Extra Seconds Review - Lisa's Rival

[@TheRealJims]

No 60 Second Simpsons review for this one, I tried to write one for "Lisa's Rival" but couldn't get a summary together that I really liked for it. After it ended up delaying things by like a day or two, I decided to just do a standalone Extra Seconds review (even if the title doesn't make sense now).

[@flippy7035]

I mean I guess we all come for the longer reviews anyways.

[@aransfilms9949]

We had 0 seconds, now we have extra seconds!

[@thatdanjamesguy.330]

I guess that makes this First Seconds? (oh, and Who’s on first)

[@Delightfully_Witchy]

I think quite a few of us knew something like this would happen. Good episode. :)

[@usermcskull4713]

Guess that tvtropes page is accurate now

[@timtapp5931]

The thing with Lisa is she is the most like Homer out of the whole family. Both are extremely locked into their own perspective, very stubborn about that perspective, and tend to be a bit hostile to those who don't go along with their perspective. Both are very passionate, and competitive people, but are very caring, and sincere, people. Maybe the secret to writing Lisa is writing her a bit like Homer? Great video Jim!

[@nathanseper8738]

Comparing Lisa to Homer is really, really weird. But in truth, it makes a ton of sense.

[@timtapp5931]

@@nathanseper8738 it is! On the surface they don't have much going on on common, but there is something to their core personalities

[@jjhl]

I am shocked at how correct this is

[@josuebartley7272]

My head cannon was that Homer saw himself in Lisa but because of his own struggles with his father, struggled to connect while also nurturing her talents. Pacifically Homer being a talented but still failed musician, had internalised himself as a failure and so will always fail, but he doesn’t want her to think like that. So of course the closest bonding experience the two have would be Homer buying his daughter her first instrument

[@e-122psi3]

Lisa lambasts Homer over his 'shaudenfreude' towards Ned, but really that was before she met Alison, before she had anyone implicating the idea she was inferior to anyone around her. She spends the whole episode denying she has the same ego problem as her father, though ultimately submits to it, only coming to realise her mistake when it goes too far, just like Homer did in the aforementioned incident.

[@renaissanceweeb]

In "Bart's Inner Child" Lisa says "You've defined yourself as a rebel and in the absence of repression lost your identity" to Bart to explain why Bart isn't happy. I think she's also explained her crisis in Lisa's Rival this way. Lisa lives in a town that has settled for sub-mediocrity, and for her, being above-average is how she stands out from them. It's her way of rebelling against the people who make her feel so unwelcome. If she must be lonely, she can at least take pride in being lonely because she's decided to be better. But Allison challenges this, by no longer making Lisa a rebel for her above-averageness. Not only is Allison smarter than Lisa, but Allison isn't a rebel. She doesn't seem to have Lisa's depression and loneliness about her talents, probably because her family is nurturing her genius, so there's no need for her to feel lonely or repressed for it. By befriending Allison, Lisa has entered a world where competence isn't rebellion, it's the norm. Just like Bart in "Bart's Inner Child". Only instead of reverting to the status quo, Lisa seems to mature at the end of the episode.

[@apslup]

Another fun fact; While this is the first episode Mike Scully wrote, the idea for the episode was actually proposed by Conan O’Brien

[@brodjefferson3513]

Oh so that’s why it’s good

[@craigluft7453]

in the commentary, Mike Scully says the idea for the sugar story was all George Meyer, and Scully just frantically wrote the story beats down as Meyer rattled them off

[@monkakonga4305]

Wait, that profile pic.......oh fuck.....

[@brodjefferson3513]

@@craigluft7453 ah that makes even more sense

[@jvgreendarmok]

@@craigluft7453 Didn't the commentary for "Homer vs Patty and Selma" say that the *first* gag Scully ever pitched was Homer's line "If you want to sleep on the couch, I'll understand" from that (late season 6!) episode? Maybe he originally pitched it for an earlier episode (possibly "Secrets of a Successful Marriage") but it sounds like he wasn't contributing anything for his first year+ on staff.

[@jdratlif]

Allison even has a framed picture of Bleeding Gums Murphy. Can't Lisa have ANYTHING?

[@coolmanhunter8671]

She has her hair

[@Super_Mario128]

Lisa did get Bleeding Gums' sax

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

@@coolmanhunter8671 geez... you savage x3

[@earlthehoodedsweater]

*BEST HOMER RAMBLE* Never, Marge. Never. I can't live the button-down life like you. I want it all: the terrifying lows, the dizzying highs, the creamy middles. Sure, I might offend a few of the bluenoses with my cocky stride and musky odors - oh, I'll never be the darling of the so-called "City Fathers" who cluck their tongues, stroke their beards, and talk about "What's to be done with this Homer Simpson?" - Homer Simpson

[@meumnomen]

Because what do really have in life without the creamy middles?

