Thank God It's Doomsday
Encyclopedia
"Thank God, It's Doomsday" is the nineteenth episode of The Simpsons
' sixteenth season
. The episode aired for the first time on May 8, 2005, in the US.
, he fears that the Rapture
will soon be coming. He is later consoled by Marge
and Lisa
(who say that God wouldn't spring The Rapture on the Earth unannounced and that the world may end in other ways [including global warming and the passage of time]), but the next day whilst driving around Springfield
he sees a man dressed as the devil and blood falling to the sky from a whale, which he takes as signs
that the Rapture is coming. He uses numerology
to calculate the date and time, thinking that it is only a week away.
As he goes around Springfield, Homer predicts that stars will fall from the sky
, with Kent Brockman reporting on this, and indeed they do when there is a blimp accident at the Krusty
Celebrity Salute to Specials special. Causing many of Springfield's residents to believe that Homer is right in predicting that the apocalypse is coming, and so the believers follow him to the Springfield Mesa
to wait for it. However, the predicted hour passes without incident, and the dismayed citizens go home. All of them are annoyed at Homer, particularly Moe
, who had sold his tavern to a Japanese sushi
bar. Homer goes home and starts throwing away the books he bought, but after he realizes that he has made an error, he tries and fails to convince his family that his new prediction is correct, meaning he returns to the mesa alone. When nothing happens at first he thinks that he is wrong again, but the next moment he is naked
and floating through space
.
Homer arrives in Heaven
, where he is greeted by the tour guide who shows him around. He is then shown to his room where he requests to see his on the big TV screen
in his room, on which Earth is channel 23. Marge and the children are shown being tormented by the devil. He has a talk with God
about saving his family. When God refuses to help, due to Jesus' suffering on Earth, Homer tells him that he just made a powerful enemy. Homer runs around trashing Heaven, trying to change God's mind, and gets stopped by security. God finally agrees to undo the Rapture by turning back time (because, Homer points out, "Superman
did it"). God incants, "Deus ex machina
". Homer later wakes up on the mesa and is reunited with Marge, Bart and Lisa. He suspects that it was all a dream
, but the fact that his final wish was granted (Moe's Tavern having been restored) indicates that the events were real.
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
The Simpsons (season 16)
The Simpsons 16th season began on Sunday, November 7, 2004 and contained 21 episodes, beginning with Treehouse of Horror XV. The season contains six hold-over episodes from the season 15 production line....
. The episode aired for the first time on May 8, 2005, in the US.
Plot
After Homer sees the film Left BelowLeft Behind: The Movie
Left Behind is a Christian based film released in 2000 and starring Kirk Cameron, Brad Johnson, Gordon Currie and Clarence Gilyard. It was directed by Vic Sarin. Left Behind was proclaimed by its creators as the biggest and most ambitious Christian film ever made...
, he fears that the Rapture
Rapture
The rapture is a reference to the "being caught up" referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, when the "dead in Christ" and "we who are alive and remain" will be caught up in the clouds to meet "the Lord"....
will soon be coming. He is later consoled by Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
and Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
(who say that God wouldn't spring The Rapture on the Earth unannounced and that the world may end in other ways [including global warming and the passage of time]), but the next day whilst driving around Springfield
Springfield (The Simpsons)
Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its...
he sees a man dressed as the devil and blood falling to the sky from a whale, which he takes as signs
Omen
An omen is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change...
that the Rapture is coming. He uses numerology
Numerology
Numerology is any study of the purported mystical relationship between a count or measurement and life. It has many systems and traditions and beliefs...
to calculate the date and time, thinking that it is only a week away.
As he goes around Springfield, Homer predicts that stars will fall from the sky
Meteor shower
A meteor shower is a celestial event in which a number of meteors are observed to radiate from one point in the night sky. These meteors are caused by streams of cosmic debris called meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere at extremely high speeds on parallel trajectories. Most meteors are smaller...
