Alone Again, Natura-Diddily

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The Simpsons episode
"Alone Again, Natura-Diddily"

Episode no.	240
Prod. code	BABF10
Orig. Airdate	February 13, 2000
Show Runner(s)	Mike Scully
Written by	Ian Maxtone-Graham
Directed by	Jim Reardon
Chalkboard	"My suspension was not 'mutual'."
Couch gag	The family enters the living room in bumper cars. Marge and Maggie bump Homer, and Bart and Lisa later hit Homer, who says, "D'oh!."
Guest star	Shawn Colvin as Rachel Jordan
Season 11 September 26, 1999 – May 21, 2000
Beyond Blunderdome Brother's Little Helper Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner? Treehouse of Horror X E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt) Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder Eight Misbehavin' Take My Wife, Sleaze Grift of the Magi Little Big Mom Faith Off The Mansion Family Saddlesore Galactica Alone Again, Natura-Diddily Missionary: Impossible Pygmoelian Bart to the Future Days of Wine and D'oh'ses Kill the Alligator and Run Last Tap Dance in Springfield It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge Behind the Laughter
List of all Simpsons episodes...

"Alone Again, Natura-Diddily" is the fourteenth episode of The Simpsons' eleventh season. The episode aired on February 13, 2000.

1 Synopsis
2 Trivia/Goofs
3 Cultural references
4 External links

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

On a trip to the bird sanctuary, the family sees that a new speedway has been built and is opening today. The family goes to the racetrack and they are surprisingly met by the Flanders family, who come here to see the race. A squad of cheerleaders is giving out free t-shirts, and Homer demands one. The cheerleaders send a full salvo of t-shirts in Homer's direction, but Homer bends down at the last minute to pick up a bobby pin. The t-shirts hit Maude Flanders instead, who is returning from the hot dog stand. They knock her down off the top of the bleachers. Dr. Hibbert is fortunate to be there, but Maude Flanders is pronounced dead.

Everyone shows their condolences for Maude, but Ned has to deal with Maude's death. Homer secretly makes a videotape of Ned Flanders to show to the interesting single girls across Springfield, helping him, but his dates turn out sour, and on Sunday morning, Ned Flanders says he does not want to go to church, because he doubts the Lord for taking Maude. Guilt-ridden he later rushes to church and sees a Christian rock band, Kovenant, perform, and he likes the singer, Rachel Jordan. He later makes friends with her, as she sings over the end credits.

[edit] Trivia/Goofs

At the cemetery, we see the graves of characters that have died in previous episodes:
- Bleeding Gums Murphy, who died due to a heart attack in the season 6 episode "'Round Springfield."
- Dr. Marvin Monroe, whose grave resembles a therapist's couch; his death was never documented, but "Dr. Marvin Monroe Memorial Hospital" is mentioned in part 2 of "Who Shot Mr. Burns?," and his death is directly mentioned in "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular." However, in a break with continuity, he appears alive and well for some reason in "Diatribe of a Mad Housewife," and he explains that his absence was caused by him being "very sick."
- Bea Simmons (her grave reads "Grampa's Girlfriend"), who died in the season 2 episode "Old Money."
- Frank "Grimey" Grimes, who died in season 8's "Homer's Enemy."
Ned's ATM PIN is 5316.
Lowe's Motor Speedway president Jerry Gappens expressed his concern over the episode as it appeared to parody an actual incident during the aborted Indy Racing League IndyCar Series Visionaire 500k event on May 1, 1999 where flying tires in a Lap 62 crash killed three spectators, forcing the track to abandon the race before the halfway point (104 of 208 laps). WCCB, the Fox affiliate in Charlotte, refused to show the promotional advertising for this episode. [1]
Throughout the show's history, Homer has been hinted to have an erotic fascination with Flanders' body (i.e. the "stupid, sexy Flanders" skiing episode where Homer becomes so distracted by Ned's physique that he loses control of his skis). In this episode, Homer creates a dating service video. Homer tapes Ned in the shower. Ned's muscular pectoral and abdominal muscles are shown, though his penis and scrotum have been blurred out poorly, because you can still see the size and shape of it and also the bottom is seen.
When the shirts are being shot to audience members, Doctor Hibbert is seen catching one and being disappointed, but when Maude is shot off the back he is down in the street by her, too quickly for him to have run down there.

[edit] Cultural references

Words Ned spells out while playing Scrabble by himself: Solitary, Alone, Forever, Horny, and Flanswered.
The title of the episode is in reference to the Gilbert O'Sullivan hit, "Alone Again (Naturally)" (1972).
Homer almost being hit by the t-shirts that kill Maude is similar to the type of close encounters the protagonist has in the show Strange Luck, namely the episode "Hat