I Love Lisa
Encyclopedia
"I Love Lisa" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons
' fourth season
, and originally aired on the Fox network
in the United States on February 11, 1993. In the episode, Lisa
gives Ralph Wiggum
a Valentine's Day
card when she sees that he has not received any. Ralph reads too much into Lisa's gesture and, much to Lisa's dismay, relentlessly pursues her with affection. Lisa snaps at Ralph and angrily tells him they are not together and that she never liked him. Heartbroken, Ralph channels his feelings into his performance as George Washington
in the school's President's Day pageant. After a thunderous applause from the audience, he is able to accept Lisa as just a friend.
Frank Mula
wrote the episode, and Wes Archer
served as director. Michael Carrington guest-starred as Rex. Al Jean
, show runner
of the episode, came up with the idea for the story when he remembered that he had received a valentine from a girl in third grade that read "I Choo-Choo-Choose You". The episode was well-received by critics; Entertainment Weekly
placed the episode twelfth on their top 25 The Simpsons episodes list. The episode received a Nielsen rating of 14.9 and was the highest rated show on the Fox network the week it aired. The staff received an angry letter from a Vietnam veteran
because of a flashback scene depicting the fatal shooting of a Vietnam soldier.
and Lisa's class at the Springfield Elementary School construct paper mailboxes for all the valentine cards they are about to receive. When Ralph gets no cards and breaks down in tears, Lisa hastily gives him a card out of sympathy. Ralph immediately cheers up, and develops a romantic interest in her. Ralph begins to annoy Lisa at every turn, following her home and discussing his self-inflicted nosebleeds. Lisa tries to escape the situation by telling Ralph she is not ready to be romantic, but he uses his position as Chief Wiggum's son to get her tickets to Krusty's upcoming 29th Anniversary Special, as well as a leading part for himself in a President's Day pageant in which Lisa also stars. In a dramatic upset, Ralph had received the role of George Washington
in a segment about the former president's life, beating out an obviously more talented classmate named Rex. Conveniently, Lisa plays Martha Washington
and will be Ralph's "wife".
With Homer
having convinced Lisa that nothing can go wrong at Krusty's show, Lisa and Ralph go together. On live air, Krusty begins interviewing audience members, and Ralph takes the opportunity to declare that Lisa is the love of his life and that he intends to marry her. Angry, Lisa states that she had never liked him, and that the only reason she gave him a valentine was because nobody else would. Ralph is humiliated and deeply hurt, and Lisa soon regrets her actions. On the night of the play, Lisa tries to apologize to Ralph, but all he tries to do is focus on his role. Surprisingly, Ralph proves to be a remarkably effective and eloquent actor, inspiring the school bullies to study American history. He even moves Groundskeeper Willie
to tears. Afterward, Ralph signs autographs and greets well-wishers. Lisa also approaches, and gives him a new card with a picture of a bee
on it, reading "Let's bee [be] friends." Ralph laughs at the pun
and happily accepts the offer of friendship.
This was the first episode Frank Mula
wrote for The Simpsons. Mula had previously worked with Simpsons executive producer Sam Simon
at another Gracie Films
show. This was the first season four episode that Wes Archer
directed. Jeff Martin
and Mula wrote the music for the President's Day pageant. Michael Carrington guest-stars in the episode as Rex, the boy who auditions for the role of George Washington but is beaten by Ralph.
The story of "I Love Lisa" originated from a personal episode of Al Jean
's life; when Jean was in third grade, he received a valentine from a girl that read "I Choo-Choo-Choose You". Years later, Jean wondered if the girl had really liked him. He told writing partner Mike Reiss
about it and they thought it could be an idea for an episode where Lisa could give such a valentine to Ralph Wiggum, who would then take it too far. At that time, Ralph, a character they had put in the "Moaning Lisa
" episode, and Chief Wiggum were not established as being related. Jean thought it would be funny if Ralph was Wiggum's son, considering both characters are "fat and dumb". A technique the staff used to come up with stories and ideas was to think "what holiday haven't we done on The Simpsons, or done lately?". As they had done several Halloween
and Christmas
episodes before, the staff liked the idea of doing a Valentine's Day episode.
" (by Bobby "Boris" Pickett) and "Break on Through (To the Other Side)
" (by The Doors
) are featured in the episode. The orchestral version of Tony Bennett
's "Stranger in Paradise
" can be heard in an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon. Homer's conscience, which tells Homer that stealing is wrong, speaks with the voice of the fictional character Droopy. During the re-enactment of the Abraham Lincoln assassination
at the school pageant, Bart says "Hasta la vista, Abie" in reference to the film Terminator 2: Judgment Day
. The scene of Chief Wiggum sitting behind Krusty at an adult movie theater and Krusty thinking he is about to be arrested is a reference to Paul Reubens' arrest for masturbating at a Sarasota, Florida
, pornographic movie theater.
