Lisa Gets an "A" Written by Ian Maxtone-Graham Directed by Bob Anderson ============================================================================== Production code: AABF03 Original Airdate on FOX: 22-Nov-1998 Capsule revision B (3-Mar-2002) ============================================================================== > "TV Guide" Synopsis ============================================================================== (Canadian) Brainiac Lisa feels she isn't worthy of the A she receives in school. {hl} (United States) Springfield Elementary earns a grant, thanks to Lisa's latest A -- a grade acquired by cheating. Meanwhile, Homer plans to fatten up a lobster, but becomes emotionally attached. {af} ============================================================================== > Title sequence ============================================================================== Blackboard: I WILL NOT SCREAM / FOR ICE CREAM Couch: Hair dryers go over OFF's heads. They go up and each has another's hairstyle: Homer has Lisa's, Marge has Bart's, Bart has Lisa's, Lisa has Bart's, and Maggie has Marge's. Maggie tips over from weight of her new 'do. {hl} ============================================================================== > Did You Notice... ============================================================================== ... Bart has a Sony Playstation (or clone thereof)? ... Nelson has a "Salesman of the Month" plaque in his "office"? ... Kirk shoots Luann a nasty look when Atkins mentions cheating on one's spouse? ... the grant check is for $250,000? Brad Bizzolt: ... Homer can do math in his head when he's on the scale? Don Del Grande: ... Lisa's never read "The Wind in the Willows"? ... all of the uncaught cheaters' grades were counted in determining whether or not the school gets its grant? ... an elementary school is getting an expensive scoreboard - and paying cash for it? (See below) ... the check was for $250,000, marked "Department of the State Treasurer", and signed "Comptroller Atkins"? ... Fat Tony is in the audience at the ceremony (behind Helen)? Yuri Dieujuste: ... OFF has cable? ... lobsters are mammals according to Homer? ... this is the second episode. in which some member of OFF gets in trouble with video games? Jordan Eisenberg: ... this is the first episode this season w/o Kent Brockman? ... the scene where Marge drops Lisa off at school is particularly sloppy? It looks more like something out of South Park! ... apparently, Willie's already had some bad luck with a plunger (the one on the floor next to him is snapped in half)? ... for once, Homer puts his heart ahead of his stomach? ... Homer and Marge wear the same lobster bib? ... the last animation Skinner punched into the scoreboard was appropriate, seeing as how Lisa dropped the proverbial bomb mentioning Superintendent Chalmers? ... Bart's studious doppelganger makes an encore appearance sitting behind Martin later on in the episode? Alex Foley: ... Martin Prince's dad at church? ... Ralph sticks a pencil up his nose during a test? ... when Pinchy becomes a free-range lobster, the fish are gone? ... Pinchy eats the food Homer gave him for dinner? Curtis Gibby: ... when Martin answers "delicious," Bart's still got his latex creation in the classroom, reading from a 3-ring binder? Joe Green: ... the "Employees Must Wash Hands" sign in Nelson's stall? ... the irony of Mr. Toad using an Aussie accent? ... Lisa doesn't seem upset about Homer wanting to eat a lobster? [See "Comments" section for more] ... Bart's Lisa dummy was less realistic than his dummy of himself? John Jensen: ... Homer refers to the Lobster as a "Helpless little mammal" when it is not a mammal? Darrel Jones: ... the seaweed in Lisa's educational show looks like cornstalks? ... Alison is seen taking the test? ... Nelson's "desk" in the boy's room is a box of paper towels? ... the grant check is for $250,000.00? Joe Klemm: ... the brown Itchy in Lisa's room ... Mrs. Lovejoy faints during the test run of the grant acceptance? ["The real joke was that she STOOD UP to faint," says Andrew Levine] Haynes Lee: ... Ralph's Coleco computer looks like a PET? Tyler McHenry: ... that Nelson found some way to keep the toilet tank from filling (otherwise all of his papers would be wet!)? ... that Ralph appears right after Lisa says "I hope I don't run into that dwarf (gnome?) again!"? ... that Miss Hoover expected the whole class (even the stupid kids) to read and be ready for a test on "The Wind in the Willows" in 2 days? ... that Marge hangs all of Lisa's papers in a stack rather than all over the fridge? ... that The scoreboard control has about eight buttons, but Skinner STILL can't figure it all out? Brian Rawson-Ketchum: ... at least Homer knows a lobster isn't a fish? [Well, I suppose that's something -- Ed.] Jeremy Reaban: ... Homer normally weighs 239, so if he and the lobster weigh 300, then the lobster must weigh 61 lbs.? ... "Bolonium" or "Bolognium" (Bo) apparently replaces Molybdenum (Mo, element #26) in the periodic table from Oscar Meyer? [See "Comments" section for more] Mark Aaron Richey: ... Ralph turns his head when Lisa says he brought her the book? ... Bart is playing with a yo-you in the hall? ... Nelson's rolodex is a roll of toilet paper? ... SES's mascot is still a puma? Benjamin Robinson: ... Ralph drew a picture of the sun, himself, and Lisa on the book? (I guess he's still carrying a torch for her.) ... Marge praises Lisa's eight years of "scrupulous honesty" right before Lisa does something less than scrupulous? ... Marge uses a horseshoe magnet to clamp Lisa's paper to the fridge? ... the photo of a football player (probably of Skinner) on Skinner's wall when Lisa confesses to cheating? ... at least the chemical abbreviations on the Oscar Meyer periodical chart look accurate? ... they remembered to give the real comptroller a different voice? Nice touch. ... Bart's facility with latex dummies comes in handy later in the episode? Samuel Sklaroff: ... the game controllers are shaped like Playstation controllers, but they're too dark in color? ... This episode takes place in April, judging by the calendar? ... Nelson's picture has "Salesman of the Month" written under it? ... Pyro sits between Luann and Kirk Van Houten? Aaron Veenstra: ... that tonight was the third straight episode with a full opening? [This eventually would become standard operating procedure for the new season -- Ed.] ============================================================================== > Voice Credits ============================================================================== - Starring - Dan Castellaneta (Homer, President, Groundskeeper Willie) - Julie Kavner (Marge) - Nancy Cartwright (Bart, Gavin, Ralph, Nelson) - Yeardley Smith (Lisa) - Hank Azaria (Moe, PFK, Chalmers) - Harry Shearer (Rev. Lovejoy, Clerk, "Dash Dingo" Narrator/Mr. Toad, Skinner, Otto, Gil [?], True Atkins) - Special Guest Voice - Marcia Wallace (Krabappel) - Also Starring - Pamela Hayden (Milhouse) - Tress MacNeille (Mother, Saleswoman) - Maggie Roswell (Hoover) - Russi Taylor (Martin) - Karl Wiedergott (False Atkins) ============================================================================== > Movie (and other) references ============================================================================== + Childhood chant: "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream" {jk} - Bart's blackboard gag related to this + Edie Gorme {bjr} - one half of the "Steve & Edie" singing duo; the owner of "Eatie Gourmet's" must be a fan + Alpha-Bits cereal - Alfalfa-Bits a healthy and funny alternative + Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream - "Ken & Harry's" spoofs this popular brand of ice cream + Milli Vanilli - "singing" duo immortalized as "Milli Vanilla" + Jerry Garcia {bjr} - former member of the Grateful Dead becomes "Cherry Garcia" (This is an actual flavor of Ben & Jerry's, by the way) + Sonny Bono {bjr} - singer and Congressman is now "Honey Bono" + Desmond Tutti {ddg} - South African human-rights activist Bishop Desmond Tutu + Andy Warhol {bjr} - artist and gadfly becomes "Candy Warhol" + Xavier Cugat {dj} - bandleader becomes "Xavier Nougat" + Herbert Hoover - ex-President immortalized as "Sherbet Hoover" + "Jaws" {brk} - the seaweed shark special had similar theme and mood + Crash Bandicoot, video game - Dash Dingo inspired by this Playstation favorite - [{mar} adds, "While Crash is from Australia, the game isn't quite as Down Under obsessed as Dash is."] - [See "Comment" section for much more detail] - Sonic the Hedgehog, video game {dj} - Dash Dingo - crystals seem similar to Sonic's rings + "Crocodile Dundee" {jg2} - Dash Dingo's narrator looks like him + "Cry in the Dark" - movie about baby-eating dingoes + "Rock N' Roll High School" {jg2} - Nelson runs an office in a bathroom stall, just like a character in this movie - "Happy Days" {dt} - a character on this show (Fonzie) also called a bathroom his office ~ "Trainspotting" (movie) {le} - Willy fishes around in a broken toilet, as fellow Scotsman Ewan McGregor does (and then some) in the film - "A Christmas Story" {jg2} - Lisa getting an A+++ is reminiscent of Ralphie's fantasy - "Garfield" {al} - Kodak commercial {cr} - someone buys a lobster to eat, feels sorry for it, and sets it free + "Lady Chatterly's Lover" - Nelson's "Lady Cheater-ly" taunt spoofs this novel's title character - "Alice's Adventures Through the Looking Glass" {tr} - Homer eating Pinchy was similar to "The Walrus and the Carpenter" story Tweedledee told Alice - "Get A Life" {pt} - scene of Homer eating Pinchy reminiscent of Chris Elliot and his landlord eating Spewey the Alien ============================================================================== > Previous episode references ============================================================================== - Grade/Failure/Cheating References {hl} - [7F03] Bart gets an F - [7F14] Bart's dog gets An F. Tries to cheat by getting answers from Milhouse - [8F15] Bart and Lisa take Career Aptitude Normalizing Test (CANT). Lisa rebels by stealing all the teacher's editions - [8F24] Bart forges his grades to get to Kamp Krusty - [8F24] Lisa gets only a B+ for conduct - [9F16] Homer must take remedial science to graduate from high school - [1F02] Homer takes Physics 101. Uses computer to change failed grade - [2F05] Lisa's gets an F in gym - [2F19] Teachers have a strike. Lisa has a fit over not having anyone to grade her - [3F04] Mrs. Krabappel says "the more poorly you do on this test the more funding this school gets so don't knock yourself out." - [3F13] Lisa gets an F for her revisionist paper on Jebediah - Previous Lobster Dishes {hl} - [7G01] Homer selects a lifeless lobster at restaurant - [9F04] THOH tombstone: Lobster "Eaten by Mistake" - [9F20] Homer attacked by lobsters he's trying to cook - [2F21] Homer eats Hans' last meal of lobster tail - [4F03] Moe tells Homer that boxers eat steak and lobster and salad bar all in a single meal - [4F15] Narrator says "Wasting no time, Rex Banner tore into the bootleggers like a chippy tearing into a lobster." - [4F19] Marge prepares lobster for Frank Grimes - [4F20] Wiggum attacked by lobsters he's trying to cook - [5F12] Moe orders lobster stuffed with tacos - Crustaceans in the Simpsons {ck} - [7G01] Homer chooses a dead lobster for his dinner with Marge - [7G10] Shrimp and crab featured among other seafood at the Rusty Barnacle - [7F04] Serak the Preparer makes a mean shrimp platter - [8F01] Bart has crab salad in the Watergate - [8F13] Lobster featured in Heimlich Maneuver chart - [8F18] Miss Maine is dressed as a lobster in the Miss American Girl Pageant - [9F04] Pet lobster "Eaten by Mistake" in Springfield Pet Cemetery - [9F06] "That man ate all our shrimp and two plastic lobsters!" - [9F20] Homer has trouble cooking lobsters - [1F10] Homer can be bought off with 10 pounds of (not quite) frozen shrimp - [1F11] Just the "same old tired gag", a lobster pinching Bumblebee Guy's tail - [1F15] Bill and Marty discuss turning Skinner into "some kind of a lobster-like creature" - [1F18] Crab attacks Principal Skinner's ear - [2F03] Burns mistakes the Simpsons for Sea Monkeys and watches them "cavort and caper" - [2F06] "There'll be no accusations, just friendly crustaceans under the sea!", while Homer eats several such friendly creatures - [2F12] Krusty welcomes his "noble family of skilled Krustaceans" from Klown Kollege - [2F21] A lobster tail is part of Hans Moleman's last meal - [3F04] Patty and Selma bring shells filled with dead hermit crabs from Sulfur Bay - [3F10] Otto's quest for the lobster harmonica ("Come on, Lobstey!") - [3F22] Lisa gets a "gift from my favorite crustacean" and a hermit crab uses Homer's beer can as a shell - [4F01] Nelson is a lobster trap thief - [4F03] Moe tells Homer how boxers eat steak, lobster, and salad bar all in one meal - [4F05] Shrimp served again, this time consumed by Larry Burns - [4F15] Lobster mentioned by 20s style narrator - [4F17] There's got to be a lot of crustaceans caught in the "Burns Omni- Net" - [4F19] Several lobsters are eaten - [4F20] Chief Wiggum, P.I. is pinched by one of the crayfish he is eating - [5F12] Tacos'n'Lobster: Together at Last! - [7G01] A lobster appears {ss} - [7G02] Someone cheats on test and gets in over their head {mr} - [7F03], [7F14] Episodes where characters get letter grades in the title {brk} - [7F12] A Simpson has shop class {je} - [7F14] Lisa stays home from school sick {mr} - [7F14] Mmmm ... free samples! {je} - [7F19] Lisa yells "cheated" just like she yells "baboon" {je} - [8F05], [3F19] Someone has an unusual rolodex {je} - [8F15] Lisa goes into the "wrong" bathroom {je} - [8F15] School nickname revealed to be the Pumas {bjr} - [8F16], [2F22] Bart the yo-yo king {je} - [9F01], [4F18] OFF can't wait to leave church {je} - [9F02], [1F14], [5F10] Another Simpson wears Marge's hair {je} - [9F04], [2F31], [3G03] Oscar Meyer mentioned {je} - [9F14] Someone hides something in the back of a toilet seat {je} - [9F20] A slightly warped take on tetherball {je} - [9F20], [4F19] lobster for Dinner {af} - [1F02] Periodic table mentioned {je} - [1F17], [5F20] Allison appears {mr} - [1F17] Lisa can't take credit for something done by dishonest means) {ddg} - [2F05] Lisa earns an F {ol} - [2F13] Marge thinks Bart is fishing out a clog with his bare hands {je} - [2F13] Australia and baby-eating dingos {hl} - [2F15], [2F19] Springfield Elementary's in a run-down state {ad} - [2F16] Springfield Elementary becomes financially stable {je} - [3F07] Gavin, the bratty kid, and his permissive mom appear - [3F07] In-depth videogame references {je} - [3G03] A Simpson is seen with another Simpson's usual hairstyle {dj} - [4F01] Nelson helps Lisa cheat on something {ol} - [4F04] Chase, the Atlasphere guy, appears {bjr} - [4F18], [4F24] someone stuck in a freezer {af} - [5F06], [5F14], [5F18] Gil appears {dj} - [5F07] Spoiled rotten kid appears {hl} - [5F10], [5F21] Homer boycotts pants {je} - [5F13] Ralph draws a picture {je} - [5F14] In line after Homer for the IRS Audit {je} ============================================================================== > Freeze frame fun ============================================================================== - People at church, the first time Rev. Lovejoy says, "Amen" {af} Front Row: Chief Wiggum 2nd Row: Moe 3rd Row: Carl & Lenny 4th Row: Barney, Mrs. Hibbert, and Dr. Hibbert - People rushing out of Church Door. In order of leaving {af} - Helen Lovejoy, Mrs. Hibbert, Dr. Hibbert, Moe, Lenny, Chief Wiggum, Kent Brockman, Carl, Barney - Sign at the yuppie grocery store {bjr} EATIE GOURMET'S A PLACE FOR GROCERIES - Placard at soy display {bjr} SAY IT ISN'T SOY - Cereals at Eatie Gourmet's {je} - Alfalfa Bits - Apple Snacks - Bran Munch - Fiber Bites - Granula (?) - Natural Flakes - Nature Rice - Raisin Chunks - Reality Charms (?) - Wheat Taste - The number Marge dials for Springfield Elementary {je} As far as I could make out, it was 354-3128. Her finger sort of slide across the pad a couple of times making it hard to tell. ============================================================================== > Animation, continuity, and other goofs ============================================================================== = Dr. Hibbert looks odd when he's getting up from his pew in church. His dark eyebrows are missing, and his body looks small and wrongly drawn. {ol} + OFF usually seem to head straight for home after church. {ad} * If OFF went to church on Sunday, and Lisa skipped school on Monday, and pretended to be sick Tuesday morning, and went to school three days later, that would make it a Friday. But we see her in school for one more day! So either they slipped us quietly from Friday night to Monday morning between scenes, or the kids went to school on a Saturday. {je} * How could Lisa been playing her video game if it wasn't plugged into the television? {jr} * The video game system is neither hooked up to an electrical outlet, nor the TV. Lisa also had it on the bed, which in a real PSX, would cause it to overheat (they're somewhat notorious for that) {jr2} + In this episode, the school gets more funding because Lisa did well on the standardized test. However, in "The Simpsons Hallowe'en Special VI", Krabapple said, "The worse you do on this standardized test, the more funding the school gets." [Note that as part of a Halloween special, the earlier quote may not count towards continuity. Also, see "Comments" section for more -- Ed.] {jg} = When they zoom in on Lisa, the kid behind her has brown hair ... then during the two middle zoom frames he has blue hair, and on the final zoom he has brown hair again. {sg} * Why would kids in the second grade be studying fractions? I didn't get to that stuff until middle school. {jg2} + Why can't OFF afford lobster, and have to raise it? In "Homer's Enemy", the Simpsons ate lobster for dinner (more than one, too). {jg} * Lobsters aren't bright red until after they've been cooked. * It would take around 6 years, even with fattening from risotto and pork sausages, for a lobster to grow from Mr. Pinchy's initial size to his size at the end of the show. Especially considering his several traumatic near- death experiences in which he was out of the water for an extended period of time. {ck} - In the close up, the phone has nine buttons. In the far shots, it has the usual twelve. * The Learning Channel probably wouldn't be airing the shark show Lisa's watching early in the morning. [See "Comments" section for more] {ec} = Lisa's slippers mysteriously appeared when Ralph appeared, then disappeared again when Ralph left. {ddg} = Lewis' skin is yellow at the end of Act 1. {ss} + And, he appears to be in Lisa's class. {ak} = Speaking of goofs pertaining to minor characters in Bart's class, Wendell has brown hair when he walks by. {ak} = When they zoom in on the children taking the test, everyone has a paper, except some girl near the back, who is writing vigorously anyway. {tmh} * If Bart knows that Nelson has all the exams, then how come *he* doesn't use them? [Andrew Gill responds, "Money? Or maybe he can't follow the crib sheet? Or maybe Mrs. Krabapple is too cynical to use the same test every year."] {mp} * For that matter, why doesn't Nelson? {mp} * What happened to the fish when Pinchy became a free-range lobster? {mar} + Nelson is never in Mrs. Krabappel's class [In this episode, anyway -- Ed.] (Must have a dummy of himself too). {af} c After Pinchy pinches Marge's nose, she says "Son of a ...", while the captions read "That little ..." {mar} c Bart says "What the hell happened to my stupid lobster?", while the captions read "What the heck happened to my dead lobster?" {mar} + Skinner's scoreboard control didn't appear until after he said he had purchased the scoreboard. {brk} + When Lisa said only she and Skinner knew about her cheating, she forgot that Willie knew about it as well ... ["And Bart and Nelson," writes Andrew Gill. "And Lisa ..."] {jr2} + Milhouse and Nelson are playing Tetherball, skipping Mrs. Krabappel's class. {af} * All of Otto's hair couldn't POSSIBLY have fit under that tiny mask! {tmh} * How come Bart's likeness of himself is so realistic, while his likeness of Lisa is so fake looking? [{je} figures, "Because he had forever to plan the construction of his own dummy. The need for a Lisa dummy was brought up at the last second."] {mar} ============================================================================== > Reviews ============================================================================== Dale G. Abersold: A fine Lisa episode, with a good moral dilemma. Unfortunately, the dilemma was undercut of the conclusion of the main plot. Still, an enjoyable episode, arguably the