History Recap / TheSimpsonsS9E17LisaTheSimpsons

** If Bart really is losing his intelligence, how is he clever with pranks and manipulating adults (the ones that are stupid enough to fall for his tricks, like Homer, not the ones who are so bitter and jaded over his antics that they're not fooled anymore, like Mrs. Krabappel and pre-{{Flanderization}} Principal Skinner)? Is this a non-canon episode or a bad case of the writers knowing nothing about continuity (the person who wrote the episode was a newcomer named Ned Goldreyer)? Is Bart really as stupid as his father Homer? And what about Grampa? How is he dumb if the "Curse of the Flying Hellfish" episode showed that he was a competent military leader, and "Lisa's First Word" revealed that he ratted out everyone on a crooked 1950s game show just so he can win himself a house?

* ShoutOut: During her speech to encourage people to use their minds, Lisa describes the works ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'', ''HarrietTheSpy'', and ''Yertle the Turtle'' as great literature.
** Homer, Bart, and Lisa watch a show featuring a montage of buildings exploding and imploding. One of the buildings is a Gothic manor with a gate reading [[EdgarAllanPoe The House of Usher]].

** Add to that a later episode revealing Homer's stupidity was the result of a crayon he enlodged in his brain as a child. When it was removed as an adult, he was even more intelligent than Lisa.

** Lisa should know that the Simpson women are smarter than the Simpson men, since she met and had an intellectual conversation with Homer's mom on "Mother Simpson."
*** That doesn't count because Homer's mother isn't a Simpson by birth.

* Add to that a later episode revealing Homer's stupidity was the result of a crayon he enlodged in his brain as a child. When it was removed as an adult, he was even more intelligent than Lisa.

!!This episode contains examples of: ([[YMMV/TheSimpsonsS9E17LisaTheSimpsons YMMV Examples here]])

* ShoutOut: During her speech to encourage people to use their minds, Lisa describes the works ''ToKillAMockingbird'', ''HarrietTheSpy'', and ''Yertle the Turtle'' as great literature.

One day at Springfield Elementary, Lisa brings a packaged lunch featuring a brain teaser on the back that everyone but her solves fairly quickly. Haunted by her inability to solve it, Lisa fears that she may be losing her intelligence. Grampa tells her of the "Simpson Gene" which hit him, Homer, and Bart around her age and resulted in a considerable slackening of intelligence. Fearing that she will succumb to ineptitude, Lisa prepares one final day of enjoying intellectual things like art and music, as well as making a televised speech begging people to not let their minds go to waste. Homer, wanting to cheer his daughter up, rounds up numerous Simpson relatives within the tri-county area, only to find that the males are also effected by the Simpson Gene. However, much to Lisa's relief, she finds that the women turn out alright and is happy to maintain her intelligence, finally solving the brain teaser.

During the episode's subplot, Jasper puts himself in one of the Kwik-E-Mart's freezers in an attempt to cryonically preserve himself for the future. Apu naturally exploits this as a side-show attraction calling him "Frostillicus".

* BittersweetEnding: Indeed, Lisa is shown that she will not be hindered by the Simpson Gene and will go on to remain the intellectual, thoughtful individual she has been. Bart however, is condemned to suffering the Simpson Gene's effects, even if NegativeContinuity takes hold. Bart even considers the disturbing implications of this, before deciding it doesn't compete with partaking in a game where the Simpson males ram into each other with pots and pans on their heads.

* HumanPopsicle: Jasper tries this in the freezer, becoming "Frostillicus" in the process. He technically does defrost in the future, but it's only a couple of days or so compared to several years when robot wives are "cheap and efficient".

** FridgeHorror: So does that mean that Bart's kindergarten teacher from "Lisa's Sax" was ''correct'' when she said there was hope for everyone but him?

* HumanPopsicle: Jasper tries this in the freezer, becoming "Frostillicus" in the process. He technically does defrost in the future, but it's only a couple of days or so compared to several years when robot wives might be "cheap and efficient".

** If Bart really is losing his intelligence, how is he ever clever with pranks and manipulating adults (the ones that are stupid enough to fall for his tricks, like Homer, not the ones who are so bitter and jaded over his antics that they're not fooled anymore, like Mrs. Krabappel and Principal Skinner)? Is this a non-canon episode or a bad case of the writers knowing nothing about continuity (the person who wrote the episode was a newcomer named Ned Goldreyer)? Is Bart really as stupid as his father Homer? And what about Grampa? How is he dumb if the "Curse of the Flying Hellfish" episode showed that he was a competent military leader, and "Lisa's First Word" revealed that he ratted out everyone on a crooked 1950s game show just so he can win himself a house?

** And if all Simpson men are doomed to stupidity, what about Herbert Powell (Homer's half-brother whose biological father is Grampa Simpson)? The only stupid thing Herbert did was let Homer design a car for him, but that can be excused as Herbert never knew he had a half-brother who was an idiot. Other than that, Herbert ran a successful car company and made millions on that baby translator machine.

** So did his kindergarten teacher from "Lisa's Sax" turn out to be ''correct'' when she said there was hope for everyone but him?
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: One of the attractions in the Kwik-E-Mart besides Jasper is the "World's Most Offensive Baseball Cap" with a subtitle "Do you dare to read it?" Rod and Tod Flanders read "Show Me Your T-" before Flanders covers their eyes and [[LastSecondWordSwap assures them it says "Tie"]].

* NakedPeopleAreFunny: Jasper defrosts and leaves the freezer, spoiling Apu's chance to sell him to the Rich Texan (or at least his head). Following this is a gag where the Kwik-E-Mart is remade into a strip joint called the Nud-E-Mart, complete with Apu and Sanjay naked behind a podium outside the entrance.

* NegativeContinuity: If Bart really is losing his intelligence, how is he ever clever with pranks? Is this a non-canon episode? Is Bart really as stupid as his father Homer?

** So did his kindergarten teacher turn out to be correct when she said there was hope for everyone but him?

* NegativeContinuity: If Bart really is losing his intelligence, how is he ever clever with pranks? Is this a non-canon episode?

* NegativeContinuity: If Bart really is losing his intelligence, how is he ever clever with pranks?

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: One of the attractions in the Kwik-E-Mart besides Jasper is the "World's Most Offensive Baseball Cap" with a subtitle "Do you dare to read it?" Rod and Tod Flanders read "Show Me Your-" before Flanders covers their eyes and [[LastSecondWordSwap assures them it says "Tie"]].

* HumanPopsicle: Jasper in the freezer as "Frostillicus"

!!This episode contains examples of: ([[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/YMMV/TheSimpsonsS9E17LisaTheSimpsons YMMV Examples here]])

** Homer, Bart, and Lisa watch a show featuring a montage of buildings exploding and imploding. One of the buildings is a Gothic manor with a gate reading [[EdgarAllanPoe The House of Usher]].

* ShoutOut: During her speech to encourage people to use their minds, Lisa describes the works ''ToKillAMockingbird'', ''HarrietTheSpy'', and ''Yertle the Turtle'' as great literature.

* BittersweetEnding: Indeed, Lisa is shown that she will not be hindered by the Simpson Gene and will go on to remain the intellectual, thoughtful individual she has been. Bart however, is condemned to suffering the Simpson Gene's effects, even if NegativeContinuity takes hold. Bart even considers the disturbing implications of this, before deciding it doesn't compete with partaking in a game where the Simpson males ram into each other with pots and pans on their heads.

!!This episode contains examples of: