Mr. Deity
Encyclopedia
Mr. Deity is a series of satirical short films that parody aspects of religion, created by Brian Keith Dalton and distributed by Lazy Eye Pictures. It stars Brian Keith Dalton, Jimbo Marshall, Sean Douglas, and Amy Rohren. It premiered on December 27, 2006. The show is currently hosted on YouTube
, after a spell on Crackle
.
surveying the universe with his assistant. The first episode, called "Mr. Deity and the Evil," features only Dalton and his friend, cinematographer Jimbo Marshall, making decisions about what evils to allow. Jesus appears in the second episode, played by Sean Douglas. Amy Rohren rounded out the cast, portraying Lucifer (or Lucy) later in the first season.
After the last episode of the first season, Dalton signed a deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment
to create a TV version of Mr. Deity for HBO. The deal also made the second season of the web series exclusive to Sony's comedy website, Crackle.com
. The Sony deal eventually fell through, prompting Dalton to bring the series back to YouTube. In May 2009 a trailer parodying Frost/Nixon
using the cast of Mr. Deity was released, inaugurating the third season of the show.
Mormons
are specifically named in "Mr. Deity and the Book" as being a source of irritation to Mr. Deity due to their scriptural canonization of the idea that humans with dark skin were cursed by God
to lose their whiteness due to wicked behavior. Notably, Dalton is himself a former Mormon.
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, after a spell on Crackle
Crackle
Crackle is a digital network and studio, featuring commercially supported streaming video content in Flash Video format. It is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, and its content consists primarily of Sony's library of films and television shows...
.
History
In late 2006 director Brian Keith Dalton decided to make a series of short comedy films about GodGod
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
surveying the universe with his assistant. The first episode, called "Mr. Deity and the Evil," features only Dalton and his friend, cinematographer Jimbo Marshall, making decisions about what evils to allow. Jesus appears in the second episode, played by Sean Douglas. Amy Rohren rounded out the cast, portraying Lucifer (or Lucy) later in the first season.
After the last episode of the first season, Dalton signed a deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
to create a TV version of Mr. Deity for HBO. The deal also made the second season of the web series exclusive to Sony's comedy website, Crackle.com
Crackle
Crackle is a digital network and studio, featuring commercially supported streaming video content in Flash Video format. It is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, and its content consists primarily of Sony's library of films and television shows...
. The Sony deal eventually fell through, prompting Dalton to bring the series back to YouTube. In May 2009 a trailer parodying Frost/Nixon
Frost/Nixon
Frost/Nixon is a 2006 play by British screenwriter and dramatist Peter Morgan. Its subject is the series of televised interviews that former United States President Richard Nixon granted David Frost in 1977 about his administration, including his role in the Watergate scandal.-Performance...
using the cast of Mr. Deity was released, inaugurating the third season of the show.
Theological views
Mr. Deity often expresses annoyance with organized religion or human beings who claim to speak in his name, although he often treats this as an issue of improper attribution rather than a theological problem. In "Mr. Deity and the Book" and "Mr. Deity and the Book, Part Deux", he becomes very irate over being attributed as the author of the Bible, due to not being included in the editorial process.Mormons
Mormons
The Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, a religion started by Joseph Smith during the American Second Great Awakening. A vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a minority are members of other independent churches....
are specifically named in "Mr. Deity and the Book" as being a source of irritation to Mr. Deity due to their scriptural canonization of the idea that humans with dark skin were cursed by God
Curse of Ham
The Curse of Ham is a possible misnomer, for the Curse of Canaan. The curse refers to Noah cursing Ham's offspring Canaan, for Ham's own transgression against his father, according to Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. The debate regarding upon whom the curse fell has raged for at least two thousand...
to lose their whiteness due to wicked behavior. Notably, Dalton is himself a former Mormon.
Cast
- Mr. Deity, a.k.a. El, "El? Oh, him." (thus "ElohimElohimElohim is a grammatically singular or plural noun for "god" or "gods" in both modern and ancient Hebrew language. When used with singular verbs and adjectives elohim is usually singular, "god" or especially, the God. When used with plural verbs and adjectives elohim is usually plural, "gods" or...
"), Brian Keith Dalton: The creator. Has little interest in—or even full comprehension of—the lives of humans and admits creating humans "to pass the time, provide some entertainment" He proclaims he's not a "details guy", adding that "Lucy handles that" and generally takes the credit for Larry's ideas as well as delegating most tasks to him. He is in an on-again–off-again relationship with Lucy. His misunderstandings of humans, general confusion, self-absorption and pop-culture references are generally the basis of episodes.