[@HonkeyKongLive]

That is an absolutely iconic rant. I can hear every single note in his voice just reading it.

[@Seth_M-T]

It's beautifully animated as well!

[@YetAnotherGeorgeth]

Yeah, this was close to peak homer. The whole B plot was near peak Homer!

[@meinerHeld]

i feel like i've heard something very similar to this somewhere else.

[@Cybershell13]

Great video, contrasting the episode with Homer's Enemy was very astute.

[@NewKillerStar]

Yo it's the funny Sonic man

[@DavidGrauII]

Cybers Hell Edit: Welcome to dog time.

[@ulteriormotives2]

Homer’s Enemy is my favorite episode

[@FarelForever]

The Lord and Master has appeared!

[@DidgeridudeEX]

Kind of like how you contrasted Sonic Adventure DC with Sonic Adventure GCN!

[@vinnythewebsurfer]

If we took things a step further, Lisa has inherited her fathers tendency for petty Jealously but doesn’t get to enjoy her fathers lack of self awareness of that. Intelligence is a curse.

[@preternatural3231]

ooo good catch

[@davidmoncholi6746]

That is a good point

[@derekmatzek9551]

Pretty smart how they made Alison’s dad as the condescending one to Lisa instead of Alison herself

[@davidmoncholi6746]

I agree

[@lanychabot-laroche135]

Never thought about it, but I agree. A jerk or controlling parent towards her would have changed how we viewed Allison, which was not the point at all.

[@Ray_D_Tutto]

I like it because maybe with the same kind of parenting Lisa could of turned out better than Alison but she has no one to intellectually challenge her at home.

[@e-122psi3]

At the same time it shrewdly says something about WHY Alison is such an overachiever, especially since she never condemns her father's treatment of Lisa. As she says at the end of the episode, she's used to losing being the end of the world for her.

[@derekmatzek9551]

@@e-122psi3 that’s a good point

[@AdmiralBobbery123]

I still distinctly remember my English teacher putting on this episode in middle school for us to watch after we had read the Telltale Heart. It feels super fitting to have an episode about intellectual competition feature a literary allusion for a third act.

[@tiablue9106]

My English teacher showed us “squeaky boots” from spongebob after reading that story

[@TheDarthbinky]

I had a HS history teacher show us Monty Python's Holy Grail because it depicted life during the Dark Ages....

[@ToonReel001]

@@tiablue9106 "And can the greatest diorama builder in the world do THIS, and THIS, and THIS, and THIS...."

[@matti.8465]

I think what makes me ALWAYS forget Homer's sugar B plot is in this episode, is Bart's presence. He's involved in Lisa and Homer's stories, and since there's not much of a transition in-between, they seem like completely different stories talking place in different days.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

The Lisa - Bart team-up is always sweet to watch when they both work together for a mutual goal. Dunno why but no matter the scenario this is always a great thing to behold. The voice recorder trope can also be a homage to Twin Peaks where Agent Dale Cooper repeatedly talked into his voice recorder. That really was such a late 80s and 90s thing and i miss that a bit.

[@troperhghar9898]

Lisa: with what I've done i dont deserve to win Skinner: well this dosnt deserve to win

[@ChristopherFama00]

Doesn’t

[@justjohnny420]

That joke gets me every time

[@ArizonanSummer]

“What?”

[@Tykoon22]

The fugitive Milhouse stuff has always been one of my favorite Simpsons jokes.

[@Super_Mario128]

“There he is on the monkey bars, try to take him alive”

[@Tykoon22]

@@Super_Mario128 Milhouse: i’m telling you, I didn’t do anything!... FBI: I don’t care! Milhouse: *goes over waterfall*

[@Super_Mario128]

@@Tykoon22 My glasses!

[@scifiguy9000]

@@Super_Mario128 Oh no! Not again!

[@jesusisherelookbusy]

The Homer-Bee Plot makes this my favourite episode. His bee rant is one of the best bits of writing in the whole of the series.

[@kazimierzliz8280]

I like how the Alison episode has the Homer obsessed with sugar bit, and the Alex episode has the Homer obsessed with grease bit.

[@alyssarichardson2544]

Omg I just noticed that! Very observant!

[@AlessandroAltosoleChannel]

I can't live the button-down life like you. I want it all: the terrifying lows, the dizzying highs, the creamy middles.

[@njpsychopath]

My senior quote came from this episode! "I'm actually kind of glad I lost. Now I know losing isn't the end of the world."

[@pickyphysicsstudent201]

I totally get Lisa in this one. She doesn't have much of an presence/defined identity, so she prides herself on her achievements in academia, so when someone else comes along who is better than her at just about everything, it can lead to a mental crisis. Its the same with Bart & Lisa vs the Third Grade, where she'd rather be a big fish in a small pond, than actually be moved up a year and struggle with a little bit of challenge.

