Disclaimer: I do not own the Simpsons or it's characters.
Chapter 12, Lisa (season 3)
Ok, so normally when I do this evaluations, I just write it as is. But for the Stalker page I started for Invader Zim, I was worried that people would get confused. I thought people would read it, and think I was crazy for writing what I was writing. So I broke up the information by episode. Just like I do for the fun chapters on this page. And honestly it's 10 times easier to follow. So, I decided to switch to that system from now on. I know that these Stalker pages are for me, but there are a few people who check these out. And I will say thanks, because it's nice to have others check it out. So I'm sorry if you don't like it this way, but I find it easier and I'm not going back.
[Stark Raving Dad]
Ok, so the episode starts with Lisa trying to wake up Bart. Now, I know that Lisa and Bart can have a pretty complicated relationship, but holding his nose seems a bit juvenile for her. And she wants to know that he will get her something for her birthday. I'm not entirely sure why she needed this validation from her brother. Perhaps this was a sense of her still looking up to him? But what did she expect from him?
Ok, but it almost seemed like Lisa was more concerned with turning 8, then actually getting presents. And looking at her in this moment made me think that, perhaps she has realized that she is getting older and life is changing. Kinda like how the age 30 or 40 can frighten people. She is mentally older, so I suppose it is possible that she is worried about turning 10.
(By the way, I don't mind tv shows where the characters stay the same. But it drives me crazy that they never ever age. I would love it if they did this, they would make a decision to age the characters a little after so long. Like maybe every 10 seasons, everyone gets a year older? Something like that. It's nice to see developments in people and watching kids grow up, you know.)
Another thing. At the end of this episode, Bart wakes up Lisa at 6, so there is a good chance that she had a bad dream. Silly, I know, but listen. If she isn't normally awake at that time, and she felt the need to talk to Bart at that moment, and she was so grateful to Bart when he promised to get her something; then she probably had a dream about him not getting her anything for her birthday. What the actual dream was could depend on you (or me, or whoever writes it), because wouldn't her nightmare be an interesting little parody for one to make?
Lisa made a poem that talked about all of the animals she had that died. A pretty grim topic for a soon to be birthday girl. I suppose that this could be a supporting detail to Lisa worried about turning 10. Thinking that death is around the corner, waiting to take her like it took her pets. Normally pets do not have a long lifespan, so if they were 8, then that could be half a life (depending on the animal). And Lisa is smart enough to know that people can die at any age, and then she wouldn't know how long she had left. Very dark, but she could be struggling with this, if you believe that's what her poem indicated.
It is good that Lisa is reminding Bart that he promised to get her a present. This shows that she isn't naïve about her brother. She knows that he will probably forget and so he needs to be reminded.
(Sigh) I know... I know... Lisa is an outcast, at school and at home... but... ugh, the scene when she is singing to herself, I just... I hate when they show how alone she is. Independent and strong, sure, but the loneliness can be hard to see sometimes.
Lisa didn't have a very good birthday. She was alone, and the one thing she wanted was for Bart to get her a present and he didn't. Now I know that there is a good chance that Marge still made her a cake and gave Lisa gifts that she opened, offscreen. Which makes sense because Lisa was writing Bart a letter from the stationary she just got. So that means that she opened at least one present, but we didn't see it.
Um, I was a bit confused that Lisa was speaking as she was writing. I mean it is normal to read out a something you write to make sure that there are no mistakes in it, but I would think that Lisa was pretty good at that. Perhaps, if she wanted to make sure it was correct, she would speak out loud to make sure that she got it on the first try. Or, you know, she is doing this to put more emotion into what she was writing to make sure that Bart knew she was serious, or to make him feel bad, or both.
"Perhaps if a professional so advises I will give you a hug at some far distant family reunion" ok. First time I heard that, I actually thought the 'professional' would be a political adviser, because Lisa's future tends to be in the political field. But maybe this could also be a psychological professional to help fix the family bond. Either way, it does show that Lisa has a pretty good idea for what her future holds.
Although, Lisa does want to be a Jazz Musician, so that can be a bit confusing. Perhaps when Lisa said 'professional' she actually meant a manager or someone in charge of publicity.
Lisa is comfortable with people staring at her? Hm, this could show how she doesn't care what others think of her. But she is mad at Bart. I would think that she would want to close her curtains so that he couldn't see her. Maybe they did this to show that she was so upset at what happened, that she didn't care about anything anymore.
Hey, wait a minute. Lisa is always getting in trouble for playing her saxophone in the house. How on earth did she not hear Bart and 'Michael' on the piano? That doesn't make sense... hm... unless she made an area for her to be that blocks out the rest of the world. Like a soundproof room, or a panic room. I mean, unless she made one and like... put it in her closet... then I say that this is a stretch. But on the same hand, it would make sense for Lisa to have one and she simply didn't hear something because she was in there. I guess a random detail like this would depend on the writer.
Watching this episode, which I have countless times, I just noticed that Lisa hugged Bart. Which she vowed to only do in the future. It shows that she forgave him, and that's good. Um, I don't think she actually gave Bart her letter though. He spent the rest of his night with 'Michael' and she may not want 'Michael' to read such a personal letter.
[Mr. Lisa Goes To Washington]
Ok, I have been to Washington. I use to go up to the cherry blossom festival every year. I stopped going when our family moved out of Maryland though. But there is a lot of landmarks to see and I can see why Lisa would want to go. Also if Lisa does become president, then just image how much this visit meant to her. I suppose this episode would be a key episode for Lisa's personality in general.
Lisa is looking at a government book. Hey, is it possible that she was doing research on law for her paper. I normally thought that she had the books for inspiration, but maybe she hadn't read up on that stuff before. So maybe there is a chance that Lisa never would have become interested in politics if she had never done the essay contest to go to Washington.
Ok, listening to Marge talk to Lisa was kinda cute. Lisa almost seems amused at the fact that Marge feels out of date with Lisa's generation. Well, actually 'amused' isn't the best word, but the look on her face says 'my mom is so adorable'. Besides, Lisa took her advice, so that's good.
