The Ned Flanders Awakening

Okely-dokely-do - Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

by blogSpotter
 I just watched an episode of The Simpsons, and feel compelled to talk about one of my favorite characters – Ned Flanders. Ned Flanders is one of the show’s most enduring and unambiguous characters. Nedward Flanders, Jr. is a 60 year old Evangelical Christian, a devout Republican, Oral Roberts University graduate, longtime neighbor to the Simpsons and constant thorn in the side to the spiritually challenged Homer. Flanders is the epitome of Goodness, having actually donated a kidney and a lung in one episode. He shows no anger – his aggressive feelings were dissipated by 8 months of “Spankalogical Protocol” in his strange hippie upbringing, according to another episode. Flanders attributes his serenity to “Vitamin Church”.

Flanders isn’t entirely without fault… Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Flanders has been known to shriek like a woman when confronted with something scary. While Harry Shearer usually does Flanders’ voice, Tress MacNeille was brought in to do the terrified scream. Flanders frets so much over life’s minor trials, he’s become a nuisance to Reverend Lovejoy, the local minister. His beliefs are more dogmatic and less flexible – very much on display with his strict parenting of his sons Rod and Todd.

In the irony department, Flanders has a room devoted to the Beatles because they were “bigger than Jesus”… Blasphemy! He has a well-sculpted body with six-pack abs underneath his green sweater – probably done as another way to gig Homer, who has by comparison a flabby 12-pack from doughnuts and beer. Flanders is an all-around goody-two shoe, but the widower (he lost wife Maude in Season 11) has been romantically involved with 4 women including the school marm Edna Krabappel.

Flanders is celebrated for his silly speech tics and Christian colloquialisms:

• Hi-didly-i
• Okely-dokely-do
• Gosh darn it!
• Am I that pre-diddly-ictable?
• Hustle your bustles!
• I don’t mean to be a nervous Pervis…

The Flanders character has evolved across 500+ Simpson episodes…He began as merely a goody-goody foil to Homer. Harry Shearer’s sweet voice made the writers decide he should be Christian. From there he became something of a Christian Right caricature… and from there he became one of the most beloved and celebrated Christians in pop culture. He is fourth in line after the Pope, Mother Teresa and Billy Graham as a recognized Christian … no kidding.

Entertainment Weekly once described The Simpsons’ humor as being “vaguely leftist”. After all, they lampoon nuclear power, the capitalistic Mr. Burns, the shifty lawyer Lionel Hutz… But the religious community probably likes the innocuous depiction of Flanders despite all the diddlies, screams and pointed silliness. He’s truly a nice guy in the final analysis. His presence in the heterogeneous mix of Springfield characters signifies the place and prominence of this pop cultural Christian archetype. Other shows might have “good” characters – another Fox character, Cleveland, comes to mind. But nothing quite compares to the Ned Flanders Awakening.

© 2012 blogSpotter