Simpsons Sundays #6: Moaning Lisa

MENTAL PLAN! LISA NEEDS THERAPY!

Something you should know about me is that I am an absolute sucker for emotional media. If any episode of any show makes me Feel Shit, it immediately rockets up in my rankings. (Bonus points if it actually moves me to tears.) Now, Moaning Lisa did not quite make me cry, but it sure as hell affected me emotionally, so it's safe to say I have a high opinion of it. Plus, it's a very realistic depiction of depression, and for that it deserves praise–especially considering it aired back in 1990, when mental health was a far more taboo topic than it is today.

Of course, the chalkboard gag is irrelevant to this topic, but it's still good. I like this one. It raises so many questions.

Granted, the couch gag is just another variation on the “Simpson gets squeezed off the couch” trope, but it's cute. Maggie is always cute. (And please appreciate how incredibly wonky this frame looks.)

Anyway, on to the episode! We open with Lisa staring into the bathroom mirror, looking sad, the only sound being the faucet dripping. It's very atmospheric, and does a great job at setting the tone. You can feel Lisa’s sadness.

Of course, this is broken up by Homer pounding on the door, demanding to know when Lisa will be done. Lisa walks out, only for Bart to squeeze his way inside before Homer can get in.

Homer then frantically looks for his keys, while Bart leads him on a wild goose chase…only for Lisa to point out that the keys are still in the door. At this moment, Marge announces that she only has two cupcakes for the three of them, which like, AWFUL PLANNING MARGE? Smh my head. Anyway, Lisa says to just take hers, feeling that a simple cupcake will bring her no pleasure. Which is a VERY WORRISOME thing for an eight-year-old to say.

Cut to band class, where the kids are practicing My Country ‘Tis Of Thee. Lisa, of course, decides to add some extra bluesy flair, in tribute to the suffering people of America, but Mr. Largo is having none of it. This does not exactly improve Lisa's mood, shockingly.

At lunch, Bart instigates a food fight as Lisa muses on the pointlessness of it all. She chooses not to participate, instead just sitting sadly as she's pelted with food.

Gym class continues this streak of Lisa getting hit with things, as she refuses to participate in the dodgeball game. When asked why, she simply responds, “I'm too sad.” Everyone laughs, because they're assholes.

Later, Homer and Bart play a boxing video game, which Bart feels the need to point out that he kicks Homer’s ass at every single time. Naturally, Homer gets his ass kicked once again, in pretty gory (albeit pixelated) fashion. BUT WAIT, Marge is here! And she has a note from school! And it's not about Bart for once!! No, this note is about Lisa, who refuses to play dodgeball because she is sad.

Homer says she doesn't look sad, given the lack of tears in her eyes, but Lisa explains that it's not that kind of sad and says Homer wouldn't understand. Homer claims he totally can understand, and gets Lisa up on his lap to talk about it, at which point Lisa wonders what the point is and how we can sleep at night when there's so much suffering in the world, which, yeah, that's a bit above Homer's paygrade. He tries to cheer her up, but fails, and Marge offers to take Lisa upstairs to draw her a hot bath. Homer, at a loss for what to do, makes Bart vacuum the floor.

As Bart vacuums, Lisa comes down from her bath, and Bart is a little shit to her. Lisa comments to Maggie that this is typical of Bart, and Bart admonishes her for saying such things in front of the baby, before claiming that she's on his side anyway. Lisa debates this, and Bart tells Maggie to come to the one she loves best. The two of them each try to butter up their baby sister…who proceeds to go hug the TV instead. Maggie is valid.

Later, Bart continues to kick Homer’s ass at the boxing game, but Homer insists that he simply couldn't concentrate with that “infernal racket”--that is, Lisa playing her saxophone in her room. He goes upstairs to scold her, and Lisa begins to cry when she tells him she was just playing the blues. Homer apologizes for yelling, and says she can play the blues if it'll make her happy, but a tearful Lisa says she'll just work on her fingering, unless the keys clacking are too loud for him. Homer assures her she can clack as loud as she wants, and leaves.

At this moment, Lisa hears someone playing the sax in the distance, and decides she needs to find the source. She sneaks out, her own sax in tow, and arrives at a bridge, where she spots Springfield’s very own Bleedin’ Gums Murphy.

Lisa tells Bleedin’ Gums that his playing was beautiful, and asks him what the song was called. Apparently, it was the “I Never Had An Italian Suit Blues.” 

Back at home, Marge dreams of her childhood, and more specifically her mother urging her to put her happy face on so people know “how good a mommy she has.” Which is fucked up! Marge also has problems. Help her.

Homer, meanwhile, dreams about being in the boxing game, and getting his ass annihilated by Bart once again. He wakes up screaming, and comments that getting old is terrible–he says the saddest day of his life was when he realized he could beat his dad at most things, “and Bart experienced that at the age of four.” He then asks Marge why she's still awake, and Marge responds that she's still trying to figure out what's bothering Lisa; she's becoming a young woman, after all. (Homer assumes this is “some kind of underwear thing,” which, okay.)

