Moaning Lisa [Poll]

After the poll about "Lisa�s Substitute" now one about an even older and more serious episode, namely season 1�s 7G06 "Moaning Lisa". I hope I don�t bother you but I�m interested what people think about such old and serious episodes.

What do you think?

Outstandingly good              [    ]
Overrated episode                [    ]
Pretty weak episode             [    ]
Total crap                            [    ]
Other opinion, namely...        [    ]

In the following my own short review and opinion about the episode. I�d call it outstandingly good, at least for season 1 relations.

7G06 Moaning Lisa

Very very good and very dark and serious character episode. Until now (except 7G08) Lisa wasn�t much more than a flat female version of Bart but now she gets more depth and character and we see for the first time what she will be in later episodes. Some great existential musings and a first short glimpse of Homer�s inability to communicate with Lisa on the same level. There are many moving and deeply serious lines by Lisa so I won�t quote them all, just watch the episode in an uncut version or read at least the capsule. On the lighter side of the plot are Bart and Homer and their insanely violent Super Slugfest video game, the great Maggie scene "Run to the one you love best" (which is neither Bart nor Lisa but the TV) and Moe�s telephone encounter with Jock Strapp. There are also some nice scenes for big child Homer like the one at the Noiseland Arcade or the one where he wakes up and screams but goes back to sleep within a second. Such scenes show that his character has much more potential than a typical sitcom dad. But it�s not Homer�s but Lisa�s time to shine and of course the time of Bleedin�Gums Murphy and his sad sad Blues. People call the episode extremly sappy and partly they�re right but I think it�s more than that. It�s a very defining episode not only for Lisa but for the family and it�s an episode about the suppression of a creative spirit. I call it a great episode and all-time-classic (of course not as good as 7F19).

Chris

It's a while since I saw it, but my memory is that it is a really great episode. Especially the ' run to the one you love' scene.

Em

"Chris Pfeiler" wrote in message news:[email]...

more

bother

episodes.

call it

(except

gets

of

many

watch

lighter

Slugfest

is

at the

to

think

for the

call

"Chris Pfeiler" wrote in message news:[email]...

more

bother

episodes.

call it

(except

gets

of

many

watch

lighter

Slugfest

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Again, I'd say outstandingly good... but that's just because I'm a big Lisa fan, so what can I say? The more we discover about Lisa, the better!

-Audrey

Oh, it's a little tune that I call ``The `I Never Had an Italian Suit' Blues''.

Outstandingly good [X] Perfect character development for each member of the family; they all shine. Not at all sappy.

"Lisa, get away from that jazzman!"

[One Of The] Best Episode[s] Ever!!! <_Jym_>

"Chris Pfeiler" wrote in message news:[email]...

more

bother

episodes.

I guess I'd say it's overrated. It is, however, absolutely essential for establishing Lisa's character. I'd say it's more of a stage-setting episode than anything great in and of itself. I know a lot of people would disagree with me, though.

Nathan

Before "Moaning Lisa," there had been no Lisa episodes. Therefore, this precedent-setting episode determined a great deal of her character, and if it had been written differently, Lisa would be an entirely different pointy-haired girl today. It is for this reason that "Moaning Lisa" is an extremely important episode.

As for its "greatness," comically it fell pretty much in line with the humor level of most of season one, while dramatically it was certainly one of the better episodes in the entire series.

I really must applaud the actors who bring these characters to life. The scripts are good, but an actor can take any given line and send it in any of myriad directions in terms of emotion and meaning. Case in point: read the last scene in "Lisa's First Word." It has very little emotional value. Then watch it on TV (or, in due time, on your delightful new DVD), and watch how Dan reads Homer's last lines to Maggie. That's an excellent instance of taking the acting far above and beyond the script's best potential. Yeardley manages to wring character out of Lisa almost every time she talks, which makes episodes like "Moaning Lisa" shine for their dramatic and emotional content.

~Josh

Chris Pfeiler wrote in message news:[email]...

more

bother

episodes.

call it

(except

gets

of

many

watch

lighter

Slugfest

is

at the

to

think

for the

call

"Chris Pfeiler" wrote in message news:[email]...

more

bother

episodes.

Your rating system doesn't leave much room on the positive side, jumping from "outstandingly good" to "overrated." In addition, "overrated" is pretty ambivalent, as it could mean "good, but still overrated" or "bad and overrated."

Yep, you�re right. I�ll change it.

Chris

On 17 Jul 2001 08:30:12 GMT, [email] (Chris Pfeiler) wrote:

Crap "sentimental" episode with virtually no laughs, Simpsons is a COMEDY people! I would easily consider it to be the worst episode of Season 1 (BGM might as well be Kwyjibo as fa as I care).

People love this episode and I can't stand it!

It�s good to have another opinion but personally I can�t agree. As far as I�m concerned the non-comedy "real life" episodes were always the very best and the real decline started when the viewers and writers and producers started to consider the show as nothing but simple comedy.

"Moaning Lisa" isn�t even the most serious and sentimental episode in season 1, that�s IMO "Life on the Fast Lane" which was also great - not as comedy but as character study.

Chris

can i get an amen?!

(BGM

The Kwyjibo has spoken!

My favorite from the first season. A comedy series generally works best when we have had a chance to know the characters and this was a great character episode for Lisa. Until this point, she pretty much had the same character as Bart, for the most part. It sets the scene for the other major Bleeding Gums episode several seasons later, an episode which to me is one of the best. I'm not even into jazz and I love these two episodes!

Brad