- Larry, Jimbo Marshall: Mr. Deity's assistant. He often helps the Deity stay on task and reviews important details in the plan, clarifying his work, and recording that which is noteworthy; for instance, in putting together the Top Ten listTen CommandmentsThe Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
. Despite popular thinking, he is not a version of the Holy SpiritHoly SpiritHoly Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
.
- Jesus, Sean Douglas: Does Mr. Deity a "really big favor" by going to Earth, leading a sinless life, then being sacrificed in the original version of the script. In return he is made "full partner, 1/3 vote". However his own views are often at odds with the Deity's plan, either out of general confusion, misunderstanding, or moral objection. He contributed to the Top Ten list, tries to make sense out of the Deity's edicts, and attempts to get out of being crucified. In the first season Mr. Deity often forgets his name and has called him Jesse. Jesus also occasionally calls Mr. Deity "Dad". Notably, neither the Deity nor Jesus have a full grasp of the TrinityTrinityThe Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
.
- LuciferLuciferTraditionally, Lucifer is a name that in English generally refers to the devil or Satan before being cast from Heaven, although this is not the original meaning of the term. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer"...
or "Lucy", Amy Rohren: Was dumped by Mr. Deity prior to the show and was then appointed by him to run hellHellIn many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
At one point she hired NietzscheFriedrich NietzscheFriedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher, poet, composer and classical philologist...
to kill the DeityGod is dead"God is dead" is a widely-quoted statement by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. It first appears in The Gay Science , in sections 108 , 125 , and for a third time in section 343...
in retaliation for dumping her. When introduced she requested to have her mascot changed to a "bunny" instead of a snake, and they compromised on a goat. She and Mr. Deity have an on–off relationship. He uses her to facilitate his plan and inflict suffering on others for his amusement.
- Timmy Jarrett Lennon Kaufman: Technical adviser to Mr. Deity
Awards and recognition
On August 21, 2010 Dalton was honored with an award recognizing his contributions with Mr. Deity in the skeptical field, from The IIG during its 10th Anniversary Gala.Season 1
| Title | Topic | Original Airdate | # |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr. Deity and the Evil | After Mr. Deity creates the universe, Larry finds out what kinds of evil he'll allow. | December 27, 2006 | 1 |
| Mr. Deity and the Really Big Favor | Mr. Deity seeks help to save mankind while Larry oversees construction efforts. | December 29, 2006 | 2 |
| Mr. Deity and the Light | Mr. Deity and Larry have trouble with the lighting on their new world. | January 3, 2007 | 3 |
| Mr. Deity and the Messages | Mr. Deity explains prayer to Jesus while Larry gathers info on the evening's activities. | January 14, 2007 | 4 |
| Mr. Deity and Lucifer | Larry unforgivably forwards a call from Lucifer (or Lucy) to Mr. Deity's personal phone. All Hell breaks loose. | January 29, 2007 | 5 |
| Mr. Deity Super Bowl Extra: The Press Conf. | Mr. Deity holds a press conference on the eve of the Super Bowl Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather... in order to clear things up. |
February 2, 2007 | 6 |
| Mr. Deity and the Tour de Hell | Lucy takes Mr. Deity on a tour of Hell. | February 20, 2007 | 7 |
| Mr. Deity and the Top Ten | Jesus, Larry, and Mr. Deity struggle to come up with a Top Ten list. | March 7, 2007 | 8 |
| Mr. Deity and the Book | Mr. Deity is outraged by a billboard which presumes his authorship of a certain book. | March 26, 2007 | 9 |
| Mr. Deity and the Seed | Mr. Deity and Lucy work through a problem while Larry copes with the on-again/off-again nature of their relationship. | April 15, 2007 | 10 |
Season 2
| Title | Topic | Original Airdate | # |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr. Deity and the Intel | Mr. Deity, Lucy, and George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000.... discuss the finer points on the War On Terror. |
October 17, 2007 | 11 |
