Line #68 Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E5LisaTheVegetarian


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lisa_the_vegetarian___promo_image_3.jpg]]
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3	'''Original air date:''' 10/15/1995
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5	'''Production code:''' 3F03
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7	Following a day trip to the petting zoo, Lisa begins to realize that the meat she called food was once a cute and cuddly animal, so she decides to become a vegetarian, which gets her ridiculed by her friends and family. Meanwhile, Homer sets up his own barbecue after not being invited to one at the Flanderses' house (which was strictly a family reunion).
8	-----
9	!!Tropes:
10	* ActuallyQuiteCatchy: Lisa makes a salad for the barbeque. Homer and Bart start teasing her and singing, "You don't win friends with salad!" and Marge, despite disapproving of their teasing, joins in because she got "caught in the rhythm".
11	* AgreeToDisagree: Where Lisa and Homer (as representative of the rest of meat-eating society) wind up by the end of the episode. Lisa realizes the importance of this when she discovers that Apu's vegetarianism, unlike hers, extends to animal ''products'', and that he regards her in much the same light she regards non-vegetarians, but still treats her with respect.
12	* TheAllSolvingHammer: Homer plays "GoToYourRoom" repeatedly, including seconds after Lisa has announced that she's going to her room and [[DelayedReaction right after Lisa has stormed out of the house]].
13	* AnAesop: Don't try to force your beliefs on other people. They have as much right to believe what they believe as you do, and there are better ways to influence what someone thinks than badgering them.
14	* AntiHumor: Much like he did in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E3TreehouseOfHorror the original Treehouse of Horror]], Homer uses an extreme amount of lighter fluid on the barbeque and lights it up... except this time the flame is perfectly manageable, and he proceeds along with cooking the meat like normal.
15	* AreWeThereYet: Grampa Simpson asks this while they're on the way to the petting zoo. It's the episode's first line.
16	* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Paul says he and Linda first met Apu "In India, years ago, during the Maharishi days". However, Paul had met Linda at a concert in a nightclub in mid-1967, and in early 1968, when the Beatles went to Rishikesh, Paul was still dating actress Jane Asher. It was after issues between the two caused them to split that Linda and Paul pursued a relationship and later married.
17	* AsHimself: Music/PaulMcCartney and his wife Linda [=McCartney=], who only agreed to appear if they were assured that the character change was a permanent one. Sure enough, Lisa has remained a vegetarian since.
18	* AssimilationAcademy: Lisa twice sets off the school's "Independent Thought Alarm" for her talk about vegetarianism.
19	-->'''Skinner:''' Uh-oh. Two independent thought alarms in one day. The students are overstimulated. Willie, remove all the colored chalk from the classrooms!\
20	'''Willie:''' [[IWarnedYou I warned ya! Didn't I warn ya?]] That colored chalk was forged by Lucifer himself!
21	* BaitAndSwitch:
22	** Paul [=McCartney=] asked Lisa if she'd like to hear a song. She accepted and Paul... asks Apu to play.
23	** Also the AntiHumor example above.
24	* BaitAndSwitchComment: "Don't eat beef... eat deer."
25	* BlatantLies: When Lisa objects to dissecting a worm in class, she tells Ms. Hoover this, who replies, while staring blankly, "that's okay, Lisa. I respect your moral objection." Meanwhile, she presses the Independent Thought Alarm under her desk.
26	* BrickJoke: Paul mentions that when "Maybe I'm Amazed" is played backwards, it contains a recipe for lentil soup. Sure enough, when the song plays over the credits, listeners will hear the recipe.
27	* BrokenRecord: "You don't win friends with salad, you don't win friends with salad..."
28	* BrutalHonesty: Apu's aghast reaction to Lisa saying she eats cheese:
29	--> '''Lisa:''' You... don't eat cheese, Apu?\
30	'''Apu:''' No, I don't eat any food that comes from an animal.\
31	'''Lisa:''' Then you must think I'm a monster!\
32	'''Apu:''' Yes indeed, I ''DO'' think that.
33	* ContinuityNod: When Lisa is being mocked by her peers for her vegetarianism, Ralph Wiggum angrily comments that he can't believe [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E15ILoveLisa he used to go out with her]].
34	* CouchGag: The family are colorless blobs until mechanical arms color come down and detail the family.
35	* CueTheFlyingPigs:
36	-->'''Mr. Burns:''' You know, Smithers, I think I'll donate a million dollars to the local orphanage...when pigs fly!\
37	''[Burns and Smithers laugh, then see the roast pig from Homer's barbecue sail through the sky outside the window. Both men stop laughing and look alarmed.]''\
38	'''Smithers:''' Will you be donating that million dollars now, sir?\
39	'''Mr. Burns:''' ...No, I'd still prefer not.
40	* DidntThinkThisThrough: Bart bypassing the "you must be shorter than this to ride" sign to ride the kiddie train ride that he's obviously way too big for, his smugness at his clever idea being cut short by his face slamming into the top of the small tunnel.
41	-->SO LONG, SU-
42	* DiscouragingConcealment: Apu has a secret garden on the top of the Kwik-E-Mart. The entrance is hidden in a freezer labeled "non-alcoholic beer".
43	* DisproportionateRetribution: Lisa takes the roast pig away from Homer simply over a few taunts over her vegetarianism.
44	* TheDoorSlamsYou: When Lisa doesn't laugh after seeing the ''[[JustForFun/TheItchyAndScratchyShow Itchy and Scratchy]]'' episode, "Esophagus Now", feeling that it sends the message that violence against animals is funny, Bart tells her that cartoons don't have messages and are meant to be hilarious with things like people getting hurt. As if on cue, Homer opens the door and knocks Bart over with it.