, with Kent Brockman reporting on this, and indeed they do when there is a blimp accident at the Krusty
Krusty
Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofski, better known as Krusty the Klown, is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He is the long-time clown host of Bart and Lisa's favorite TV show, a combination of kiddie variety television...
Celebrity Salute to Specials special. Causing many of Springfield's residents to believe that Homer is right in predicting that the apocalypse is coming, and so the believers follow him to the Springfield Mesa
Mesa
A mesa or table mountain is an elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs. It takes its name from its characteristic table-top shape....
to wait for it. However, the predicted hour passes without incident, and the dismayed citizens go home. All of them are annoyed at Homer, particularly Moe
Moe Szyslak
Momar / Morris "Moe" Szyslak is a fictional character in the American animated television series, The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"...
, who had sold his tavern to a Japanese sushi
Sushi
is a Japanese food consisting of cooked vinegared rice combined with other ingredients . Neta and forms of sushi presentation vary, but the ingredient which all sushi have in common is shari...
bar. Homer goes home and starts throwing away the books he bought, but after he realizes that he has made an error, he tries and fails to convince his family that his new prediction is correct, meaning he returns to the mesa alone. When nothing happens at first he thinks that he is wrong again, but the next moment he is naked
Nudity
Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
and floating through space
Space
Space is the boundless, three-dimensional extent in which objects and events occur and have relative position and direction. Physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless four-dimensional continuum...
.
Homer arrives in Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
, where he is greeted by the tour guide who shows him around. He is then shown to his room where he requests to see his on the big TV screen
Large-screen television technology
Large-screen television technology developed rapidly in the late 1990s and 2000s. Various thin screen technologies are being developed, but only the liquid crystal display , plasma display and Digital Light Processing were released on the public market...
in his room, on which Earth is channel 23. Marge and the children are shown being tormented by the devil. He has a talk with God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
about saving his family. When God refuses to help, due to Jesus' suffering on Earth, Homer tells him that he just made a powerful enemy. Homer runs around trashing Heaven, trying to change God's mind, and gets stopped by security. God finally agrees to undo the Rapture by turning back time (because, Homer points out, "Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
did it"). God incants, "Deus ex machina
Deus ex machina
A deus ex machina is a plot device whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object.-Linguistic considerations:...
". Homer later wakes up on the mesa and is reunited with Marge, Bart and Lisa. He suspects that it was all a dream
Dream
Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not definitively understood, though they have been a topic of scientific speculation, philosophical intrigue and religious...
, but the fact that his final wish was granted (Moe's Tavern having been restored) indicates that the events were real.
Cultural references
- The title is a reference to the popular saying, Thank God It's FridayTGIFTGIF is an initialism for the phrase "Thank God It's Friday", celebrating the last day of the work/school week before the weekend. Its origin dates to the 1960s. It was first popularized by the restaurant T.G.I. Friday's which was founded in 1965. However, it became mainstream by the late 1970s,...
. - The plot in some ways parodies the real-life story of William MillerWilliam Miller (preacher)William Miller was an American Baptist preacher who is credited with beginning the mid-nineteenth century North American religious movement now known as Adventism. Among his direct spiritual heirs are several major religious denominations, including Seventh-day Adventists and Advent Christians...
. - The song playing when Homer is throwing away his books on the Rapture is Three Dog NightThree Dog NightThree Dog Night is an American rock band best known for their music from 1968 to 1975. During that time the band charted 21 Billboard top 40 hits in America, three of which reached Number One...
's version of "Easy To Be Hard" from the musical HairHair (musical)Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
. - The sushi bar Moe sold his tavern to is called Tokyo Roe's Sushi Bar, an obvious reference to Tokyo RoseTokyo RoseTokyo Rose was a generic name given by Allied forces in the South Pacific during World War II to any of approximately a dozen English-speaking female broadcasters of Japanese propaganda. The intent of these broadcasts was to disrupt the morale of Allied forces listening to the broadcast...
