"Left Behind" is the nineteenth episode of the twenty-ninth season of the American animated television series ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'', and the 637th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Lance Kramer with a story by

Al Jean Alfred Ernest Jean III (born January 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter and producer. Jean is well known for his work on ''The Simpsons''. He was raised near Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his wri ...

and teleplay by Joel H. Cohen and

John Frink John Frink is an American television writer and producer. He has written several episodes of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'', many of which he co-wrote with his former writing partner Don Payne (writer), Don Payne. Frink and Payne ...

. It aired in the United States on

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

on May 6, 2018. In the episode,

Ned Flanders Nedward "Ned" Flanders Jr., commonly referred to by his surname, is a fictional character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', voiced by Harry Shearer and first appearing in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an ...

loses his job and struggles to find a new one, turning to the Simpson family for assistance. The episode received mixed reviews. The episode features the late

Marcia Wallace Marcia Karen Wallace (November 1, 1942 – October 25, 2013) was an American actress and comedian, primarily known for her roles on sitcoms. She is best known for her roles as receptionist Carol Kester on the 1970s sitcom '' The Bob Newhart ...

, who died on October 25, 2013, appearing as

Edna Krabappel Edna Krabappel-Flanders ( ) is a fictional character from the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'', voiced by Marcia Wallace. A Fourth grade, 4th-grade teacher, she teaches Bart Simpson's class at Springfield Elementary School. In the The ...

via the use of archive audio recordings.

Plot

During dinner, a

solar eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs approximately every six months, during the eclipse season i ...

occurs.

Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret. Notable Marges include: People * Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist * Marge Anderson (1932–2013), Ojibwe ...

Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA" * Lisa, stagename of Japanese singer Lisa Komine (born 1978) * Lisa (South Korean singer) (born 1980) * Lisa (Japanese musician, b ...

Bart Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area in California. BART serves List of Bay Area Rapid Transit stations, 50 stations along six routes and of track, including eBART, a spur line running t ...

Maggie Maggie or Maggy is a common short form of the name Magdalena, Magnolia, Margaret, or Marigold. People Maggie * Maggie Adamson, Scottish musician * Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock (born 1968), British scientist * Maggie Alderson (born 1959), ...

and Grampa go outside to watch the solar eclipse, but

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

stays inside and continues to eat because it is "pork chop night". Marge is irritated by Homer's apathy, so he takes her out for a romantic date night the next day. As Homer and Marge return from their date,

comes to them looking for advice, now unemployed after being forced to close his store the

Leftorium Springfield is the primary fictional setting of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' and related media. It is an average-sized, fictional city within an unknown state in the United States. The fictional city's geography, surroundings ...

. Homer helps Ned get a human resources job at the

power plant A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electr ...

, while Rod and

Todd Todd or Todds may refer to: Places Australia * Todd River, an ephemeral river United States * Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community * Todd, Missouri, a ghost town * Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporated c ...

stay with the Simpsons, with Todd getting on Lisa's nerves. At the plant, Ned's heavy-handed methods irritate the other employees, especially Homer. That night, Homer prays for Ned to be fired, which occurs the next day after he suggests

Mr. Burns Charles Montgomery Plantagenet Schicklgruber "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns or C. Montgomery Burns, is a recurring character and the main antagonist of the Fox animated television series ''The Simpsons'', voiced initially by Ch ...

give money to charity. Ned takes on several more jobs, including a harbor cruise dance instructor, a photographer for

Rolling Stone Magazine ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known ...

, and a roadside bible salesman, but fails each time and becomes depressed. Marge suggests Ned follow Jesus's example and become a teacher, leading him to become a substitute teacher at

Springfield Elementary Springfield is the primary fictional setting of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' and related media. It is an average-sized, fictional city within an unknown state in the United States. The fictional city's geography, surroundings ...

. He is quickly overwhelmed by all of the unruly students in Bart's class, and resigns after Bart is peer-pressured by

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

into spitballing his mustache. Feeling bad about ruining Ned's life, Bart and Homer go to his house to apologize and convince him to return to teaching. Ned is hesitant, but Bart convinces him by reminding him of Bart's former teacher, Ned's deceased wife

. Ned and Bart organize a plan to get the students to be obedient. Using a series of tricks by Bart, he and Ned are able to pacify the students by creating supposed acts of God that frighten them. Ned is instilled with a newfound confidence, and thanks Bart for his help.

Reception

Dennis Perkins of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'' gave this episode a D+, stating, "’Left Behind’ is about everything and nothing. To be more accurate, this record-setting episode begins being about more than a half-dozen things, and then never pays off a single one. An oil-in-water quality suffuses episodes like this, the half- (at best) realized plot lines too insubstantial to register for moments past their half-assed completion."

Tony Sokol Tony Sokol (born March 23, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York, United States) is an American playwright, writer and composer, best known for writing the theatrical horror series La Commedia Del Sangue: Vampyr Theatre in New York City. As a musician, So ...

of ''

Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a UK and US-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a biannual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ' ...

'' gave the episode 4.5 stars out of 5, calling it a "righteous episode." "Left Behind" scored a 4 share and was watched by 2.15 million people, making it Fox's highest rated show of the night.

References

External links

* {{The Simpsons episodes, 29 2018 American television episodes The Simpsons season 29 episodes Television episodes written by Al Jean Television episodes written by John Frink Television episodes written by Joel H. Cohen Television episodes directed by Lance Kramer