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Moaning Lisa (The Simpsons)

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"Moaning Lisa"
The Simpsons episode
File:MoaningLisa.png
Episode no.Season 1
Directed byWesley Archer[1]
Written byAl Jean & Mike Reiss[1]
Original air dateFebruary 11, 1990[2]
Episode features
Chalkboard gag"I will not instigate revolution"[3]
Couch gagThe Simpsons pile on to the couch, Maggie pops up in the air and Marge catches her.
CommentaryMatt Groening
Wes Archer
Al Jean
Mike Reiss
Episode chronology
The Simpsons season 1
List of episodes

"Moaning Lisa" is the sixth episode of The Simpsons' first season, and originally aired February 11, 1990.[2] The episode was written by Al Jean and Mike Reiss, and was directed by Wes Archer.[1] Ron Taylor guest stars in the episode as Bleeding Gums Murphy.[4] The episode deals with Lisa's depression and her attempts to sublimate it by playing her saxophone. It received positive reviews from television critics.

Plot

Lisa awakens one morning with a potent case of the blues. She attempts to exorcise some of her sadness with a burst of "creativity" on her saxophone, which is unwelcomed by her band teacher Mr. Largo. Her gym teacher, also unsympathetic, has a note sent home to Lisa's parents regarding her refusal to participate in dodgeball. Homer and Bart, meanwhile, are playing a video boxing game. Undefeated with 48 wins, Bart takes only one round to knock off the head of Homer's boxer.

Homer is unable to comprehend Lisa's existential crisis and isn't able to cheer her up. Lisa tries to practice her sax, but Homer complains about the noise. She begins silently working on her fingering, when she hears a saxophone wail in the distance. Leaving through the window, she follows the sound across town to find a jazz man, "Bleeding Gums" Murphy. She joins him in a couple verses of blues. Marge has a dream about her childhood, remembering when she was unhappy and her mother told her to always smile, because "people know how good of a mommy you have by the size of your smile." Homer, meanwhile, has a nightmare about being beaten by Bart in a boxing match. Lisa's jam session with Bleeding Gums is cut short when Marge pulls up and takes her home.

Homer goes to the local arcade and finds a young boy who is an expert at the video boxing game. Homer convinces the boy to teach him everything he knows. Soon Homer has mastered the game and leaves to finally defeat Bart. Meanwhile, Marge drops Lisa off at school and gives her the same advice she was given by her mother, telling Lisa to smile no matter how she is feeling inside. Lisa tries being friendly and happy, and is immediately taken advantage of by her fellow students and mistreated by Mr. Largo. Furious, Marge pulls Lisa back into the car and tells her that she should not hide her feelings, and that her family will be there for her until she feels better. This proves to be what Lisa needed, as she immediately begins to feel better. Marge and Lisa attempt to make an announcement to Homer and Bart, but they are distracted by their video game, which Homer is finally about to win. Just as he is about to land his winning blow, Marge unplugs the TV. Bart takes this opportunity to retire from the game undefeated. Marge announces that the family will be going to the local jazz club that night to celebrate Lisa's contentment. There, they watch Bleeding Gums perform a blues song written by Lisa.

Production

A video camera is being pointed at a bearded man who is wearing glasses. Some other people stand in the background.
The idea for "Moaning Lisa" was suggested by James L. Brooks.

The idea for "Moaning Lisa" was suggested by The Simpsons producer James L. Brooks. He wanted to do an episode where Lisa was sad but she did not know why.[4] The writers also felt that they had done a lot of "joky" episodes on the show and wanted to try something new that was "really emotional and sweet".[4] The song Lisa sings in this episode later reappeared in expanded form on The Simpsons Sing the Blues CD.[4]

