, and I knew that was special because [[EroticDream I usually dream about naked]]... Marge.

--> '''Lovejoy''': And he was cast into the fiery cauldron of Hell! The searing heat, the scalding rivers of molten sulfur!\\
'''Bart''': Ahhh, I'm there.

-->'''Lovejoy''': Homer, I'd like you to remember Matthew 7:26. "The foolish man who built his house upon the sand."\\
'''Homer''': And ''you'' remember...Matthew...21:17.\\
'''Lovejoy''': "And he left them and went out of the city, into Bethany, and he lodged there"?\\
'''Homer''': ...yeah. Think about it.

* DreamIntro: The episode begins with Homer dreaming he is in a womb when a pair of hands attempt to pull him out. Fade to Marge trying to drag Homer out of bed.

* ByNoIMeanYes: Marge asks Homer if he is actually giving up his faith when he announces he is never going to church again. He denies it, then admits he ''is'' giving up his faith.

* BigYes: Homer, when the public affairs program he is watching is interrupted by a football game.

* NonStandardCharacterDesign: God has five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot, a departure from the show's traditional use of FourFingeredHands

Episode - 9F01\\
First Aired - 10/8/1992

** Also: Homer coughing and passing out from smoke inhalation. In most cartoons, this wouldn't happen.