best of the season so far. With episodes like this, Ian Maxtone-Graham could make himself a fan favorite (as long as he doesn't insult us in print). (A-) Brad Bizzolt: If this episode had been posted to this newsgroup instead of aired on national TV tonite, I probably would've followed up with something like, "It's not bad, but just doesn't quite feel right." It's amazing how OFF could all be out of character in so many different ways at once ... fortunately, the peripheral characters saved this from the 'barely memorable' tag. The opening of Act 3, Ralph in general ("SuperNintendo Chalmers" was a stroke of genius), Nelson as bookie, the Oscar Meyer periodic table, and the tether-cinder were riotously funny, but past that ... meh. No real message to speak of, everything moved too quickly with a vague non-sequitur resolution, etc. Maybe I should put more stock into what people say about Mr. Maxtone-Graham. (B) Ben Collins: I can't believe this. This isn't supposed to happen. The one I call Ian Haxtone-Graham isn't supposed to write good episodes, or characterize Lisa so well, or make Homer even remotely likeable. But it's happened. Maxtone-Graham avoids the "Principal and the Lisa" pitfall I feared by giving her the moral dilemma she would actually have in this situation, and giving us some classic social commentary on the cheapening of American education. I even enjoyed the cute, funny subplot with Homer's lobster. But, as we've seen all too often this season, some gags run too long and the story could have progressed a little more evenly. All in all, a successful episode and the best of Season 10 so far. (A-) Nathan DeHoff: Ian Maxtone-Graham continues with his tradition of weak plots with amusing jokes. While the premise of Lisa cheating on a test was not entirely unbelievable, the way in which it happened was fairly ridiculous. Lisa's dilemma on whether or not to reveal the fact that she cheated was fine the first time, but she faced that same dilemma too many times. Really, there was not much development of the plot at all. It was pretty funny, though. As for the subplot, the idea of Homer getting attached to the lobster that he intended to eat was clever, if odd. My favorite parts of the episode included the grocery store scene and Ralph's appearances. Overall, while far from the best-plotted episode, it was an entertaining way to spend a half hour (aside from the commercials). (B-) Anthony Dean: More than a few hours after the episode aired, I'm still wondering what the point of this episode was (cheating's OK if it helps out in the long run? Lisa shouldn't care how well she does since she's surrounded by idiots? Don't give lobsters warm baths for too long?). The portrayals of some of the people involved in this episode (Lisa, Marge) felt a bit out of character to me. The comptroller ending was, as I feared, was quite stupid, along with the drawn-out-too-long lobster part of the ending. The most amusing moment of this episode was probably the "school was moved from Missouri/where is Springfield?" joke. (C-) Yuri Dieujuste: I honestly thought that this was a standard episode. The episode was very enjoyable, but I did not laugh out loud. The Dash Dingo sketch was pretty good. The story line was well written and was very good. Homer's plot fit perfectly into Lisa's plot. (C+) Jordan Eisenberg: This was probably the funniest non-Halloween, non-holdover episode of the past two seasons. After the first act, in which most of last season's episodes had all their humor heavily concentrated, I expected it to slow down and get slow and bizarre (as the trend has been), but it just got better and more involving. Humor wasn't the only department that "Lisa Gets an A" excels in either: the plot was a natural combination of character motivation and Simpson-esque zaniness. Characterization was dead-on, and this is Ian Maxtone-Graham we're talking about! Even the animation was above-par. So far, we've seen two "normal" AABF's: One mediocre, and one superb. If they can make two out of three, my doubts about the series will truly be put to rest. (A+) Alex Foley: The best of Season 10 (so far) and the best Ian-Maxtone Graham written episode yet. Lisa's moral dilemma is well handled (and funny as well), and the Homer sub-plot also worked well (Pinchy was so funny!). "Lisa Gets an A" gets a deserved -- What else? ;) (A) Andrew Gill: This was a solid episode. The characterization of Lisa could be worse--I don't think that she's a grade-aholic, as we see in this episode. She probably wouldn't have stayed home for all of those days, but it's a much better Lisa than we've seen in years. The Homer subplot was pretty pointless, but at least I didn't find it annoying. If this is the general trend of the show, I'm not too worried about a season 12. (B) Joe Green: I was expecting a rehash of "Lard of the Dance" (unfunny preachiness from Lisa juxtaposed with contrived wackiness from Homer) but was pleasantly surprised. The commentary on how schools are preoccupied with money and then blow on stuff kids don't benefit from was right on target. (B+) Joe Klemm: The main plot, despite the scoreboard bit, is again yet another story in which Lisa's political views caused some trouble. This could easily be avoided in later seasons if they can cause Lisa go to a special school away from home. As for Homer, it was clever to have him keep a lobster as a pet. In other words: drop the political Lisa stories, keep the comical Homer stories. (B-) Haynes Lee: Both the plots were good and held their own but both their endings were abrupt if not disturbing. Was there supposed to be a moral somewhere? (B) Brian Rawson-Ketchum: Now this episode I'm glad to say I've enjoyed. The jokes were plentiful, Homer wasn't being a jerk (the guy remembered Lisa's a vegetarian, for crying out loud), and Lisa played quite a memorable role. The lobster subplot had quite a few good gags, a good subplot we've needed all season. Overall, this episode gets a well deserved A, even if it was written by that Maxtone-Graham guy. I can honestly say it was *his* best work so far. (A) Jeremy Reaban: I really, really liked this episode. First of all, and most importantly, it was funny. Lots of weird gags, like Dash Dingo (the object of the game is to eat 7 crystal dingo babies), Willie cleaning the toilet, the tank scene, and the ending was fantastic! But mostly, what I liked, is that it portrayed Lisa as a kid, not as a little adult. That doesn't happen very often - usually she's portrayed as an annoying PC thug, or as the aforementioned adult, or whatever, not as what she is, a little girl whose very smart and moral (A+) Abhi Rey: After Graham's mediocre Homer eps of last year, it was surprising that he could pull off a good Lisa episode. The episode had jokes that weren't exactly subtle, but still clever (Crash Bandicoot parody, Supernintendo Chalmers, Homer taking all the samples, Willy, the Where is Springfield? gag, and the ending with Homer crying while eating the lobster). I think Lisa's actions were believable (her addiction to the video game, her decision to cheat). What pulls this episode from a higher B+ rating was the lousy ending, which was almost as bad as The Principal and the Pauper. People say that the plot was good, but there could have been a bit more done with the storyline, but too much was crammed into the 3rd act. 8/10 (B) Tom Rinschler: "Lisa Gets and A" doesn't quite get an "A" (or an A+++ either). However, it wasn't a bad episode at all, IMHO. The plot and sub-plot were well integrated for once, and for the most part characterization was well on (Homer and Bart both had clever ideas: Raising a lobster to pay less, and the "fake Bart" sitting in the classroom). I'm sure all of us had a good shock and laugh when Chalmers said "Missouri"! And everything rapped up in a manner satisfactory to all (other than the poor lobster of course ...) (B+) Matt Rose: The Simpsons seems to be slowly deteriorating into "The Wacky Homer Simpson and family show". Even in an episode based around Lisa, it's still "look at Homer. Look at what he's doing. See what he's gotten into now". Terrible subplot and terrible ending. I want Ian Maxtone-Graham fired tomorrow! So what's good about the episode? Well, Lisa of course. Sadly, Lisa's the only reason why I still watch this show. Ralph being Ralph, Skinner being Skinner, and some great Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavors also made the episode palatable. Sorry Yeardley, but this episode didn't "Rock my world." (C) Jason Rosenbaum: This episode was above average. It was a plot driven episode, didn't have much humor. Thankfully, the plot was really good, and the first act was hilarious. I love when the Simpsons make fun of video games (Donkey Kong in The Springfield Files, the characters circling around Bart's head in Marge Not Be Proud) and this one was no exception. I didn't care much for the Homer subplot, it got stupid after awhile. The ending totally sucked. It was very rushed and wasn't funny. Otherwise, a decent ep. (B-) Aaron Varhola: It didn't "rock my world" (in the words of Yeardley Smith) as much as 8F15, but it did explore Lisa rather well. Lisa's compulsiveness and wanting to avoid embarrassment triumphed over her honesty and work ethic for once, but she couldn't enjoy her ill-gotten gains, even if it would help others. The sub-plot was silly, but it didn't spill much into the main plot. Ian Maxtone-Graham shows Lisa to be a good, but flawed person who does something dishonest, but her conscience makes her feel worse than even if she was caught. (A-) Brad Wardell: Well, for me the funniest parts were the parts with Homer and the lobster. And the ending ... I was just totally cracked up by the ending with Homer crying, yet eating, his friend. The Lisa stuff was take it or leave it overall but a few hilarious lines in there did it (the daydream with Auto having tenure at Brown and Groundskeeper Willy with his hand down a toilet) for me. (A-) Yours Truly: Looks like Yeardley's reputation as an episode critic is safe for now -- this show was a surprisingly good examination of a momentary lapse in Lisa's ethics. In fact, controversial Maxtone-Graham may be better off writing the show's children than the adults. Lisa's "Dash Dingo" habit and the plot's surprise ending were also great. A subplot where Homer raises a lobster isn't bad, but is