Trivia / The Simpsons S9 E8 "Lisa the Skeptic"

• Deleted Scene:
  • After the discovery of the Angel Skeleton, Martin realizes he has dirt in his pants.
  • Lisa looks through various fossil books in attempt to find out what the skeleton is.
  • Kent Brockman tells the caller to not tell him about objectivity being counter.
• Inspiration for the Work: David X. Cohen was inspired to write the episode after a trip to Manhattan's American Museum of Natural History, where he decided to turn the visit into a "business trip", and think of a possible episode connection to the museum.
• Magnum Opus Dissonance: While the production team certainly weren't complaining about "Trash Of The Titans" winning an Emmy, they were taken aback that it was that particular episode that won it, as most of them thought that if any episode from this season was going to win the award, it would have been this one. The episode's writer, Ian Maxtone-Graham, theorized that "Trash Of The Titans" won because that episode's closing shot left such a powerful impact on the Academy.
• Wag the Director: The only phrase that Stephen Jay Gould had objected to in the script was a line that introduced him as the "world's most brilliant paleontologist".
• What Could Have Been:
  • David X. Cohen initially wanted Lisa to find a "missing link" skeleton, and do an episode reminiscent of the Scopes Monkey Trial. Writer George Meyer convinced him instead to have the focus be on an angel skeleton, while keeping an emphasis on the conflict between religion and science.
  • In an early draft of the script, the skeleton was made of pastry dough baked by the mall's window dresser.
  • Stephen Jay Gould's original final line was "I didn't do the test. I had more important work to do", but it was cut because the writers felt it would be funnier to give him a short final line.
  • In an earlier version, Marge would have ended up apologizing to Lisa for not supporting her, letting the ending be more of a nod to Lisa's correct assumptions all along.

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