"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 for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

'', and the 637th episode of the series overall. 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 (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

on May 6, 2018. 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 in television situation comedies. She is best known for her roles as receptionist Carol Kester on the 1970s sitc ...

, who died on October 25, 2013, appearing as

Edna Krabappel Edna Krabappel-Flanders ( Krabappel; ) is a fictional character from the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'', voiced by Marcia Wallace from 1990 until her death in October 2013. She was a 4th-grade teacher, who taught Bart Simpson's class a ...

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 the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six month ...

occurs.

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

Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...

Bart Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc. Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Bartho ...

, Maggie and Grampa go outside to watch the solar eclipse, but

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a 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. Homer is considered one of the ...

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,

Ned Flanders Nedward "Ned" Flanders Jr. 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 Open Fire." He is the good-natured, chee ...

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 indeterminate state in the United States. The fictional city's geography, surroundi ...

. 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 generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many pow ...

, 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 ...

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, Monty, or C. Montgomery Burns, is a recurring character and the main antagonist of the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', voiced initially by ...

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. It was first known for its cov ...

, 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 indeterminate state in the United States. The fictional city's geography, surroundi ...

. 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 American 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 cre ...

'' 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." Den of Geek 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