{{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}} {{Good article}} {{Infobox Simpsons episode | image = | caption = | season = 13 | episode = 6 | director = [[Steven Dean Moore]] | writer = [[Bill Freiberger]] | production = DABF02 | airdate = {{Start date|2001|12|16}} | guests = * [[Richard Gere]] as himself | couch_gag = The couch is a slot machine that shows [[Homer Simpson|Homer]], [[Marge Simpson|Marge]], [[Bart Simpson|Bart]], and [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] in the windows. [[Maggie Simpson|Maggie]], however, is replaced by lucky number “7” as a jackpot siren wails and a pile of gold coins spill out. | commentary = [[Al Jean]]<br>[[Matt Selman]]<br>[[John Frink]]<br>[[Tom Gammill]]<br>[[Max Pross]]<br>[[Bill Freiberger]]<br>[[Pamela Hayden]]<br>[[Steven Dean Moore]] | prev = [[The Blunder Years]] | next = [[Brawl in the Family (The Simpsons)|Brawl in the Family]] }} "'''She of Little Faith'''" is the sixth episode of the [[The Simpsons season 13|thirteenth season]] of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]''. It first aired in the United States on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox network]] on December 16, 2001. In this episode, [[Bart Simpson]] and his father [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] accidentally launch a model rocket into the Springfield church, causing the church council to accept funding plans from [[Mr. Burns]] for reparation. Discontent with how commercialized the rebuilt church has become, [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] abandons [[Christianity]] and sets out to follow a new religion, deciding on [[Buddhism]].
The episode was directed by [[Steven Dean Moore]] and written by [[Bill Freiberger]], whom executive producer and [[show runner]] [[Al Jean]] had met while working on the television series ''[[Teen Angel (1997 TV series)|Teen Angel]]''. The plot idea for the episode was pitched by Jean, who wanted to expand on Lisa's personality, even though some of the ''Simpsons'' writers were concerned over the episode's originality. Lisa has remained a Buddhist since this episode, in a similar fashion to how she remained a vegetarian since ''[[Lisa the Vegetarian]]'', towards which, this episode serves as a companion piece. The episode features actor [[Richard Gere]], who agreed to star as long as Buddhism was portrayed accurately, that Lisa remain a Buddhist for the rest of the series, and as long as Lisa would say "[[Tibetan independence movement|Free Tibet]]".
The episode was nominated for the [[Primetime Emmy Award]] for [[Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour)]] in 2002, which it ultimately lost to the ''[[Futurama]]'' episode, "[[Roswell That Ends Well]]".
Following the thirteenth season's release on [[DVD]] and [[Blu-ray]], the episode received mostly positive reviews from critics.
==Plot== While watching a 1950s [[Science fiction film|science fiction]] movie, [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] and [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] see a commercial for a model rocket kit and Bart orders it by using [[Homer Simpson|Homer]]'s credit card number. Homer helps Bart and [[Milhouse van Houten|Milhouse]] build it, but it blows up before launching. Jealous that [[Ned Flanders]] built a superior rocket, Homer enlists the help of his [[Homer Goes to College|former nerdy college roommates]], [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Benjamin, Doug and Gary|Gary, Doug, and Benjamin]], to build a rocket piloted by the hamster Nibbles. The rocket lifts off successfully, but it develops complications and Nibbles bails out. Homer attempts to shoot down the rocket with a 12 gauge shotgun, but the rocket crashes into the church.