[@Darkstar1484]

I think there's also that hard knot of envy there too. Her father is someone who challenges her intellectually and nurtures her interests, whereas with her family Homer is often well meaning but not a great intellect and Marge often has trouble connecting with her as well. Add in the fact that Allison not only is successful but also gets a more positive and enthusiastic reaction and it can be galling when you already feel lonely that now someone is not only rivaling you but is also getting more attention and interest

[@nampyeon635]

Yep, and this episode shows why Lisa doesn't really have any permanent friends. As a fellow nerd, I get that nerds can be hyper-competitive, and they tend to split hairs and disagree about the most pointless details, when they actually have enough in common that they should be best friends.

[@erisi236]

"after the way I behaved I don't deserve to win" "well this doesn't deserve to win" "what"

[@Myne1001]

My favourite apart about that ending where Ralph wins is just the total apathy of Miss Hoover. That she really could not care at all about the diorama competition and let Skinner declare a box of Star Wars figurines as the winner.

[@matthewbartlett3442]

What do you think? I think it’s lunchtime

[@Ihasnotomato]

One of my favourite things that came from this episode is that Alison actually stayed around. Granted always in the background without any real dialogue, but she was still there as one of Lisa's friends. She didn't move town or mysteriously disappear after one episode, she's still here and still Lisa's friend even if she doesn't say or do anything, and I always liked that semi-consistancy

[@TP3200]

I like how she's just "there" and never in the spotlight. It's realistic that someone who seems like they'll uproot your world at one point in time, may just kind of blend in at another time. Lisa becomes the one who joins MENSA and impacts Springfield the most again... well as long as Lester and Eliza continue to not show up.

[@Legendofcman]

Like Richard and Lewis for Bart

[@deskish3930]

"Maybe you could have been " nicer" to the principal, if you know what i'm saying" "Lisa!.......i AM nice"

[@princessleia2187]

Lmao one of Marge's best moments

[@matthewbartlett3442]

She’s so innocent and wholesome

[@proa007]

"What's to be done with this Homer Simpson?" His facial reactions during that bit get me every time.

[@craigluft7453]

although Mark Kirkland was the director for the episode, the facial expressions for the city fathers speech were all done by David Silverman

[@proa007]

@@craigluft7453 That's a nice little bit of trivia. Shows how collaborative a lot of these episodes are. I know Brad Bird, in the early days, was really involved whenever the episode revolved around Krusty.

[@RobTheGreenEngine]

“Bart, stop creating a diversion and get out of here!” is the Skinner line I use the most when doing an impression of the character so thanks for that, Lisa’s Rival.

[@ZiggyMandarr]

I always liked how Alison stayed around as a background character and didn't just vanish like so many other one-offs.

[@ddsjgvk]

Isn't she Ruth Powers kid from time to time

[@ZiggyMandarr]

@@ddsjgvk No, she's just seen with her in one or two crowd shots.

[@ddsjgvk]

@@ZiggyMandarr if you didn't see Lisa's rival you probably wouldn't know as they do look alike. Imo at least

[@ZiggyMandarr]

@@ddsjgvk I mean we never see her mom, and Ruth hates men; Allison's dad is a dick. Still, just a design choice they used for girls on the show.

[@grapeshot]

Her rival drove her, Lisa Simpsons to hyperventilate. Lisa always wants somebody that she can relate to but when that person finally came she found out, be careful what you wish for cuz you just might get it.

[@man_without_fear6518]

Lisa wanted someone 80% as smart as she is.

[@shorewall]

@@man_without_fear6518 A Watson, to her Sherlock.

[@Alex_DC413]

I love this episode. Not just for the reasons you talked about but Bart's performance as the inept prank master is an underrated Bart role. Homer's B-plot is entertaining, but his 4-day weekend line alone makes it a win in my book

[@BlackTheBerserker]

Not even kidding, in my memory I would have sworn the sugar plot was its own episode.

[@sapphyreblayze]

I find it funny that you mentioned how a lot of people probably don't realise that this is the episode that has the sugar b-plot, because I genuinely forgot that this is the episode that has the sugar b-plot, despite the sugar b-plot being one of my all-time favourite things the series has ever done. Don't think there's a single Simpsons line I quote more than "first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women".

[@JaredConnell]

Your job called. They said if you don't come in on Friday, don't bother coming in on Monday.

[@nitrosherbert888]

Simpsons you diabolical's

[@BmanTheChamp]

@@JaredConnell Whoo-hoo! Four day weekend!

[@zorantaylor3190]

Really bizarre observation I just had: "Lard Of The Dance" is another Lisa Being Jealous And/Or Competitive episode that features a Homer & Bart B-Plot revolving around the confiscation of a foodstuff. I would have to rethink my entire existence if that turned out to be a coincidence....

[@thebasedgodmax1163]

@@zorantaylor3190 I always think how they're both super similar episodes!

