B-TV: Forgiveness

Eugene blindfolds Bernard and leads him to the Odyssey city dump for a new episode of B-TV. Today’s subject is forgiveness, and Eugene believes the heaps of garbage form a perfect illustration, though he refuses to reveal the connection until Bernard guesses it. Bernard cannot imagine what forgiveness has to do with standing in smelly refuse, so they begin the program while he thinks.

Bernard’s main story takes place in Cozy Creek, where Parson Brown has invited Wally, the Big Bad Wolf, to church. Ralphie Pig is outraged because the wolf has destroyed his brothers’ houses and forced them to move in with him. Little Red Riding Hood fears another trick after Wally’s attack on her grandmother. Goldilocks, however, points to signs of change: since Old King Cole forgave him, Wally has performed kind acts and may even have become a vegetarian. Parson Brown argues that, if their king can forgive Wally, his subjects should consider doing the same.

An installment of Israel’s Most Wanted dramatizes Jesus’ story about an unforgiving servant. Bubba Servanti owes his king ten thousand talents, a sum he can never repay. When Bubba begs for patience, the king goes far beyond delaying payment and cancels the entire debt. Bubba leaves the palace celebrating, then immediately seizes a fellow servant who owes him only ten denarii. Although the man pleads with the same desperation Bubba has just shown, Bubba has him thrown into prison.

Connie reports on Forgiveness in Action at Kingsway Elementary. Billy pulls Verna’s ponytail, apologizes, and receives forgiveness - then repeats the same offense again and again. Verna rebukes him each time but forgives him seven times because Jesus teaches forgiveness whenever a wrongdoer sincerely returns in repentance. She also suspects Billy keeps bothering her because he likes her. When he denies it, she playfully hits him, apologizes, and reveals that she likes him too.

A commercial presents Forgiveness as laundry detergent that removes ketchup, juice, grease, and every other stain for free, followed by New Beginning fabric softener. Another feature explains that forgiving seventy times seven does not mean stopping at 490 offenses; the number represents forgiveness without a fixed limit. The Greek word presented for forgiveness also carries the idea of release from captivity.

Back in Cozy Creek, Red and Ralphie still fear that Wally’s change may be false. Ralphie declares that he will never forgive, even though his brick company profits from everyone’s fear of the wolf. Goldilocks admits that she once broke into the Three Bears’ home, ate their food, damaged their belongings, and escaped prosecution only because they forgave her. Everyone in the room has needed mercy, including Wally, who struggles to believe that the king can truly love him after all he has done.

Red reveals that Wally has sent a letter apologizing for frightening her and her grandmother, along with money for therapy and damaged clothing. She does not yet know whether to trust him, but she recognizes his effort to make amends. Wally has asked to apologize to Ralphie in person because a letter seems inadequate for the harm done to the pig family. Parson Brown has invited him to the chapel, and Goldilocks opens the door despite Ralphie’s protests.

Wally enters humbly, then suddenly bares his teeth and announces that he has everyone where he wants them. The frightened congregation assumes its worst suspicions are true. Instead, Wally turns on Ralphie and refuses to continue their secret arrangement. Ralphie owns a development company that has bought properties cheaply after Wally scares away the residents. He weakened his own brothers’ houses so Wally could blow them down, used fear to sell expensive brick buildings, and kept Wally obedient by threatening to take away his rented cave.

Wally has become unable to live with the deception. When Ralphie tried to force him back into the scheme, Wally agreed only long enough to expose him before witnesses. Palace guards arrest the unrepentant pig, who has wanted forgiveness for himself but never for anyone else. Wally asks each person he has harmed to forgive him. Parson Brown, Goldilocks, and even Red agree, and Red invites him to join them for food at Horner’s Café.

Meanwhile, Bubba is captured while disguised as a used-camel salesman beneath a Persian rug. The king asks why he has denied another servant the mercy he received. Bubba protests that he meant to repay the canceled debt and even offer a religious sacrifice. The king explains that he wants mercy, not sacrifice, and condemns Bubba to prison until the impossible debt is repaid. The report warns that people who receive forgiveness are responsible to forgive others from the heart.

A final advertisement offers to ship remembered sins as far as east is from west and keep sending them away whenever they return, illustrating the need to remind oneself that God has completely removed forgiven wrongdoing. Then Bernard closes the show and demands Eugene’s long-delayed explanation of the dump. Eugene says forgiveness is like throwing away dirty trash so it can be recycled into something new. Bernard observes that turning stained and broken things into something new describes redemption more accurately. Eugene has chosen an excellent setting for a different subject and dragged Bernard into the garbage for nothing. He apologizes, Bernard forgives him, and the mistaken metaphor supplies the theme for a future B-TV program.