The War of the Simpsons vs. Lisa v Malibu Stacy

[stip]

The War of the Simpsons

At a party thrown by himself and his wife Marge, Homer humiliates himself by getting drunk, telling off strangers, and leering at Maude Flanders' cleavage. The following day at church, Marge signs up for a weekend retreat of marriage counseling hosted by Reverend Lovejoy and his wife Helen. Homer finds out that the retreat will be held at Catfish Lake and packs his fishing equipment, despite Marge telling him that all they will be doing is resolving their differences. On the way to the retreat, Homer stops at a bait shop and learns of the legendary catfish General Sherman.

Back at home, Grampa babysits Bart and Lisa, who trick their grandfather into letting them throw their own party. At the lake the next morning, Homer tries to sneak away to go fishing, but Marge wakes up first. Marge is upset that Homer would choose fishing over their marriage, which Homer fails to understand as he visualizes Marge turning into a catfish. Homer takes a walk instead of returning to bed. On the dock, he finds an abandoned fishing pole. The pole, with General Sherman on the line, yanks him off the pier into a small rowboat, and onto the lake. From their cabin window, Marge watches Homer battle General Sherman and gets frustrated. At home, Bart and Lisa's party has ended and the house is a total mess. Watching Grampa cry and fearing that he will get in trouble, they frantically clean up the house, unaware that he is faking it.

Marge attends the workshops alone while Homer triumphantly rows in with General Sherman. When he returns, Marge tells him their marriage is in serious trouble if he values fishing more than her. To prove his love for her, he lets the fish go and they return home. Once home, Marge congratulates Grampa on how clean the house is, to which he reveals his secret is "pretending to cry". Grampa laughs as he reveals to a shocked Bart and Lisa that he tricked them as he leaves, and Bart swears he will never trust an old person again. At the bait shop, General Sherman is still uncaught, but tales are told of a near-mythical figure who almost succeeded: "Went by the name of Homer. Seven feet tall he was, with arms like tree trunks. His eyes were like steel: cold, hard. Had a shock of hair, red, like the fires of Hell."


Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy

Dr. Hibbert introduces a frail Ben Matlock to a crowd of excited seniors at the Grand Opening of the Center for Geriatric Medicine. After seeing his idol mobbed to the ground by fans, Abe becomes aware of his mortality and gives the family their inheritances early. He leaves the family a box of old silver dollars (which Abe explains he got when Rockefeller flew by his house in a balloon, dropping money) that they decide to spend at the mall right away. At the mall, Lisa sees the new talking Malibu Stacy doll in a toy store. Throughout the trip home, Abe will not stop telling stories and spouting useless advice, making the family shun him. Grampa asks if its because he reminds them of the grim spectre of death, but Homer explains that although they love him, Grampa is an annoying old crank who is unpleasant to spend time with. Lisa is anxious to hear what the talking Malibu Stacy has to say, but is disappointed with her sexist phrases (such as "Don't ask me, I'm just a girl" and "Thinking too much gives you wrinkles"). Lisa is angry that no one else can see the ridiculousness of the doll. She and Abe sit at the kitchen table, bemoaning how they are treated because of their age while both of them decide to change, Abe to get a job, and Lisa to find Malibu Stacy's creator, Stacy Lovell.

Lisa visits Waylon Smithers, owner of the world's largest Malibu Stacy collection, and asks for help in finding Lovell, who was ousted from the Malibu Stacy company in 1974. Lisa bikes to Lovell's house and plays one of the doll's phrases over the intercom. The gate immediately opens. Lisa and Lovell decide to create a new talking doll, Lisa Lionheart, voiced by Lisa herself. The doll is quietly released, but the executives of Malibu Stacy have a meeting in which they agree that Lisa's doll is a real threat because it might hurt the sales of their doll. Meanwhile, Abe struggles with his new job at Krusty Burger, suffering a war flashback at the drive-in and losing his false teeth making burgers. He soon becomes angry at the way seniors are treated, and quits. After a slow initial release, Lisa Lionheart suddenly gains popularity among the fans of Malibu Stacy after being featured in Kent Brockman's news show. At the mall, as kids, and Smithers, rush out to buy Lisa Lionheart, a cart of new Malibu Stacy dolls with new hats is wheeled right into the path of the group running for the Lionheart display. Lisa appeals to them that it is just the same doll with a "stupid, cheap" hat, but they all prefer to stick with Malibu Stacy, largely due to the encouragement of Smithers, except for one little girl, who leaves with a Lisa Lionheart doll. Despite the fact that the doll is a failure, Lisa takes heart that her message was able to get through to at least one little girl.

[Chris_H_2]

I do not care for Lisa-centric episodes

[tragabigzanda]

The War of the Simpsons is an under appreciated gem.

[Simple Torture]

This was the start-up noise on my computer for years:

[stip]

going with Lisa v Malibu Stacy. ST put me over

[Norah]

War of the Simpsons is fantastic. Going with that one.

[LoathedVermin72]

War is a prime example of how Homer's characterization changed over the years. While he eventually morphed into a lovably oblivious oaf, early on he was sometimes a straight up creepy asshole. I hate how gross he acts in War.

Malibu Stacy is a great episode. Easy choice for me.

[Norah]

Went by the name of Homer. Seven feet tall he was, with arms like tree trunks. His eyes were like steel: cold, hard. Had a shock of hair, red, like the fires of Hell!

[Norah]

[Simple Torture]

I call my daughter "stupid [her name] garbage face" all the time.