[@guldmattbb473]

This episode has maybe my favorite Skinner moment in the entire series, when Ralph wins the diorama contest because of the Star Wars figurines. Also ‘you know what, Lisa. Here’s a ball. Perhaps you’d like to bounce it’ is a quote I use on a weekly basis

[@alejandroc.a.5960]

Fun fact: In the Latin Spanish dub, instead of asking Lisa to make an anagram of Jeremy Irons, Alisson's dad asks her to do Michael Jackson

[@FarelForever]

The German dub did also sometimes use different things than the one's used originally. Not even local ones, but still part of American pop-culture, just ones that the average person would be more likely to know. I used to be really angry at this, but as I grew older and understood the process of translating a lot better, I have understood why they do it, and in the case of this joke, it feels much safer and less harmful to do changes.

[@TheDarthbinky]

When I was living in Austria, I had to explain to my Tirolean roommate the joke behind "but... but... but..." in the "Bart's Girlfriend" episode. The German dubbers didn't even try to make that work.

[@FarelForever]

@@TheDarthbinky Yeah, I recall that one. There are times when I get annoyed at lost jokes, but this one was a lot harder to get right, so I give them a hard pass on that that.

[@toma6068]

This one contains one of my favourite subplots in any episode (very similar to The Lard of the Dance) and one of Homer's best lines ever - "if foodstuff should touch the ground, said foodstuff shall be turned over to the village idiot, and since I don't see him around, start shoveling"

[@matthewbartlett3442]

We’ve hit the jackpot! White gold! Texas Tea…sweetener!

[@o0sparky0o95]

I will live and die on the hill that this is the best episode of the Simpsons. It's an excellent character piece, top tier jokes in every scene, one of the best B plots and it does so well to change up a few things but have everyone stay perfectly in character

[@chavesa5]

I don't know if it's the best, but it's definitely the Dark horse in the top episodes I think. It's not the one people think of, but it absolutely carves out a place for itself and quietly nestles there.

[@meumnomen]

We all have our favorites. Embrace it!

[@BL-mf3jp]

it's the best of an incredibly stacked season. I'm very glad to see you agree with me.

[@jaywinner328]

"I have a ball. Perhaps you'd like to bounce it" is actually one of my preferred way to call somebody dumb.

[@01dirtydirk]

You probably break a sweat when getting out of your gamer chair...

[@kingjulian7045]

@@01dirtydirk why are you insulting him?

[@jangofett132]

@@kingjulian7045 shut up, i ask the questions around here

[@01dirtydirk]

The real question is why is jay “winner” insulting anyone...

[@01dirtydirk]

The real question is why is jay “winner” insulting anyone...

[@JamesPlaysGames95]

as a kid i didnt understand the anagram game and i thought the dad was geninuly nice to give lisa a ball. its what i would have wanted

[@shorewall]

:D

[@CommandoKnight200]

"In America first you get the sugar, then you get the power, and then you'll get the women." 😃😄😃

[@syntax2004]

Scarface reference

[@HonkeyKongLive]

It's such a brilliant episode because it's all about Lisa herself and her identity. It's not about her battling with a rival. Her rival doesn't even realize that she is such. It's the kind of nuance that they would NEVER be able to handle now.

[@KavzarTheBlind]

I saw a jpg once of all the possible anagrams of Jeremy Irons, accompanied by the comment: "Lisa Never Had A Chance." No. No, she did not.

[@TheRationalPi]

If only she came up with "Mr. Noisy Jeer" things would have been different.

[@merman1974]

@@TheRationalPi I got stuck with Misery and got no further...

[@cmtosh2409]

“The strong must protect the sweet... The sweeeet...”

[@KitsuRonin]

That anagram game still intimidates me to this day

[@thatdanjamesguy.330]

Lisa’s Rival is like Homer’s Enemy in some other ways, too. It deconstructs Lisa and suggests something dark about her. We’d always seen Lisa as sympathetic and tragic, as a brilliant genius doomed to be ignored by the mediocrity of the world and people around her. But Lisa’s Rival hints that she might actually want to be a big fish in a small pond deep down, that she wants to be the smartest person in the room more than anything. It’s similar to how Homer’s Enemy suggested that in reality, Homer isn’t as sympathetic and deserving of what he has compared with how we the audience see him. At the end of Lisa’s Rival, Lisa gets over any narcissistic impulse she had, but the seed has been planted and will grow to become a huge part of her future characterization. Just like Homer’s Enemy nudged the door open for unsympathetic portrayals of Homer. Both episodes are great and definitely should have been made, but they arguably put Homer and Lisa’s on their respective paths towards jerkassery.

[@IceBean]

Speaking of big fish in a small pond, at the end of S14E3, the episode where Lisa and bart go in the same third grade class, Lisa could choose whether to "continue getting challenged in third grade or return to second grade and be merely a big fish in a mall pond" and she happly chose the latter without even thinking about it

[@stryke-jn3kv]

There's also an interesting episode in the 20's (possibly the one with the young right winger or the fantasist?) that does comment on how it never seems to work out with Lisa's friend of the episode, and how that might actually be on her.

