Lisa Gets The Blues
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"Lisa Gets the Blues" is the seventeenth episode of the twenty-ninth season of the American animated television series ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
'', and the 635th episode of the series overall. It aired in the United States on
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
on April 22, 2018. The episode was dedicated in memory of R. Lee Ermey who had guest starred twice on the show as Colonel Leslie "Hap" Hapablap in the episodes " Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" and " Waiting for Duffman". He died on April 15, 2018.


Plot

Beginning after part of the opening sequence, Mr. Largo discourages
Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...
from playing the saxophone on the account that, no matter how hard she tries, some people will be better than her, a claim supported by
Principal Skinner Principal Seymour Skinner (born Armin Tamzarian) is a recurring fictional character in the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'', who is voiced by Harry Shearer. He is the principal of Springfield Elementary School, which he struggles to control, an ...
. Meanwhile,
Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
, Marge,
Bart Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc. Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Bartho ...
and Maggie wait for Lisa to take part in a lumberjack-themed couch gag. At home, Marge attempts to make Lisa play in front of the family, but is unable to. Looking in the Internet, she finds out she has an incurable disorder called " The YIPS", which disable an expert performer for no reason whatsoever. Marge plans a trip to Gainesville, Florida, much to the dismay of the rest of the Simpson family, for the 100th birthday of Marge's half-great-aunt Eunice, in hopes that Lisa will regain her confidence. Homer expects that the plane is disrupted to avoid going, but not even a passenger seated between two morbidly obese passengers is willing to protest. Bart then kicks the seat before him, creating a domino effect that degenerates into a fight which finally forces the plane to change its destination to
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
, much to the passengers' relief. Marge decides to approach the trip to cheer Lisa up, but decides to give up after Lisa mopes about the band celebrating 98% humidity. Marge resolves that Homer would handle the situation better. While unsuccessfully trying to make Lisa happy, Homer goes on an "eating binge" throughout the city's numerous restaurants, eventually barfing at New Orleans' "vomitoriums". While visiting the city's landmarks, he and Lisa find a statue of Louis Armstrong that comes to life upon Lisa's wish. Louis urges Lisa to enjoy the city and listen to Homer. Meanwhile, Marge tries to make New Orleans interesting for Bart, whose boredom subsides upon finding a voodoo shop, where he plots revenge against
Jimbo Jimbo is a diminutive form of the given name James. It is also a Japanese surname, and it means state or province in Swahili. It may refer to: Given name or nickname * Jimbo (drag queen), Canadian drag queen * Jimbo Aquino (born 1985), Filipin ...
, Dolph and Kearney after they made him act as '' Little Orphan Annie'' in front of the cafeteria (down to having his pupils whitened with
correction fluid A correction fluid is an opaque, usually white fluid applied to paper to mask errors in text. Once dried, it can be handwritten or typed upon. It is typically packaged in small bottles, lids attached to brushes (or triangular pieces of foam) th ...
) because of a prank Bart made on Jimbo, knowing he uses his hat to cover his baldness. The bandleader of The Spotted Cat, a jazz bar Lisa and Homer go in, calls Lisa by name, actually being "Bleeding Gums" Murphy's nephew, the deceased jazzman (whose name was apparently Oscar) telling him that Lisa was the most promising musician he knew (much to his nephew's chagrin). He finally convinces Lisa to play his sax in spite of her protests, rekindling her love for the instrument. Back in Springfield, she keeps on playing, and the ghost of Louis Armstrong reappears, sadly wishing he was alive again. The
post-credits scene A post-credits scene (commonly referred to as a stinger or credit cookie) or mid-credits scene is a short clip that appears after all or some of the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV series, or video g ...
features Homer, Lisa and Bart eating
beignet Beignet ( , also , ; ) is a type of ''fritter'', or deep-fried pastry, usually made from yeast dough in France, possibly made from pâte à choux and called Pets-de-nonne, nun's fart, in France, but may also be made from other types of dough, i ...
s at the Café Du Monde. Homer comments that next week's episode will surpass '' Gunsmoke'''s episode count. When Bart mentions ''Gunsmoke'''s radio show (which lasted for 432 episodes), Homer force-feeds Bart with a beignet.


Reception

Dennis Perkins of ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' gave this episode a C+, stating, "It’s momentarily affecting, especially with Smith giving voice to Lisa’s pain, but 'Lisa Gets The Blues' quickly scatters any intention of recapturing the old Lisa Simpson tragicomic resonance over a succession of self-referential gags, inconsistently sketched character beats, and some of the most indulgent tourist rubbernecking the show has ever done." "Lisa Gets the Blues" scored a 4 share and was watched by 2.19 million people, making it Fox's highest rated show of the night.


References

{{The Simpsons episodes, 29 2018 American television episodes The Simpsons (season 29) episodes Television episodes set in New Orleans