outshined by the rest of the episode. "Lisa Gets and A" gets an A- from me. (A-) AVERAGE GRADE: B+ (3.26) Std Dev.: 0.7500 (29 reviews computed) ============================================================================== > Comments and other observations ============================================================================== >> The Frugal Gourmet Aaron Varhola gives Homer a suggestion: If Homer wants to get another free meal, he should try the food court in Pioneer Place mall in downtown Portland. The vendors there are *very* aggressive in giving out free samples, although they might expect you to buy something. :) Galloping gourmet Ondre Lombard discusses real-life versions of Eatie Gourmets: The health food store was depicted rather accurately, aside from the cereals. More often than not, the cereals are more pleasant than "Alfalfa Bits," though the exaggeration for parody is amusing. I should know since, being primarily vegetarian, I know of these stores. There are a lot of things to sample, as well, incidentally. >> Frozen Stiff: Dead Celebrities as Ice Cream Flavors Mark Aaron Richey talks about Ken & Harry's Ice Cream: A few years ago, ice cream makers Ben and Jerry decided to honor their favorite band, the Grateful Dead, by naming a flavor after the band's (now late) leader, Jerry Garcia. That flavor, Cherry Garcia, is now one of the most popular B&J flavor, and the most famous. I guess they decided to name other flavors after people :) Milli Vanilla -- Milli Vanilli, a German twosome (Rob Pilatus & Fab Morvan) who had a string of hit songs in the early 90's ... until it was reveled that they had lip-synced on all their albums. Attempts to resurrect their musical career by actually singing didn't meet with success, and tragically, Pilatus died earlier this year. Desmond Tutti-Frutti -- Desmond Tutu, archbishop of South Africa, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and outspoken opponent of apartheid (the Catholic church gave it's own none-to-subtle opinion on the subject by appointing the black Tutu as archbishop in the first place) [Ben Collins writes, "I could be wrong, but I think Tutu is Anglican, considering that the Anglican church also has the title of "archbishop," and that South Africa, being a remnant of the British Empire, has far more Anglicans than Catholics."] Honey Bono -- Sonny Bono, former pop singer (with ex-wife Cher), who became a Republican congressman in 1992. Died earlier this year in a skiing accident. [Ben Collins writes, "Although Sonny ran in 1992, he won his seat in 1994, during the great Republican sweep (I mean great as in large, not good). ;)" To this, Eric Sansoni responds, "Great meaning large or immense, he uses it in the pejorative sense."] Candy Warhol -- Andy Warhol, eccentric pop artist. Responsible for the Campbell Soup painting, and the phrase "Everyone is famous for 15 minutes". Xavier Nugat -- Xavier Cugat, Spanish composer and bandleader Sherbert Hoover -- Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the United States. >> "But I'm hardly learning at all!" Andrew Gill: Lisa is certainly right about not learning anything watching TLC and its arch-rival, the Discovery Channel. It's mostly pop-science mixed in with a bit of pseudoscience. The PBS documentaries are much better. For example, today, I saw something on TLC about Quantum Mechanics hosted by Quark and Mrs. Isaac (Newton's mother) that claimed that Einstein virtually created Quantum Mechanics (in real life, he hated it). I'm still waiting for a program based on the journal of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Of course, they also have a very interesting daytime schedule: about 50 airings of Great Chefs, Great Cities, interspersed with Interior Motives and 20 Fixit shows ("This is a two-hammer project ...") Ellen Cohen elaborates on TLC's schedule: Lisa is actually watching an educational program about sharks on The Learning Channel during the day, when anyone who's seen TLC knows the programming is something like this Early morning: Young children's programming Late morning/mid afternoon: "Dream Weddings", "Dream Vacations", gardening tips, etc. Late afternoon till 8 PM Eastern Time: Home improvement shows 8 PM to 3 AM: The kind of shows Lisa would want to watch ... unless they're doing "Life in the ER" or "Medical Detectives" or "Alien Abductions" or something cool about volcanos! >> OFF with cable? Speaking of The Learning Channel, Anthony Dean wonders: Does OFF do have cable or not? It seems the last few seasons (or at least starting with "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds") seem to suggest they "can finally afford it" (to paraphrase from that hilarious second-season cable-stealing episode). >> Next on "20/20," the new "rock-and-roll" fad. Benjamin Robinson: Hugh Downs has a long career in network news to his credit. Currently, he's one of the anchors on ABC's "20/20". Mr. Downs comes across as warm and avuncular, but not that hip, which might explain why kids enjoying videogames comes as news to him. ("Hipness," of course is not a mandatory requirement for a network news anchor.) >> That's a strange name. I would've called him "Lakitu-Koopowser Luigiamo!" Jordan Eisenberg: Entering its third installment this month [November, 1998], the "Crash Bandicoot" series was Sony's answer to Nintendo's Mario and Sega's Sonic as a mascot to hype its hardware with. Meeting the public with less-than-spectacular enthusiasm (but still selling rather well), Crash was soon left in the shadow of Lara Croft and her "Tomb Raider" franchise to mascot the Playstation (ignoring the fact that "Tomb Raider" was released on many other platforms too). "Dash Dingo" is a hilarious parody of the games, as the floating head of Dr. Neo-Cortex is replaced by his supposedly evil Australian counterpart, and the goal of "Crash," to collect the seven crystals, was altered to "find and devour the seven crystal babies." I don't recall any nunchucks, though. Some other similarities - The logo is a dead ringer, with the star's name in big yellow letters, above the species name in red mounted on a wooden board. - Dash does a forward flip onto the screen, a move that "Crash" players get used to seeing after a while. - Alf Clausen did a good job vaguely replicating the music, while giving it an Australian slant no less. - When Lisa pauses the game to talk to Marge, the screen shows Dash Dingo running from a polar bear. This mimics two similar levels in the series: one where Crash runs from a huge boulder ala Indiana Jones, and one in which he rides a baby polar bear through an obstacle course. - Speaking of the pause screen, the font of the word "Pause" was nearly perfect. - The machine itself looks just like a Playstation, only it's a darker shade of grey, and the controller has two directional pads (the action buttons on the real PSX do look vaguely similar to a directional pad, though, so it may just be the sloppy drawing). Aside from the controller, the darkish case makes it look a bit like Sega's upcoming "Dreamcast" console. Believe it or not, that's more. Joe Klemm adds a few things: Dash Dingo is a dead on spoof of Crash Bandicoot, a hit series of Playstation games about a bandicoot who tries to save the world from a mad scientist. It is produced by Sony, and created by Universal Interactive. This is probably a good game to spoof as the game Lisa plays since she is kind of similar to Crash's sister, Coco. >> Lisa the video queen Would Lisa get hooked on video games? Aaron Varhola thinks so: I liked seeing Lisa get into the video game. We've seen Lisa in compulsive mode before [9F12]; even though Lisa doesn't normally play video games, I could see how an adventure game could captivate her; it would spark some of her creativity to figure out how to complete the levels. >> The Wind in the What? It's too late to help Lisa, but David Brunt explains the plot of "The Wind in the Willows": The main story (which is very fragmented and has many sub- plots), has the idle rich Toad becoming bored with his life and looking for means of excitement -- fast cars being his chosen method. Coupled to this is his need to save his manor house from the villainous Weasels. It's all basically an allegory of money not finding you happiness, and those who have it are either stupid (Toad) or crooks (the Weasels). Mole, Rat and Badger are the central sympathetic characters. The story is perhaps better known for the 1949 Disney animated adaptation as part of "Ichabod and Mr. Toad" (which appeared quite frequently on "The Wonderful World of Disney" TV series) or Terry Jones' celebrity cast version of 1996. Benjamin Robinson adds: Kenneth Grahame wrote and Ernest H. Shepard illustrated the book, which is now considered a classic of children's literature. >> Opening Harvard's doors Aaron Varhola: What'll get you into Harvard? Who knows. Someone I knew took summer classes at Harvard after his junior year of high school, got an A in both classes he took, and still got turned down. Unless Harvard gives Lisa tons of points for coming out of "America's Crudbucket", it's still a crapshoot if she'll get in there. I still think she'd be better off at the University of Chicago, where she can play in the blues clubs of the South Side in addition to getting one of the best liberal arts educations around. (Heh ... and I assure you that my graduating from the U of C had *nothing* to do with that comment ...). >> Testing, testing ... Haynes Lee: Mrs. Krabappel in [3F04] "Treehouse of Horror VI" incorrectly told students before aptitude test, "Don't kill yourself. The more poorly you do the more state funding this school gets". It's the other way around. A school gets more funding for better test scores. This episode takes the correct approach. There have been schools where teachers have been caught giving the students the answers ahead of time. Also, there has also been cases of students blackmailing their principals if they don't get certain concessions they will tank their aptitude tests and the school receives less funding. Lisa was already involved in similar scandal in [8F15] "Separate Vocations" where she stole all the teacher edition text books. Some of these tests use the same questions as the year before. However, some teachers caught telling their students this had their teaching licenses summarily revoked. The following is a Haynes Lee Urban