Synopsis

Two missionaries return to their motel (yes, they're staying at a motel) and one of them, Noah, begins to wonder what they are doing on their mission. They haven't seen any success and he has his doubts about the work. He suggests spending their mission money on orphanages and says he has a hard time dealing with his “urges.” He also says he had coffee a few weeks prior at a Holiday Inn Express (Why the heck are these elders frequenting so many hotels?). His companion, Joseph, freaks out and begs him to pray with him to ask Heavenly Father for forgiveness. But Noah has more to say. “I'm 20 years old and I have urges. I feel them. Is that a sin?” Eager to erase the tension in the air, his companion Joseph recommends they pray and ask God for a sign. As soon as he sits on his bed, the TV set turns on and a pornographic movie is playing.

Joseph frantically unplugs the TV and covers it up with not one, but two blankets. Noah sees it as a sign from God. “We prayed for a sign from God and pornography appeared on our television set!” But Joseph is quick to point out that he accidentally sat on the remote. But after the tense night they've had, Joseph seems shaken. We eventually see him sneak back in room 104 carrying a six pack that glows in the eyes of the elders the way the briefcase does in Pulp Fiction.

Joseph explains to Noah that St. Augustine was a very real sinner who later found God and was better missionary because he had sinned so much. He had really tasted the dark side. The elders drink beer, share “wild” stories from their past (Joseph tells how he held his hands up on a roller coaster when the announcer told him not to). They watch some pornography on TV, masturbate, and go to bed.

The next morning, Joseph walks in with coffee and suggests they go to a movie. He is ready for his Rumspringa. Noah is now hesitant to embrace an Augustinian lifestyle. Joseph tries to kiss Noah (because he wants to explore and figure things out), and Noah pushes him back, causing Joseph to hit his head on the nightstand and die. Instead of calling an ambulance, Noah sits at the base of the bed and prays aloud. Eventually Joseph gasps back to life. It's a sign! He has come back from the dead. They eagerly begin talking about missionary work and speak with a renewed commitment to the work. But then, they catch each other's eye and make a dash at each other, chalking it up to St. Augustine before the camera cuts to black.

Analysis

The first image of the episode is a large, orange book titled “Mission Handbook” (seriously, it looks at least 300 pages long). Mark Duplass, who wrote the episode, is highlighting the large amount of rules Mormons abide by rather than showing the actual “white handbook,” the one missionaries really use, which is much smaller and thinner. To outsiders of the faith, Mormonism can seem like a lot of rules. The setting of the episode also makes one wonder what the heck are two elders doing staying multiple nights in a motel? Don't they have an apartment like everyone else? I digress.

To non-Mormons, Latter-Day Saints can often appear to be pretty Victorian. No drinking. No drugs. No premarital sex. No pornography. Not even a drop of coffee. The Book of Mormon musical makes it seem like Mormons deal with their “urges” easily: just “turn it off,” a line which Joseph parrots when he says he has “those thoughts,” he just doesn't entertain them. He just prays them away. So how does one make a dramatic engaging half hour of television when even the clothing of missionaries is boring? Throw in a crisis of faith and a crisis of sexuality.