Mr. Largo, Lisa's music teacher, was partly inspired by a music teacher Matt Groening had as a kid.[5] The designs of the boxers in the video game Homer and Bart play were loosely based on Homer and Bart,[4] and the referee in the game was based on a character from Matt Groening's Life in Hell comic strip.[5] Bleeding Gums Murphy was loosely based on the famous blues musician Blind Lemon Jefferson.[4] Ralph Wiggum,[4] Bleeding Gums Murphy, and Jacqueline Bouvier (during Marge's childhood flashback) all make their first appearances on The Simpsons in this episode.[1]

Reception

In its original American broadcast, "Moaning Lisa" finished 34th place in the weekly ratings for the week of February 5–February 11, 1990 with a Nielsen rating of 13.8. It was the highest rated show on the Fox Network that week.[6] The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, said: "Certain scenes of this, the most syrupy of Simpsons episodes, sent viewers raised on the later seasons scurrying to the bathroom. Yes, the final moments may give you goosepimples, and are a world away from the anti-schmaltz normally associated with the series, but there is still much to recommend here. In fact, the Homer-Bart subplot is more successful than the main storyline; Homer's nightmare about their relationship is genuinely disturbing."[1] In a DVD review of the first season, David B. Grelck gave the episode a rating of 2.5/5 and added: "Lisa develops much of her future personality in this episode. The family dynamic is starting to fall into place, as is the relationship between Homer and Lisa."[7]

Censorship

When broadcasting the episode in the UK, the BBC omitted parts of the video boxing scenes containing references to bloody violence, as well as removing part of a scene which contained Bart's boxer performing a victory dance on a grave within the game. The shots of Homer's boxer repeatedly punching Bart's boxer - with blood appearing everywhere - and Homer's line "[h]e's hoping I'll put him out of his misery" were also edited out.[8]

Home release

The episode was released first on home video in the United Kingdom, as part of a VHS release titled The Simpsons Collection; the episode was paired with season one episode "Homer's Odyssey".[9] It was released in the US on the VHS release The Best of The Simpsons, Vol. 2 (1997), paired with "Bart the General".[10] It was later re-released in the US in a collector's edition boxed set of the first three volumes of The Best of The Simpsons collections.[11] It was re-released in the UK as part of VHS boxed set of the complete first season, released in November 1999.[12] The episode's debut on the DVD format was as a part of The Simpsons season one DVD set, which was released on September 25, 2001. Groening, Reiss, Archer, and Jean participated in the DVD's audio commentary.[13] A digital edition of the series' first season was published December 20, 2010 in the United States containing the episode, through Amazon Instant Video and iTunes.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Moaning Lisa BBC.co.uk. Retrieved on August 17, 2008
  2. ^ a b "Moaning Lisa" The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on August 17, 2008
  3. ^ Richmond, Ray (1997). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family. Harper Collins Publishers. p. 23. ISBN 0-00063-8898-1. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: length (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Jean, Al (2001). The Simpsons The Complete First Season DVD commentary for the episode "Moaning Lisa" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  5. ^ a b Groening, Matt (2001). The Simpsons The Complete First Season DVD commentary for the episode "Moaning Lisa" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  6. ^ De Atley, Richard (February 16, 1990). "'Blind Faith' and 'Funniest Home Videos' are in Nielsen Top 10". St. Petersburg Times. p. 7D. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  7. ^ Grelck, David B (2003). "The Simpsons: The Complete First Season". WDBG Productions. Retrieved 2008-01-14. [dead link‍]
  8. ^ Moaning Lisa (7G06) Simpsons Crazy. Retrieved on February 26, 2011
  9. ^ "The Simpsons - Moaning Lisa (1989)". Amazon.com. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  10. ^ "The Best of The Simpsons, Vol. 1 - Bart the General/ Moaning Lisa". Amazon.com. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  11. ^ "The Best of The Simpsons, Boxed Set 1". Amazon.com. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  12. ^ "The Simpsons - Season 1 Box Set [VHS]". Amazon.com. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  13. ^ "The Simpsons - The Complete 1st Season". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  14. ^ "The Simpsons Season 1 - Amazon Instant Video". Amazon.com. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
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