. - God's seat is an Aeron chairAeron chairThe Aeron chair is a Herman Miller product designed in 1994 by Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf. It is an ergonomic chair regarded by many users as inherently very comfortable due to its wide range of fit and adjustability. Its novel design has gained it a spot in the Museum of Modern Art's permanent...
manufactured by Herman MillerHerman Miller (office equipment)Herman Miller, Inc., based in Zeeland, Michigan, is a major American manufacturer of office furniture and equipment, as well as furniture for the home. It is notable as one of the first companies to produce modern furniture and, under the guidance of Design Director George Nelson, is likely the...
of Zeeland, MichiganZeeland, MichiganZeeland is a city in Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,805 at the 2000 census. The city is located at the western edge of Zeeland Charter Township which is politically independent. Its name is derived from the Dutch province of Zeeland...
. - Among the deceased seen in heaven are Leonardo Da VinciLeonardo da VinciLeonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
and Dean MartinDean MartinDean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
. - Charlie BrownCharlie BrownCharles "Charlie" Brown is the protagonist in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Charlie Brown and his creator have a common connection in that they are both the sons of barbers, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie...
is shown for the fourth time. The first time he was seen in his ghost costume in "Treehouse of Horror IITreehouse of Horror II"Treehouse of Horror II" is the seventh episode of The Simpsons third season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 31, 1991. It is the second annual Treehouse of Horror episode, consisting of three self-contained segments, told as dreams of Lisa, Bart and Homer. In the...
"; the second, a candle version of him was seen in "Grade School ConfidentialGrade School Confidential"Grade School Confidential" is the nineteenth episode of The Simpsons eighth season, which originally aired on April 6, 1997. It was written by Rachel Pulido and directed by Susie Dietter...
"; the third time, in "Treehouse of Horror XIVTreehouse of Horror XIV"Treehouse of Horror XIV" is the first episode of The Simpsons fifteenth season and originally aired on November 2, 2003. In the fourteenth annual Treehouse of Horror episode, Homer takes on the role of the Grim Reaper , Professor Frink creates a Frankenstein-version of his deceased father and...
". - The song played as Homer enters heaven is "The Flower Duet" from the opera LakméLakméLakmé is an opera in three acts by Léo Delibes to a French libretto by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille. Delibes wrote the score during 1881–82 with its first performance on 14 April 1883 at the Opéra Comique in Paris. Set in British India in the mid 19th century, Lakmé is based on the 1880 novel...
by Léo DelibesLéo DelibesClément Philibert Léo Delibes was a French composer of ballets, operas, and other works for the stage...
. - The clock labelled HeavenHeavenHeaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
is on UTC or UTC+12 relative to the other clocks labelled LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. - When God turns backs time, he exclaims "deus ex machinaDeus ex machinaA deus ex machina is a plot device whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object.-Linguistic considerations:...
." This literary device is used ironically because it means "God from the machine" and refers to an inexplicable resolution to an unsolvable problem-—which is what happens in the episode when the Apocalypse is undone. - The scene at the end of the episode, in which Homer and his pals sit drinking at the bar, evokes the Last SupperLast SupperThe Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...
painting by Leonardo Da Vinci, with Homer in the position of JesusJesusJesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. - At the hair salon they play a parody of the Baha MenBaha MenThe Baha Men are Bahamian singers in a Bahamian band. They play a modernised style of Bahamian music called Junkanoo.-Early career as High Voltage :...
's song "Who Let The Dogs Out?Who Let the Dogs Out?"Who Let the Dogs Out?" is a song written and originally recorded by Anslem Douglas for Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival season of 1998. It was heard and taped on a float by hairdresser Keith from the London salon Smile, who played it to Jonathan King, who recorded it and released it under the name...
"
- One of the books Homer purchases on the subject of the Rapture is entitled 1989: The Year of Armageddon, a satiric allusion to Hal LindseyHal LindseyHarold Lee "Hal" Lindsey is an American evangelist and Christian writer. He is a Christian Zionist and dispensationalist author. He currently resides in Texas.-Biography:...
's discredited book The 1980s: Countdown to Armageddon. - "Hallelujah", the chorus from Handel's MessiahMessiah (Handel)Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...