Episode 16 - The Greatest Story Ever Doh'd ePage
29 March 2010
Review
Synopsis: Ned is desperate to save Homer and so he invites him on the church trip to Israel. Once there Homer's ignorant behaviour leads Ned to conclude that he isn't worth saving. Homer goes wandering in the desert and when he is found he thinks he is the messiah.
The Good: Early on there were a couple of nice lines including a sign at the airport saying "YOUR AMERICAN TAX DOLLARS AT WORK."
The Bad: Otherwise this was as tiresome and dull as you might expect. The country specific episodes have become a real crutch allowing for a boring name check of various tourist sites while Homer and company make the most obvious and clichéd gags they can. At least there was an attempt to give this episode a real plot thanks to Ned's latest attempt to save Homer. But the credit is swiftly removed once the story is blown off with the "everyone gets Jerusalem syndrome" ending.
Again I want to give the writers credit for their attempt at something new with the obnoxious tour guide voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen. At least it was something new and allowed him to be the personification of Israeli's that they would make fun of rather than risk offending a whole country. But aside from one line here or there he was incredibly overbearing and difficult to enjoy. It was a major script miscalculation which wore out its loud welcome very quickly.
Best Joke: Homer gets a call from a falafel vendor on his cell: "Yeah I wanted to know, do you deliver falafels to the top of Mount Zion? Great! I'd like a large falafel with pepperoni, sausage and extra cheese...yes I know what a falafel is!"
The Bottom Line: Dull and forgettable, these country visits really do need a good story to tie them together.
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