' s Dalton Ross said the episode was both touching and humorous. He added that in the scene where Bart runs a videotape in slow motion to show Lisa how "you can actually pin-point the second when [Ralph Wiggum's] heart rips in half", the audience does not really know "whether you're shedding tears of laughter, empathy, or both—you just know that it's damn good any way you slice it." The Arizona Republic
' s Bill Goodykoontz named the episode one of his five favorites and highlighted Ralph's line "and my doctor said I wouldn't have so many nosebleeds if I kept my finger out of there" as one of the best lines in the history of the show. In a review of The Simpsons season four, Lyndsey Shinoda of Video Store cited "Brother from the Same Planet
" and "I Love Lisa" among her "personal favorites" from the season.
Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, said their favorite scenes from the episode include Principal Skinner's flashback to Valentine's Day in Vietnam
, the scene in which Chief Wiggum chases a duck to get his badge back, and the one where Bart and Milhouse
play John Wilkes Booth
and Abraham Lincoln
at the school pageant. They added that those scenes were "just the icing on the cake of the main plot." In 2003, Entertainment Weekly placed the episode twelfth on their top 25 The Simpsons episodes list, and in 2008 placed the episode second on their top "25 New Classic Holiday TV Episodes" list.
somewhere in Da Nang
in 1969. On an oil drum next to him is a manila envelope and a photograph of Colonel Kurtz. Skinner sees one of his army friends holding a valentine card and asks him, "sending your chick a valentine?", to which the guy replies "yep", right before he is shot to death. After the episode aired, a Vietnam veteran sent in a letter to the show that read, "I was watching the Valentine's Day episode of your cartoon and I saw the horrifying Vietnam flashback. Do you really think this was funny, this horrible experience?" The staff ignored the letter and, as Wes Archer pointed out, the scene was "an obvious" reference to Apocalypse Now
. In contrast, Mark Groening—the brother of Matt Groening
and himself a Vietnam vet—"loved" the sequence as well as the episode.
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
The Simpsons (season 4)
The Simpsons fourth season originally aired on the Fox network between September 24, 1992 and May 13, 1993, beginning with "Kamp Krusty." The show runners for the fourth production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss. The aired season contained two episodes which were hold-over episodes from season...
, and originally aired on the Fox network
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the United States on February 11, 1993. In the episode, Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
gives Ralph Wiggum
Ralph Wiggum
Ralph Wiggum is a recurring fictional character on the animated series The Simpsons, voiced by Nancy Cartwright. The son of Police Chief Wiggum and a classmate of Lisa Simpson, Ralph is best known as the show's resident oddball, and is noted for his non sequiturs and erratic behavior...
a Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
card when she sees that he has not received any. Ralph reads too much into Lisa's gesture and, much to Lisa's dismay, relentlessly pursues her with affection. Lisa snaps at Ralph and angrily tells him they are not together and that she never liked him. Heartbroken, Ralph channels his feelings into his performance as George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
in the school's President's Day pageant. After a thunderous applause from the audience, he is able to accept Lisa as just a friend.
Frank Mula
Frank Mula
Frank Mula is an American television writer. He has written for Cosby, Madame's Place, Grand, The Simpsons and created the series, Local Heroes, which lasted 7 episodes.Mula was raised in South River, New Jersey....
wrote the episode, and Wes Archer
Wes Archer
Wesley Meyer Archer is a television animation director. He was one of the original three animators on The Simpsons' Tracey Ullman shorts and subsequently directed a number of The Simpsons episodes before becoming supervising director at King of the Hill. A...
served as director. Michael Carrington guest-starred as Rex. Al Jean
Al Jean
Al Jean is an award-winning American screenwriter and producer, best known for his work on The Simpsons. He was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his writing career in the 1980s with fellow Harvard alum Mike Reiss...
, show runner
Show runner
Showrunner is a term of art originating in the United States and Canadian television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television seriesalthough such persons generally are credited as an executive producer...
of the episode, came up with the idea for the story when he remembered that he had received a valentine from a girl in third grade that read "I Choo-Choo-Choose You". The episode was well-received by critics; Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
placed the episode twelfth on their top 25 The Simpsons episodes list. The episode received a Nielsen rating of 14.9 and was the highest rated show on the Fox network the week it aired. The staff received an angry letter from a Vietnam veteran
Vietnam veteran
Vietnam veteran is a phrase used to describe someone who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War.The term has been used to describe veterans who were in the armed forces of South Vietnam, the United States armed forces, and countries allied to them, whether or...
because of a flashback scene depicting the fatal shooting of a Vietnam soldier.
