Lisa on Ice
| "Lisa on Ice" | ||
|---|---|---|
Couch gag The Simpsons sit on the couch and get sprung into the ceiling, with only their legs and feet showing. | | |
| Commentary | Matt Groening David Mirkin Mike Scully Bob Anderson | |
"Lisa on Ice" is the eighth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It was the first broadcast on Fox in the United States on November 13, 1994.[2] In the episode, Lisa discovers that she possesses a skill for ice hockey. A rivalry between her and Bart ensues, as the siblings play for opposing teams.
The episode was written by
Plot
Later, the family watches Bart play hockey for his team, the Mighty Pigs, coached by Chief Wiggum. After the game, Bart ridicules Lisa for her lack of athletic skill and uses his hockey stick to pelt her with litter. Apu, the coach of the Kwik-E-Mart Gougers, witnesses Lisa deflecting the litter and throws a hockey puck at her without warning, which she catches. Apu makes Lisa the Gougers' goalie. Lisa excels as goalie and leads the team to its best season ever.
Homer begins alternately favoring Bart and Lisa depending on whose team is winning the most games. As a result, a sibling rivalry develops between Bart and Lisa. The rivalry peaks when the town learns that the Gougers will face the Mighty Pigs at their next match. Bart and Lisa's animosity towards each other enhances their athletic skill. With four seconds left, Bart is tripped by Jimbo, giving him a penalty shot against Lisa that will decide the outcome of the game. As they face off, Bart and Lisa remember the good times they had together when they were younger. Bart and Lisa discard their equipment and hug each other. The match ends in a tie, much to Marge's pride and Homer's distress. Dissatisfied with the outcome, the spectators riot and trash the arena.
Production
The idea for the episode came from The Simpsons writer Mike Scully,[3] who wanted to do an episode involving ice hockey because of his passion for the sport.[4] Bob Anderson, who also had a small interest in hockey, directed the episode.[3][5] To better familiarize himself with the sport, Anderson ordered a batch of VHS highlight tapes, watched the NHL playoffs for the first time, and made several trips to scout youth games, taking notes on how players looked stickhandling and shooting.[6]
In his original draft of the episode, Scully had written cameos for Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky, but, he explained, "they wound up falling out of the story, because we had such a good story with the family."[6] Gretzky eventually ended up appearing in the Season 28 episode "The Nightmare After Krustmas", becoming the first hockey player to guest-star on the show.[7]
The episode starts out with Lisa tricking Bart into believing it is a
Although there was an emphasis on detail for the show, one mistake Scully regrets is having the game clock running (and eventually expiring) on Bart’s penalty shot. The clock would be paused in a normal hockey game until the shot was taken.[6]
Cultural references
The episode features several references to
Reception
In its original broadcast, "Lisa on Ice" finished 34th in the ratings for the week of November 7 to November 13, 1994, with a
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. 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 it "a fabulous episode for Lisa and Bart, although with a special mention for a few seconds of tremendous Edna Krabappel wickedness".[3] DVD Verdict's Ryan Keefer said the episode "is one of the few episodes centered on Lisa that I enjoy watching", and gave it a B+ grade.[11] DVD Talk's Aaron Beierle said, "there are definitely some funny moments in this episode, the sweet-natured way that the episode ends never sat right with me".[12] ESPN.com named the episode the fifth best sports moment in the history of the show.[13] The Orlando Sentinel's Gregory Hardy listed it as the seventh-best episode of the show with a sports theme.[14]
TV Squad's Adam Finley gave the episode a positive review, commenting that it is "a skewering of parents who become too involved in their children's sports and turn what should be a lesson in teamwork, trying your hardest, and losing gracefully into a kind of Roman Coliseum where grown adults live out violent fantasies and their own failed ambitions through their children".[15] He added, "Homer is an absolute jerk in this episode, taunting his children when they lose and praising them when they win and humiliate their sibling" and "it's not just Homer. Marge, characteristically so, tries to remain diplomatic, but even she starts screaming for blood when Bart is tripped by an opposing player."[15]
References
- OL 433519M..
- ^ "Lisa on Ice". The Simpsons.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2008. Retrieved September 27, 2008.
- ^ a b c d Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Lisa on Ice". BBC. Archived from the original on April 8, 2008. Retrieved March 27, 2008.
- ^ a b c d Scully, Mike (2005). The Simpsons season 6 DVD commentary for the episode "Lisa on Ice" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Anderson, Bob (2005). The Simpsons season 6 DVD commentary for the episode "Lisa on Ice" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b c d e f Prewitt, Alex (November 12, 2019). "Lisa on Ice: Inside 'The Simpsons' Iconic Hockey Episode". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
- ^ "Wayne Gretzky lending his voice to 'The Simpsons'". Sports Illustrated. November 18, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
- ^ a b Mirkin, David (2005). The Simpsons season 6 DVD commentary for the episode "Lisa on Ice" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- Fast Company. Archived from the originalon April 13, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
- ^ a b "What we watch, what we don't...". Austin American-Statesman. November 20, 1994. p. 24. Retrieved on September 28, 2008.
- ^ Keefer, Ryan (August 29, 2005). "DVD Verdict Review - The Simpsons: The Complete Sixth Season". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on December 25, 2008. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
- ^ Beierle, Aaron. "DVD Talk Review: Simpsons: Season 6". DVD Talk. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
- ^ Collins, Greg (January 23, 2004). "The Simpsons Got Game". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on August 24, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ Hardy, Gregory (February 16, 2003). "Hitting 300 - For Sporting Comedy, 'The Simpsons' Always Score". Orlando Sentinel. p. C17.
- ^ a b Adam Finley (June 20, 2006). "The Simpsons: Lisa on Ice". HuffPostTV. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
External links
