O C’mon All Ye Faithful” is a special double-length Christmas episode from the 36th season of The Simpsons, released exclusively on Disney+ on December 17, 2024.
Synopsis: In this episode, the British mentalist Derren Brown comes to Springfield to enhance the psychological optimism of the town during the Christmas season. In the course of his work, however, he mistakenly persuades Homer Simpson to believe that he is Father Christmas which results into some unfortunate events. This situation causes the people to accept Homer’s changes, while Ned Flanders suffers the biggest crisis of faith in his life.
Guest Appearances:
- Derren Brown as himself, playing a central role in the storyline.
- Patti LaBelle performs a rendition of “Silent Night” with parody lyrics.
- Pentatonix contributes with a version of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” also featuring parody lyrics.
Critical Reception: The critical reviews sustain that the hype for this episode is all about how comedic yet emotional the moments are. Thematic memories have been noted associated with the show’s very first episode called “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” which already is 35 years old. Especially moving was Ned Flanders and his crisis of faith, which added another layer to the story.
Cultural Significance: As the first ever double-length episode of The Simpsons to be released on a OTT platform, this episode displays the flexibility of the sitcom considering the changing of the times. At the same time it is also the commemoration of the 35th birthday of the very first Christmas special of the series, which is quite a thing to highlight as well.
