The Joy of Sect
| "The Joy of Sect" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
Various residents of Springfield being forced by the Movementarians into growing and harvesting lima beans. | |
| Episode no. | Season 9 Episode 13 |
| Directed by | Steven Dean Moore |
| Written by | Steve O'Donnell |
| Production code | 5F23 |
| Original air date | February 8, 1998 |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | "Shooting paintballs is not an art form" |
| Couch gag | Tiny versions of the Simpsons climb on the couch, and a normal-sized Santa's Little Helper comes up to the couch, takes Homer in his mouth, and runs off with him. |
| Commentary | Matt Groening David Mirkin Steve O'Donnell Yeardley Smith Steven Dean Moore |
"The Joy of Sect" is the thirteenth episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on February 8, 1998. In the episode, the Movementarian cult takes over Springfield, and the Simpson family (with the exception of Marge) become members.
David Mirkin conceived the initial idea for the episode, Steve O'Donnell was the lead writer and Steven Dean Moore directed. The writers drew on many groups to develop the Movementarians, but were principally influenced by Scientology, Heaven's Gate, the Unification Church ("Moonies"), the Rajneesh movement and Peoples Temple. Other references to popular culture include the title reference to The Joy of Sex and a gag involving Rover from The Prisoner.
"The Joy of Sect" was later analyzed from religious, philosophical and psychological perspectives; books on The Simpsons compared the Movementarians to many of the same groups from which the writers had drawn influence.
Both USA Today and The A.V. Club featured "The Joy of Sect" in lists of important episodes of The Simpsons.