Lisa, meanwhile, continues to hang out with Bleedin’ Gums, who tells her his name and explains that he got it from never going to the dentist, saying he's got enough pain in his life as it is. (And look, as someone who had a nasty tooth infection last year, I cannot advise this. Dentist visits are unpleasant but they're very important.) Lisa tells him she has problems too, and Bleedin’ Gums admits that he can't help her…but he can jam with her, which Lisa eagerly accepts.

The two of them improvise a song, Bleedin’ Gums singing about his loneliness and poverty and Lisa singing about her family issues. Bleedin’ Gums compliments Lisa on playing pretty well “for someone with no real problems,” and Lisa thanks him, but admits she doesn't feel better. Bleedin' Gums assures her that the blues isn't about feeling better; it's about making other people feel worse, and making a few bucks in the process. He then invites her to a local jazz club to see him perform, but before Lisa can say anything, Marge zips up in the car and demands she leave. All things considered, I kinda get it—if I saw my eight year old had snuck out at night to talk to some guy, I’d be upset too.

Homer watches TV the next day, and is horrified to discover that the bowling alley has been devastated by a fire. He goes to the kitchen, where Marge is pacing around, and asks if she's alright, to which she responds that no, she's very upset. Homer assumes she was upset about the bowling alley, but Marge corrects him, saying she's upset about Lisa. Bart comes in at this moment to ask what they're talking about, and Marge asks him if he loves his sister. Bart, being Bart, doesn't want to have to say it, but Marge insists that he be nice to his sister. Bart goes off to cheer up Lisa, though she insists she doesn't want his pity.

And how does he try to cheer her up, you might ask? Why, nothing less than another prank call to Moe’s, asking for one Jacques Strap. It doesn't get any laughs out of Lisa before Marge takes her off to band practice, but hey, he tried. 

Look, I should probably just come out and say it: Lisa is very clearly suffering from a clinical level of depression here. Obviously this isn't a show where she's going to get Proper Treatment, but I think she'd really benefit from therapy, and possibly even medication when she's a bit older. Just…poor kid. She needs help.

Anyway, Homer sneaks off to the arcade, hoping to improve his video boxing skills. There's a long line at the game, which turns out to be entirely due to one (1) extremely skilled child. Homer begs him to teach him to play well, and the kid insists Homer bark like a dog first, which he actually does. The two play for what seems like hours, until Homer has exhausted his immense supply of quarters, and Homer comments that he's finally going to be able to beat a certain kid. Of course, at this point the kid’s mom shows up to take him home and scold Homer, but he's learned all he needs to anyway.

Marge drives Lisa to band practice, and tells her that she wants her to smile today. Lisa says she doesn't feel like smiling, and Marge insists that it's what's on the surface that counts, like her mother taught her. Just push your bad feelings down and you'll fit in! Marge, I think you need therapy too, your mom was FUCKED. 

Lisa fakes a smile as she leaves the car, and a couple of kids passive-aggressively mock her, even inviting her over to do their homework. Marge looks upset, but that's not the end of it. Mr. Largo comes out too, hoping he doesn't see another outburst of “unbridled creativity,” and this REALLY pisses Marge off. She turns around, snatches Lisa back into the car, and apologizes for her bad advice.

“You wanna be sad, honey, be sad! We'll ride it out with you! And when you get finished being sad, we'll still be there! From now on, let me do the smiling for both of us.” Awwwwww!! 

And Lisa smiles at that. Really, genuinely smiles, because she feels like it.

Back at the house, Homer and Bart play the game again, but this time, the tables have turned, and it's Homer kicking Bart’s ass. Of course, Marge and Lisa enter around this point, and Marge unplugs the TV to get their attention. Bart takes the opportunity to retire undefeated from video boxing, to Homer’s obvious chagrin, and Marge tells Homer that Lisa has an idea she thinks will be fun for the whole family.

Cut to the Simpsons at the Jazz Hole, watching Bleedin’ Gums Murphy perform the song Lisa wrote. He calls her one of the “great little ladies of jazz,” and the entire family watches his performance enraptured, nodding along and clearly enjoying the experience. A beautiful ending, and a beautiful episode overall.

I apologize for this post being shorter than usual; I've been super busy preparing for my birthday party! In fact, this post will go up on my actual birthday, so happy birthday to me. But man, Moaning Lisa is a great episode. It's a true classic of the series, in my book, with a great emotional core but plenty of laughs as well. I can't bring myself to rate this episode any lower than a 9/10; it's not Completely Flawless, but it's really, really good. 

Thanks for tuning in as always, and I'll see you next week for The Call Of The Simpsons!