Plot
It is Valentine's Day in SpringfieldSpringfield (The Simpsons)
Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its...
and Lisa's class at the Springfield Elementary School construct paper mailboxes for all the valentine cards they are about to receive. When Ralph gets no cards and breaks down in tears, Lisa hastily gives him a card out of sympathy. Ralph immediately cheers up, and develops a romantic interest in her. Ralph begins to annoy Lisa at every turn, following her home and discussing his self-inflicted nosebleeds. Lisa tries to escape the situation by telling Ralph she is not ready to be romantic, but he uses his position as Chief Wiggum's son to get her tickets to Krusty's upcoming 29th Anniversary Special, as well as a leading part for himself in a President's Day pageant in which Lisa also stars. In a dramatic upset, Ralph had received the role of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
in a segment about the former president's life, beating out an obviously more talented classmate named Rex. Conveniently, Lisa plays Martha Washington
Martha Washington
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington is considered to be the first First Lady of the United States...
and will be Ralph's "wife".
With Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
having convinced Lisa that nothing can go wrong at Krusty's show, Lisa and Ralph go together. On live air, Krusty begins interviewing audience members, and Ralph takes the opportunity to declare that Lisa is the love of his life and that he intends to marry her. Angry, Lisa states that she had never liked him, and that the only reason she gave him a valentine was because nobody else would. Ralph is humiliated and deeply hurt, and Lisa soon regrets her actions. On the night of the play, Lisa tries to apologize to Ralph, but all he tries to do is focus on his role. Surprisingly, Ralph proves to be a remarkably effective and eloquent actor, inspiring the school bullies to study American history. He even moves Groundskeeper Willie
Groundskeeper Willie
William McDougal, usually referred to as Groundskeeper Willie, is a recurring character on The Simpsons, voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He is head groundskeeper at Springfield Elementary School. Willie is a Scottish immigrant, almost feral in nature and immensely proud of his homeland...
to tears. Afterward, Ralph signs autographs and greets well-wishers. Lisa also approaches, and gives him a new card with a picture of a bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
on it, reading "Let's bee [be] friends." Ralph laughs at the pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
and happily accepts the offer of friendship.
Production
Frank Mula
Frank Mula is an American television writer. He has written for Cosby, Madame's Place, Grand, The Simpsons and created the series, Local Heroes, which lasted 7 episodes.Mula was raised in South River, New Jersey....
wrote for The Simpsons. Mula had previously worked with Simpsons executive producer Sam Simon
Sam Simon
Samuel "Sam" Simon is an American director, producer, writer, boxing manager and philanthropist. While at Stanford University, Simon worked as a newspaper cartoonist and after graduating became a storyboard artist at Filmation Studios. He submitted a spec script for the sitcom Taxi, which was...
at another Gracie Films
Gracie Films
Gracie Films is an American film and television production company, created by James L. Brooks in 1986. The company has produced many award-winning films and television series, including Broadcast News, Jerry Maguire, and most notably The Simpsons...
show. This was the first season four episode that Wes Archer
Wes Archer
Wesley Meyer Archer is a television animation director. He was one of the original three animators on The Simpsons' Tracey Ullman shorts and subsequently directed a number of The Simpsons episodes before becoming supervising director at King of the Hill. A...
directed. Jeff Martin
Jeff Martin (writer)
Jeff Martin is an American television producer and writer. He was a writer for The Simpsons during the first four seasons. He attended Harvard University, where he wrote for The Harvard Lampoon, as have many other Simpsons writers...
and Mula wrote the music for the President's Day pageant. Michael Carrington guest-stars in the episode as Rex, the boy who auditions for the role of George Washington but is beaten by Ralph.
The story of "I Love Lisa" originated from a personal episode of Al Jean
Al Jean
Al Jean is an award-winning American screenwriter and producer, best known for his work on The Simpsons. He was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his writing career in the 1980s with fellow Harvard alum Mike Reiss...
's life; when Jean was in third grade, he received a valentine from a girl that read "I Choo-Choo-Choose You". Years later, Jean wondered if the girl had really liked him. He told writing partner Mike Reiss
Mike Reiss
Michael "Mike" Reiss is an American television comedy writer. He served as a show-runner, writer and producer for the animated series The Simpsons and co-created the animated series The Critic...
about it and they thought it could be an idea for an episode where Lisa could give such a valentine to Ralph Wiggum, who would then take it too far. At that time, Ralph, a character they had put in the "Moaning Lisa
Moaning Lisa
"Moaning Lisa" is the sixth episode of The Simpsons first season, and originally aired February 11, 1990. The episode was written by Al Jean and Mike Reiss, and was directed by Wes Archer. Ron Taylor guest stars in the episode as Bleeding Gums Murphy. The episode deals with Lisa's depression and...