Legend Alert. Had this been an actual urban legend, you would have been advised to stay tuned to this station for further instructions: Lisa correctly answering the the missing question (or the one which had the typo?) is similar to the false/unverifiable urban legend on how cheaters are caught. Fb. Prof. nails exam thief by cutting bottom 0.5" of exam to find longer answer. http://snopes.simplenet.com/college/exam/stolen.htm A student stops by the office of one of his instructors to ask a question and finds that the professor has stepped out for a moment, leaving an unguarded stack of the next day's final examinations on his desk. The student quickly steals one of the exams and disappears. Before issuing the exam, however, the professor counts them and notices that one is missing. He cuts one half-inch off the bottom of every exam prior to distributing them to the class, then fails the student who turns in a test paper longer than the rest. Meanwhile, Aaron Varhola ponders an interesting question: Who made up those cheat sheets, anyway? I don't think Martin or the Superfriends would have stooped to such chicanery, although Nelson and his friends might have been able to extract some of the tests as tribute. >> Lisa the PC thug In the DYN section, Joe Green noticed: Lisa doesn't seem upset about Homer wanting to eat a lobster? Paul Tomko theorized: In fact she likes the smell of it. I guess she's just a little girl after all and even though she attempts to stifle herself to be PC, she still in the end, yearns to do what she really wants. I think when she grows up she won't remain a vegetarian. She'll see that it is stupid to promote the PC agenda and just do what she wants. Benjamin Robinson responded: Lisa =does= do what she really wants! The path of least resistance for her would be to cave in to the pressures of the outside world, to eat that lobster, to blow off that museum, to bury herself to gain the approval of her shallow peers. Following her own path may cost her, but Lisa is not stifling herself. Don't be so quick to equate vegetarianism with "PC" attitudes, either. Strictly speaking, "political correctness" is a system of beliefs aimed at ensuring that nobody says, does, or even thinks anything that may give offense to someone else. The basic idea is good (part of being polite is not deliberately offending people), but the PC minions carried it way too far, sacrificing freedom and honesty on the altar of inoffensiveness. Anyway, there are plenty of vegetarians (or so I assume; I'm not among their ranks) who feel eating meat is morally wrong, not because it might marginalize someone's animal companion, but because they feel it's wrong to take a sentient life, period. It's no more PC than being a conscientious objector, or entering the priesthood; it's just a moral decision that some people make. If anything, taking a stand is the opposite of PC, where holding an opinion is itself suspect. >> Lisa's ethics Dan Tropea: Lisa's dilemma was interesting. Her cheating helped others and by telling the truth could have hurt more people then by her continued lie. I think that maybe she should have applied to this what she said about Jebediah that the truth does more harm then good. Andrew Gill responds: Meh. It's different to take a long-dead historical figure with a sordid past and forbear from defaming him on his day. Lisa was wrong, and dishonest money was coming to Springfield. If I were her (and I wouldn't be--for how many reasons), I'd have done the same thing in the end. >> Keeping score A scoreboard for elementary school students? It can happen, says Paul Tomko: When I played basketball in elementary school, not only did my school have a scoreboard, but all the schools we played against also had them. But they were simple boards, with just the score, who had possession, the time, the quarter and that sort of thing. No amusing graphics. Don Del Grande adds: Most schools get their scoreboards free from either Coca-Cola or Pepsi-Cola in exchange for exclusivity in the school's vending machines and concession sales (and probably cafeterias as well). >> We're still better off than the school with the Bolognium Mark Poyser puts his chemistry knowledge to good use: The Oscar Mayer promotional periodic table of the elements was correct with the following exceptions Groups 12-18 [IIB - VIII or 0 (old style)] are omitted -- in other words, those to the left of the column containing: Cu (copper), Ag (silver),Au (gold) -- group 11 [IB (old style)] That leaves out plenty. No carbon, oxygen, silicon. Bo -- Bolognium* is now element 42 [5 down,6 across], replacing Molybdenum, meaning the atomic weight is somewhere around 95, not "delicious," nor "snack-tacular." Mo -- Molybdenum is now element 89 [7 down, 3 across], replacing Actinium. We -- Wienerium* (?) is now element 57 [6 down, 3 across], replacing Lanthanum. *not real elements, by the way No Lanthanide or Actinide series. There was no correlation between the colors in the chart (blue, pink, and yellow) and any physical property (solid/liquid/gas, radioactive, acid/base, allotropic form [crystal structure]). Jeremy Reaban adds: "Bolonium" or "Bolognium" (Bo) apparently replaces. Radium, near the end of the table. Some of the table is correct, but a lot of it is jumbled up - in the wrong order. Or so it looks like, I don't have a real one handy. It also seems to be missing one column (all the way to the right), although it's hard to tell because Mrs. Krabappel is in the way. >> We're still better off than the school with the Intellivision Benjamin Robinson: Today, Coleco is perhaps best remembered as a manufacturer of children's toys, including the improbably popular Cabbage Patch Dolls. Around 1982, however, Coleco was also a maker of personal computers. The ball got rolling with ColecoVision, a videogame machine which was the early-Eighties version of the Nintendo 64. At the time, inexpensive (even by today's standards) personal computers were beginning to catch on with home consumers. Coleco decided it wanted in on the action, and leveraged the respect in generated from ColecoVision to launch the Coleco Adam. Adam was promoted as being compatible with the Apple II, then the gold standard of home computers, but costing hundreds of dollars less. (Apple II computers retailed for $1,500 - $2,000 back then.) In addition, they would also throw in a daisy-wheel printer, the only choice for letter-quality output in the pre-laser printer days, for free. Adam was available in two versions, a standalone unit, and a rarely-seen expansion pack for the ColecoVision. Unfortunately for Coleco, Adam tanked in the marketplace. Consumers may have noticed that the machine didn't quite live up to its hype. The company almost immediately backpedaled on its Apple-compatibility promise, since the Adam's processor and storage media were completely different than Apple's equipment. In addition, there were rumored reliability problems. But the biggest problem was that the whole home-computer market was going south. Manufacturers chased the more lucrative office market, which ultimately adapted the IBM PC platform as the de facto hardware standard. The push for a computer in every home didn't restart in earnest until the mid-Nineties, when the internet gave families a justification for a computer purchase. What does all this have to do with "The Simpsons"? Um, probably not much, except that the computer we see doesn't look at all like a Coleco Adam. It resembles the Commodore PET, which was another early home computer. But that's a story for another episode capsule. Joe Klemm writes about the Coleco's immediate predecessor: Coleco was one of many home video game systems released in the early 1980's. Despite graphics similar to arcade games, as well as the licensing of Cabbage Patch Kids and Smurfs, Coleco fell victim to the video game crash of the mid 1980's, though it did release some games for the Atari 2600, which was the most successful system in the 1980's video game systems. Tom Whelton: Coleco-Vision died out because the parent company didn't know how to handle electronic products well. (Coleco of course made everything from toys to above ground pools.) Jeremy Reaban gives us some information about modern video games: Sony Playstation -- Probably the most popular video game system today. It's an almost exact animated reproduction of it - down to the weirdly shaped controllers (although they look like one of the 3rd party controllers, as opposed to the standard ones). Super Nintendo -- What Ralph calls the superintendent, used to be the big video game system. Nintendo's follow up to this, the N64, is fairly popular in the US, but very unpopular in Japan .... By the way, if you remember Bart having a different console in "Marge Be Not Proud (3F07)," you're right. Jeremy Reaban writes: Curiously enough, the game system Bart had back then looked remarkably like a Sega Saturn (although the one Bart had played cartridges, not CDs like the Saturn). The Saturn is pretty much dead, these days (in the USA), so it makes sense Bart now owns a Playstation ... >> The writing quality debate continues Michael K. Neylon suspects the writers might be taking the term Lisa-centric too literally: While I think the episode was OK for a Lisa episode (definitely nothing like Lisa's Sub or Lisa the Greek), the one major problem that I had with the episode is everyone else involved in the Lisa plot. Lisa was characterized fine, but everyone else around her seemed either out of character, or too forced. (Note that many recent Lisa eps in past seasons have had this same problem). For example, I don't see how Marge would accept Lisa's final decision without any moral recourse, and Bart was almost neglected in this plot (a missed opportunity, instead wasted on the scoreboard gags). It seems the writers have problems trying to combine Lisa with any other character, as she's the closest to reality compared to the others. All the recent Lisa eps have mostly been Lisa struggling *by herself* with a personal problem, with the rest of the cast only supporting her gags. Compare this to Lisa's Sub or Lisa the Greek, where the interaction with another character only strengthens Lisa's personality more. I think that the writers need to consider that Lisa-only Lisa centric episodes are hard to be unique anymore, and instead, they need to ponder Lisa and someone