[@thatdanjamesguy.330]

I’d actually seen that Season 14 episode recently! That’s probably the moment Lisa officially veers out of her original characterization, come to think of it. I remember Season 14 was the first time there were a bunch of moments where Lisa was written really differently, almost contradictory, compared to her classic self.

[@Snakie747]

I nicked it, when you let your guard down for that split second. AND I DO IT AGAIN.

[@TheBigFrasier]

I'm glad I wasnt the only one intimidated by the anagram game scene as a kid. It actually made me think I was dumb lol

[@solidcoffee1643]

"If Allison is better than Lisa at everything, what does she actually bring to the table?" GOSH that's such a gifted kid kind of problem. I rewatched this episode a week ago and I remember just how many times I've been in Lisa's shoes where like, I know I'm smart, but then there's always someone smarter than me or more talented than me (ESPECIALLY if they're younger than me) that always made me think that no, I was just average or in the worst case scenarios, I was an absolute idiot who was barely scraping by in school. But I was still in those gifted programs and getting good grades, so I should have thought I was smart but I didn't. One of my best friends growing up was the literal smartest kid in our school and I know she kind of struggled with needing to feel like the best too and she was the top student in her class. I always wanted to be as smart and good at things as her. I ended up ranking like, 3rd in our grade when we graduated and she got 1st, but I still feel like there were so many people that were smarter than me. Watching this episode hit me with all that stuff again and gosh it hurts. I don't mean to be bringing all that stuff up for like, bragging reasons, because I legit still think I'm an idiot and got lucky even though I know there's stuff to prove otherwise. I'm just using it as my real life example of how much pressure smart and "gifted" kids get put on their shoulders because they get the idea that they always have to be the best or their worth nothing. It sucks.

[@BB-te8tc]

This doesn't go away with adulthood either, from my experience. I'm still uncomfortable in group situations unless I can confidently say I bring a lot to the table or am "the smartest person in the room".

[@strangebrooch]

Hell yeah. I have a lot of friends I love dearly who also give me a massive inferiority complex (of course, this is an occupational hazard of academics and we all have PhDs. Not a humblebrag -- it's made me basically unemployable).

[@rexventura4603]

As someone in the gifted/honors/advanced programs and about to go into high school, I’m in the same boat. I’m surrounded by people who are clearly smarter than me and yet I’m considered on par with them

[@BB-te8tc]

I guess maybe we're supposed to consider the fact that the other people in these groups may have likely felt the same way we do at some point. It's so easy to get into a guilt spiral of "I have these feelings of jealousy because I'm no longer the smartest person. Therefore, I am terrible. Therefore, I do not belong here".

[@ivorydungeon909]

@@strangebrooch Yep. I threw massive amounts of time and energy into getting a PhD that I guess I undertook because I got a scholarship, and had an idea. Ending up getting an award for best thesis in my faculty.... and I earn a little over half the average wage getting scraps of academic work. I could do myself a favour and seek to publish my PhD thesis as a monograph but, honestly, I wasn't very happy with my work and only submitted because I was going to get thrown out of my candidature if I didn't. Similarly, I wrote some pieces for peer reviewed journals and for academic edited collections, while I was undertaking the thesis, because I needed some sense that my ideas wouldn't be dismissed out of hand when I submitted my thesis for examination. But once I'd submitted, I've never written for publication again because there's no longer a prize on the horizon so all I'm left with is my anxiety and misgivings about my ideas, and it turns out they're better managed when I don't dwell on them by thinkin'

[@LukeWarm05]

"Prepackagaged Star Wars characters still in their display box?!"

[@BmanTheChamp]

"What do you think?" "I think it's lunchtime." "WE HAVE A WINNER!"

[@matthewbartlett3442]

“What’s a diorama?”

[@Acacia1]

I want to mention that the Latin American dubbing of this episode is INCREDIBLE, it makes the episode much more memorable than it already is, scenes like Milhouse falling down the waterfall or when the bees come for the sugar are among the most remembered of old simpsons over here. I really highly recommend watching this chapter (and many of the early seasons) in Latin dubbing. PD: Aaahhhh mis anteojoossss

[@shorewall]

The Spanish Dub voice for Homer was freaking hilarious. I remember turning on the Spanish dub for episodes we knew very well, just to hear Homer's voice. :D

[@steveandortudge]

It struck me really for the first time how sweet Bart is in this episode being so eager to try to help Lisa, in his own way. Great analysis as always. Thank you

[@mightyfilm]

I never fully watched the Star Wars movies until they rereleased them to theaters the first time when I was a little older, so when Ralph said "I bent my Wookie," I took it as "I bent my wooky," a nonsense word that Ralph would probably refer to a body part. Of course, when I repeated that line to someone, they pointed out that's what Chewbacca's species was called.