Now, we know that Lisa is smart, and that she can phrase things eloquently, but I did enjoy the fact that she wrote with so much emotion. I know several people who are completely Left-brained, and they often tell me how hard it is for them to write like that. Makes me wonder if this is a natural born talent, or if this was something she had to train herself to do.
Side-note: Lisa missed a point on Organization, if all things? The small piece that I heard seemed to be pretty organized, and it's hard to think that Lisa would have messed something like that up.
Sure, it's pretty obvious that first bedsies isn't real. Which is why Lisa pointed that out. But come on, she would have saved herself a lot of grief if, instead of pointing it out, she would have just let him pick a bed. Perhaps she was so distracted by her paper, and being in Washington, that she didn't think about his reaction before she spoke.
2:00am. Pretty late/early for many people. And Lisa should know that they are going sightseeing, heck she probably insisted upon it. But look at them, when they call Homer to wake him up. They are fully dressed. I don't know about you, but if I were asleep, and I wanted to get up at a certain time to call someone... I would stay in my pajamas. And I doubt that they woke up for the day, at 2:00am. If anything, I would bet that Lisa and Bart where up talking, and bonding, when they decided to do this. So you know what that means? That means that Lisa and Bart have multiple things to talk about in order to stay up so late. I imagine that Marge would have sent her children to bed at 9 or 10, which meant that they talked for 4-5 hours. That has got to consist of more than Itchy and Scratchy. Hm, maybe I should make a page about their relationship. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, ;).
I wonder if Lisa kept in touch with the other contestants. Perhaps she sent letters to Trong Van Dinh and Maria Dominguez. Wouldn't that be nice? She may be an outcast in her town, but she can have friends from all over the world.
-P.S. my favorite episode with Lisa making friends has got to be in season 6, and I'm just dying to get that far in the Stalker Page.-
In a later episode, I know that Lisa got lost just taking a bus to the museum in her local town. So it seems a little weird to me that Lisa could just go walking around Washington to all of these different memorials, and be ok. I know that the episodes don't revolve around her getting lost, but still, come on.
Also, it does seem a little odd that she just happened to have her speech on her. Was she going to read it to the statue? Or is she constantly editing it to make it better? If she was editing it, I guess that would make sense, but come on, it would be better for her to carry a notebook and jot down thoughts or ideas. Why? Because then the pages won't get wet, or dirty, or fly away. It is a little reckless.
The small cartoon of fat-cats and pigs was probably the best way to show the disgust that Lisa felt. But I wonder if Lisa kept those feelings in the back of her mind. Knowing that there were crooked politicians and businessmen, no matter the conditions, could have fueled her to get into politics professionally. If she couldn't stop the small stuff, she could help stop the big stuff.
You know, listening to Lisa read her essay, I wondered if she could benefit from doing a political blog of some sort. Mostly because she cut straight to the hard stuff right away, and gave her honest-to-God opinion. But also because it can get the attention of the people she will never meet.
Hm, I wonder why Lisa only apologized to her father. Homer and Marge were both talking to her, and Bart and Maggie were there; so why did she only apologize to her dad? Perhaps this could be a sign that Lisa recognizes the fact that Homer is not normally interested in what Lisa likes, but he loved her essay. Whereas Marge is normally on her side, and will be there every step of the way. But you could also say that Lisa did this, because of how much she loves her father. And she knows that he does things for her, even though they don't see eye-to-eye. She knows that he loves her, and Lisa loves that about him.
Lisa looks so embarrassed after she hears about the arrest of Bob Arnold. She threw a hissyfit and said unpleasant things. I wonder if this experience taught her to be, just a little more careful, with how she phrased herself. I know Lisa is very outspoken and such, but she doesn't want to have another embarrassing moment like this one. Although, I suppose it would have had a deeper impact if Trong hadn't stood up for her. Sweet, huh.
[When Flanders Failed]
How does one stumble across the word 'schadenfreude'? I imagine it is a word one finds when they read German text. So perhaps it is possible that Lisa can read German. If not, then perhaps there are a few German authors who use that word and Lisa read it that way.
Also, there is a highly good chance that Lisa knew that Bart's touch of death was fake. I say this because Lisa isn't an idiot. So perhaps there is a good chance that Lisa allowed Bart to take advantage of her, in order to benefit herself. Now I'm not sure if this was something she considered doing this before, letting Bart be the downfall of his own making, but it would be a good way for him to learn his lesson.
Of course if she did know that his move was fake, then that would mean that she sacrificed her brother in order to get her saxophone back. Which would explain why she wasn't surprised at him being beaten up/not fighting back. But that would also mean that she cared more about her saxophone then she does her brother. That, or she was angry at him, and wanted them to punish him.
[Bart The Murderer]
Lisa is eating "Jackie O's cereal", and I am pretty sure that this is the Jacqueline that was John F. Kennedy's wife. Which would be cool for Lisa, if she recently got into politics, and will one day be the president. Besides, I can't imagine Lisa is eating the cereal for the free stretch-pants.
You know, Lisa wasn't very nice to Bart in this episode. She instantly questioned his happiness, and she refused to hold the bus for him, and she accepted the fact that Bart couldn't go to the chocolate factory...? I mean, I just... Lisa. You even waved to Bart as the bus pulled away. That's kinda rude, but maybe she is still mad at him for shooting the piano player in the last episode? Maybe? Or she is mad at something that happened off screen? Either way, that seems to best explain why she did that.
[Homer Defined]
Er, I know this isn't specifically Lisa, but I understand why she would say ew to that card. She is eight years old, and I know that's a Krusty the Clown is a big celebrity in the show, but uh, that card is a bit more adult. I often wonder how he can get away with so much stuff/merchandise. I really need to create a list of products in the Simpson universe.
I'm willing to bet that Lisa knew that the 'Duck and Cover method' did nothing to protect people. In fact, I would say that Lisa would have talked to principal Skinner about this, and tried to talk him out of this precaution. But here you can see Lisa under her desk, like everyone else, and keeping quiet. Well, maybe she understood the fact that she could die, and doesn't want to scare her fellow classmates, more then they already were. They couldn't outrun the blast, and they wouldn't have a chance to survive, so... she just kept her mouth shut and let them hope.
