# The Simpsons 5/16 Fundies vs Darwin **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 15, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775 "2006-05-15T00:29:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![deevee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@deevee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deevee)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775/1 "2006-05-15T00:29:01Z")
Too damn funny. I’m setting the vcr to tape the west coast feed, this one I have to keep. Brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775/2 "2006-05-15T00:31:02Z")
“What a Fool Believes” Biggest laugh I think I’ve ever gotten out of The Simpsons. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775/3 "2006-05-15T00:32:44Z")
They hit a lot of the right notes, and the dinner scene was very funny. Ditto Flanders’ reaction to the Evolution exhibit. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775/4 "2006-05-15T00:33:44Z")
I did enjoy Rodd (or was it Todd?) praying to a Stork. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775/5 "2006-05-15T00:34:25Z")
What was that “jigsaw puzzle” wipe a reference to? Not Twin Peaks, was it? ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775/6 "2006-05-15T00:38:47Z")
“It’s decided- you can park in the handicapped space if you’re just going in for a pack of smokes and maybe a Pop-Tart for tomorrow.” “The system works.” “The Nunchuk- Cool But Useless” ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775/7 "2006-05-15T00:40:56Z")
[QUOTE=Revtim] What was that “jigsaw puzzle” wipe a reference to? Not Twin Peaks, was it? [/QUOTE] I do believe it was Get Smart. Which confused me, because the “mask wearing” thing was a reference to Mission: Impossible, no? I don’t recall a lot of mask wearing in Get Smart. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775/8 "2006-05-15T00:44:25Z")
“That’s slander! Charles Darwin was one of the greatest thinkers of all time!” “Then why’s he making out with Satan?” “Darwin gives a very persuasive argument. And his ship was the _Beagle_, which reminds me of Snoopy…my favorite Peanut!” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775/9 "2006-05-15T00:45:03Z")
I also thought “Mission: Impossible” because of the masks, but I couldn’t guess about the puzzle pieces. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775/10 "2006-05-15T00:47:59Z")
[QUOTE=Revtim] What was that “jigsaw puzzle” wipe a reference to? Not Twin Peaks, was it? [/QUOTE] I think it may have been a reference to the 1963 John Huston film “The List of Adrian Messenger” where Tony Curtis, Robert Mitchum, Frank Sinatra and Burt Lancaster all appeared in heavy makeup and were unmasked at the end. If I recall, it also used the jigsaw puzzle motif during some scene changes. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775/11 "2006-05-15T00:52:23Z")
[QUOTE=bouv] I do believe it was Get Smart. Which confused me, because the “mask wearing” thing was a reference to Mission: Impossible, no? I don’t recall a lot of mask wearing in Get Smart. [/QUOTE] I thought Get Smart & MI also. I never even heard of “The List of Adrian Messenger”. Seems like a pretty obscure reference. Great Episode. “I’m from NY” “Boo, Hissss” “Now Lisa is the Ralph” Jim ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775/12 "2006-05-15T01:30:33Z")
Not quite as edgy as I would have liked, but still a good ep. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775/13 "2006-05-15T01:57:35Z")
Getting _really_ obscure here. (No I didn’t watch the SImpsons’ episode). Anyway, “ **Get Smart** ” once had an episode entitled “The Mess of Adrian Listenger” with Pat Paulsen as the guest star. So, maybe they were parodying _both_? ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775/14 "2006-05-15T03:15:40Z")
Nothing like the May sweeps. \*\*The Simpsons \*\* was up against the series finale of \*\*The West Wing \*\* as well as the final **Survivor** episode. Therefore, I chose to miss \*\*The Simpsons \*\* on the theory that I will eventually see this episode 10,000 times in syndication. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775/15 "2006-05-15T12:07:09Z")
“I’d like you to teach an alternative to Darwinian Evolution” “Lamarkian Evoltion?” 😉 Brian ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775/16 "2006-05-15T13:51:59Z")
I was hoping they’d work in a reference to Lysenkoism. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775/17 "2006-05-15T14:07:07Z")
> [@](#): > > I never even heard of “The List of Adrian Messenger”. Seems like a pretty obscure reference. Shame on you! Go out and rent it now! The film, based on a very popular mystery novel, isn’t really that great a mystery, but features five famous and instantly recognizable actors in minor roles, where they’re endered unrecognizable by heavy makeup. You’re supposed to guess whjo they are (and which minor characters are them). Kirk Douglas plays multple heavly-made-up roles. It’s a black and white film from the late 1950s/early 1960s, and hasn’t been played a lot, even on cable. So I suppose a lot of you whippersnappers haven’t seen it. But it was very famous in its day. I don’t recall The List of Adrian Messenger \*or[/o] Get Smart using jugsaw-cutout “fadeouts”. I was thinking of some circa 1970s TV show, like “Jigsaw John”. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775/18 "2006-05-15T14:42:25Z")
I know it wasn’t Get Smart. I remember the reruns of that show. Also, the music was wrong. I can almost remember the show being referenced. I really liked the little jokes in this show: The Single-Purpose Room, Little Moe Siszlak. The writing is getting a lot better lately. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775/19 "2006-05-15T14:52:19Z")
[QUOTE=saoirse] I really liked the little jokes in this show: The Single-Purpose Room, Little Moe Siszlak. The writing is getting a lot better lately. [/QUOTE] I hate to admit it, but the Single Purpose Room went right over my head. What was this in reference to? The writing does seem to be better lately. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775/20 "2006-05-15T15:01:33Z")
[QUOTE=LonesomePolecat] I hate to admit it, but the Single Purpose Room went right over my head. What was this in reference to? The writing does seem to be better lately. [/QUOTE] Many schools have a Multipurpose room. Only Springfield would have a room called a Single Purpose Room is my take on the joke. Jim [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-5-16-fundies-vs-darwin/356775.md?page=2)