Is Ralph getting stupider?

Jan 15, 2003, 9:22 AM ET20 posts by 15 postersalt.tv.simpsons
20 posts
Brad Filipponealt.tv.simpsons

As if that were possible?

Seriously though, look waaaaaay back when he had his crush on Lisa. In that episode he was capable of conversation, even though this Lisa-fixation gave him a one-track mind. Ditta a few years later when Marge insisted that bart try to be friends with Ralph. We see a child, perhaps disturbed and immature for his age (well with the father figure figure he has, wouldn't you be too?). But both these episodes indicate a boy whose feelings are very capable of being hurt. ("I thougt we were friends!")

Now look at what he gets now. I admit I chuckled at the "Lisa Simpson is a girl at my school" scene. But he used to be more coherant than this. I know that it's partly because he misunderstood the question, but you'd think he'd be able to supply more than that one sentance about Lisa. At the least, shoudn't he have indicated, in some way typical of Ralph, that he once "dated" her?

On the other hand, here I am trying to psycholanalyse a cartoon character. Maybe I need therapy.

Brad

All in all he is as incoherent as a pile of rocks, but occasionally a wizard casts a spell on him for an episode that gives him the power of coherent thought for the purpose of funnying it up for a bit. i think you will see this if you look at a compilation of ralph quotes.

"I ated the purple berries. They taste like burning."

"Brad Filippone" wrote in message news:b03qrf$r1d$[email]...

Well, I admit he wasn't ALWAYS coherant. But he was more so than he is now.

Brad

I'm not sure coherent is the word you want. "Miss Hoover, I'm not allowed to use scissors" makes sense, but it does reflect his Ralph-ness, as does the bit about eating crayons and then his gluing his head to his shoulder, all in the same episode, the one where Lisa gives him a Valentine's Day card. He had a better role in that episode, but I'm not sure it shows him as being smarter.

Most of the time, his role is merely a line or two, and that doesn't give much space for him to say something complete. He is a rather "simple" character, though I'm not completely sure it's because he's stupid and not because he is just young.

There is a big contrast with Lisa, but doesn't Lisa outrank the rest of the class generally? Maybe Ralph is actually younger, and for some bureaucratic mix-up, he is in a class beyond his years.

I don't really think he has deteriorated. One time he acts like a puppy, and I don't think that was a recent episode. The episodes where he is front and center, we see a more coherent Ralph because we are seeing more of him. But I think he is a consistent character.

Michael

Ralph was always dumb from day one. He seems more like a preschooler than an eight year old as evidenced in "This Little Wiggy" among others.

JMHO, Robin:) NRobin1027

<< At the least, shoudn't he have indicated, in some way typical of Ralph, that he once "dated" her? >>

It would have been funny if he said something like "Lisa Simpson was my wife."

[email] (Brad Filippone) wrote in message news:...

Agree, the writers have definately slashed an already dangerously (hi-lariously?) low iq in the last few seasons. Oddly enough I was just thinking that when Fox reran the Bart Vs. Todd minigolf episode and I noticed for the first time that the leaderboard shows "Wiggum" as the semi-finalist Bart had to beat to get to the finals. Seems unlikely that Ralph in his current form could nearly win a minigolf tournament...

I don't think Ralph is stupid. I just think he is dangerously inadequete in social skills. He's innocent, easily manipulated and ignorant of the real world.

Yes, and he'll grow up to be like an early Woody Allen, nebish and all, and the women will find that attractive.

But I'm talking Bananas, Sleeper, and Take the Money and Run, not his later films, and not the post-Mia Woody.

Michael

Michael BlackDead Guyalt.tv.simpsons

There you go. Who could better know about Ralph than Ralph himself? He'd have to be pretty stupid to get that wrong.

Michael

Jason SaslowHeatheralt.tv.simpsons

Yeah, but so has Lisa...

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Wait a minute...that's not how you spell stupider...

Brad Filippone wrote in message news:b03qrf$r1d$[email]...