Uh, did anyone else hear Lisa talking about role models? That means that she never saw her parents as role models before. Well, actually, Homer makes sense, but I would still think that Lisa would look up to Marge.
Remember the pilot episode? Lisa explained to her aunts that Homer is her father so that makes him a model of manhood. Which means that her future relationships are determined by the relationship she has with her dad. Anyways, Lisa should also recognize that Marge is her model of womanhood. And we tend to become our parents when we get old enough. If Lisa doesn't see her mother as a role model, then how does she expect others to respect her. I don't know, I think Marge is pretty cool. Slow to anger, understanding, giving, normally selfless, but she isn't afraid to fight for what she believes in. Lisa loves and I guess respects her mother, but Lisa should see her as a role model too.
And just because Homer got lucky, Lisa's attitude towards him completely changed. I mean, she knows that she is smarter then he is, and yet, she know looks at him without any faults? Perhaps this is how she sees all of her role models, but still nobody is perfect.
Again, Lisa is showing more interest in Homer. Writing a paper about him? I would have thought that she would have done this before. Probably not positively, but still. But Moe isn't as close with Lisa, as he is with Bart. And I would think that maybe that says that Moe and Homer stopped being close after Lisa's birth. He loves Bart, and he knows Lisa, but can be intimidated by Maggie. Moe isn't big on kids, but he loves Homer's. I haven't seen the episode, but I heard that Moe tried to kill himself by jumping out of an airplane, and ended up saving Maggie instead. Like I said, I don't know this episode, so maybe it's a fluke. But, hey, if Moe does jump out of a plane to save Maggie, then... well... Go Moe.
Plus, a side note, Moe was willing to give Lisa beer at the age of 8, so if she ever wanted to go in and do some illegal drinking, that could probably be her place. This could be a story detail if Lisa needed to go undercover, or perhaps she is acting out. Not sure who would use this, but there you go.
Not that it's incredibly flattering, but I think Lisa is kinda impressed at Homer getting in the dictionary. He actually added to the English language, heh. Besides, I wish that the show would say 'pulled a Homer' more often. It's a flashback to loyal fans.
[Like Father, Like Clown]
You think Krusty avoided going to the Simpsons for dinner because he didn't want to perform? He was surprised when Lisa told him it wasn't necessary. I guess most people want Krusty, not Herschel Krustofski.
It is a little surprising that Lisa suggested that Krusty say grace. She said that she wasn't a theologian, which was her way of saying she wasn't that religious. And I can't imagine her being ok with others saying grace, when she isn't a believer herself. But maybe she just wanted to her what Krusty would say, which makes sense.
Besides, if Lisa recognizes this as Hebrew, then it kinda helps the idea that she is bilingual.
I do love it when Bart and Lisa pair up for a common goal. Though sometimes I feel like Lisa lets Bart hold the reins more then he should. But maybe she knew that she needed Bart to feel like his voice was heard before she told him what to do.
Lisa mentioned a Rabbi Simon Ben-Eliazar. Part of me wonders if she knew him before this, or if she met him because of this. If she knew him beforehand, then how did they meet? And if she just met him, then how did she know to come to him? Either way, this is probably someone she can converse with, and who can help her, if needed.
Plus, even Lisa has her limits. She is not learning Ancient Hebrew. Also, I'm not Jewish, so can someone tell me if all Hebrew is ancient Hebrew, or is some ancient, and some is... Er, modern Hebrew? That doesn't sound right. My guess is that it's all ancient, but I'm not sure.
I do like that Lisa came along for this last encounter with the Rabbi, probably to show her support, but also because she has been stuck in the library and needs some time outside.
[Treehouse Of Horror 2]
I do kinda like the costume Lisa has on, that is her salute to the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. I am a bit worried that it is a bit too heavy for a little kid though. I hope she made it from cardboard. Though I doubt she would ever do a costume like this again.
Now, when I was little, we had a librarian who would tell us stories once a week. Since we went every day. Anyways, she told us the story of the Monkey's Paw, and I deeply enjoyed it. She told us a little of the story at a time, so when I moved away, I never got to hear the ending. I doubt that Springfield Elementary has a story time like that, but Lisa probably heard of that story the before that nightmare.
But because this is Lisa's nightmare; Every single aspect of the dream is an indicator of Lisa's thoughts and emotions. I mean perhaps she has been reading a book set in Marrakech, Morocco, and that's why the beginning of the dream is set there. Also her family would really be her interpretations of them, and how she sees them.
Perhaps that is why you have the performer who twists up their body and crawls away with his ears. And Bart says he could do that, but he doesn't want to.
If Lisa gets upset at Bart for doing whatever he wants and hardly getting in trouble, then perhaps in her dreams, she makes him a bit more humble and relatable. Not much. But maybe this could also be a way to show Bart that he can't do everything.
Ok, now for something a bit more complicated. Lisa is wearing a blue shirt that says 'I kissed the Balmoweloud'. This is partly a reference to Irish culture, with the kissing of the Blarney Stone. It's said that whoever kisses the stone gets luck. So the shirt could indicate some interest Lisa has in Irish culture. The problem is that, I looked up 'Balmoweloud' and other then this episode, the only thing I found was a wiki page on Bab Boujeloud (with other spellings of course). But it looks like this is a gate in this area. Well, it's a stretch but maybe that's the point.
They say that everyone in a dream is a reflection of one's self. So even though Lisa is dreaming about her family, they aren't actually her family. Weird, huh? So maybe their is a chance that Homer is her stubbornness, Bart is her rebelliousness, Marge is her kindness, and Maggie is her silenced voice. Because they are projections of the mind, that's how is could possibly be.
Ok, so I haven't been overseas, but I feel like the guns pointing at Homer is something of a symbolic nature. Say, if Homer is a projection of Lisa's stubbornness, then maybe the guns pointing at him are a warning to Lisa to stop being so hardheaded. Now, the thing is that I'm sure that Lisa sees dreams as a recall of information you had in your day, but dreams still have meaning.
