Lisa the Simpson
"Lisa the Simpson" | ||
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Couch gag A vine grows in the middle of the living room. The Simpsons appear as fruits and vegetables.[1] | | |
Commentary | Bill Oakley Josh Weinstein Ned Goldreyer Susie Dietter | |
"Lisa the Simpson" is the seventeenth episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 8, 1998.[2] In the episode, Lisa fears that she may be genetically predisposed to lose her intelligence after Grampa tells her of a family gene that can permanently take away intelligence.
"Lisa the Simpson" was written by
It received generally positive reviews from critics, and is considered one of the best episodes of the ninth season.
Plot
At Springfield Elementary, Lisa is presented with a
Lisa tries to accept the inevitable by watching lowbrow television with Homer and Bart, but refuses to accept her fate after watching the two messily eating candy bars from a hidden stash minutes before dinner. After running away, Lisa appears on the TV news program Smartline to tell the citizens of Springfield to treasure their brains. As she does this, Homer decides to prove her wrong, and contacts the entire extended Simpson family to visit. However, when they arrive, Homer realizes they are also unsuccessful, unintelligent people, which only depresses Lisa further and causes Homer to send them home.
However, before they leave,
Meanwhile,
Production
This episode was the final episode for a number of crew members on the show. It was the last episode
As it was the final episode they ran, Oakley and Weinstein wanted to end on a good note, with Weinstein stating that the episode "was meant to embody the humor, depth, and emotions of The Simpsons".[4] They also wished to have an episode they ran that was based on the background of every character they could do, and believed that this episode came out well.[4] The name of the episode was the center of an argument that Oakley and Goldreyer had, as Oakley had originally wanted to have the episode named "Lisa the Simpson", although Goldreyer wanted to name it "Suddenly Stupid", a pun on a show that had been airing at the time called Suddenly Susan.[5]
The Simpsons' family members that showed up took some time to be made, but the staff enjoyed the results.[4] All of the male Simpson family members that showed up were voiced by Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer. He had asked for the recording tape to be run for about 20 minutes, so he could do many different voice variations that would fit the different men, but still be close to Homer's voice.[4]
Reception
In its original broadcast, "Lisa the Simpson" finished 19th in ratings for the week of March 2–8, 1998, with a
IGN's Todd Gilchrist named the episode as one of his favorites of the ninth season in his review of the DVD boxset.[7] The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, thought well of the episode, saying, "A terrific episode, with a good mix of pathos (Lisa's farewell to the Springsonian and her favourite jazz club are inspired) and fun (her Homeresque 'woo-hoo') which comes together to make a refreshing and exciting look at Lisa's life."[1]
References
- ^ a b Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Lisa the Simpson". BBC. Retrieved November 2, 2007.
- ^ ISBN 0-06-098763-4.
- ^ Dietter, Susie (2006). The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "Lisa the Simpson" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b c d Oakley, Bill (2006). The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "Lisa the Simpson" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b Goldreyer, Ned (2006). The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "Lisa the Simpson" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ "WB beats its own record". Rocky Mountain News. Associated Press. March 12, 1998. p. 9D.
- ^ Gilchrist, Todd (December 21, 2006). "The Simpsons - The Complete Ninth Season". IGN. Retrieved January 23, 2022.