Loan-a Lisa
Encyclopedia
"Loan-a Lisa" is the second episode of The Simpsons
twenty-second season
. The episode aired October 3, 2010. It guest starred Mark Zuckerberg
, Chris Hansen
and Muhammad Yunus. In the episode, Lisa helps fund Nelson's bicycle company with money Grampa Simpson gives her as part of his inheritance, but after Nelson meets Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and is convinced he can be successful by dropping out of school, Lisa tries to convince Nelson to stay in school. Meanwhile, Homer gets addicted to buying expensive items and returning them.
The episode received positive reviews from critics. According to the Nielsen Media Research
receiving a 4.1/11 in the 18-49 demographic going up from the previous episode both in the demographic and in total viewers.
The episode was broadcast two days after the theatrical release of The Social Network
, a film based on Zuckerberg's founding of Facebook.
in a special entitled To Catch a Credit Whore
, forcing Homer to flee in shame (but not before signing a contract authorizing use of his image for TV).
Meanwhile, Lisa decides to donate her $50 to charity, but an online introduction to microfinance
and a video from Muhammad Yunus prompt her to use the money to support a local business instead. She gives Nelson Muntz a loan for his fledgling bicycle company, which rapidly begins to flourish. He decides to drop out of school in order to invest all his time in the business; Lisa is upset by the news, but Principal Skinner thinks it would pay nicely as a part-time job. At a meeting of entrepreneurs, Lisa tries to persuade Nelson to stay in school, but she fails after she discovers that the attendees all left college (including Mark Zuckerberg
, Bill Gates
, and Richard Branson
), and that the janitor is the only person present who did not drop out. Grampa comforts her, saying that money cannot change people, and she accepts Nelson's decision to drop out. The business soon fails due to Nelson's unknowing use of defective materials to build his bicycles, such as water-soluble glue. After the experience, he concludes that returning to school would not be a bad thing and gives the original $50 to Skinner, who sees it as a huge improvement over the school's shoestring budget. Though Lisa has lost her money, Nelson makes it up to her by taking her skating, during which they knock down Zuckerberg and several other people.
. Chris Hansen
is seen hosting To Catch a Credit Whore a parody of his previous show, To Catch a Predator
. The episode is the fourth to have a name similar to the Mona Lisa
Painting, the others being "Moaning Lisa
", "Moe'N'a Lisa
" and "Mona Leaves-a
".
, The Cleveland Show
, and American Dad!
.
Rowan Kaiser of "The A.V. Club
" said "spending time with The Simpsons tends to make me happy, and nothing about this episode was particularly terrible". He gave the episode a B- the second highest rated grade after American Dad!
s, "100 A.D.
" and beating The Cleveland Show
episode "Cleveland Live!
" and the Family Guy
episode, "Excellence in Broadcasting
". TV Squad's Brad Tachek gave the episode a positive review as well saying "Tonight's episode wasn't quite as good as last week and just about as preachy, but it was still a good example of what makes 'The Simpsons' great."
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...
twenty-second season
The Simpsons (season 22)
The Simpsons twenty-second season began airing on Fox on September 26, 2010 and ended on May 22, 2011. The Simpsons was renewed for at least two additional seasons during the twentieth season leading up to this season. The cast is currently signed through the 25th season. On November 11, 2010, the...
. The episode aired October 3, 2010. It guest starred Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is an American computer programmer and Internet entrepreneur. He is best known for co-creating the social networking site Facebook, of which he is chief executive and president...
, Chris Hansen
Chris Hansen
Christopher Edward "Chris" Hansen is an American television infotainment personality. He is known for his work on Dateline NBC, in particular the former segment known as To Catch a Predator, which revolved around catching potential Internet sex predators using a sting operation.-Career:Hansen...
and Muhammad Yunus. In the episode, Lisa helps fund Nelson's bicycle company with money Grampa Simpson gives her as part of his inheritance, but after Nelson meets Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and is convinced he can be successful by dropping out of school, Lisa tries to convince Nelson to stay in school. Meanwhile, Homer gets addicted to buying expensive items and returning them.
The episode received positive reviews from critics. According to the Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
receiving a 4.1/11 in the 18-49 demographic going up from the previous episode both in the demographic and in total viewers.
The episode was broadcast two days after the theatrical release of The Social Network
The Social Network
The Social Network is a 2010 American drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. Adapted from Ben Mezrich's 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires, the film portrays the founding of social networking website Facebook and the resulting lawsuits...
, a film based on Zuckerberg's founding of Facebook.
Plot
Grampa decides to give his family their inheritance now, rather than make them wait until after his death. Each person's share turns out to be $50, and they decide to spend it at Costington's. Bart pays Gil Gunderson to walk up the down escalator, while Marge picks out a purse but mis-reads its $500 price tag as $50. Pressure from other shoppers leads her to charge it to her credit card; though she cannot afford it, Homer suggests that she use it until the store's return period is about to expire, then take it back. During dinner at a fancy restaurant, Marge tries her best to keep the purse clean, but Homer ruins it by dropping shrimp sauce on it. She is still able to return the purse despite this damage, and Homer begins buying expensive items on credit and returning them in time for a refund. Homer is eventually caught doing so on camera by Chris HansenChris Hansen
Christopher Edward "Chris" Hansen is an American television infotainment personality. He is known for his work on Dateline NBC, in particular the former segment known as To Catch a Predator, which revolved around catching potential Internet sex predators using a sting operation.-Career:Hansen...
in a special entitled To Catch a Credit Whore
To Catch a Predator
To Catch a Predator is an American reality television series that features hidden camera investigations by the television newsmagazine program Dateline NBC. It is devoted to impersonating underage youth and detaining adults who contact them over the Internet for sexual liaisons...
