 Mike Duffy praised the episode , stating it showed that The Simpsons was " just as strong and funny as it ever was . " Elaine Liner of the Corpus Christi Caller @-@ Times praised the writing as " crisp , hilarious and multi @-@ layered " , praising its many cultural references and noting the " biting commentary " of Maude Flanders ' line " I was at Bible camp learning to be more judgmental . " Later reviews shared these sentiments . Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood , authors of the book I Can 't Believe It 's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide , called it a " fine episode " and found that the " eventual explanation for [ Flanders ' ] murderous behavior is hilarious . " Tim Knight called it " a terrific opener to the season . " 
