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Talking Simpsons - Moaning Lisa (Revisited) With Kate Leth (Patreon)

Published:
2020-02-19 03:00:00
Imported:
2026-06
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We welcome back screenwriter/artist/comic maker Kate Leth (check out her Patreon right now!) to help us revisit Lisa's first major episode! We go into childhood depression, trying to answer difficult questions, and also the powerful voice of guest star, the late Ron Taylor! Also, we talk a ton about NES video games as Bart and Homer battle over video game boxing! Listen now before your own mother gives your last cupcake away!

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Comments

Kiefer Fulsom

This is probably my 3rd favorite Simpsons episode of all time. A few years back, I lost my job, was dealing with a breakup with my ex and was getting ready to move from Chicago to the East coast, and I had a major depression spell. One day I ended up waking around 3-4 in the afternoon and ended up watching this episode 3 times in a row, and it resonated with me so hard. I absolutely LOVE Marge's speech at the end and one of my friends pointed out that the way he knew the Simpsons was different from the other sitcoms or animated shows at the time was that speech. I think it'll always be my favorite Marge moment, and if I could get an animation cel from this episode it would be from this episode specifically that opening shot if Lisa staring blankly in the mirror. Another detial about this episode that I love is the montage of Lisa wandering around after dark searching for the sax playing, something I've always liked about season 1 of the Simpsons is while it's not always perfect or the best, it has its own aesthetic and I love the look of Springfield after dark. Also the ending song of Moaning Lisa Blues would make a comeback in the season 9 DVD menus, played in the background.

Steven Babb

Don't Homer and Marge have a bathroom in their bedroom? At least, I feel like I remember seeing that.

Thad Komorowski

Pre-listening take: after "Krusty Gets Busted", this is probably the best episode of the first season, tied with "Life on the Fast Lane". They're the most character focused of S1, and they're focused on the Simpson women, which they eventually strayed from - kind of an interesting "what if" insight. For all the shit we give Al Jean, it's pretty obvious he was pushing for us to empathize with these wacky characters from the start.

Frank Grimes

probably one of my favorites out of season 1, and as well as in the entire series. I could relate with Lisa a lot in this episode growing up (and still today at times).

notsmohqe

pretty disappointed to see Kate has a history of sexist hate. there must be potential guests out there who don’t want to “kill all men”, no?

Gayest Episode Ever

Mr. Largo actually kinda came back in recent seasons, mostly because they decided to make him outright gay and married to a terrible man who is also named Dewey.

Micah

Come on Bob, I believe the proper term is "Sax Haver"

DrKarate

My dad and I were super into playing games together when I was a kid. He would play Zelda after I went to bed and my mom would fall asleep on the couch. To this day if you hum the first couple bars of the Zelda theme around her she will have it stuck in her head for a week. Also after not playing games for 20 years I got my dad a switch and breath of the wild last year and he has 500 hours in it. I was very proud.

twistedmentat

I love when Kate Leth is on because finally someone who will reference stuff from their hometown that I'll get!

Thad Komorowski

Post-listening thoughts: I think Bob nailed why this one might get overlooked—most of this *was* done better in later episodes (practically any episode through S9 with Lisa in the title). But you've gotta start somewhere, and I still maintain this is as good as it gets for S1, "Busted" and "Fast Lane" excepted. And no, not really sure what scenes are Vanzo scenes. That might be a question for Silverman.

John Harrison

Why does Lisa get hit repeatedly by the gym balls? Dodgeball is a team game with a limited number of balls. So either they are playing a different game (Like "Smear the ....) or Lisa was actually very good at dodging the balls throughout the game and is the one remaining player on her team.

John Harrison

Also, I have to admit I sympathize with Mr. Largo's attitude in this episode. He mentions that the recital is 'next week' so his future employment could be at stake. It doesn't make his response right, but I understand. (I have worked jobs where 90% of my performance evaluation was based on my performance in the 'open class' where parents come in and watch)

Chris Dobson

This is one of the very best episodes of Season 1. Listening to the audio only, Julie's voicework here is so great, I think this is the first time Marge gets this emotional, and it's a credit to Julie that she can portray genuine pathos and love for her cartoon daughter in a voice that silly. Also, my dad would play Tecmo Super Bowl, where it was more or less even, and Tecmo Basketball, where I wrecked him most of the time. He played Mario and Pilotwings for SNES and then post-1991 he was done.