| Mr. Deity and the Meaning Game | Mr. Deity and Larry discuss the meaning and purpose of life. | November 3, 2007 | 12 |
| Mr. Deity and the Voicemail | A harmless prank phone call to Jesus gets Mr. Deity into a huge PR mess. | November 17, 2007 | 13 |
| Mr. Deity and the Notes | Jesus has a few script notes for Mr. Deity. | November 30, 2007 | 14 |
| Mr. Deity and the Really Cheap Meal | The group goes out for a heavenly night on the town. | December 14, 2007 | 15 |
| Mr. Deity and the Murder | Mr. Deity and Lucy play a little game with Cain and Abel. | January 9, 2008 | 16 |
| Mr. Deity and the Limbo | Mr. Deity gets rid of Limbo, the First Circle of Hell...not the game, and Lucy gets pissed. | January 23, 2008 | 17 |
| Mr. Deity and the Good | Mr. Deity and Larry discuss the finer points of religious fundamentalism and idealism. | February 8, 2008 | 18 |
| Mr. Deity and the Help Meet | Gender roles determined by Mr. Deity and Lucy. | February 22, 2008 | 19 |
| Mr Deity and the Dress Rehearsal | Mr. Deity experiences difficulty relaying his vision. | March 7, 2008 | 20 |
Season 3
| Title | Topic | Original Airdate | # |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr. Deity and the Virgin | Larry is stunned by Mr. Deity's callous response to a grave crisis. | June 8, 2009 | 21 |
| Mr. Deity and the Book, Part Deux | Mr. Deity is outraged with the ideologies associated with him by the Christians in the Bible. He and Larry conceive various ways to punish them. | June 23, 2009 | 22 |
| Mr. Deity and the Magic | Lucy explains to Mr. Deity the difference between magic and magic tricks. They then argue over the virtue of knowledge. | July 6, 2009 | 23 |
| Mr. Deity and the Scripts | Jesus wants Mr. Deity to pare down the four scripts into one coherent narrative that he can act. | August 3, 2009 | 24 |
| Mr. Deity and the Really Unique Gift | Lucy finds out what Mr. Deity is giving his chosen people. | August 10, 2009 | 25 |
| Mr. Deity and the Planes | Larry tries to get Mr. Deity to do something about the upcoming attack on New York City. | September 3, 2009 | 26 |
| Mr. Deity and the Skeptic | Skeptic Michael Shermer Michael Shermer Michael Brant Shermer is an American science writer, historian of science, founder of The Skeptics Society, and Editor in Chief of its magazine Skeptic, which is largely devoted to investigating pseudoscientific and supernatural claims. The Skeptics Society currently has over 55,000 members... pleads his case before Jesus and Mr. Deity. |
September 15, 2009 | 27 |
| Mr. Deity and Da Man | Mr. Deity and Larry prepare Adam for a wife. | September 28, 2009 | 28 |
| Mr. Deity and the Science Advisor | Mr. Deity is told by his science advisor PZ Myers PZ Myers Paul Zachary "PZ" Myers is an American biology professor at the University of Minnesota Morris and the author of the Pharyngula science blog. He is currently an associate professor of biology at UMM, works with zebrafish in the field of evolutionary developmental biology , and also cultivates an... that his design for the humans leaves something to be desired. |
October 12, 2009 | 29 |
| Mr. Deity and the Identity Crisis | Mr. Deity and Jesus try to figure out their relationship. | October 27, 2009 | 30 |
| Mr. Deity and Death | Mr. Deity has to deal with an angry Death, whose day goes from bad to worse. | November 10, 2009 | 31 |
| Mr. Deity and the Woman | Mr. Deity and Larry wake the Created Eve for her first look at the Garden. | November 23, 2009 | 32 |
| Mr. Deity and the Wrong Number | Attempting to show Larry his new "Speed Dial" app, Mr. Deity gets a wrong number. | December 16, 2009 | 33 |
| Mr. Deity and the Magic, Part Deux | Mr. Deity thinks he's finally proved the existence of other magical beings. | December 23, 2009 | 34 |
| Mr. Deity and the Hard Wire | The head of R&D explains the limitations of the human brain to Mr. Deity and Lucy. | January 11, 2010 | 35 |
| Mr. Deity and the Promised Land | Mr. Deity is questioned by Larry about his plans for the Promised Land. | January 24, 2010 | 36 |
| Mr. Deity and the Really Hard Time | Mr. Deity needs to find time to create time. | February 8, 2010 | 37 |
| Mr. Deity and the Baptist | Mr Deity and Larry in conversation with the head of John the Baptist. | February 22, 2010 | 38 |
| Mr. Deity and the Host | Jesus is eaten alive. | March 9, 2010 | 39 |