else. I'm still waiting for a good Lisa/Marge episode, or a new Lisa/Homer plot. We've explored enough of her inner character to the point of exhaustion ... but Lisa is a different person when she interacts, and that hasn't been explored enough IMO on the series yet. Mick Decosta presents the other side of the debate: I think when watching the Simpsons, we would all enjoy it more if we concentrated on the jokes rather than plot devices, character development etc, etc. If you want compelling plot you should maybe watch NYPD Blue or Masterpiece Theater. Last night's episode IMO was top ten of all time material. Sure a finely crafted plot might of enhanced the experience, but the jokes were so tightly packed into that episode that I could hardly recover from one to the other. Supernintendo Chalmers, the Coleco computer, the fake Bart, Willie cleaning the toilet, the scoreboard, "most dilapidated school in Missouri", Captain McAllister begging for spare change, the fake comptroller, the list goes on and on ... If you want good plots and warm underlying messages, pick up some tapes of the first and second seasons. I personally find them painfully unfunny to watch now, but different strokes I guess ... Eric Sansoni also liked the show: Tonight's ep was a pure joy, partly because I felt like I was spending time with the Simpsons I know and love again. Homer was a penny-pincher and a pig, yet with the same lovable, forgiving heart that had him accepting SLH into the family way back when. Bart was once again an ambitious prankster who never plays by the rules. Marge had less to do I guess, but I did like her wanting to cook the lobster. Remember her butcher-chopping scenes in Lisa the Veg? Marge has a practical side, and as the sweet mother type, she's used to hacking up a lot of raw meat. I liked her being apprehensive about the ugly pet's creepiness, and her embarrassment and denial over Lisa's cheating showed real insight into the way the typical mom would behave. As far as Lisa, I don't consider developing a character and giving her greater depth and realism to be out- of-character, no matter how much this group tends to go for that theory. [Actually, most posters on a.t.s. like Lisa's characterization in this episode - Ed.] >> More Animation Quality Nitpicking Anthony Dean: Yes, I'm harping on the drop in the show's animation quality yet again. The end scene with Homer eating the lobster looked rather crudely drawn (and the colors used for the backgrounds, etc. looked rather dulled/fewer in variety used). Maybe my comment that they should either use "Animaniacs" animators or go back to Klasky-Csupo wasn't pointless (a Tokyo Movie Shinsa animated "Simpsons" would probably be lovely to look at, though I don't believe Startoons would be an appropriate studio [unless we want to see the characters moving in a manner involving lots of eye- movement expressions or arm/wrist movement, though at least it wouldn't be in a rather mechanically-drawn fashion]. K-C would be an improvement as well, though I imagine they're probably focused mainly on "Rugrats" at this point). >> Miscellaneous, Etc. The Haynes Lee alterna-title for this show is: As Good As Lisa Gets Alex Foley: Hmm ... shouldn't it be Lisa Gets an A+++? ;) Anthony Dean: Apparently, the money gained from (apparently briefly) turning SES into a state prison branch in [2F19] didn't last long. Ondre Lombard: Interesting how Lisa's initial disdain for the dingo video game eventually turned into an obsession. Makes me wonder if Bonestorm ["Marge Be Not Proud (3F07)"] would've grew on her if she'd have played it long enough. Jeff Pack [on Brown's reaction to Lisa's daymare]: None of us said "ouch"; we were all laughing our asses off. (Except for this guy in the BDH editorial cartoon; check it out at . Benjamin Robinson: Anti-goof -- the fourth "+" on Lisa's paper actually is drawn in a different (and slightly darker) color. So are the lines turning Ralph's "F" into a "B". ============================================================================== > Quotes and Scene Summary {je} ============================================================================== % In church, Reverend Lovejoy is finishing up a less-than-inspiring % sermon. (Just in time, too, since Homer threatens a mutiny.) The % restless Christians rush out of the church all at once, OFF included. % Later, in the car ... Bart: Oh, I'm starving! Mom, can we go Catholic so we can get communion wafers and booze? Marge: No, no one's going Catholic. Three children is enough, thank you. -- Just ingratiating ourselves to the Catholic League, "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % Homer tells his son to hang on, because the family is going out for % "our traditional Sunday brunch." He swerves off the freeway to the on- % ramp to "Eatie Gourmet's." Brunch, as it turns out, is the % supermarket's free-sample smorgasbord. Homer: [grabbing some free samples from an employee's tray] Brunch is served! Marge: I feel guilty coming here every Sunday and never actually buying anything. Homer: Why? We're following the rules. [eats more samples] If it has a toothpick in it, it's free! [Homer sticks a toothpick into a huge steak and takes a bite from it, then punches a hole in a can of beer and catches the spray in his mouth] -- A stickler for the rule book, "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % Elsewhere, Lisa admires the selection of health foods Lisa: Ah, this is my kind of aisle. Soy substitutes, whizless cheese ... [gasps] oven-roasted cud! PFK: It's packed in its own drool! -- Mmmm, drool, "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % Elsewhere still, Gavin and his mother -- you may remember them from % "Marge Be Not Proud (3F07)" -- are shopping: Mother: Gavin, honey, help mommy pick a cereal. Ooh, how 'bout Alfalfa Bits? Gavin: Those suck! I hate this store! Mother: But, sweetheart, Mommy ... Gavin: I hate =you= too! I wanna live with one of my dads. -- "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % Bart makes a repeat visit to one of the stands. Bart: [eating] Mmmm ... so, you say this product is known as "fudge"? Saleswoman: Yes. Just like it was last week. Bart: If you're gonna get snippy, I'll take my business elsewhere. [takes the remaining fudge samples in his arms as he leaves] -- "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % Meanwhile, Lisa helps Homer to decide on a flavor of ice cream. Homer: [looking through ice cream freezer] Cherry Garcia? Ick. Honey Bono? Desmond Tutti-Fruitti? M'eh ... Lisa, help daddy find some =normal= flavors. [lifts her up by the top shelf] Lisa: Candy Warhol? Xavier Nugat? Homer: Naw, nothin' made of dead guys. What's in the back? [pushes Lisa all the way in, making her shiver] Hurry up, my hands are getting cold! [Lisa sneezes] Marge: Oh, my goodness! Homer, get her out of there. [Homer puts her back on the floor, still shivering] Homer: [taking the flavor she has in her hands] Aww, Sherbert Hoover! [throws it back] Marge: Oh, we've got to get you home to a warm blanket and a cold compress. Homer: [spotting a tank full of lobsters] Ooh! [he tries to stick a toothpick in the back of one, but it won't go through] Clerk: [clears throat] They're eight dollars a pound, sport. Homer: Hmm, eight dollars a pound times, say, oh, five pounds is, um, uh, let's see . . . how many pounds in a gallon? [pause] Oh, I can't afford that! Unless ... -- "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % He spots a tiny lobster in the corner of the tank that couldn't weigh % any more than a few ounces. The Simpsons arrive home, Lisa still % shivering, and Homer boasting his marvelous plan. He'll buy a small, % cheap lobster, "fatten" it to a large expensive one and, in his words, % "eat the profits." % % Homer drops the lobster into the fish tank, and Lisa helpfully points % out that lobsters live in salt water. Homer shows off a can of salt % and pours it into the fish tank, when Bart notices the fish are % turning upside-down. Homer claims that he's still fine-tuning, and % finally balances the salt concentration so that both species remain % sideways. Lisa sneezes again. Marge: Mmmm, you don't sound so good. We'd better get you some cold medicine. Homer: No problem, I picked some up at the store! [presents a pack of cold tablets with a toothpick stuck through it] -- "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % The next morning, Homer is frying up some bacon and eggs ... Marge: Aw, Homey! You made breakfast! Homer: Nothin's too good for =my= one and only. [pours the food into the fish tank for his lobster to eat] Eat, eat, you're nothing but skin and bones! Lisa: [sneezes, moans, and blows her nose] Marge: Mmmm, how you feelin', sweetie? Lisa: Much better. [sneezes loudly] Marge: Oh my, you're burning up. I'm going to tell the school you're staying home. Lisa: [pressing down on the receiver] I'm afraid I can't allow that. Marge: Lisa! [dials again] Lisa: Mom, no, wait, we can make a deal. Marge: You don't have anything I want! -- "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % Later that morning, Lisa is in bed watching a documentary on the % Seaweed Shark on the Learning Channel. Marge comes in and tells her % to take it easy. Lisa says she is ("I'm hardly learning at all!"), % but Marge suggests she play "Dash Dingo," one of Bart's videogames % instead. % % At first, she is apathetic towards the game ("Alright, I guess I'm % supposed to go through this stupid door?"), but soon it's nighttime % and she hasn't put it down, immersed completely. Lisa: Yes! I am just four power wands away from the anti-gravity lawsuit! Hope I don't run into that weird little troll ... Ralph: [popping up in front of the screen] Hi, Lisa! Lisa: Oh, pause, pause! [fumbles with control, and pauses game] Ralph: I brought your homework. We have to read this. [gives Lisa a book] Lisa: "The Wind in the Willows?" Ralph: It's about a toad and a badger and a mole. I drawed on mine! [pause] Is this my house? Lisa: No. You live in a different house. Ralph: [pauses again] Choo-choo-choo-choo ... Woo-woo! [walks away] Enemy: [in game] ... I shall rule the down underverse! Lisa: [with an accent] We'll see about that, mate. -- "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % The next morning, Homer carries his pet lobster onto the bathroom % scale with him. Okay, together we weigh 300 pounds. According to my drivers' license, I weigh 140 pounds. That means that you weigh, oh ... 