The church council meets up to decide how to come up with money to fund the repairs to the church. With no other aid available, they accept help from [[Montgomery Burns|Mr. Burns]] and [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Lindsey Naegle|Lindsay Naegle]], who wish to run the church as a business. The two rebuild the church as a commercial monstrosity, complete with advertising signs, a currency exchanger, a Lard Lad statue, a photo booth for the churchgoers to put their faces in a cut-out of Jesus from [[The Last Supper (Leonardo)|The Last Supper]], and a [[Jumbotron]] known as "Godcam". Lisa is appalled at this and after Lovejoy welcomes [[The Noid]] to hold a sermon "on the sanctity of deliciousness," she abandons the church, feeling her religion has lost its soul.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP7VvXyJa64&t=180s|last=Moleman|first=Hans|title=The Simpsons - Mr Burns takes over the Springfield Church [Funny Simpsons Clips]|publisher=[[YouTube]]|access-date=November 2, 2022|archive-date=November 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108003829/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP7VvXyJa64&t=180s|url-status=live}}</ref>
That night, Lisa prays to God and assures him she has not turned her back on Him, but plans to seek a new path to "Him" (or "Her", she says). While on a walk around town, passing many [[sacrilegious]] signs, she finds [[Springfield (The Simpsons)|Springfield]]'s Buddhist temple. Inside she sees [[Lenny and Carl#Lenny Leonard|Lenny]] and [[Lenny and Carl#Carl Carlson|Carl]] meditating, and Hollywood actor [[Richard Gere]] teaches the core concepts of [[Buddhism]] to her. An intrigued Lisa takes a pamphlet on Buddhism and studies it at home. It convinces her of the virtues of the faith, and Lisa announces out of her window that she has become a Buddhist. Lisa plants her own [[bodhi tree]] in the back yard and begins to meditate, but Marge grows increasingly worried about Lisa's [[soul]] and tries to convince her to come back to [[Christianity]].
At the church council meeting, [[Reverend Lovejoy]] tells Marge to use [[Christmas]] to bribe her back. Homer places a tasteless animatronic angel on top of Lisa's bodhi tree, and Marge bakes cookies, decorates the home, and has [[Ralph Wiggum|Ralph]] and Milhouse dress as a pony in wrapping paper to tempt her, but Lisa runs away from her family's home when she realizes what is happening. At the Buddhist temple, she tells Gere her family tried to trick her, but Gere informs her that while Buddhism is about one finding inner peace, it is also about respecting the diversity of other religions based on love and compassion. Thus, Lisa is free to celebrate any holiday with her family, including Christmas. Lisa goes back home, falling asleep beside the Christmas tree and tells everyone that she will be celebrating Christmas with them and continue paying lip service to Christianity while practicing Buddhism for the rest of her life. As Marge takes her to the kitchen to get some cookies for her, Lisa asks about her pony, and Marge tries unsuccessfully to change the subject as Lisa calls out for her gift.
==Production and themes== [[File:Al Jean by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg|left|180px|thumb|[[Al Jean]] (pictured) met the episode's writer, [[Bill Freiberger]] while they worked together on the television series ''[[Teen Angel (1997 TV series)|Teen Angel]]''.]] "She of Little Faith" was directed by [[Steven Dean Moore]] and was the only episode [[Bill Freiberger]] wrote for ''The Simpsons''. It was first broadcast on Fox in the United States on December 16, 2001.<ref name="Jean">Jean, Al. (2010). Commentary for "She of Little Faith", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Thirteenth Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref>
Before returning to work full-time on ''The Simpsons'', Jean had worked on a television series called ''[[Teen Angel (1997 TV series)|Teen Angel]]'' together with [[Mike Reiss]] and Freiberger. While working on ''Teen Angel'', Freiberger suggested that, if Jean was ever to run ''The Simpsons'', he should hire Freiberger as a writer on the series. For the thirteenth season, Jean became show runner and assigned Freiberger to write the episode.<ref name="Jean" /> Freiberger wrote the first draft as a [[Freelancer|freelance script]] at his parents' barn in [[Pennsylvania]], and when he returned to the writing staff to rewrite the story, Freiberger took so many notes that the script became 106 pages long. As a result, Freiberger spent more time editing down the script rather than writing it.<ref name="Freiberger">Freiberger, Bill. (2010). Commentary for "She of Little Faith", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Thirteenth Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref> The episode's main plot, in which Lisa becomes a [[Buddhist]], was pitched by Jean, who wanted to expand Lisa's personality. When he pitched the plot idea to the ''Simpsons'' writing staff, they became concerned about the episode's originality. They argued that the series had already explored religious themes in earlier episodes, but Jean assured them that the episode would be about Lisa first-and-foremost, rather than Buddhism. Unlike several other episodes in the series in which a character undergoes a change in their personality, Lisa has remained a Buddhist since this episode, much like her conversion to vegetarianism in "[[Lisa the Vegetarian]]".<ref name="Jean"/>
