"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.^[1] In the episode, Lisa gives Ralph Wiggum a Valentine's Day card when she sees that he has not received any. Ralph looks 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 features cultural references to songs such as "Monster Mash" and "Break On Through", as well as a reference to the fictional character Droopy. 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.

[edit] Plot

It is Valentine's Day in Springfield 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 begins to cry, 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. Lisa finally snaps and angrily tells Ralph that she 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.

[edit] Production

A personal event of Al Jean's life inspired the plot of this episode.

This was the first episode Frank Mula wrote for The Simpsons.^[4] Mula had previously worked with Simpsons executive producer Sam Simon at another Gracie Films show.^[4] This was the first season four episode that Wes Archer directed.^[5] Jeff Martin and Mula wrote the music for the President's Day pageant.^[6] Michael Carrington guest-stars in the episode as Rex,^[2] 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;^[6] 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.^[6] 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".^[6] 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.^[6]

[edit] Cultural references

The songs "Monster Mash" (by Bobby "Boris" Pickett) and "Break on Through (To the Other Side)" (by The Doors) are featured in the episode.^[2] The orchestral version of Tony Bennett's "Stranger in Paradise" can be heard in an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon.^[2] Homer's conscience, which tells Homer that stealing is wrong, speaks with the voice of the fictional character Droopy.^[6] During the re-enactment of the Abraham Lincoln assassination at the school pageant, Bart says "Hasta la vista, Abey" in reference to the film Terminator 2: Judgment Day.^[6] 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.^[7]

[edit] 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.^[8] The episode was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week.^[8] Since airing, it has received many positive reviews from fans and television critics. Entertainment Weekly's Dalton Ross said the episode was both touching and humorous.^[9] 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."^[9] 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.^[10] 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.^[11]

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."^[2] In 2003, Entertainment Weekly placed the episode twelfth on their top 25 The Simpsons episodes list,^[12] and in 2008 placed the episode second on their top "25 New Classic Holiday TV Episodes" list.^[13]

[edit] Criticism

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 PBR 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.^[5] 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?"^[6] The staff ignored the letter and, as Wes Archer pointed out, the scene was "an obvious" reference to Apocalypse Now.^[5] In contrast, Mark Groening—the brother of Matt Groening and himself a Vietnam vet—"loved" the sequence as well as the episode.^[14]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: "I Love Lisa"

The Simpsons portal

• "I Love Lisa" at The Simpsons.com
• "I Love Lisa" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
• "I Love Lisa" at the Internet Movie Database
• "I Love Lisa" at TV.com