160 pounds! Whoa, you're doin' great. -- Homer weighs his lobster, "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % Lisa is still in her room, playing Bart's videogame. Lisa: No, no, yes, that's it! Bite, bite, bite! Marge: Lisa? Lisa: [gasps, and ducks under her blanket] Marge: Aw, sweetie, you look so much better. Ready to go back to school? Lisa: Oh, I don't know. [pretends to cough] I mean, I could risk it, but ... Marge: No, no. You just stay put. Bart: Wow, you didn't even feel her forehead. How do =I= get that kind of credibility? Marge: With eight years of scrupulous honesty. Bart: M'eh. Not worth it. -- "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % Three days later, Marge visits Lisa in her room ... Lisa: [still playing her game, on pause][talking sulkenly] Oh, I really need one more day, Mom. I think the germs are regrouping. [resumes game][talking quickly] Now, for breakfast I'll have hash browns, coffee and a short stack, and would it kill you to heat up the syrup? -- Should've cultivated eight years of faking sick, "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % Marge gives a look of disapproval and promptly drops Lisa off at her % school. Lisa warns that she may infect the other kids, but Marge says % it's a risk she's willing to take. We now go to Lisa's class ... Hoover: Welcome back, Lisa. I trust you got the homework I assigned? Lisa: [guiltily] "The Wind in the Willows?" Oh, yeah, Ralph brought it over. Hoover: Perfect. Then I won't need to excuse you from the test. Lisa: Test? -- "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % The picture of Mr. Toad on the cover of the book comes to life and % speaks to Lisa in an Australian accent: "Game over, mate." % % [End of Act One. Time: 6:36] % % Lisa works up the courage needed to face the test. Lisa: Okay, alright, you can bluff your way through one test. [picks up the test and starts reading] Mr. Toad has a red blank. Okay, skip that one ... Mr. blank needs a blank in order to blank his blank. Oh, I am in deep blank ... [Lisa begins to daydream about the blank she is in] Hoover: And the lowest grade in the class ... Ralph: She's going to say my name! Hover: [hands Lisa a paper] Lisa Simpson, zero! Lisa: [gasps] Skinner: Lisa, the president of Harvard would like to see you. Pres.: Nasty business, that zero. Naturally, Harvard's doors are now closed to you, but I'll pass your file along to [snickers] Brown. Skinner: Mmmm, Brown. Heckuva school. Weren't you at Brown, Otto? [camera pans to Otto, sunning himself on the hood of the school bus] Otto: Yup. Almost got tenure, too. Lisa: [gasps in horror] No, not Brown, Brown, Brown ... [Mrs. Hoover wakes her up from the dream] Hoover: You seem to be saying "brown" an awful lot. Are you okay? Lisa: Well, actually, I do feel a little feverish. Hoover: Aw, don't worry about the test. Just get yourself a nice drink of water. Then, come back and finish the test! -- Maybe Vassar will still accept you, "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % Lisa takes her advice and walks into the hallway for a drink. Before % returning to class ... Lisa: I need a miracle. Come on, you owe me ... Bart: [walking next to her] 'Sup, sis? Lisa: Bart, shouldn't you be in class? Bart: I am. [he points to a dummy of himself sitting in his seat in class] It's a little somethin' I whipped up in shop. Mostly latex. What are you doing out here? Lisa: We've got a test and I didn't read the book! I'll get a zero for sure, Bart, what'll I do? Bart: Well, if it was me, I'd just take the zero. [Lisa gives him a stern look] Uh, but, that's not for everyone. There's =one= other possibility. -- "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % Bart takes Lisa over to the Boys' bathroom. Lisa: Hey, I can't go in there! Bart: Relax. There's nothing here you didn't see when Dad boycotted pants. -- "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % They walk up to a stall and Bart knocks on the door. Nelson responds % and buzzes them into the stall, which is set up like an office with an % overturned box as a desk in front of the toilet, where Nelson sits. Nelson: Teacher and subject? Bart: Mrs. Hoover; "Wind in the Willows." Nelson: [taking a sheet of paper from his "filing cabinet," which is really the back of the toilet seat] Here we go. Lisa: [shocked] Oh, my God! These are the answers to the test. I don't wanna =cheat=! Nelson: Hey, hey! These are study aids. They're for novelty purposes only. If a few bad apples use them for cheating, I can't be held responsible. Lisa: Forget it. I'd rather get a zero. -- "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % Groundskeeper Willy appears in the stall across from them, and % congratulates Lisa for her astuteness, claiming that he had a zero % once and his life turned out just fine. He then goes on to fish a few % clogs out of a toilet with his bare hands. This pushes Lisa over the % edge, and she slams her money down and runs out with her "study aid." % % Meanwhile, Homer's lobster is a bit more grown up as he picks it out % of its tank. Homer: Good news, my delicious friend. You're going to be a free- range lobster! [Homer throws it into an inflatable pool on the floor] [he hands it one end of a chain of sausages] C'mon, boy, dig in! They'll give ya' a big, strong thorax! [the lobster grabs the end, but pulls Homer face-first into the pool with it] Why, you little ... [relents] oh, look at him cower. Just like the boy. I can't stay mad at such a helpless little mammal. [Homer and the lobster engage in a friendly little round of splashing] -- "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % Back at the school, Ms. Hoover hands out that morning's tests. Hoover: I graded this morning's tests over lunch, and =most= of you did quite well. Ralph: I got a B! Hoover: No, Ralph, that's an F. I must've spilled some kahlua. [she wipes it off Ralph's paper and slurps it off her finger. Then, she hands a paper to Lisa] Perfect, Lisa. And, you got all the extra credit questions, even the one that got cut off by the copying machine. Lisa: Heh-heh, well, I guess I'm just on a roll. Hoover: Don't be so modest, Lisa. You earned that A+++. Lisa: Actually, there are four pluses. Hoover: No, that's dramboie. [wipes it off, and sucks finger appreciatively] -- "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % Marge and Homer are standing by the stove, with Pinchy in Homer's % arms. Marge: Oh, so plump and juicy! He's gonna boil up nicely. Homer: Well, I guess this is it, old pal. This is your big day. Marge: The water's boiling. Quick, chuck 'im in! Homer: Uh ... Marge: C'mon, chuck 'im in! Homer: Okay ... Marge: Let's go! In the pot, in the pot. Homer: Oh ... [he imagines Pinchy looking back at him with huge, cartoon eyes] But Marge, look at the little guy. [he holds it in front of her face; to Marge, he looks like a big ugly lobster] Marge: He looks like an ordinary ... [Pinchy pinches her nose] ... ow! Sonofa ... Homer: Feel that, Marge? He likes you! -- Good thing he wasn't ticked off at her, "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % Dinnertime ... Homer: And now, for the main course. Steamed ... Maine ... cabbages! Bart: Ahem, pardon me for asking, but where the hell's my stupid lobster? Homer: We're not eating Mr. Pinchy, he's part of the family now. [Homer lifts Pinchy into a chair of his own] Pinchy, I made you some risotto. Bart: [simultaneously] What? You've got to be kidding me. Lisa: [simultaneously] Daaaaaaaaaaaad! Homer: What's your problem, veggie? You don't even eat lobster. Lisa: No, but I enjoy the smell. Marge: Well, lobster or no lobster, this is still a very special dinner. [she presents Lisa's test with the "A+++" to the family] Ta-da, ta-da, ta-da! Lisa broke her own record. By two whole pluses! Lisa: Mo-om, where did you get that? Marge: Aw, it just turned up in the course of my daily rummaging. By the way, I oiled the hinge on your diary. Homer: Aren't you proud of your big sister, Mr. Pinchy? Hmm? Hmm? Lisa: Ugh, I am sick of everyone being so proud of me! [she runs upstairs] Homer: That's my girl! -- Smart and modest, too, "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % On the school bus ... Bart: Aww, cheer up, Lis'. You got a good grade without even reading the book. That's win-win! Lisa: Can't you see the difference between earning something honestly and getting it by fraud? Bart: Hmm, I suppose, maybe, if, uh ... no. No, sorry, I thought I had it there for a second. -- So close, "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % In school, Lisa meets Nelson standing by her locker. Nelson: Psst, Lisa, check it out: tomorrow's fractions quiz. I'll give you the numerators free, but the denominators are gonna cost ya'. Lisa: I don't =want= your dirty denominators! Nelson: Well, la-dee-da, lady cheaterly. Can I at least keep you in my Rolodex? Lisa: No! I never cheated before and I never will again. I almost wish I hadn't gotten away with it. Skinner: [on the intercom] Lisa Simpson, report to the principal's office to discuss the results of yesterday's test. Nelson: [to Lisa] We never met. -- He's a graduate of the Dale Gribble business school, "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % In his office, Skinner confronts Lisa with some serious news. Skinner: I've just received some rather unusual news regarding your unprecedented A-triple-plus. To be honest, I'm surprised and saddened. Eeh -- no, not saddened -- what's the word? Ah, yes, delighted! Lisa: What? Skinner: I'm delighted to report that your grade brought the entire school's GPA up to our state's minimum standard. We now qualify for a basic assistance grant. It's the greatest honor the school has ever received, and it's all thanks to you. Your devotion to scholarship is a shining beacon to all who ... Lisa: Stop it! I cheated. Cheated-cheated-cheated-cheated- cheated! Skinner: Lisa, what are you trying to say? Lisa: I =cheated=!!! Skinner: [gasps] -- Lady Cheaterly confesses, "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % [End of Act Two. Time: 12:51] % % Skinner tries to absorb the news. Skinner: You cheated? Oh, lordy-lordy-lordy. Why didn't Ms. Hoover tell me? Lisa: She doesn't know. You're the only one I've told. Skinner: Well, then, one could make the