Lisa wants peace on earth, and Bart wants X-ray specs. But remember in this scene, Bart is part of Lisa. Which kinda makes you wonder what Lisa would want to use X-ray specs for. Perhaps there is a person that Lisa is starting to like, in a crude-ish way? Or maybe this is symbolic for wanting to understand people more, and learning who they are on the inside. Or, is there a chance that there is a problem Lisa has that she wants to see through, but is having problems? Though if Bart is asking for the X-ray specs, then maybe this is Lisa's desire to want others to see and understand her better. The correct answer is most likely a combination of things, not that Lisa would ever take her dreams seriously.
You know, Homer said that the pants wearer would get the first wish, and Maggie picked up the paw. This could be an indicator of Lisa seeing Homer poorly. We have already established the reality of Lisa not seeing her parents as role models. Marge didn't get a wish, so maybe that's Lisa's way of showing that Marge has no power at all. But Maggie gets the first wish, and maybe that makes sense? Because is Lisa wants to go out, but Maggie is sick then no one will notice Lisa. So I'm Lisa's mind, she could see Maggie as the main influencer.
Maggie made a wish for a new pacifier. It was delivered by a man with a limo. This could be a wish of Lisa wanting the finer things in life. Even if it's the simplest of things.
Next Bart makes his wish, which could put him second in command. Which, he acts out so much, and he gets to do everything first, because he is older, he naturally gets more attention then Lisa. Heck, even in these Stalker pages, I have noticed that Bart gets much more screen time then Lisa does. Perhaps this subtle detail is normal with 'middle-kid-syndrome' because this means Lisa feels the other two get more power, aka attention, then she does.
Bart made a wish for the Simpsons to be rich and famous. Now I'm sure that Lisa would never wish for fame and fortune herself, or at least to admit it. But hey this is a dream. And it does make sense for Lisa to want more money in her pocket. Most of the things she wants tend to be more expensive, and in her fantasies she tends to lead more lavish lifestyles. She wants to be better off then her parents, but she also doesn't want to hurt their feelings. So why should she openly admit that she wants to be rich. As for the famous, she is a social outcast. It makes sense for her to want to be well known around the globe for her well-documented accomplishments. So she would want to be famous and have millions of people who love her and want to be her friend. But Bart didn't specify what they were famous for, and being complete sellouts could be a reminder to Lisa to stay the course and stay strong.
Ok, now Lisa hid behind the couch when she made her wish for world peace. Perhaps this is to show that if Lisa is to get what she wants she has to sneak around to get it. Or... maybe this is to show that she feels alone and isolated by her needs/wants/desires?
Anyways, this world peace wish probably shows how Lisa always wanted the world to be. But there will always be something that causes problems. And here's the thing, I am all for world peace. Part of me thinks that this singing and song stuff is a bit overboard. I think world peace would be better if you simply called it world respect. We are all very similar with a bit of differences. So maybe, if we learn to respect each other a little more, then we wouldn't need such aggressive methods of persuasion. And you know, many scientists believe that there are other creatures on different planets. So if we are ever gonna be able to defend the world, we really should learn to get along with each other. We could have an earth like the one in Futurama, which would be kinda cool. Even if that's set in the year 3000.
The aliens said that we were smarter then they were. So this could be a bit of Lisa's belief that she is the smartest person in, at least, Springfield.
And of course Lisa feels incredibly guilty for making everyone slaves. She didn't want that to happen, so perhaps this world domination is to help show Lisa that if you want something, you have to work towards it.
Oddly enough, when Flanders gets the Monkey Paw, he doesn't seem to get any consequences for his wishes. I suppose this could indicate that Lisa feels as if she either needs to be punished for something, or that she keeps getting torn down.
Then Lisa gets in bed with Bart, which could mean that she wanted the protection of her older brother. But it could also be a sign of her stubbornness. Lisa teased her mother for the thought that she would have nightmares, and if she ran straight into their room, it would instantly let her mother win.
Ok, I don't know if Lisa stayed awake when Bart woke up, and that's why she jumped into their parents bed. Or if she woke up and simply followed Bart so that she wouldn't be awake. Or if she woke up, was still scared and followed Bart. Or if she had another nightmare that Bart woke her up from. But surely she didn't think returning to her room was a good idea, or she would have. So she swallowed her pride and went to her parents.
[Lisa's Pony]
Lisa obviously has some trust issues with her father. Not that it's something unreasonable, but I would be worried that trust issues with Homer could possibly lead to her having 'daddy issues'... I hope that doesn't happen to Lisa, because the music store is next to Moe's and she knows Homer will want to go there.
Although, she saw her mother in the audience and started talking to her. If Lisa is paranoid like I am, then chances are she was watching those doors like a hawk. And if Marge is like my mother, she doesn't want to be late. And that's why Marge was probably there early, so here's the thing; They made it sound like Lisa wasn't the last performance, so surely the best student in school could have asked the principal to be pushed back a bit, right? Why didn't she do that? Is it possible that she was preserving her persuasion for a more noble cause? If that was her thought process, then that would mean that she made a sacrifice to help make her school and education better. And that sounds a lot like Lisa, huh?
And she is really disappointed in Homer. She is beyond disappointed, and watching her behavior, well, it doesn't really seem mad. I think Lisa reached that point where she gave up on her father and she simply can't expect anything better from him. But who can blame her? See that video from Lisa as a baby? Homer has been ignoring her since births and after 8 years of trying, the only thing she has to show for it is him embarrassing her in front of the whole school.
Homer tries to spend more quality time with Lisa, and if she were in a better mood, I'm sure that she would have appreciated her time with him. But she probably knows that Homer is being driven by his guilt from messing up, and not from a desire to know her better. You know, part of me wonders how Lisa would have been if she stayed mad at her father? Remember that episode 'Separate Vocations'? I feel as if she may have been more of a troublemaker like that, but with the lifeless attitude of a zombie. Sounds like an alternate timeline, huh?
