The Last Temptation (The Ren & Stimpy Show)

Plot

One morning, Stimpy cooks oatmeal for Ren, who grows impatient. Stimpy adds an "oatmeal lump" to finish the dish, and Ren swallows it whole. As Stimpy watches television with headphones on, Ren chokes on the lump and suffocates to death, unheard. In his dying moments, Ren recalls his time with Stimpy: Stimpy had been in his mother's womb, where an infantile Ren punched him away; the two later fought in an unknown war, where Stimpy needed to urinate and Ren forced him to use the only toilet, located on the enemy's side, resulting in soldiers shooting him.

Ren's soul leaves his body, stares disappointedly at Stimpy watching a sad and comedic television moment, and departs for purgatory. In purgatory, Ren visits the house of God and meets gardener Wilbur Cobb, who shows him weeds and a "cigar beetle" representing Ren's negative traits. Cobb urges Ren to correct his mistakes with a second chance and secretly lets him return to the living world. It is revealed that Mr. Pipe is God, who regrets hiring Wilbur for his incompetence but is unaware of his betrayal.

Stimpy continues watching television with Ren's corpse, dislodging the lump just before Ren's soul returns. Ren pledges to do good, burning his celebrity wigs. The next day, he returns $1 million he stole from Stimpy over two decades. Weeks later, Stimpy has spent all the money on lavish goods while Ren meditates, having "reformed" through Wilbur Cobb's grace.

Ren lives frugally, whipping himself and eating straws and rocks, while Stimpy eats a luxurious meal. Ren lectures Stimpy, who chokes on ham. Ren saves Stimpy, and Cobb rewards him by ensuring his survival without fear of returning to purgatory, but Stimpy's belongings are seized as evidence of Ren's goodwill. The duo cry for their loss, ending the episode and the series.

Production

"The Last Temptation" was produced with and intended to air on December 9, 1995 with "Reverend Jack", but Nickelodeon banned it for mocking religion. "Terminal Stimpy", a similar death-themed episode, took its spot. The episode aired on MTV on October 20, 1996, a year after the series wrapped production, making it an unofficial series finale, though it was merely a rerun; it eventually aired on Nickelodeon during reruns. As part of an effort to improve ratings after the controversy of Kricfalusi's sacking, Camp recruited comedian Jack Carter to voice Wilbur Cobb, a character first introduced in "Stimpy's Cartoon Show". Carter had fallen into hard times, and Camp felt sorry for him, giving him as many voice opportunities as possible to stabilize his life—a move criticized by crew members like Bill Wray for harming episode quality. This episode was Cobb's final appearance.