[@moss8807]

Damn, I love this analysis! Lisa’s Rival has always been an episode I have a love hate relationship with, as a disgraced former gifted student, it tends to a little to close to home in Lisa’s story. I mean I remember that mindset and how damaging it can be, so it makes a bit of a hard watch, but it is still such a good episode. And I fucking love the sugar plot, so I do always end up coming back to it.

[@poochietherockendog4954]

I've always seen Lard of the Dance as a sort of sequel episode to Lisa's Rival. Both episodes deal with Lisa reacting to a shift in status quo in a social aspect. Plus both B plots have a wacky get rich quick scheme for Homer, stealing grease seems like the prefect escalation to stealing sugar.

[@Super_Mario128]

and Allison appears in both episodes.

[@Bobthesnob]

From a long-time subscriber, please do more like this! This's what I love about KZbin is (ideally) made for: people sharing their insight. This's your best video in ages and one of the best videos I've seen! Great work!

[@smokeyjoe291]

i think it’s important to note how proud of Homer Bart seems when he offers to help the jacknifed sugar truck.

[@matthewbartlett3442]

That was downright decent of him

[@Savariable]

I don't even watch the Simpsons anymore, but I still love this channel.

[@tristannoel6536]

Haha same

[@HOTD108_]

I don't know a single person who has watched the Simpsons at all for like 15 years. No clue how it's still on air.

[@n8archy121]

@@HOTD108_ I watch the old stuff to relax and still laugh my ass off

[@Winteramen]

This channel is fantastic

[@221b]

I regularly watch my season 1-7 Simpsons DVDs while I exercise, but I haven't actually watched the show when it aired since season 10 or so, and I think I might have seen maybe four or five full episodes from that point onwards.

[@lhfirex]

I love that Skinner line about Diorama-rama being his favorite school day... next to Hearing Test Tuesday! (I probably got the weekday wrong on that)

[@michaellombardi1620]

That sugar b-plot was the talk of the schoolyard when it first aired

[@Darkstar1484]

I did have an odd thought, Allison didn't seem to react to her dads behavior so either she didn't have a problem with it or she hadn't seen it before because like Lisa she had basically no friends before.

[@ToonReel001]

The sad thing is knowing Allison lives with that guy. It gave a kinda dark tone to Allison claiming she thought losing was the end of the world before. I wonder how many times she got that ball to bounce. :P

[@harrylund2795]

6:27 Bleeding gums on the walls too, I like that touch.

[@Dan-ib4yc]

6:28 I never realised Alison has a signed and framed Bleeding Gums Murphy photo. Neat

[@AdamFerrari64]

This may have been the FIRST Simpsons episode I watched as a kid. I saw it on syndication as a VERY young kid and my mom recorded it on VHS. I still have the VHS tape and one of my earliest memories is watching the VHS tape of “Lisa’s Rival” while drinking root beer.

[@deshawnedwards6412]

An early Simpsons episode where Lisa's ego wasn't as bad and obnoxious as it is in newer seasons.

[@icecreamhero2375]

Nah it was always about the same. It was pretty bad in this episode. Lisa: Someone is as good as me. IS THAT ALOUD! Rather than being happy for her in the end. But her flaws give her depth along with her positive traits.

[@e-122psi3]

@@icecreamhero2375 True. One thing I kind of like about Lisa is that she is the usual 'girl that outclasses EVERYONE and is the only competent voice on the planet' but with actual writer self awareness, they actually let characters one up her or show a flawed side to her at times to get a more vulnerable amount of depth to her, she's used to being 'the little guy' that's always outdoing everyone, so can't handle playing second fiddle. It feels like most writers just go for that dynamic because of positive discrimination, the girls are just meant to be best at everything, to the point of irritating pettiness sometimes (eg. Ben 10 where they won't let Ben have ANYTHING over Gwen) while The Simpsons deconstructed it and made it a complex personality trait.

[@Showsni]

The one issue I have with this is that after the episode, similar to Alex, Allison becomes just another background child. I guess they couldn't get Winona Ryder back every other month, but it makes other episodes make a lot less sense (for instance, when Skinner says "We've been invited to the wedding of our only graduate to read at an adult level" in Lisa's Wedding, or just Lisa having few friends in general).

[@221b]

Either Allison transferred to another school or she burnt herself out before graduation.

[@ToonReel001]

@chuckschaaff Actually yeah I noticed that too, as a kid I thought she kinda looks like Laura's baby sister.

[@MagusMarquillin]

Yeah, Allison's addition seeming to give Lisa a best friend felt like a big deal (Jeany doesn't really count), it felt wrong that they just brushed her into the corner. Probably they should have realized they shouldn't cast a celebrity in this sort of role, but even so they could have just recast her with a sound alike. Maybe this was the first time we felt the perpetual status quo creeping into the show.