Homer put the horse in Lisa's bed, which makes me wonder if Lisa has ever seen The Godfather. Also she must have been asleep when he did that, so that means that Lisa is a heavy sleeper. Otherwise she would have noticed when that pony got in the bed. I do like it when Lisa rode Princess into her parents bedroom. That is such a memorable moment, for most reasons.
We see Lisa riding a horse when she is spending time with her uncle Herb, but I am always surprised at how well she rides. It looks so professional, so it makes me wonder if she is a fast learner, or if she is a natural. Either way, you know that adult Lisa is gonna do whatever it takes to have a pony of her own. Heck, maybe Lisa will be a jockey and ride for a living. With her love for animals, and her competitive nature, it really would work well for her.
Lisa shows Homer more affection then she normally has, and I understand the fact that she is happy, but what if it's something more. Now maybe this is more personal, but I like to see gift giving as someone knowing what you would like based on the knowledge they have of you. So if Lisa has a similar mindset, then she will finally feel like her father truly sees her for who she is. That's cool, even if he is in over his head.
Lisa is so good with the horse. I can always respect people who are good with animals. Of course, maybe that's the Southerner in me...
Lisa knows that part of being an adult, is to make decisions. She must have known that there would be some hard decisions, but I'm not sure she thought about the emotional side of the coin. Life is unexpected in both pleasant and unpleasant ways with just as many emotional outcomes. She loves her pony so she was blinded, but seeing Homer so crushed by work, hurt her heart, and she knew what to do. She gave the pony back to the instructor. Then she rushes back to her father so that he can stop working immediately.
But, uh, I have a question. If Lisa returned the pony, wouldn't that mean the pony farm would have to give the Simpsons their half a million dollars back to them? Oh, god, what if Lisa kept it and hid it away for her college education. Or some other reason, which needs a lot of money, but I imagine Lisa would have saved that money for college. That could explain why she may not bring it forward to save her family from many things.
[Saturdays of Thunder]
You know, I'm not sure if I have thought about it before, but I guess Lisa really likes movies. Because when Homer asks 'what's the quickest, cheapest, easiest way to do something with you?' She chooses the video store. Technically wouldn't the library be cheaper then that? And I suppose that there is a chance that Lisa could have squeezed Homer into, say taking her to the mall, or the museum. Though maybe she didn't want to force Homer to do that because of all the work he put into keeping Lisa's horse, Princess, around. Hey, I just thought of something. If Lisa really does love movies, and Bart becomes a scary movie director, then they could work together and be great.
Ok, so Lisa does love 'The Happy Little Elves' But a small part of me cringed when she said 'Tinkly-Winkly Town.' I mean I love kid movies, and I'll watch the Carebears Movie multiple times in a day, but this was a bit too... much for me. I know that Lisa is 8, but she acts so grownup half the time.
Oh, and perhaps there is a detail here for you to remember. Homer telling Lisa to just grab something to watch. I know it's a bit thrown out there, but just hear me out. I'm sure that Lisa is responsible enough to get an age-appropriate film, but for all the M-rates folks out there, she could have picked an XXX film. She could have done it on purpose and watched it privately one night. Or, because this is Springfield, you could have a film that was mis-shelved and she grabbed it before she realized what it was.
Well, it's good to see that Lisa doesn't have the stereotypical fear of needles that so many children (and adults) have. As usual, it's very responsible for Lisa to schedule a tetanus booster. And I guess it makes sense for her to ask her felt her for a ride. Because after Bart tells Homer that he won't be riding 'lil lightning' anymore, there is a scene with Homer staring out the window. Pause it, and you can see the reflection. It's a little hard to tell, but you can make out Marge watering the outdoor plants. So that would be the reason Lisa asks Homer instead of Marge.
[Flaming Moe's]
Ok, so... Lisa gets to have a slumber party... uh... great... but it is a little weird too. I mean they love to make Lisa a social outcast and then, somehow, she now has 4 friends? Sure I recognize one as Janey, who we see off and on. The other three I don't know as much. I imagine that one of these girls suggested to play these sleepover games. Although I have never played that candle wax game. But Wanda went twice and she thought it was a mop and a dustpan. Honestly I thought they both looked like paintbrushes. We don't get to see Lisa with the candle, but if Wanda becomes closer to Lisa, then perhaps she will marry an artist instead of a janitor.
By the way, how would a 'virgin Moe' be made? It's alcohol and cough syrup. And I am pretty sure that Lisa isn't asking to have cough syrup instead of milk.
[Burns Verkaufen Der Kraftwerk]
Lisa has studied up on Germany, and I wish to know why. Perhaps it is possible that Germany is a place that she would like to visit one day, but it is also possible that Lisa studied up on Germany when she learned about the Nazi's. Which is probably how most Americans start. Well, unless they have family history that goes back to German roots. Which would be interesting if you think about it. Can't you imagine Lisa having her family go to their country of origin? Although I am sure that the Simpsons would go to Germany eventually. I mean, off the top of my head, I know Bart goes to France, the Simpsons go to Australia, and the Simpsons go to Japan. I'm confident that they will make their way to Germany.
Also, um... I guess Lisa doesn't have a future in the salon business. I just don't know what happened. Well, obviously they are trying to save money, and I can assume that includes the hairspray Marge normally uses. But wouldn't it be better to style the hair down, instead of this... uh... check mark? Bunny ears? Whatever. At least she did have some real money saving techniques to help her parents out.
[I Married Marge]
It is a little funny how before, Lisa was so excited about hearing the story of how Homer proposed to Marge, and now that Homer is telling her the story, she suddenly has no interest. And even if Lisa is right about the short attention span thing, she should have known that Homer would have gotten defensive when she insulted the T.V. Ok, well, it is a little hard to tell what Lisa heard of the story because she kept running away. We do see her getting emotion, and that is understandable. She can be a very emotional girl after all.
[Radio Bart]
You know, we really don't get to see Lisa dancing much, but she is pretty good. I know there is an episode where she did ballet, so I'm not the first person to notice this.
