"The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed" (part 2)

The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed

The pop culture references in "The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed" felt perfect: Homer sings words to Maurice Jarre's timeless theme from Lawrence of Arabia as he (Homer, not Lawrence) wanders across the desert, only to be told by the angelic Veggie Tales that he is the new chosen one. When the gang first touch down in Israel, they see a bona fide fiddler on the roof, who is angrily told to get on with his job. Ned attempts to start his Bible study by "downloading the Holy Tweet of the Lord!" Upon finding out there is no hell in Judaism, Krusty promptly (and happily) enters the Gaza Strip Club. It's all good.

 With such a religiously-themed episode (set in Israel, no less), "The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed" takes equal shots at everyone. There's Jakob describing Jesus as "the man in the underpants", saying of the Dome of the Rock that "Muslims believe…something too", defending Israelis' reputation for being pushy ("How about you experience a couple of genocides and see how pushy you are?"), and Bart ignoring the prayers in the Wailing Wall "just like God." It does give Ned Flanders a chance to shine, though, as he furiously berates Homer for napping in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We always see Ned as such a meek and humble character, that to see him snap (and unintentionally send Homer on a spirit quest) rights some of the wrongs that came before it. 

Overall, "The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed" is a fun episode that does everything it should. It entertains, it pushes the envelope, and it makes us think…for however long the credits last, at which point we go back to thinking exactly what we thought before. All things considered, it could have done much worse, and if the lasting message of the episode is "peace and chicken", then I think we'll be alright.