[@ToonReel001]

@@MagusMarquillin I can kinda see why though, not just because of the whole 'guest actor voiced her' issue, but the fact that there's only so much steam the 'better more successful counterpart' archetype has in the long run. See how they ultimately had to alter Flanders and develop him beyond just someone for Homer to envy, and at least there Homer's shtick often involves being an outdone loser more than Lisa's, I guess they maybe just didn't have the drive to go that far with Allison. Not to mention they fall back on Lisa being the isolated only smart kid in the group so often that Allison complicates that. Even in some of her cameos they just relegate her to another dumb girl who ignores Lisa, which is a shame. (I feel like the best opening for Allison to have a role was the Mensa episode though even there I question what she would have added.) I think to make Allison a more prominent recurring character would require a lot more nuance with both her and Lisa to work out, and DEFINITELY more than the current seasons are capable of.

[@blameitoncapitalism]

One of my favorite episodes ever, to me it's criminally underrated

[@RyderR-00]

the grapes of wrath joke is one of my favorites in the series. i wish i was able to quote it more in everyday life…

[@jdenoe69]

I would like to be on the record that I legitimately hate Professor Taylor.

[@mightyfilm]

I tend to think that's what silently sends Lisa over the edge. Allison is outwardly friendly and genuinely wants to share her talent. She doesn't hold it over Lisa's head, and considers her a kindered spirit, much as Lisa takes her higher talent and education as threatening. Though I'd say Lisa would in time get over it, and they'd be great friends. But the Professor just being so smarmy and condescending with that ball sets her off. There's passive aggressive maliciousness that he's the parent of a prodigy, and it's not a matter of daddy being proud of her little girl's accomplishments so much as silently saying "you think you're smarter than you really are, and my child is the real deal because I pushed her and her accomplishments are more of mine as they are of hers. Your father must be some sort of idiot."

[@tatehildyard5332]

@@mightyfilm While there is a degree of narcissism, I didn’t read it as malicious. Some intelligent/precocious people are well meaning, but just genuinely don’t know how to process the fact that most people are not at their level. His awkwardness when Lisa couldn’t keep up seemed pretty genuine.

[@mightyfilm]

I still get the air of "my daughter is better than you, and I take credit because I pushed her" with just a bit of the more reasonable "you realize there's always someone better, right?" Then again, I've always had a problem with how intelligence is written in characters as "they know everything" instead of a more realistic "they specialize in one to a few things, but always have a blind spot." That's why, and I'm surprised this wasn't contrasted, Lisa thought she was losing it when she was the only one that didn't get the mirrored number puzzle in another episode, and even the less talented kids were able to. Can't tell you how many times as a kid I was able to spot Waldo within a couple seconds of turning the page, but I'd be confused looking for something in plain sight.

[@tatehildyard5332]

@@mightyfilm I get where you’re coming from with that, but I think a lot of it has to do with how much Lisa and people in general tend to internalize precociousness as the core of their identity. When your whole thing is just being “the smart one”, it’s easy to have the validation of it taken away from you.

[@victorsage7160]

Just wanted to say just how much I enjoy your channel. Love to hear your insight.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Something this episode did for me was introducing me to "the tell tale heart". Back when the Simpsons were made by people who loved literature, movies and music. You know. Culture. As a kid watching this episode it instantly became one of my favorites.

[@nickevans8977]

This is one of my favourite simpsons episodes ever

[@intilagos-brown5232]

me too!

[@benyamgetahun939]

Yo TherealJims I've been watching your content for years. You never lost your touch. Keep doing what your doing. It's very important. Love your videos and your passion for the Simpsons. Crazy how all these years you're still doing this. Keep it up bud, you have a fan in me.

[@TheRealJims]

Thank you! :)

[@NewEnglandOtaku]

The "I bent my Wookie" joke still gets me even now. I loved this episode! I must say I loved a lot of the seasons, but some of the later ones not so much.. It's a roller coaster for me.. sometimes I watch and laugh repeatedly and rewatch the episode and some I just watch once and never again

[@alfa01spotivo]

Just finished my english exam. Felt so tired. Saw your video. Now im happy

[@warlockofwordsreturnsrb4358]

Oh c'mon, the sugar subplot is one of the greatest of that season! Besides which, there's a superb Edgar Allen Poe reference.

[@turnonmyaxel]

As I get older I get more frustrated as Alison is obviously brilliant but she's getting support Lisa isn't. Her dad is literally a professor, she's gotten a leg up Lisa hadn't and gets support Lisa wouldn't be able access at the same level from BIRTH

[@jamesduncan6729]

Life sure is funny like that. Some kids will have all the support and opportunities in the world, and some will possess great potential but never get the opportunities they need to reach it. Life is just so absurdly unfair, as a whole that it becomes the funniest thing in the world to me. Life literally is a joke, and the Simpsons taught me that

[@JaredConnell]

Did you know you can rearrange the letters in TheRealJims to say Jeer Him Last?