argument ... that ... there really is no ... problem! Lisa: But what I did was wrong! Skinner: Oh, very much so, but as long as we handle this in a mature and, above all, quiet manner, we'll still get that grant money. [laughs] Oh, you really scared me, there. Lisa: But we can't accept that money. It's tainted! Skinner: Now, now, leave the money out of this! It's not the money's fault you cheated. Besides, I've already started spending it. Check out this new scoreboard. [we see a scoreboard standing up against the side wall of his office, where he plays "charge!" accompanied by some flashy animations] Heh-heh, I'm still learning all the buttons. Lisa: Well, if you're gonna cover this up, I'll just have to go over your head to Super ... [Skinner presses another button on his scoreboard] ... intendant ... [and another] ... Chalmers! [and one more] -- "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % As if on cue, Chalmers walks into the office. Chalmers: Skinner!!! I am outraged that you kept this from me! You were supposed to call as soon as the new scoreboard was in. Tell me, does it play that song "charge?" Skinner: Oh, does it ever! Lisa: You can't keep this scoreboard because there's not gonna =be= any grant money ... because ... =I= cheated! Chalmers: [pauses] Lisa, let's take a walk. [he and Skinner go over to Lisa] A little traveling music, Seymour? [Skinner plays "charge" on his scoreboard as they leave the room] -- "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % The three of them walk over to a classroom window. It's missing, % save for a few shards of glass protruding from the frame. Chalmers % smashes one of them with his fist. Chalmers: Good lord, what a dump. It's not surprising this school was once classified =the= most dilapidated in all of Missouri. [Lisa and Skinner look at each other quizzically] ... that's why it was shut down and moved here, brick by brick. Skinner: Look around, Lisa. That grant money could do a lot of good. Chalmers: Don't you think those youngsters deserve a regulation tetherball? [the scene switches to Milhouse and Nelson playing tetherball, only the ball is really a cinderblock, and what it's tethered to is less of a pole and more of a thin, crooked piece of metal. Nelson hits the 'ball', which swings around and hits Milhouse in the face, breaking his glasses] Skinner: We can buy =real= periodic tables instead of these promotional ones from Oscar Meyer. Krabappel: Who can tell me the atomic weight of bolognium? Martin: Ooh ... delicious? Krabappel: Correct. I would also accept snacktacular. Skinner: And, for the first time ever, our computer lab actually has a computer in it! [Ralph is sitting at their newly installed computer, engrossed in an educational spelling program] Ralph: Hi, Lisa! Hi, Super Nintendo Chalmers! [he types "cat", which prompts a "meow" sound from the computer] I'm learn-ding. [that's not a typo] Lisa: Aw, way to go, Ralph. Gil: [appearing suddenly] D'ah, she's a beut'. You can't beat a Coleco, eh ...? How many can I put ya' down for, a lot? Please say "a lot," I need this. Skinner: I dunno. I'm not even sure we can keep this one. It's up to Lisa. Chalmers: Whaddayasay, Lisa? Will you keep our little secret for the good of your classmates and your school? Gil: And let's not forget ol' Gil, huh? The wolf's at old Gil's door. [Lisa looks around at Skinner and Chalmers who look back anxiously, and at Ralph, who is happily picking his nose] Lisa: Oooh ... I guess I don't have much choice. Gil: Aw, thank God! Now, let's talk rust-proofing. These Colecos'll rust up on ya' like =that=, er ... shut up, Gil. Close the deal ... close the deal! -- ... and the deal is struck, "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % We leave Springfield Elementary to join Homer, Marge and Pinchy, who % are taking a walk on the beach. Homer: [to Pinchy] Relax, boy. We're not gonna cook you! Enjoy your day at the beach. Ooh, look, here's a little playmate for ya'. [he picks up a snail and puts it in front of Pinchy, who gets bitten] Hey! You don't have to take that from no punk-ass crab! What's wrong with you? [Captain McAllister walks on] McAllister: Y'arr, it's not his fault he's a sissy. =Someone's= been =coddling= him. Marge: Don't look at me! I wanted to eat him! McAllister: Eh, sorry, it's usually the mother. Eh, y-you know, I run a small academy for lobsters like this one. We stress tough love. Daily chores and the like. Marge: No! We're not sending the lobster away to some snobby boarding school. McAllister: Y'arr, I understand. It's hard to let go. Eh, tell me this, then ... do you have any spare change? -- "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % It's nighttime, and many people are assembled inside the auditorium % at Springfield Elementary. Skinner, Chalmers, Lisa and an % unidentified man are all onstage. Skinner: And now, to present the grant money, a legendary figure in educational disbursement, state Comptroller Atkins! [applause] Atkins: Thank you. I'm here tonight to honor the girl whose unprecedented test score has set a new standard in excellence. Lisa? [more applause as Lisa takes the podium] Lisa: Thank you. I know this giant check is very important to everyone here, but ... what's even more important is the truth. [everyone looks confused, and Skinner makes "cut" guesture] Because, after all, education is the search for truth. Skinner: No, no it isn't. Don't listen to her. She's out of her mind! Lisa: And the truth is, we don't deserve this grant, and I don't deserve your applause. I cheated on that test. [audience boos] Atkins: Wait! How dare you condemn this girl. Who among =you= can honestly say you've never cheated ... on your wives ... or your husbands? What she just did took courage, and where I come from, Canada, we reward courage. So I hearby decree that you keep the grant. And let's give this brave girl the ovation she deserves! [everyone cheers, and OFF greets Lisa at the podium and carries her out of the room] Marge: Oh, honey, I'm so proud of you. You got the highest grade in the class. Lisa: But, Mo-om ... Marge: The highest grade! -- "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % Bart slams the doors shut as they leave and throws a broom through % the handles. "Okay, Lisa's gone!" he shouts, and the crowd murmurs % and returns to their seats. The comptroller pulls off a face mask and % is revealed to be Otto, who walks off saying "Oh, man! Acting is % tough! I'll be in my trailer." Skinner: Ah, good old predictable Lisa. I knew her conscience was a ticking time bomb. Krabappel: Heads up! Here comes the =real= comptroller. [a few minutes later, a man similar to Otto's role, with a slightly different voice, is handing an oversized check to Skinner] Atkins: This grant ensures a light bulb in every classroom, and a high-definition TV for the teachers' lounge. [applause] Now, where's the little girl who made this grant possible? Where's Lisa Simpson? [a poorly made dummy of Lisa pops up on a poll in the back of the room, which we see is being controlled by Bart, low in his seat. The comptroller offers for her to come on up, but she shakes her head "no"] Atkins: Well, how about that? Smart =and= modest! Well, I should be going now. These giant checks don't hand themselves out. Skinner: Okay, people! Let's have a round of applause for the =real= comptroller! Atkins: Huh? Chalmers: [under his breath] Idiot. [walks Mr. Atkins out of the room] Skinner: I know a liquor store where we can cash this right now! -- "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % Lisa is at home with a marker, changing her "A+++" into the top % horizontal line of a big, red "F." Lisa: That's one grade I truly earned. Marge: Mmmm ... who left these muddy claw prints on my clean floor? Homer: Sorry, Marge. Pinchy got all dirty in the yard chasing birds. But don't worry! I put him in a nice, hot bath. Bart: [sniffs the air] Hey, what smells so good? Homer: Yeah ... Pinchy? Pinchy!?! Oh ... =Pinchy=!!!!! [he runs out of the room worried] -- Whoops, "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % Later that night, Homer is crying at the dining room table, taking % bites out of Pinchy's dead body while the family is watching. Homer: [eating, crying] Oh, man, that's good. [sob] Pass the butter. Bart: Are you gonna eat that all by yourself? Homer: Uh-huh. Pinchy would've wanted it this way. My dear, sweet Pinchy. [takes a bite] No more pain where you are now, boy. [rips him in half and sucks out the meat inside] Oh, God, that's tasty! I wish Pinchy were here to enjoy this. [takes more bites] Oh, Pinchy ... -- "Lisa Gets an 'A'" % [End of Act Three. Time: 20:31] ============================================================================== > Contributors ============================================================================== {ad} Anthony Dean {af} Alex Foley {ak} Albert Kennedy {al} Andrew Levine {bjr} Benjamin Robinson {brk} Brian Rawson-Ketchum {ck} Christian Kammerer {cr} Craig Russell {ddg} Don Del Grande {dj} Darrel Jones {dt} Dan Tropea {ec} Ellen Cohen {hl} Haynes Lee {je} Jordan Eisenberg {jg} Jeremy Gallen {jg2} Joe Green {jk} Joe Klemm {jr} Jason Rosenbaum {jr2} Jeremy Reaban {le} Lauren Elder {mar} Mark Richey {mp} Matt P {mr} Matt Rose {ol} Ondre Lombard {pt} Paul Tomko {sg} Skyi Guy {ss} Samuel Sklaroff {tmh} Tyler McHenry {tr} Tom Rinschler ============================================================================== > Legal Mumbo Jumbo ============================================================================== This episode capsule is Copyright 2002 Benjamin Robinson. It is not to be redistributed in a public forum without consent from its author or current maintainer (capsules@snpp.com). All quoted material and episode summaries remain property of The Simpsons, Copyright of Twentieth Century Fox. All other contributions remain the properties of their respective authors. The transcript itself is Copyright 1998 Jordan Eisenberg. This capsule has been brought to you by Eatie Gourmet's, Springfield's finest source of free samples. This work is dedicated to Raymond Chen, James A. Cherry, Ricardo Lafaurie, Frederic Briere, and all of those who made episode capsules what they are today. Many thanks to Frederic Briere, who provided me with alt.tv.simpsons archives when needed. This capsule wouldn't be as complete without his invaluable help.