Lisa the Simpson
Encyclopedia
"Lisa the Simpson" is the seventeenth episode of the ninth season
of the animated television series The Simpsons
, which originally aired March 8, 1998. It was written by Ned Goldreyer
and directed by Susie Dietter
. This episode was also the final episode with Bill Oakley
and Josh Weinstein
as show runner
s. In this episode, Lisa fears that she may be genetically predisposed to lose her intelligence after being unable to solve a brain teaser. Meanwhile, Apu finds Jasper Beardley locked in one of his Kwik-E-Mart freezers and turns his convenience store into a freak show to get more money.
, which she is unable to solve. Following this incident, Lisa finds herself unable to perform simple tasks, such as remembering the combination for her locker
, her saxophone technique, and forgetting to complete a homework assignment (due to the fact that she stayed up late the previous night trying to complete the brain teaser). Later that day, Lisa tells Grampa
about her recent cognitive problems. He seems to recognize this, and tells Lisa about the "Simpson Gene
", which according to Abe causes all members of the Simpson family
to gradually lose their intelligence
as they get older. To prove his point, Grampa shows Lisa a photo of young Homer as a spelling bee champion, and a series of old report cards of Bart's which reveal that her brother was extremely intelligent when he was young, before slowly degrading into the ignorant hooligan he is today. Presented with such evidence, Lisa soon accepts her fate.
As a subplot
, Jasper visits the Kwik-E-Mart
and attempts to empty the freezer containing ice cream
in order to freeze himself
, with the intention of being defrosted sometime in the distant future. Apu
decides to take advantage of this unusual situation for financial gain by advertising the frozen Jasper as "Frostillicus" and re-branding the Kwik-E-Mart as the Freak-E-Mart. The convenience store becomes a tourist trap
and begins to generate a fair amount of money, until the freezer's cooling system fails, causing Jasper to defrost and walk away. Fearing that he will lose customers, Apu turns the Freak-E-Mart into a combination of a convenience store and a strip club
and re-renames his store to Nude-E-Mart.
After watching Bart
and Homer
eat candy they had hidden in the sofa
, Lisa imagines her future, which involves her being married to Ralph Wiggum, being morbidly obese, speaking in a white trash
Southern accent, and having many children. This frightens Lisa, causing her to appear 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, so he can prove that at least some of the family are intelligent. However, when they arrive, they are universally found to also be unsuccessful, unintelligent people, which only depresses Lisa further and causes Homer to send them home.
However, before they leave, Marge
reminds Homer that he did not talk to any of the women of his side of the family. Reluctantly, he talks to them at her request and he discovers that the women are all successful: a doctor
, an architect
, a lawyer
, and a sales coordinator of a large company specializing in bunk and trundle beds. When Lisa questions why it did not affect the women, Dr. Simpson reveals that the defective "Simpson Gene" only exists in the Y chromosome
, meaning that only the male members of the family are affected. She also mentions that the females on the other hand, are not affected by it at all because of their X chromosome
. As a result, she will be successful like them. Lisa is relieved that she is fine and she will not suffer the "Simpson Gene", because of her gender. It is also possible that Maggie will not either, even though Marge is smart, she is still a homemaker. However, Bart bemoans that he will be an unintelligent failure in life, like the males because he inherited the "Simpson Gene". However, Homer reassures him that he will be a spectacular failure. The episode ends with Lisa finally being able to solve the brain teaser she was unable to finish earlier in the episode.
This episode was the final episode that was run
by Bill Oakley
and Josh Weinstein
, as it was a carry over episode from season eight
. The episode was written by Ned Goldreyer
, and is one of the two episodes he has written on The Simpsons. The plot of the episode was similar to experiences that happened during Goldreyer's youth, where he was assumed to be a genius by some, but was really unintelligent. Susie Dietter
, one of the directors of the show, also left the show after this episode, but returned for one episode in season 18
, "Yokel Chords
".
As it was the final episode they ran, Oakley and Weinstein wanted to end on a good note, with Weinstein stating the episode, "was meant to embody the humor, depth, and emotions of The Simpsons." 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. The name of the episode was the center of an argument that Oakley and Weinstein had, as Oakley had originally wanted to have the episode named "Lisa the Simpson", although Weinstein wanted to name it "Suddenly Stupid", a pun on a show that had been airing at the time called Suddenly Susan
.
