O C'mon All Ye Faithful

"O C'mon All Ye Faithful"
The Simpsons episodes
Promotional image for the episodes
Episode nos.	Season 36 Episodes 10 and 11
Directed by	Debbie Bruce Mahan (Part 1) Matthew Faughnan (Part 2)
Written by	Carolyn Omine
Production codes	35ABF21 (Part 1) 35ABF22 (Part 2)
Original release date	December 17, 2024 (2024-12-17)
Guest appearances
Derren Brown as himself Patti LaBelle as herself Pentatonix as themselves

"O C'mon All Ye Faithful", titled onscreen as "A Derren Brown Christmas", is the tenth and eleventh episodes of the thirty-sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 778th and 779th episodes overall. The episodes were the first to be released exclusively on the streaming service Disney+ and were released on December 17, 2024. The episodes were written by Carolyn Omine and directed by Debbie Bruce Mahan and Matthew Faughnan.

In this episode, Derren Brown accidentally hypnotizes Homer into believing he is Santa Claus while Ned questions his faith in God. Illusionist Derren Brown, musician Patti LaBelle, and a cappella group Pentatonix appeared as themselves. The episode received positive reviews.

Plot

Derren Brown comes to Springfield to film a Christmas special where he secretly tries to raise the Christmas spirit of the disillusioned townsfolk. Marge allows Brown to hypnotize Homer to become a better gift buyer. He traps Homer as he buys cupcakes from a vending machine. Brown holds the cupcake package to his forehead, but Homer is hypnotized to believe he is the Santa Claus on the package. The town joins him in the delusion with Ralph becoming his assistant. At a town meeting, Brown reveals his true purpose and fixes Homer. When the people tell him to fix them, he says they were not hypnotized but were exhibiting cult-like behavior to believe in a magical being. Hearing this, Flanders questions his belief in God.

Flanders tells Marge that he has been questioning why God would take two wives from him. Marge tells him to continue to have faith. The next day, Flanders puts away his religious objects at home. Marge gets worried while Bart tells Lisa he is not feeling the Christmas spirit. Lisa tells him that as he grows up, it becomes more about giving than receiving. Marge asks Brown to hypnotize Ned into believing in God, but he declines. Later, Bart tries to scare Ned into believing in God. Marge exposes him but is touched by his intentions. Meanwhile, Homer is feeling depressed now that he is not Santa, so he makes presents with Ralph to give to the townsfolk.

Homer is caught breaking into Rainier Wolfcastle's home to deliver his present and is sent to jail. Ralph breaks him out, and Homer decides to only give presents to his family. Meanwhile, Marge checks on Ned, and Lisa tells him a story about an ox yoke floating in the ocean and a sea turtle that miraculously surfaces to breathe in the middle of the yoke. Ned wanders the town, and Professor Frink invites him on a ride in his submarine. Under the ocean, Ned is moved by the creatures he sees. When the submarine cannot withstand the water pressure, the submarine explodes. Ned surfaces in the middle of a floating ox yoke, restoring his faith in God. He meets his kids and the Simpsons at the dock. After Ned leaves, Brown reveals that the submarine encounter was a ploy by him to help Ned, however the ox yoke was not part of it. The Simpsons go home where Homer gives Marge a book of "Sexy Sudokus".

Production

In August 2024, it was announced that four original episodes of the series would be released exclusively on Disney+. These two episodes were released to coincide with the 35th anniversary of the series premiere. Executive producer Matt Selman described them as a double-length episode with no cliffhanger to separate the two parts, which was unlike previous two-part episodes. Writer Carolyn Omine said the episode was inspired by "the difficult year she experienced personally" and wanting to find "magic in the world". She said the release on Disney+ allowed for the episode "to breathe" without the time constraints of broadcast television while not sacrificing the budget for the episode.

Illusionist Derren Brown appeared as himself. He described the role as "the best thing that's happened in my life so far". Omine said it was "one of the largest guest starring roles we've ever had" in terms of lines spoken and time on screen. Musician Patti LaBelle sings a version of "Silent Night" with non-faith denominational parody lyrics. A cappella group Pentatonix are heard singing a version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", also with parody lyrics.

The trailer for the episode was released on December 11, 2024.

Release

The world premiere for the episode was held at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on December 13, 2024. The episode was released on the streaming service Disney+ on December 17, 2024.

Reception

John Schwarz of Bubbleblabber gave the episode a 9 out of 10. He said the episode proved that writer Carolyn Omine was at least one of the top ten writers in the series' history and that the parts by the two directors worked well together. He highlighted the performance by Derren Brown, and thought the story was "one that was well fleshed out and still respectful". He also noted that Simpsons two-part episodes tended to focus on religion and Flanders.

Mike Celestino of Laughing Place liked the message about faith and its meaning at Christmas. He highlighted the performance of Harry Shearer as Flanders.

External links

• "O C'mon All Ye Faithful" at IMDb