Anyways, Homer gives her $110 then his whole wallet. So what did Lisa buy Bart for his birthday, and what did she do with the extra cash?
Ok, now we learn that Lisa is a bit obsessed with Cory, but she must really trust Janey for Lisa to tell her the dream she had.
Like everyone else in Springfield, Lisa is fooled by Bart's impression of Timmy O'Toole until Santa's Little Helper started played with the microphone. She was angry at him, of course, and she did paint a picture of the town's emotions. She really will be a wonderful writer one day. Even if she has doubts about the police in her town, she does know her brother is still a creature of habit. But you know, even though she was mad at him, she still loved her brother; and she was defensive when she heard the jump rope rhyme her 'friends' were playing.
[Lisa the Greek]
Personally I didn't get into football until my senior year, but I just love watching Lisa get into it. Though Lisa isn't really the sporty type, which is probably why the episode starts with Lisa trying to show Homer the apartment she made for her Malibu Stacy doll.
The relationship between Homer and his kids kind of flip-flops. So even though Lisa knows that Homer loves her ('Lisa's Pony'), she still feels disconnected with him. But she learns all about football so that she can bond with Homer. Although with this first game you can tell how robotic her responses are.
Homer says that the Bible says that gambling is ok, so this is another indicator that Lisa is not a Buddhist yet.
I think my favorite thing about this episode is that you get to see how well Lisa can read people. She knew that one football player was bluffing, and she is smart about the external influences. But I think that she really started to like football. Which is why it took her two different Sundays watching games before she decided to study up on it.
You know, um, it is nice for Homer to treat his family, but don't you think Lisa would have stopped him from spending so much money on simple pleasures? Doesn't is seem more reasonable for Lisa to ask her father to save the money for something important? Granted Homer probably would have lost the money anyways, but it seems a little odd that she isn't even putting up a fight.
Oh, and we get to learn that Lisa's favorite song is 'the broken neck blues'. I was hoping this was a real song, or one that was a parody of a real song, but it looks like this is a Simpsons original. But this is a detail that we should all try to remember. After all, wouldn't it be cool if Lisa got married (to Jimbo) and the first dance was the broken neck blues?
And here is the thing, she seems to enjoy watching football, but her class essay still shows that it isn't her whole life. She is incredibly angry at Homer for not wanting to spend time with her outside of watching football/gambling.
Now Lisa is worried about her future. She knows that she is good at gambling, so she worries that she will be addicted to gambling when she is an old lady. Not to mention that she worries about future failed relationships, and, well, just throwing her life away.
I did think it was nice that Lisa chose to give away the accessories instead of reselling them. Although, I was surprised at how many kids just dropped everything to get that stuff. But that also means that her whole neighborhood has got to know who she is. I mean, just following a voice in the sky isn't much of a direction you know.
Aw, Lisa is kinda ticklish. Lisa does have a point, you know. She hasn't been wrong about the winners yet, but there is every reason to believe that her judgment has been clouded. But it did get through to Homer. Normally when she plays her saxophone, Homer yells at her to stop, but here it makes him feel guilty.
She is so happy when Washington wins because that means that she loves Homer. Though she suspected that she did all along. It looks like Lisa and Homer continued Daddy Daughter Day, or at least for a little bit. I say that because in a later episode I know that Homer spends quality time with Bart and Lisa once a month.
[Homer Alone]
So I guess the Simpson family all eat bologna sandwiches for lunch. If Bart likes Extra mustard I suppose that means that Lisa's sandwich has some mustard. Lisa also likes light mayo, no crust, and no pimentos. You know, I bet Lisa did need her permission slip signed, but I wish she could have waited to voice her opinion until after her mother had the chance to, you know, breathe. Even when Marge asks her family to speak one at a time, why did Lisa continue this overlapping speech. You'd think that she would have listened right away.
Also, you would think that she would have rushed into the bus. I mean, it's not like she waited for Bart in 'Bart the Murderer' and it appears that she is all ready to go.
You know, Bart and Lisa don't agree on a lot, but when they do, they can defeat any obstacle. Here, Bart and Lisa are gonna stay with Patty and Selma, and they clearly don't want to go. It seems like Bart and Lisa have an unspoken understanding that they need to support each other, and try to spend as little time with their aunts as possible.
Also why would Lisa see Patty and Selma naked? I mean, I guess there is a chance that she made that up to scare Bart, but she seemed pretty serious. Still, why?
Ok, Lisa does have a small mischievous side to her. I bet she wishes that she could be more impulsive and 'naughty' as Bart. But she is a good kid, therefore she probably feels compelled to act that way.
You know, I guess Bart and Lisa must feel like their dad can protect them, even if it is just a little. At least that would explain why they always run to Homer whenever they are around Patty and Selma.
[Bart the Lover]
Lisa finds Sparkle to be very beautiful. Part of that could be because Sparkle is a bit alternative, and yet still 'safe' or familiar enough for Lisa. Hm, I wonder how Lisa would feel about dying her hair. Perhaps it is a private wish that she would never admit.
Lisa teased Bart a little when he asks for her help, and I think that's pretty natural. Though I do question Lisa's choices for Bart. I suppose this is because she doesn't know what 'type' of girl Bart would go for. Honestly I think Bart gets paired up with lots of different characters because there is more to him then meets the eye; perhaps Lisa sees it too. Which is why she is more then willing to help Bart with dumping Edna kindly.
[Homer at Bat]
Lisa praises Homer for his home run, but part of me believes the reason she offered to get Homer a beer, is because Bart offered first. She can be pretty competitive even with mundane things. She still stands up for her dad when Burns puts Strawberry in the game. And it's not like she is aware of the fact that she is hurting Darryl's feelings because he is a professional. At least she understands baseball, probably from all of the games she went to with the plant in the past.
[Separate Vocations]
This episode got to be in my top ten favorite Lisa episodes. I mean you get to see a completely new side of Lisa (and Bart) and you get to see how much Bart loves his sister.