Freiberger pitched the [[subplot]] involving the model rockets in the beginning of the episode. He based it on a real-life experience, in which he, as a child, accidentally launched a model rocket into a window in his house.<ref name="Freiberger"/> A scene from this subplot was removed from the episode following the [[September 11 attacks]]. The scene would show a man named Hassan Jay Salam being arrested by policemen (who tells them to call his cousin [[Casey Kasem]]), who think the rocket Bart and Homer launched was launched by him (The rocket bears the abbreviation HJS, which stands for Homer J Simpson). After the attacks, the scene was considered too offensive by the Fox [[Censorship|censors]], so the scene was removed.<ref name="Jean"/> Originally, the subplot would involve Marge trying to get Homer to build model rockets with Bart. Homer would not want to at first, but after Marge convinces him, he would soon get more into it than Bart. The plot idea was encouraged by some of the writers who thought that Marge had "gotten short shrift," and, according to Freiberger, Marge would have had a "really big part motivating the story" had the subplot remained intact.<ref name="Freiberger"/> [[File:Richardgere.jpg|right|200px|thumb|[[Richard Gere]] agreed to appear as long as Lisa said "Free Tibet" in the episode.]] The renovated church in the episode is built like a mall; several stores and merchandising is located inside, and Reverend Lovejoy plugs products and television programs during his sermons. The scene is used to satirize the so-called "[[megachurches]]" and the commercialization sometimes associated with these institutions.<ref name="Jean"/> The episode also argues that, even if Christmas has lost most of its meaning, it is more important to "keep these thoughts to oneself in order to make the family happy."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.salon.com/2001/12/20/tv_christmas/|title=What I learned about Christmas|date=December 20, 2001|access-date=May 8, 2020|last=Chocano|first=Carina|work=Salon|archive-date=February 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227234309/https://www.salon.com/2001/12/20/tv_christmas/|url-status=live}}</ref> It also comments on what the writers believe to be the "all or nothing, we're right, you're all going to hell mentality" of some Christian movements.<ref name="Project-blu">{{cite web|url=http://project-blu.com/reviews/simpsons13.html|title=The Simpsons: The Thirteenth Season|date=September 8, 2010|access-date=April 4, 2011|last=Boss|first=Nate|publisher=Project-Blu|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622070047/http://project-blu.com/reviews/simpsons13.html|archive-date=June 22, 2011}}</ref> Even though "She of Little Faith" is a Christmas episode, the holiday is not mentioned until the episode's third act. Jean stated in the DVD [[audio commentary]] for the episode that the writers did not want to make a conventional Christmas episode, and instead wanted to "slide into" the subject.<ref name="Jean"/>
The episode features actor [[Richard Gere]] as himself. Gere agreed to guest star under three conditions, the first being that Buddhism should be portrayed accurately, the second, that Lisa remain a Buddhist for the rest of the series, and his third and strongest request being that Lisa should say "Free Tibet" in the episode. Jean agreed, but Gere ended up with the line. However, Lisa did yell out "Free Tibet" in an episode in the following season. Gere's lines were recorded in [[New York City]] by Jean who, in the DVD audio commentary for the episode, stated that Gere was "great" and that he "didn't mind being made fun of" in the episode. He also mentioned that Gere was one of the only guest-stars they had that "looked handsome simpsonized."<ref name="Jean"/>
==Release== In 2002, "She of Little Faith" was nominated for the [[Primetime Emmy Award]] for [[Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour)]], but it ultimately lost to the ''[[Futurama]]'' episode "[[Roswell That Ends Well]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.org/awards/awardsearch.php|title=Primetime Emmy Awards Advanced Search|publisher=Emmys.org|access-date=February 21, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215195726/http://www.emmys.org/awards/awardsearch.php|archive-date=February 15, 2009}}</ref> [[Matt Groening]], creator of both series, joked that the award "gave [him] a chance to be bitter either way".<ref name="Jean"/> On August 24, 2010, the episode was released as part of ''The Simpsons: The Complete Thirteenth Season'' [[DVD]] and [[Blu-ray]] set.<ref name="DVDmg"/>
Following its home video release, "She of Little Faith" received mostly positive reviews from critics.