| Mr. Deity and the Equations | Mr. Deity frantically throws together his own version of science in an attempt to save his job. | March 23, 2010 | 40 |
| Mr. Deity and the Quitter | Jesus walks out on God's plan. | April 12, 2010 | 41 |
Season 4 (prequel)
| Title | Topic | Original Airdate | # |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr. Deity and the Void | It is explained how Mr. Deity, or El, came into existence. | June 28, 2010 | 42 |
| Mr. Deity and Larry | After leaving the void, Mr. Deity is welcomed to the Omniverse by Larry. | July 18, 2010 | 43 |
| Mr. Deity and the Psyche Exam | Mr. Deity submits to a psych exam. | August 2, 2010 | 44 |
| Mr. Deity and the Denial | Mr. Deity's request to become a creator god is denied, so he plans to go rogue. | August 23, 2010 | 45 |
| Mr. Deity on the Lamb | Mr. Deity needs a co-creator, and he thinks Jesus is the Son of Man for the job. | September 15, 2010 | 46 |
| Mr. Deity and the Casting Call | Mr. Deity looks for someone to play the role of Savior in his new universe. | November 1, 2010 | 47 |
| Mr. Deity and the Goodie Two-Shoes | Mr. Deity and Larry discuss the variable parameters of Free Will. | November 21, 2010 | 48 |
| Mr. Deity and the Barbecue | Mr. Deity's plans for a region of reprimand are discovered by John John the Baptist John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River... . |
December 14, 2010 | 49 |
| Mr. Deity and the Matter | Timmy tries to avoid telling Mr. Deity that they don't have enough matter to create a universe organically. | January 24, 2011 | 50 |
| Mr. Deity and the Showroom | Timmy introduces Mr. Deity to Dark Matter. | February 15, 2011 | 51 |
| Mr. Deity and the Signs | Mr. Deity is concerned that Larry has rigged the Universe in order to give people signs of His existence. | March 8, 2011 | 52 |
| Mr. Deity and the After Party | Mr. Deity and John John the Baptist John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River... go over the plans for the after party Afterlife The afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal... . |
March 28, 2011 | 53 |
| Mr. Deity and the Ghost Thing | Mr. Deity and Jesus brainstorm about their trio. | April 18, 2011 | 54 |
| Mr. Deity and the Magician | Mr. Deity seeks the help of a magician (Jamy Ian Swiss Jamy Ian Swiss Jamy Ian Swiss is an American close-up magician who works primarily with cards.-Career as a Magician:Jamy Ian Swiss is world renowned as a sleight of hand performer specializing in close-up card magic.... ) in order to launch his six-day creation model. |
May 9, 2011 | 55 |
| Mr. Deity and the Days | Mr. Deity chats with Larry, Timmy, and John John the Baptist John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River... about the six days of Creation. |
June 13, 2011 | 56 |
| Mr. Deity and the Opposition | Mr. Deity talks to Larry about Lucy becoming his "antagonist". | July 12, 2011 | 57 |
| Mr. Deity and the Believing Brain | Mr. Deity seeks help from Michael Shermer to make his creatures more gullible. | August 3, 2011 | 58 |
| Mr. Deity and the Philosopher | Mr. Deity is questioned by Christopher DiCarlo about what makes something "right". | August 25, 2011 | 59 |
| Mr. Deity and the Naughty Bits | The Deity crew finally find an intelligent life form to populate their universe. | October 17, 2011 | 60 |
| Mr. Deity and the Bang | Mr. Deity and his group finally set off the Big Bang Big Bang The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in... |
November 22, 2011 | 70 |
Reviews
- Review of Mr. Deity by Michael Joshua Rowin, 2008-01-01, retrieved 2010-04-19.
External links
- Official site
- Mr. Deity Wiki
- Mr. Deity at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Downloadable episodes at PodcastAlley
- Interview with Brian Keith Dalton on Mormon ExpressionMormon ExpressionMormon Expression is a weekly podcast created by John Larsen dealing with issues of Mormon faith, culture, doctrine and history. The podcast includes a mixed format of interviews and panel discussions...
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8oXyMeMsQU&feature=uploademailInterview by John Rael for the Independent Investigations GroupIndependent Investigations GroupThe Independent Investigations Group is a volunteer-based organization founded by James Underdown in January 2000 at the Center for Inquiry-West in Hollywood, California...
]