The Simpsons family members that showed up took some time to be made, but the staff enjoyed the results. All of the male Simpsons 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.
of 10.7, equivalent to approximately 10.4 million viewing households. It was the second highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following The X-Files
.
Todd Gilchrist named the episode as one of his favorites of the ninth season in his review of the DVD boxset, and 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."
Bill Oakley
and Josh Weinstein
greatly enjoyed the episode and thought of it as a great final episode that they ran
. Oakley believes the episode to be, "The best episode ever produced, or at least written."
The Simpsons (season 9)
The Simpsons ninth season originally aired between September 1997 and May 1998, beginning on Sunday, September 21, 1997 with "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson". The show runner for the ninth production season was Mike Scully...
of the animated television series The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, which originally aired March 8, 1998. It was written by Ned Goldreyer
Ned Goldreyer
Ned Goldreyer is a television writer, television producer and comedian who currently lives in Los Angeles.-Career:He began his career as a freelance writer for Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher and went on to join the staffs of Late Night with Conan O' Brien, The Simpsons, Dilbert, Grounded for...
and directed by Susie Dietter
Susie Dietter
Susan E. Dietter, usually credited as Susie Dietter, is an American director, known primarily for her work on television cartoons. She has directed episodes of the popular series Futurama, Baby Blues, The Simpsons, Recess and The Critic. She also worked as an animator for the modern-day Looney...
. This episode was also the final episode with Bill Oakley
Bill Oakley
Bill Oakley is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Oakley and Josh Weinstein became best friends and writing partners at high school; Oakley then attended Harvard University and was Vice President of the Harvard Lampoon...
and Josh Weinstein
Josh Weinstein
Josh Weinstein is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Weinstein and Bill Oakley became best friends and writing partners at St. Albans High School; Weinstein then attended Stanford University and was editor-in-chief of the...
as show runner
Show runner
Showrunner is a term of art originating in the United States and Canadian television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television seriesalthough such persons generally are credited as an executive producer...
s. In this episode, Lisa fears that she may be genetically predisposed to lose her intelligence after being unable to solve a brain teaser. Meanwhile, Apu finds Jasper Beardley locked in one of his Kwik-E-Mart freezers and turns his convenience store into a freak show to get more money.
Plot
At school, Lisa is presented with a brain teaserBrain teaser
A brain teaser is a form of puzzle that requires thought to solve. It often requires thinking in unconventional ways with given constraints in mind; sometimes it also involves lateral thinking. Logic puzzles and riddles are specific types of brain teasers....
, which she is unable to solve. Following this incident, Lisa finds herself unable to perform simple tasks, such as remembering the combination for her locker
Locker (cabinet)
A locker is a small, usually narrow storage compartment. They are commonly found in dedicated cabinets, very often in large numbers, in various public places such as locker rooms, work places, schools, transport centres, and the like...
, her saxophone technique, and forgetting to complete a homework assignment (due to the fact that she stayed up late the previous night trying to complete the brain teaser). Later that day, Lisa tells Grampa
Abraham Simpson
Abraham J. "Abe" Simpson, often known simply as Grampa, is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and he is also the patriarch of the Simpson family, the father of Homer Simpson, and the grandfather of Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Simpson...
about her recent cognitive problems. He seems to recognize this, and tells Lisa about the "Simpson Gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
", which according to Abe causes all members of the Simpson family
Simpson family
The Simpson family is a family of fictional characters featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. The Simpsons are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Homer and Marge and their three children Bart, Lisa and Maggie. They live at 742 Evergreen Terrace in the fictional town...
to gradually lose their intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
as they get older. To prove his point, Grampa shows Lisa a photo of young Homer as a spelling bee champion, and a series of old report cards of Bart's which reveal that her brother was extremely intelligent when he was young, before slowly degrading into the ignorant hooligan he is today. Presented with such evidence, Lisa soon accepts her fate.
As a subplot
Subplot
A subplot is a secondary plot strand that is a supporting side story for any story or the main plot. Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or in thematic significance...
