WhileThe Simpsonswill always be remembered for its comedy, part of what has people coming back is the emotion at its core.The Simpsonsis about a family and all its rough edges, and some of the best episodes have been the ones where the family has come to rely on another. Despite being an anarchic cartoon developed by an indie comic creator (Matt Groening),The Simpsonswould occasionally dabble in the heartfelt. This is in no small part due toJames L. Brooks, the producer behind the show, who justwon three Oscars for a movie that combined the tones of drama and comedy(withTerms of Endearment). According to the new book,Stupid TV, Be More Funny, Brooks pitched an episode “about Lisa being sad,” and Groening thought it couldn’t be done with a cartoon. Brooks said, “We’re doing it anyway,” and that’s how"Moaning Lisa," an early triumph of the show,came to be. For years,Lisa became the focal point of the emotional episodes,most famously “Lisa Substitute,” but it was an episode early in season 4 that showed the emotion could expand beyond Lisa.
‘Lisa the Beauty Queen’ Showed a Different Side to Homer
In an often overlooked episode ofThe Simpsons, “Lisa the Beauty Queen"takes Homer Simpson in a rare direction: being an unabashedly good father.A caricature artist makes a drawing of Lisa that destroys her self-confidence making her think she’s ugly. Homer attempts to comfort her by telling her she’s “as cute as a bug’s ear,” but Lisa dismisses it as just something fathers have to say to their daughters. Having failed, Homer sulks at Moe’s Bar and tries to think of ways to boost Lisa’s self-esteem. When he sees an ad for a Little Miss beauty competition on TV Homer decides to enter Lisa.
The family’s reactions are typical to Homer being impulsive, Lisa runs away, saying she won’t do it. Marge tells Homer this will only hurt how she feels about her looks, and Bart makes a point about all the glamorized girls in those competitions.Rather than regret his decision, Homer defends it saying he thinks Lisa will win,that “No one is prettier than my little girl,” and when Marge says he’s just looking at her through a father’s eyes, he responds, “Well, if I could gouge out somebody else’s eyes and shove them into my sockets, I would! But to me, she’s beautiful.” This wins over Marge, but it takes revealing what Homer had to sacrifice for Lisa to be won over.
The episode begins with a school carnival and Homer winning a ride on the Duff Beer Blimp. Homer immediately jumps for joy about the chance to ride on the blimp for his favorite beer and is literally singing down the halls. But after seeing the commercial and realizing the beauty pageant has a $250 entry fee, Homer has to make the choice. He opens his wallet to the ticket for the blimp and a picture of Lisa, and with a hearty sigh, he sells the ticket to Barney for that exact amount. When Marge tells Lisa about Homer’s gesture, she is shocked.Homer is often a selfish character, whether he means to be or is just too dumb not to be,with writerJohn Swartzwelderonce describing the process of writing him “like writing a big dog.“For Homer to do something not out of want, greed, or vanity but entirely out of wanting to make his daughter happy is uncharacteristically kind for him. Sometimes his truly earnest beliefs are well-intentioned, and when Lisa sees that, she can’t help but overcome her anxiety and do the pageant.
Homer Continued to Be a Good Father… Sometimes
While often the ignoramus and subject to the writers never wanting to get too sappy,Homer was still allowed to have his moments of being a good father. When Homer won’t let up about Bart seeingThe Itchy and Scratchy Movie(in the episodeItchy & Scratchy: The Movie) rather than be the stern authoritarian, he has a heart-to-heart with Bart about why he’s punishing him and how it will be good for him down the line (he ends up a Supreme Court Justice.) When the kids realize there are no pictures ofMaggie in any of the photo albums, “And Maggie Makes Three"has the wonderful ending reveal that Homer has all of her photos at work to remind him why he gave up his dream job at the bowling alley.
And in another Lisa-centric episode,“Lisa’s Wedding” ends with Lisa calling off her future engagementbecause her groom-to-be doesn’t accept her family, and Lisa returning to walk off into the sunset with a newfound appreciation for her goofy father. While “Lisa the Beauty Queen” isn’t one of the most celebrated episodes,it paved the way forThe Simpsonsto be emotional beyond just another “sad Lisa episode.”
The Simpsonsis available to stream on Disney+
The Simpsons
