Lisa's Pony
"Lisa's Pony" | |
---|---|
The Simpsons episode | |
Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 8 |
Directed by | Carlos Baeza |
Written by | Al Jean Mike Reiss |
Production code | 8F06 |
Original air date | November 7, 1991 |
Guest appearance | |
| |
Episode features | |
Couch gag | Homer gets on the couch first and lies down. The rest of the family arrive and sit on him. Homer flails his arms. |
Commentary | Matt Groening James L. Brooks Al Jean Dan Castellaneta Julie Kavner David Silverman Mike Reiss |
"Lisa's Pony" is the eighth episode of the
The episode was written by
Since airing, the episode has received positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a
Plot
Lisa needs a new saxophone reed for the school talent show. Homer agrees to buy her one but visits Moe's Tavern first. When he arrives at the music shop next door, it has closed for the night. Dejected, Homer returns to the bar, where he finds the shop's owner. Moe convinces him to re-open his store, but when Homer reaches the school with the new reed, Lisa has already butchered her performance. Humiliated and dejected, she ignores her father's attempts to appease her. While watching old family videos, Homer realizes how much he has neglected Lisa over the years.
After Homer's attempts to mend his relationship with Lisa fail, he buys her, using a loan through the power plant credit union, the one thing she has always wanted: a pony. Lisa wakes one morning – the pony is lying next to her in bed. She is delighted with her and names her Princess; she forgives her father. Homer is glad Lisa respects him again, but Marge is upset when he ignores her warning that they cannot afford the horse.
To pay for Princess' stabling, Homer moonlights at the Kwik-E-Mart, which exhausts him over time. Marge tells the children about the sacrifices their father is making but says that Lisa must decide for herself whether to part with Princess. After watching Bart take advantage of a sleep-deprived Homer at the Kwik-E-Mart, Lisa shares a heartbreaking goodbye with her pony. She tells Homer there is a "big dumb animal" she loves even more than Princess: her father. When Homer—who was lazy, stole from the Kwik-E-Mart, and was rude to the customers—quits his job, Apu admits that he was the "best damned employee a convenience store ever had".
Production
"Lisa's Pony" was written by
Carlos Baeza served as
The woman who sells the pony to Homer is based on actress
Cultural references
The beginning of the episode, in which Homer has a dream of himself as an ape, is a reference to the Dawn of Man sequence in the 1968 science fiction film
One of the children at the talent show performs the song "My Ding-a-Ling" by Chuck Berry. According to Jean, it was a "huge difficulty" to clear the rights for the song so it could be used on the show. John Boylan, who produced the album The Simpsons Sing the Blues, personally appealed to Berry to clear the song for them.[1] The lyrics to "My Ding-a-Ling", with their heavy innuendo, caused many radio stations to ban the song. This is parodied in the episode when Principal Skinner rushes the child off the stage before he is able to finish the first line of the refrain.[1][2] The man who owns the music shop Homer visits is based on actor Wally Cox.[2]
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "Lisa's Pony" finished 35th in the ratings for the week of November 4–10, 1991, with a
Since airing, the episode has received positive reviews from television critics. Niel Harvey of The Roanoke Times called the episode a "classic bit of Simpsonia,"[11] and The Baltimore Sun's Kevin Valkenburg named it one of the "truly classic" The Simpsons episodes.[12] The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, called the episode "good stuff" and praised the "nice flashbacks to Lisa as a baby".[13] Cinema Blend's Bryce Wilson called "Lisa's Pony" one of the best Lisa episodes, and added that the only words to describe it are "funny as hell".[14] Nate Meyers of Digitally Obsessed rated the episode a 5 (of 5), praising it for its references to The Godfather and 2001: A Space Odyssey which "film buffs will find uproarious". Meyers added that Homer's and Lisa's relationship is "the heart of the episode, showing Homer to be more than just a brute".[15]
The episode's reference to The Godfather was named the seventh greatest film reference in the history of the show by Total Film's Nathan Ditum.[16] The Star-Ledger named this episode's reference to 2001: A Space Odyssey one of their favorite references to Stanley Kubrick on The Simpsons.[5] The Guardian's David Eklid said episodes such as "Lisa's Pony" and "Stark Raving Dad" make season three "pretty much [the] best season of any television show, ever".[17] Molly Griffin of The Observer commented that "Lisa's Pony" is one of the third season's episodes that "make the show into the cultural force it is today".[18] Bill Gibron of DVD Verdict said "Lisa's Pony" is a "priceless part" of the show because of its "meshing of old storylines with new experiences, combined with some of the best jokes in the series". Gibron gave the episode a perfect score of 100.[19]
DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson, however, gave the episode a less positive review, commenting episodes "in which Homer has to redeem himself to others aren't a rarity, and 'Lisa's Pony' falls in the middle of that genre's pack. Homer's escapades at the Kwik-E-Mart definitely add life to the proceedings, and some of his other antics make the show good. I like 'Lisa's Pony' but don't consider it to offer a great program."[20] According to Greg Suarez of The Digital Bits, "Lisa's Pony" is considered a fan favorite.[21] In a list of the show's top 10 episodes, compiled by the webmaster of the fan site The Simpsons Archive and published by USA Today, this episode was listed in seventh place.[22] Paul Cantor, a professor of English at the University of Virginia, utilized "Lisa's Pony" as an example that The Simpsons does not promote negative morals and values, which some critics have criticized the show for.[23]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Jean, Al (2003). The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "Lisa's Pony" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b c d e f Reiss, Mike (2003). The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "Lisa's Pony" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Groening, Matt (2003). The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "Lisa's Pony" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b c Silverman, David (2003). The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "Lisa's Pony" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b "Readers point out more evidence of 'Simpsons'-Kubrick connection". The Star-Ledger. March 13, 1999. p. 43.
- OL 433519M..
- Press-Telegram. Associated Press. November 13, 1991. p. D5.
- Daily Herald. p. 7.
- ^ "Primetime Emmy Awards Advanced Search". Emmys.org. Archived from the original on April 3, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
- Daily News of Los Angeles. August 3, 1992. p. L20.
- ^ Harvey, Niel (September 4, 2003). "'The Simpsons' Is A Consistent Slam Dunk". The Roanoke Times. p. 8.
- ^ Valkenburg, Kevin (May 17, 2007). "In vote for hearts, neighs have it: Mr. Ed isn't alone in speaking to us". The Baltimore Sun.
- ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Lisa's Pony". BBC. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
- ^ Wilson, Bryce (June 18, 2004). "The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season - DVD". Cinema Blend. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
- ^ Meyers, Nate (June 23, 2004). "The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season". Digitally Obsessed. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
- ^ Ditum, Nathan (June 6, 2009). "The 50 Greatest Simpsons Movie References". Total Film. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
- ^ Eklid, David (April 29, 2008). "Notes & queries: Homer's oddities". The Guardian.
- ^ Griffin, Molly (January 21, 2004). "'Simpsons' DVD set delivers the goods". The Observer. University of Notre Dame. Archived from the original on August 10, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
- ^ Gibron, Bill (December 15, 2003). "The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on June 29, 2009. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
- ^ Jacobson, Colin (August 21, 2003). "The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season (1991)". DVD Movie Guide. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
- ^ Suarez, Greg (November 2, 2001). "Greg Suarez talks Simpsons with Al Jean". The Digital Bits. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
- ^ Paakkinen, Jouni (February 6, 2003). "10 fan favorites". USA Today. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ Warren, James (June 16, 2000). "Professor Hits A Homer For 'The Simpsons'". Chicago Tribune. p. 3.
External links