, Jasper visits the Kwik-E-Mart
Kwik-E-Mart
The Kwik-E-Mart is a fictional chain of convenience stores in the animated television series The Simpsons. It is a parody of American convenience store chains, such as 7-Eleven and Circle K, and represents many myths and stereotypes of them. It is notorious for its high prices and the poor quality...
and attempts to empty the freezer containing ice cream
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
in order to freeze himself
Suspended animation
Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means. Extreme cold can be used to precipitate the slowing of an individual's functions; use...
, with the intention of being defrosted sometime in the distant future. Apu
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is a character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head". Apu is the proprietor of the Kwik-E-Mart, a popular convenience store in Springfield, and a friend of Homer Simpson. He is also...
decides to take advantage of this unusual situation for financial gain by advertising the frozen Jasper as "Frostillicus" and re-branding the Kwik-E-Mart as the Freak-E-Mart. The convenience store becomes a tourist trap
Tourist trap
A tourist trap is an establishment, or group of establishments, that has been created with the aim of attracting tourists and their money...
and begins to generate a fair amount of money, until the freezer's cooling system fails, causing Jasper to defrost and walk away. Fearing that he will lose customers, Apu turns the Freak-E-Mart into a combination of a convenience store and a strip club
Strip club
A strip club is an adult entertainment venue in which striptease or other erotic or exotic dance is regularly performed. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, but can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style....
and re-renames his store to Nude-E-Mart.
After watching Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
and Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
eat candy they had hidden in the sofa
Couch
A couch, also called a sofa, is an item of furniture designed to seat more than one person, and providing support for the back and arms. Typically, it will have an armrest on either side. In homes couches are normally found in the family room, living room, den or the lounge...
, Lisa imagines her future, which involves her being married to Ralph Wiggum, being morbidly obese, speaking in a white trash
White trash
White trash is an American English pejorative term referring to poor white people in the United States, suggesting lower social class and degraded living standards...
Southern accent, and having many children. This frightens Lisa, causing her to appear on the TV news program Smartline to tell the citizens of Springfield
Springfield (The Simpsons)
Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its...
to treasure their brains. As she does this, Homer decides to prove her wrong, and contacts the entire extended Simpson family
Simpson family
The Simpson family is a family of fictional characters featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. The Simpsons are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Homer and Marge and their three children Bart, Lisa and Maggie. They live at 742 Evergreen Terrace in the fictional town...
to visit, so he can prove that at least some of the family are intelligent. However, when they arrive, they are universally found to also be unsuccessful, unintelligent people, which only depresses Lisa further and causes Homer to send them home.
However, before they leave, Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
reminds Homer that he did not talk to any of the women of his side of the family. Reluctantly, he talks to them at her request and he discovers that the women are all successful: a doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, an architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, and a sales coordinator of a large company specializing in bunk and trundle beds. When Lisa questions why it did not affect the women, Dr. Simpson reveals that the defective "Simpson Gene" only exists in the Y chromosome
Y chromosome
The Y chromosome is one of the two sex-determining chromosomes in most mammals, including humans. In mammals, it contains the gene SRY, which triggers testis development if present. The human Y chromosome is composed of about 60 million base pairs...
, meaning that only the male members of the family are affected. She also mentions that the females on the other hand, are not affected by it at all because of their X chromosome
X chromosome
The X chromosome is one of the two sex-determining chromosomes in many animal species, including mammals and is common in both males and females. It is a part of the XY sex-determination system and X0 sex-determination system...
. As a result, she will be successful like them. Lisa is relieved that she is fine and she will not suffer the "Simpson Gene", because of her gender. It is also possible that Maggie will not either, even though Marge is smart, she is still a homemaker. However, Bart bemoans that he will be an unintelligent failure in life, like the males because he inherited the "Simpson Gene". However, Homer reassures him that he will be a spectacular failure. The episode ends with Lisa finally being able to solve the brain teaser she was unable to finish earlier in the episode.