First thing Lisa does, is get really excited with taking a test. I bet she does this as a simple way of supporting the teacher and/or the curriculum. Er, though she is kind of addicted to getting A's, so that may have something to do with it too.
You know the questions we heard seemed pretty, well, obvious. I mean lawyer bird? Seriously? I wonder how many of the questions Lisa was actually honest about. I mean take question 60 for example. 'I prefer the smell of: A) gasoline B) French fries C) bank customers'. Lisa put down bank customers. And if I was taking that test, I probably would have put that down to; even though I truly love it when a guy smells like gasoline. (Oh, it also appears that Lisa, like Bart, also chose to be a lawyer bird). But what if Lisa's test told her that she should be a homemaker because she chose the answers she thought was correct instead of the answers she thought was true. That is very possible. And you know her test wasn't messed because hers was before Bart's. If it was after, I would be more willing to accept the machine messing it up.
I know that Lisa isn't excited about being a homemaker, but with her caring heart, I always felt that she could be a wonderful stay at home mother. Although I bet she would still want to live out her dream of being a Jazz musician. Call me crazy, but I think people can be home makers and something else.
Anyways, Lisa talks about being a Jazz musician that electrifies the French, she'll avoid drug abuse, have several love affairs and hasn't decided if she is gonna die young or not. It's clear that she has thought about this a lot, but she has got to know how unpredictable life can be.
Lisa becomes crushed when the instructor tells her she can never become a Jazz musician because of her fingers. Oh, man, if there is two things you shouldn't mess with, it's a kids hero(s) and their dreams. And that's the straw that broke the camel's back. She stopped being kind, and going to band practice, helping her friends, and I think it's safe to say that Lisa stopped doing her homework.
You know Lisa told those girls to eggthe puma statue, but... what if she helped them do this? It could be an interesting detail for a writer to use, if they wanted. It's not like she really cared about getting in trouble.
I guess she became really good friends with these two bad girls. I wonder if she could continue to be there friend after she returned to normal? I mean maybe she would only be a study friend, but these girls weren't always bad, and there is no reason to think that they will always be bad. Maybe Lisa could be the reason they turn their lives around.
Remember how Lisa said that she would avoid the horrors of drug abuse? That's probably what she was thinking of when she was offered a cigarette. Now, I highly doubt that she actually smoked during class, I think the only reason she accepted it was to not insult her new bad-girl friends. I mean, I guess if you wanted to write a short scene with Lisa smoking in class, that's fine because she said that she would do it. But it's hard to imagine Marge brushing over something like that.
Ok, so Lisa carves a... would this count as a skull and crossbones? I mean, it has her hair, but still. Anyways the school, often, is low on funds. So there is a very good chance that carving would technically be there forever on Lisa's desk. Granted I know that you don't see it later, but if you wanted to have it in your story you could always say that she simply covered it up with a book or paper. Perhaps that sounds silly, but it wouldn't be the first time the show used that technique. Perfect example is when we discovered that Homer has a crayon shoved in his brain.
I'm pretty sure Lisa knew the answer to that 'old hickory' question, because Lisa knows basically everything. She just doesn't care anymore. But she gets in trouble, and it does put her in a position to pull off the worst thing she could have done to that school. Um, I guess she was cleaning the erasers during lunch or recess, because it had to be in the middle of school day, and while all of the classes were empty. Otherwise Mrs. Krabappel wouldn't have said 'for the rest of the day'.
Now Bart took the blame for Lisa, and I'm sure that she deeply appreciate this. Not only that but Bart gives her the encouragement needed to get her out of her slump.
[Dog of Death]
Lisa says that she is going to give her share of the prize money to the poor. Which is great. But I do think that Lisa would actually want a more proactive role. Like to build a homeless shelter, for example.
Obviously, as an animal lover, and one who is alone more, hearing that Santa's Little Helper was dead, probably would have affected her more than the others. Which is why she got noticeably mad at her grandpa for lying to her.
When Homer starts talking about Doggie Heaven, you can see that Lisa is upset when she says the word 'checkers'. That's probably because she understands that her parents don't want to pay for the operation for Santa's Little Helper. That or she got mad Homer for not knowing the name of a presidential dog.
Perhaps this Encyclopedia Generica is where Lisa gets so many of the facts that we hear her say. I think it would make sense because she has a wealth of knowledge in many different subjects.
Everyone is happy that Santa's Little Helper is ok, though it is hard for the Simpsons to appreciate him when they had to sacrifice so much. I mean some how Lisa found a torn up biography on Copernicus at the bus station m, and she kept it. I mean, wouldn't the library have encyclopedia's? Is it really that important for her to have her own copy of it?
Why would Lisa ask Maggie to close the gate? Was she so tired that she just wasn't thinking correctly? Or was it possible that Lisa knows how smart Maggie is, and that she could have closed the gate if she wanted to.
Lisa was man at Santa's Little Helper, but she still loves him. You can see that when she helps her family to find him. Looks like Lisa is brave enough to go door to door asking her fellow Springfieldians if they have seen him. I'm surprised Marge would have been ok with that. When I was little I use to sell Girl Scouts cookies door to door, but I still had one parent by my side and another in the car. But Lisa wonders the city alone? Well, at least they do get their dog back, and everything goes back to normal.
[Colonel Homer]
Lisa wants to see 'Honey, I hit a school bus'. Which I bet is a parody of 'Honey, I shrunk the kids', but the title makes it sound more like a drama. Whatever, Bart must have bought the tickets for Space Mutants 6. Clearly Lisa isn't interested in the violence of it. Covering her eyes and trusting Bart to tell her when the scary part was over.
Whose idea was it to give Homer a stress ball for Christmas? Sure he has some anger issues, but I wouldn't say Homer is normally stressed out.
Lisa loves Lurleen's song. I know Country isn't Jazz, but I like to think they both have a lot of emotion and soul. Therefore it makes a lot of sense for Lisa to like Country music too. Maybe Lisa could write Jazz and Country music, or even mix the two. I bet she'd be good at that.