[@TheRealJims]

That's awesome! Now I wish I had tried to anagram my name when writing this review

[@ThePepperskate]

Man, it actually makes me feel bad for Lisa that she never got any real friends.

[@icecreamhero2375]

She has Jannie. It's a little flip-floppy and depends on the episode.

[@Rhomega]

I think my biggest criticism of Golden Age Simpsons is that the disconnected B-plot makes me forget which episodes they're from, including this. There's also Bart running for class president (Lisa's Substitute), Milhouse can't be friends with Bart (Homer Defined), Homer using a swear jar while building a doghouse (Bart the Lover), or Bart turning into Jerry Lewis (The Last Temptation of Homer).

[@fodv93]

Babe, wake up. The real Jims uploaded a new video

[@bortonshort3761]

The scene of Jimbo at the tambourine always cracks me up

[@tudorjason]

"Enough with the hose!" Lol, my favorite line in the episode!

[@ClaraFinn]

I hope the Homer's Enemy references are a prelude to Homer's Enemy Extra Seconds. I'd love to see that

[@FrankFrankly711]

I still quote this episode when handing my 3-year old a Ball... "I have a Ball... perhaps you'd like to bounce it?" ... "Ooh! Got away from you, huh? Well, you keep at it!"

[@fenhen]

They’re defending themselves somehow. Such a great Bee plot. 🐝

[@stryke-jn3kv]

As an English person this is the single best depiction of the English on the Simpsons. Admittedly with the Regina Monologues, football causing hooliganism, and the great book of smiles that's not exactly hard, but I'll take what I can get. Now back to my cuppa.

[@MTLYev]

Homer gets a tone of sugar in this episode. Oddly similar to how in "Lard of the Dance", the one with the new girl Alex, Homer collects a tone of grease...

[@BL-mf3jp]

such an excellent episode. When I first watched this season on my Homer head DVD, this episode was my favorite. I related so much to Lisa in how my confidence was tied up in my achievements, so when someone came along who was better than me, I felt terrible. Plus I loved the Telltale Heart reference/setup for the climax of the third act and how it cleverly functioned as the actual plot in the guilt of ruining Alison's diorama by swapping it with Bart's terrible mockup. Lisa crying out "ITS UNDERNEATH THE FLOOR" just like the Poe story.

[@fizalex6612]

Wow I just decided to watch this episode yesterday out of the blue and I wake up today and see you made a video about it

[@fbomb7184]

My wife and I will frequently quip “Here’s a ball. Perhaps you’d like to bounce it.” To one another after someone screws something up.

[@ToonReel001]

"What's that, Mother?.....I'm just talking to the sugar man.....Mother I'm a big boy, I can do as I wish." (On a side note, I love Agnes just making incoherent gibberish in the background of this gag. Tress Macnelle's rambling old lady voice is perfection.)

[@gummiewormproduction]

Thanks for covering my favourite episode 😍

[@ravenwilder4099]

The comparison to "Homer's Enemy" is so great, it's a wonderful way of looking at the ep. One of my all time favorite Simpsons jokes is "I nicked it, when you let your guard down for that split second - and I'd do it again."

[@maxordman4100]

I would actually like to see an Allison sequel episode. I really liked her character and found her very endearing. I know she still appears as a cameo sometimes but I would really like to see her actually involved in the plot again. Definitely like this episode a lot, glad to see it get some love!

[@Polycomical]

The sugar rant is a work of art.

[@chrislongoria6911]

"I'm just talking to the sugar man..."

[@gaiusjuliuspleaser]

Thanks a lot, Simpson, now I'm grounded.

[@niriop]

The “Lisa’s Rival”/“Homer’s Enemy” comparison is mega-apt.

[@mechajay3358]

Wish we they gave Allison more main appearances after this episode instead of putting her in the background, would've made for some interesting dynamic with Lisa.

[@PatoGuzmanAd]

I'm always surprised that Scully was the writer behind "Marge Be Not Proud", considering future post season 9 episodes, wow.

[@bullmonty764]

The worst part about TheRealJims at this point is waiting for the season retrospectives to come out

[@jackshewan6338]

Beekeeper 1: TO THE BEEMOBILE Beekeeper 2: you mean your chevy Beekeeper 1:......yes

[@ROMANTIKILLER2]

I had completely forgotten that Homer's sugar B-plot and Milhouse being chased down by the federals was part of Lisa's rival! But even without these small disconnected gems, such a memorable and well written episode imo: Lisa's struggle is very relatable to those whose identity is built around their skills and accomplishment, moreover the climax at the diorama competition was brilliant in playing with the audience, with Skinner quickly dismissing Lisa's project as undeserving and Ralf winning over both gifted girls with his Star Wars action figures.

[@A.G.puffnstuff]

This is the only channel where I don't watch it faster than 1x speed