Dominic von Reidermann of [[Suite101.com]] considered the episode to be a "comedy gem" and Casey Burchby of DVD Talk wrote that it "offers its fair share of laughs".<ref>{{citation|title=The Simpsons The Thirteenth Season DVD Review|date=September 8, 2010|last=von Riedemann|first=Dominic|publisher=[[Suite101.com]]}}</ref><ref name="dvdtalk">{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/43667/simpsons-season-13/|title=The Simpsons: The Complete Thirteenth Season|date=August 24, 2010|access-date=April 4, 2011|last=Burchby|first=Casey|publisher=DVD Talk|archive-date=December 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204080151/http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/43667/simpsons-season-13/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Stuart O' Conner of Screen Jabber was also favorable, calling it a "first-rate" episode.<ref name="screenjabber">{{cite web|url=http://www.screenjabber.com/the-simpsons-S13-DVD-review|title=The Simpsons: Season 13 review (DVD)|date=August 24, 2010|access-date=April 4, 2011|last=O' Connor|first=Stuart|publisher=Screen Jabber|archive-date=November 28, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128103400/http://www.screenjabber.com/the-simpsons-S13-DVD-review|url-status=usurped}}</ref>
Writing for Obsessed With Film, Adam Rayner derided Gere's performance as being "bland and dreary", however he went on to write that it couldn't ruin the episode, which he described as "great". He especially liked Flanders' line "My Satan sense is tingling."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.obsessedwithfilm.com/reviews/dvd-review-the-simpsons-season-13.php|title=DVD Review: THE SIMPSONS SEASON 13|date=September 20, 2010|access-date=April 4, 2011|last=Rayner|first=Adam|publisher=Obsessed With Film|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126160306/http://www.obsessedwithfilm.com/reviews/dvd-review-the-simpsons-season-13.php|archive-date=November 26, 2010}}</ref>
Jennifer Malkowski, who gave the episode a B−, wrote that the episode's "highlight" was a scene in which "Milhouse mourns his 'beautiful eyebrows'" that were burned off by Bart and Homer's model rocket.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/simpsons13bluray.php |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Thirteenth Season (Blu-Ray)|date=September 6, 2010|access-date=April 4, 2011|last=Malkowski|first=Jennifer|publisher=DVD Verdict|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111209001817/http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/simpsons13bluray.php|archive-date=December 9, 2011}}</ref>
In 2007, Simon Crerar of ''[[The Times]]'' listed Gere's performance as one of the thirty-three funniest cameos in the history of the show.<ref>{{cite news|last=Crerar|first=Simon|title=The 33 funniest Simpsons cameos ever|url=https://www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-rich-list/profile/article/the-33-funniest-simpsons-cameos-ever-vg9jgq67gxr|access-date=May 8, 2020|newspaper=[[The Times]]|date=July 5, 2007|archive-date=May 17, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517054959/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article2021776.ece|url-status=live}}</ref>
Ron Martin of 411Mania, who consider episodes about Lisa to be "traditional channel changers", wrote that it "offers one of the worst ‘Lisa episodes’" of the series.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.411mania.com/movies/dvd_reviews/153026 |title=The Simpsons Season 13 DVD Review|date=September 15, 2010|access-date=May 7, 2020|last=Martin|first=Ron|publisher=411Mania|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101015004733/http://www.411mania.com/movies/dvd_reviews/153026|archive-date=October 15, 2010}}</ref>
Colin Jacobsson of DVD Movie Guide criticized the episode for being "little more than a retread" of earlier episodes of the series. He argued that the episode borrows plot elements from both "[[Lisa the Vegetarian]]", "[[Lisa's Pony]]" and "[[Grift of the Magi]]", and went on to write that the episode is "a pretty unoriginal piece of work". He concluded his review by writing that the episode "fails to deliver more than a chuckle or two".<ref name="DVDmg">{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonthirteen.shtml|title=The Simpsons: The Complete Thirteenth Season [Blu-Ray] (2001)|date=September 2, 2010|access-date=April 4, 2011|last=Jacobson|first=Colin|publisher=DVD Movie Guide|archive-date=April 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200404202638/http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonthirteen.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Cultural references== The episode title is a reference to the common phrase "[[Matthew 6:30|O ye of little faith]]".
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
==External links== {{wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_13#She_of_Little_Faith|"She of Little Faith"}} {{Portal|The Simpsons}} *{{snpp capsule|DABF02}} *{{IMDb episode|id=0701206}}
{{Simpsons Christmas episodes}} {{The Simpsons episodes|13}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:She Of Little Faith}} [[Category:Television episodes about Buddhism]] [[Category:American Christmas television episodes]] [[Category:The Simpsons season 13 episodes]] [[Category:2001 American television episodes]] [[Category:Television episodes directed by Steven Dean Moore]]