" episode, and Chief Wiggum were not established as being related. Jean thought it would be funny if Ralph was Wiggum's son, considering both characters are "fat and dumb". A technique the staff used to come up with stories and ideas was to think "what holiday haven't we done on The Simpsons, or done lately?". As they had done several Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
and Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
episodes before, the staff liked the idea of doing a Valentine's Day episode.
Cultural references
The songs "Monster MashMonster Mash
"Monster Mash" is a 1962 novelty song and the best-known song by Bobby "Boris" Pickett. The song was released as a single on Gary S. Paxton's Garpax Records label in August 1962 along with a full-length LP called The Original Monster Mash, which contained several other monster-themed tunes...
" (by Bobby "Boris" Pickett) and "Break on Through (To the Other Side)
Break on Through (To the Other Side)
"Break on Through " is a song by The Doors from their debut album, The Doors. It was the first single released by the band and was unsuccessful compared to later hits, reaching only #126 in the United States...
" (by The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
) are featured in the episode. The orchestral version of Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
's "Stranger in Paradise
Stranger in Paradise (song)
"Stranger in Paradise" is a popular song from the 1953 musical Kismet and is credited to Robert Wright and George Forrest. Like all the music in that show, the melody was based on music composed by Alexander Borodin, in this case, the "Gliding Dance of the Maidens," from the Polovtsian...
" can be heard in an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon. Homer's conscience, which tells Homer that stealing is wrong, speaks with the voice of the fictional character Droopy. During the re-enactment of the Abraham Lincoln assassination
Abraham Lincoln assassination
The assassination of United States President Abraham Lincoln took place on Good Friday, April 14, 1865, as the American Civil War was drawing to a close. The assassination occurred five days after the commanding General of the Army of Northern Virginia, Robert E. Lee, and his battered Army of...
at the school pageant, Bart says "Hasta la vista, Abie" in reference to the film Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr.. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and Edward Furlong...
. The scene of Chief Wiggum sitting behind Krusty at an adult movie theater and Krusty thinking he is about to be arrested is a reference to Paul Reubens' arrest for masturbating at a Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
, pornographic movie theater.
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "I Love Lisa" finished eighteenth in the ratings for the week of February 6 to February 12, 1993, with a Nielsen rating of 14.9. The episode was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week. Since airing, it has received many positive reviews from fans and television critics. Entertainment WeeklyThe Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic is a daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. It was ranked tenth in US daily newspapers by circulation in 2007.-Early years:The newspaper was founded...
Brother from the Same Planet
"Brother from the Same Planet" is the fourteenth episode of The Simpsons fourth season. After Homer is late to pick up Bart from soccer practice, Bart turns to the program The Bigger Brothers, and is assigned a man named Tom. Homer gets himself a little brother named Pepe. Homer and Tom fight, and...
" and "I Love Lisa" among her "personal favorites" from the season.
Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, said their favorite scenes from the episode include Principal Skinner's flashback to Valentine's Day in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, the scene in which Chief Wiggum chases a duck to get his badge back, and the one where Bart and Milhouse
Milhouse Van Houten
Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Pamela Hayden. He is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class at Springfield Elementary School....
play John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...
and Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
at the school pageant. They added that those scenes were "just the icing on the cake of the main plot." In 2003, Entertainment Weekly placed the episode twelfth on their top 25 The Simpsons episodes list, and in 2008 placed the episode second on their top "25 New Classic Holiday TV Episodes" list.
Controversy
When Principal Skinner tells the children at school that Valentine's Day is not a joke, he has a flashback in which he is sitting in a PBRPatrol Boat, River
Patrol Boat, River , or PBR, is the United States Navy designation for a small rigid-hulled patrol boat used in the Vietnam War from March 1966 until the end of 1971...
somewhere in Da Nang
Da Nang
Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...
in 1969. On an oil drum next to him is a manila envelope and a photograph of Colonel Kurtz. Skinner sees one of his army friends holding a valentine card and asks him, "sending your chick a valentine?", to which the guy replies "yep", right before he is shot to death. After the episode aired, a Vietnam veteran sent in a letter to the show that read, "I was watching the Valentine's Day episode of your cartoon and I saw the horrifying Vietnam flashback. Do you really think this was funny, this horrible experience?" The staff ignored the letter and, as Wes Archer pointed out, the scene was "an obvious" reference to Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
. In contrast, Mark Groening—the brother of Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
and himself a Vietnam vet—"loved" the sequence as well as the episode.
External links
- "I Love Lisa" at The Simpsons.com