Joe Hodgson

When I was in middle school (mid 90s) the rainy day gym activity was a game called Jailbreak. It was somehow worse than Dodge Ball because it wasn't played with red, rubber, balls (i.e. - Billy Madison), but with baseball-sized yellow, plastic, balls, that were about as hard as a baseball, but less weight. All of the balls would be lined-up on the center court line and each side had to dash for the balls at the start of the game and then pelt the other side. Hit kids went to "jail" and there was a key (usually an eraser) that the opposing team could knock over with a ball to free the captives. It was brutal and many kids opted not to partake in the opening mad dash because that's where the most pain was inflicted. I would be surprised if I found out the game was still being played today. I agree with those who cite this as one of the best of the first season. I personally love the scene between Marge and Lisa where Marge realizes she gave her daughter terrible advice and makes up for it. The only regret I have for this one is that this is the first Lisa episode and it feels like a lot of baggage is attached to the character as a result leading to the tired take of people hating on "Lisa episodes."

mavrick

unplugging the game console at the end for something that could have waited is a divorceable offense. change my mind. (dont really, this is just a joke)

Kevin Bunch

Kate’s back! Always a great guest. Also a good episode I don’t revisit all that often (being season 1) but I too remember seeing it a million times in syndication. Lisa’s song at the end is a little winceworthy in retrospect but I remember thinking it was the coolest thing as a kid.

SilkiePJ

These deep-dives into the Season 1 episodes have been amazing and I really do think Moaning Lisa is a large pivot of what The Simpsons could do not just in terms of developing Lisa as a character but working out serious issues or having sentimentality in an honest way even throughout all the comedy. There's so many wonderful things that as a listener I got to learn about Simpsons history. I was particularly impressed how Bob/Henry found that particularly hidden joke with Robert Goulet Destroyer. I had no idea Ron Taylor was attached to Audrey II either. Definitely helps solidify why Season 1 is so critical to where The Simpsons would go.

littleterr0r

Our father-son game of choice was Ice Hockey on the NES where we would bet 25 cents a goal so I would routinely add to my allowance each week since I was the better player.

Eve of the Stars

Considering how much I've been enjoying the deep dive back into Season 1, I'd love a revisit to Season 2 sometime in the future if you ever wanted to do it.

Dylan (batmanboy11) Freitag

The most fucked up part of this episode's house geography IMO is that there's a window behind the couch while Bart & Homer are playing Not-Punch-Out!!! and the couch is seemingly not near the wall at all. Even in the established episodes of season 1 we know the TV room's couch is against an inner wall of the house so... *I sure hope somebody got fired for that blunder.* -- As someone who was in high school from 2010-2014, I can confirm that dodgeball was very much still happening then! At least in Canada, or more specifically Ottawa, Ontario. It wasn't my favourite game, but we always used foam-esque balls so getting hit didn't hurt and it was usually pretty fun. -- That being said, I have never participated in, or even SEEN a foodfight. The closest I ever witnessed was in grade 3 when a class clown/ person who is almost assuredly a redneck douchebag by now tried to throw a cupcake AT someone in the room, but his aim was off and it hit me square in the eye. For some reason I had brought a cream soda for lunch that day and it was open on my desk, so when I got hit in the eye I knocked it over and my desk was stained pink for a bit. In retrospect, the fact that I had a cream soda there for lunch is bizarre...

Stephen C. Nedell

Bob and Henry, as you were talking about your ages and Ron Taylor, I just realized I'm now slightly older than JFK when he was killed. It will happen to you one day too. I'm glad you called out Marge's mother's rotten narcissistic comment to her in the dream. As much as Abe gets crap (deservedly so) for being a bad parent and the effect it had Homer's development, rarely does Jacqueline Bouvier get called out for being the terrible selfish mother she is. Aside from this episode, there's Bart vs Thanksgiving, where she's a guest and still berates Marge despite the pain of laryngitis as well The Way We Was in which she insinuated Marge was a whore for wanting to use rouge. Most damning of all was when she was about to marry Burns. For fraks sake, Burns was kicking her only (and for once well behaving) grandson right in front of, at their wedding and she couldn't care less. It's amazing Marge was brought up by such a monster and still be so relatively well adjusted. As much as a jerk-ass Homer often is, he's still a better influence in Marge's life. To paraphrase Edna Krabapple "that's so depressing, I think I'm going to cry"