Lisa played a little saxophone at the recording studio. I think it would be cool if Lisa got a small paycheck or her name in the 'credits'. I mean the Simpson children did help pack her records up. Lisa wrote the actual autographs, though that's probably because she has the best handwriting. Now that I think about it, it could be better than Lurleen's because Lurleen never went to school, so maybe she didn't learn how to write. Or she learned when she was older, and hasn't made it all nice and pretty.
Homer spends a lot of his time with Lurleen, and if Marge got the kids to be waiting around in their Sunday best, then maybe they missed having Homer around. Not that they would ever admit it.
[Black Widower]
To be honest, I wasn't sure what Lisa imagined when Patty tells the family that there is something disturbing about Selma's new boyfriend. But apparently this is a reference to Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man. A man who was born with a congenital disorder, but has a kind soul. Sounds like a kind of Beauty and the Beast story to me, but based on a true events. I bet Lisa would love that story is it is the first thing she thought of.
You know, Sideshow Bob talks about Buddha, and actually, I think this is the first time the show has mentioned Buddha. What is Sideshow Bob planted the seed of Buddhism for Lisa. Wouldn't that be interesting?
Looks like Lisa supports the 'revolving door prison system'. Now I think most people who have a basic understanding of the show, know that Sideshow Bob spends most of his time in jail, so he obviously isn't to be trusted. But remember this is the first time they released him. They don't know that Sideshow Bob would grow a deep hatred for Bart Simpson and then try to kill him every change he got.
Lisa is very jealous at the fact that Maggie got to be the flower girl instead of her. If she knew that Selma would get married multiple times, she probably wouldn't be so disappointed.
Ah, Lisa is dancing with her grandfather.
[The Otto Show]
Lisa tries jamming with Bart, but if you look at her, she seems to be having fun with the fact that she is a better musician.
The bus got their own private concert from Otto. Lisa is just as excited as everyone else to sit around listening to music. Until Martin spoils it all. You know, I guess that means that Lisa a musician before she is an honor student.
She is the one to tell Seymour that he should be a bit more aggressive when driving the bus. He probably drove every day Otto was gone and you can see that it took him forever to drive the kids home. I wonder what the kids told their folks.
Do you think Lisa asked for that bedtime story? Or that Otto volunteered to do so? Because if she asked, then that means that she had some sort of trust with Otto. Which I think makes sense because in 'Bart the General' she did make an extra cupcake for Otto. But if Otto volunteered, Lisa probably would have agreed because she doesn't get a lot of bedtime stories anymore. Although he did scare her pretty badly.
[Bart's Friend Falls in Love]
Bart tells us how Lisa has a wide selection of comics, so she is interested in lots of different stories. Including a copy of Doomed Romance #74. I guess Lisa has a guilty pleasure for dramatic romances.
Lisa does get worried about her father because she knows that he is overweight, and she doesn't want him to die. She even goes so far as to imagine what his funeral would be like. At first I was a bit confused at Maggie still sucking her binkie, but when you think about it, it makes sense. I've got younger siblings and it is always hard to imagine what they will look like when they are older. Although I do think Lisa went a little far by pretending to get crushed to death. Perhaps this is a symbolic picture of Homer's weight impacting the rest of the family. So she knows that Homer would need some help in losing weight, but she makes it her mission to save him.
Eternity Magazine, put that in your notes people. Lisa has probably subscribed to that magazine, and it seems to have all of the up to date science information Lisa knows. But she convinces Homer to use subliminal learning to lose weight. Which he is excited about because he will get thin without trying. I guess it is nice that Lisa seems to have gained more respect for Dr. Marvin Monroe. Remember 'There's no Disgrace like Home' she was so appalled by the idea of going to him because he advertised on a boxing channel.
You'd think that with Homer using such advanced speech, that they would have taken a second look at that tape and realize that he wasn't listening to a weight loss tape. Now, I understood everything Homer said in this episode, but a lot of it was the context in which he used it. But Lisa probably knew all the words he was saying. So if you wanted a quick list of words to have to make your Lisa sound pretty smart, I say watch this episode and take your pick.
Reading this Eternity Magazine again, Lisa says that 'in another million years' man will develop a fifth finger. Which is kind of funny since they are kinda pointing out a cartoony aspect of their show. But it does bring the question of, well, maybe the Simpsons are in another timeline to us. It could be a past and we are the products of a million years of changes, or if you want something a bit more complicated, maybe we destroy the earth or get exposed to extreme radiation, and life starts over, but our skin is yellow and we have four fingers. So it would probably make sense for our natural genetics to want to go back to it's original state and get back our fifth finger.
At least Lisa gets Bart to confess to Milhouse. Which is good because they really do need each other, especially in this confusing time in their lives.
[Brother, Can You Spare a Dime]
Living room Olympic's? Lisa your age is showing. Especially since she probably participated somewhere, but we didn't see it. But she lied to Homer instead of ratting out Bart, she even pretended to get emotional. Which is crazy because she can cry on command, and she could have played that a bit better.
And it looks like Lisa participated in Hands Across America when she was younger. She appears to be wearing a green dress with a orange/red undershirt. It's pretty, but I'm guessing that's what Marge bought for Lisa before she came into her own.
Lisa is so happy to see Herb, and it's so cute when Herb hugs Bart and Lisa. But Lisa is still hurt that Herb didn't make more of an effort to stay in touch.
Lisa is descriptive and competitive here playing monopoly.
Lisa wants to in The Great Books of Weatern Civilization. Which sends you a novel a week. This is perfect for Lisa since she loves reading. Speaking of which Lisa has another magazine called New Republic for Kids. It's probably safe to say that you can put this magazine next to Eternity magazine, so make a note of it. But Lisa is so happy that Herb listened to her and got her signed up for that collection. And when the episode ends, you can clearly see that she has already started her new copy of Ethan Frome.
Well, I hope that you all liked this new set up. It's a nice way to break up the information a bit. Well, if you stick around, the next chapter is going to be a fun one. I think I will do another shipping segment, but between Principal Skinner and Groundskeeper Willie.