The Simpsons: Lisa the Simpson (1998)
Season 9, Episode 17
7/10
Smart episode, but a sexist thought-provoking look
30 September 2023
The music composed by Alf Clausen in these episodes of the golden era of the series holds immense value. It significantly contributes to enhancing the overall quality of the episodes. Clausen's music is like an invisible storyteller, adding depth and emotion to the scenes.

In the episode "Lisa the Simpson," when Jasper freezes, Clausen's music takes on a mysterious tone. It creates an atmosphere that perfectly complements the unfolding events. The music underscores the sense of wonder and intrigue as the characters grapple with the unexpected situation. It's like a musical guide, leading the audience through the story, emphasizing key moments, and eliciting the intended emotional responses.

Shifting gears, as a child, I watched this episode as impressive, likely in part thanks to Clausen's musical narrative, as I mentioned earlier. I was highly impressed by these episodes of The Simpsons as a child, and the truth is, that was also because the plots of many episodes of the golden era were already absurd, starting to become so in season 4. However, this is a flaw that's very present in modern episodes of the series. The difference is that this absurdity was well-directed in the golden era, focused on surprising with strategies such as music, the relatable behavior of the characters, very natural speech, and, most importantly, it was impressive how the characters behaved naturally, expressed themselves in a relatable manner like real-life individuals, yet were contrasted with their fictional and exaggerated dimensions, typical of fictional characters. This blending of a realistic dimension with their portrayal as eccentric figures in an exaggerated and fictional universe was a hallmark of the show's golden era. In contrast, modern seasons fail to showcase this particularity in an impressive manner and especially fail to make it humorous, as they have abandoned the natural spontaneity of phrases uttered by these characters as if they genuinely came without scripting.

However, although this episode respects that style, it also has some flaws. Because the plot begins with Lisa forgetting the combination to her school locker and starting to play the saxophone poorly, but then they resolve the episode in a way that doesn't clarify why Lisa has had these mishaps and taken them so seriously.

And it's true that this episode can be seen as sexist, this time to the detriment of men. In reality, resorting to this has been an intelligent way to resolve the episode, but it's important not to forget that there are people who lack critical judgment, and there are people of the female sex who lack critical judgment, especially among minors, or not minors, but have an unpleasant pride and like to be pampered and have their pride respected and fed without giving anything in return. Unfortunately, these types of women may interpret that part of the episode as something close to reality.
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