, forcing Homer to flee in shame (but not before signing a contract authorizing use of his image for TV).
Meanwhile, Lisa decides to donate her $50 to charity, but an online introduction to microfinance
Microfinance
Microfinance is the provision of financial services to low-income clients or solidarity lending groups including consumers and the self-employed, who traditionally lack access to banking and related services....
and a video from Muhammad Yunus prompt her to use the money to support a local business instead. She gives Nelson Muntz a loan for his fledgling bicycle company, which rapidly begins to flourish. He decides to drop out of school in order to invest all his time in the business; Lisa is upset by the news, but Principal Skinner thinks it would pay nicely as a part-time job. At a meeting of entrepreneurs, Lisa tries to persuade Nelson to stay in school, but she fails after she discovers that the attendees all left college (including Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is an American computer programmer and Internet entrepreneur. He is best known for co-creating the social networking site Facebook, of which he is chief executive and president...
, Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
, and Richard Branson
Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, best known for his Virgin Group of more than 400 companies....
), and that the janitor is the only person present who did not drop out. Grampa comforts her, saying that money cannot change people, and she accepts Nelson's decision to drop out. The business soon fails due to Nelson's unknowing use of defective materials to build his bicycles, such as water-soluble glue. After the experience, he concludes that returning to school would not be a bad thing and gives the original $50 to Skinner, who sees it as a huge improvement over the school's shoestring budget. Though Lisa has lost her money, Nelson makes it up to her by taking her skating, during which they knock down Zuckerberg and several other people.
Cultural references
In the beginning of the episode, Bart and Lisa are watching an Itchy and Scratchy parody of UpUp (2009 film)
Up is a 2009 American computer-animated comedy-adventure film produced by Pixar, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and presented in Disney Digital 3-D. The film premiered on May 29, 2009 in North America and opened the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first animated and 3D film...
. Chris Hansen
Chris Hansen
Christopher Edward "Chris" Hansen is an American television infotainment personality. He is known for his work on Dateline NBC, in particular the former segment known as To Catch a Predator, which revolved around catching potential Internet sex predators using a sting operation.-Career:Hansen...
is seen hosting To Catch a Credit Whore a parody of his previous show, To Catch a Predator
To Catch a Predator
To Catch a Predator is an American reality television series that features hidden camera investigations by the television newsmagazine program Dateline NBC. It is devoted to impersonating underage youth and detaining adults who contact them over the Internet for sexual liaisons...
. The episode is the fourth to have a name similar to the Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa is a portrait by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is a painting in oil on a poplar panel, completed circa 1503–1519...
Painting, the others being "Moaning Lisa
Moaning Lisa
"Moaning Lisa" is the sixth episode of The Simpsons first season, and originally aired February 11, 1990. The episode was written by Al Jean and Mike Reiss, and was directed by Wes Archer. Ron Taylor guest stars in the episode as Bleeding Gums Murphy. The episode deals with Lisa's depression and...
", "Moe'N'a Lisa
Moe'N'a Lisa
"Moe'n'a Lisa" is the sixth episode of the The Simpsons eighteenth season, and first aired on November 19, 2006. Lisa aides Moe in discovering his inner-poet and he gains swift popularity and recognition from a group of successful American authors, when Lisa helps to get his poetry published...
" and "Mona Leaves-a
Mona Leaves-a
"Mona Leaves-a" is the nineteenth episode of The Simpsons nineteenth season, and was first broadcast on May 11, 2008. The episode features the death of Homer's mother, Mona Simpson. Homer is reunited with his mother, Mona, but isn't willing to forgive her for all the times she left him as a child...
".
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "Loan-a Lisa" was viewed by an estimated 8.63 million households receiving 4.2 rating/11% share in the 18-49 demographic going up 0.5 in the demographic. It was the most viewed show on Animation Domination in both viewers and 18-49 demographic, beating Family GuyFamily Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox in the United States...
, and American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
.
Rowan Kaiser of "The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
" said "spending time with The Simpsons tends to make me happy, and nothing about this episode was particularly terrible". He gave the episode a B- the second highest rated grade after American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
s, "100 A.D.
100 A.D.
100 A.D. is the first episode of the sixth season of American Dad! it first aired of October 3, 2010 on FOX. this episode is promoted as the 100th episode but actually is the 97th episode to be aired but is the 100th in production order...
" and beating The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox in the United States...
episode "Cleveland Live!
Cleveland Live!
"Cleveland Live!" is the second episode of the second season of the animated television series The Cleveland Show, airing on October 3, 2010 on Fox....
" and the Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
episode, "Excellence in Broadcasting
Excellence in Broadcasting
"Excellence in Broadcasting" is the second episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 3, 2010...
". TV Squad's Brad Tachek gave the episode a positive review as well saying "Tonight's episode wasn't quite as good as last week and just about as preachy, but it was still a good example of what makes 'The Simpsons' great."