Production
Show runner
Showrunner is a term of art originating in the United States and Canadian television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television seriesalthough such persons generally are credited as an executive producer...
by Bill Oakley
Bill Oakley
Bill Oakley is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Oakley and Josh Weinstein became best friends and writing partners at high school; Oakley then attended Harvard University and was Vice President of the Harvard Lampoon...
and Josh Weinstein
Josh Weinstein
Josh Weinstein is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Weinstein and Bill Oakley became best friends and writing partners at St. Albans High School; Weinstein then attended Stanford University and was editor-in-chief of the...
, as it was a carry over episode from season eight
The Simpsons (season 8)
The Simpsons eighth season originally aired between October 27, 1996 and May 18, 1997, beginning with "Treehouse of Horror VII". The show runners for the eighth production season were Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein. The aired season contained two episodes which were hold-over episodes from season...
. The episode was written by Ned Goldreyer
Ned Goldreyer
Ned Goldreyer is a television writer, television producer and comedian who currently lives in Los Angeles.-Career:He began his career as a freelance writer for Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher and went on to join the staffs of Late Night with Conan O' Brien, The Simpsons, Dilbert, Grounded for...
, and is one of the two episodes he has written on The Simpsons. The plot of the episode was similar to experiences that happened during Goldreyer's youth, where he was assumed to be a genius by some, but was really unintelligent. Susie Dietter
Susie Dietter
Susan E. Dietter, usually credited as Susie Dietter, is an American director, known primarily for her work on television cartoons. She has directed episodes of the popular series Futurama, Baby Blues, The Simpsons, Recess and The Critic. She also worked as an animator for the modern-day Looney...
, one of the directors of the show, also left the show after this episode, but returned for one episode in season 18
The Simpsons (season 18)
The Simpsons 18th season aired from September 10, 2006 to May 20, 2007. The season contained seven hold-over episodes from the season 17 production line. Al Jean served as the Showrunner, a position he has held since the thirteenth season....
, "Yokel Chords
Yokel Chords
"Yokel Chords" is the fourteenth episode of the eighteenth season of The Simpsons, which was originally broadcast on March 4, 2007. It was written by Michael Price, and directed by Susie Dietter. Guest starring Meg Ryan as Dr. Swanson, Peter Bogdanovich as a psychiatrist and Andy Dick, James...
".
As it was the final episode they ran, Oakley and Weinstein wanted to end on a good note, with Weinstein stating the episode, "was meant to embody the humor, depth, and emotions of The Simpsons." 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. The name of the episode was the center of an argument that Oakley and Weinstein had, as Oakley had originally wanted to have the episode named "Lisa the Simpson", although Weinstein wanted to name it "Suddenly Stupid", a pun on a show that had been airing at the time called Suddenly Susan
Suddenly Susan
Suddenly Susan is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC from 1996 to 2000. The show takes place at The Gate, a fictitious magazine which is based in San Francisco. Among the magazine's employees is Susan Keane , who always has been cared for by someone else...
.
The Simpsons family members that showed up took some time to be made, but the staff enjoyed the results. All of the male Simpsons family members that showed up were voiced by Dan Castellaneta
Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Noted for his long-running role as Homer Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, he voices many other characters on The Simpsons, including Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, Barney Gumble,...
, 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.
Reception
In its original broadcast, "Lisa the Simpson" finished 19th in ratings for the week of March 2-8, 1998, with a Nielsen ratingNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of 10.7, equivalent to approximately 10.4 million viewing households. It was the second highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
.
Todd Gilchrist named the episode as one of his favorites of the ninth season in his review of the DVD boxset, and 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."
Bill Oakley
Bill Oakley
Bill Oakley is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Oakley and Josh Weinstein became best friends and writing partners at high school; Oakley then attended Harvard University and was Vice President of the Harvard Lampoon...
and Josh Weinstein
Josh Weinstein
Josh Weinstein is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Weinstein and Bill Oakley became best friends and writing partners at St. Albans High School; Weinstein then attended Stanford University and was editor-in-chief of the...
greatly enjoyed the episode and thought of it as a great final episode that they ran
Show runner
Showrunner is a term of art originating in the United States and Canadian television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television seriesalthough such persons generally are credited as an executive producer...
. Oakley believes the episode to be, "The best episode ever produced, or at least written."
External links
- "Lisa the Simpson" at The Simpsons.com