45	* DoWrongRight: "Don't eat beef. Eat deer."
46	* DriveInTheater: Apu can watch drive-in movies from the roof of the Kwik-E-Mart.
47	* EarWorm: Bart and Homer start a "You Don't Win Friends with Salad" conga to mock Lisa. Marge also joins in, not because she agrees with them but because the tune is catchy.
48	--> '''Lisa:''' Mom!\
49	'''Marge:''' I didn't mean to take sides; I just got caught up in the rhythm.
50	* ExtremeOmnivore: InUniverse, as the Meat Council shows the children a diagram of "the food chain", that shows humanity being the natural predator to -- among other things -- camels, slugs, poodles, and platypuses.
51	* FalseReassurance: Troy [=McClure=]'s film "Meat and You - Partners in Freedom"
52	-->'''Troy:''' Come on, Jimmy! Let's take a peek at the killing floor.\
53	'''Jimmy:''' ''[gasp]!''\
54	'''Troy:''' Don't let the name throw you, Jimmy. It's not really a floor, it's more of a steel grating that allows material that's loose through so it can be collected and exported.
55	* FauxHorrific: The documentary (read: meat industry propaganda) tries to justify meat consumption by claiming a cow would eat a person if it had a chance. The cow in the film is exceptionally benign.
56	* FreeTheFrogs: Lisa refuses to dissect a worm in biology class.
57	* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: At the end, when Lisa and Homer reconcile, Lisa admits that even though she ''still'' stands by her beliefs, she can't defend what she did.
58	* FriendToAllLivingThings: What kickstarts Lisa's vegetarianism. She converted after bonding with a baby lamb at a petting zoo.
59	* GoToYourRoom: Parodied. Homer says this twice to Lisa, once when she decides to go to her room, the second time after Lisa runs away. Homer also says it to Bart once for no reason.
60	* HerbivoresAreFriendly: Doubly subverted in the school video starring Troy [=McClure=],[[note]]you might remember from such videos as “2-3=Negative Fun” and “Firecrackers: The Silent Killer”[[/note]] where he convinces Bobby[[note]]Jimmy[[/note]] that it’s okay to eat meat. Troy warns Jimmy that “if a cow had the chance he’d eat you and everyone you care about,” as ominous music plays and the camera zooms in on a cow’s face. However, the cow’s face is so placid, that the idea of a threatening cow seems ridiculous.
61	* HollywoodToneDeaf: Apu's rendition of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", although Paul and Linda don't mind.
62	* HypocriticalHumor:
63	** After Homer brings out the roast pig at his barbecue, Chief Wiggum giggles, "Haha, look at his nose!" For good measure, he leans in close as he says it, giving the viewers a side-by-side view of their respective noses.
64	** '''Skinner:''' In the interest of creating an open dialogue... sit silently and watch this film.
65	* ImmediateSelfContradiction:
66	-->'''Jimmy:''' Mr. [=McClure=], [[IHaveThisFriend I have a]] ''[[IHaveThisFriend crazy]]'' [[IHaveThisFriend friend]] who says it's ''wrong'' to eat meat. Is he ''crazy''?\
67	'''Troy [=McClure=]:''' No, just ignorant. You see, your crazy friend never heard of ''the food chain''!
68	* InsaneTrollLogic: Homer argues against vegetarianism, saying that "If God wanted us to be vegetarians, he wouldn't have made animals out of meat".
69	* JerkassRealization: Lisa, after some words with Apu and the [=McCartneys=], realizes she was being a jerk and apologizes to Homer.
70	* KnowNothingKnowItAll: The TropeNamer. It's Homer calling Lisa this in a heated argument that serves as the RageBreakingPoint for Lisa and drives her to walk out in fury. Both Lisa and Homer realize something about vegetarians and carnivores afterwards.
71	* LiteralMetaphor:
72	** After the class watches a propaganda video made by the meat industry, Lisa explodes, "[[TemptingFate They can't seriously expect us to swallow that tripe!]]" In fact, they've literally provided the class with complimentary tripe to eat.
73	** As Homer hosts his barbecue, Lisa stays in her room, wishing Homer wouldn't rub his meat-eating ways in her face. Cue a burger getting away from Homer, flying through Lisa's window, and landing in her face.
74	* LittleJimmy: Lisa begins to have doubts about eating meat, so her school shows her class a propaganda video from the meat industry titled "Meat and You: Partners in Freedom". It features our good friend Jimmy as he is "educated" (and traumatized) about the wonders of the meat industry.
75	* LoopholeAbuse: When asked if she was required to offer a meatless meal option, Lunchlady Doris offers a hot dog bun.
76	-->'''Lisa:''' ''[deadpan]'' Do you remember when you lost your passion for this line of work?
77	* MeatVersusVeggies: The struggle of the episode, embodied in notoriously meat-loving Homer and newly-minted vegetarian Lisa, respectively. StrawVegetarian though Lisa may be, her attitude is more understandable in light of the fact that pretty much everyone at Springfield Elementary is a Straw Omnivore, taking her decision to abstain from meat as a personal offense. She winds up taking her frustration out on Homer, who hasn't actually done anything except throw a barbecue to impress people in the neighborhood ("You don't win friends with salad!")
78	* MysteryMeat: When Lisa becomes a vegetarian, she imagines all the animal parts involved in making the dinner on her plate - the sheep part for the lamb chop, the chicken part in the chicken breast, and the rat tail, raccoon foot, pigeon head and ''part of a boot'' in the hot dog. There's also this exchange as Lisa searches for a vegetarian option at the Springfield Elementary school cafeteria during lunch:
79	-->'''Lisa:''' Um, excuse me, isn't there anything here that doesn't have meat in it?\
80	'''Lunchlady Doris:''' Possibly the meatloaf.
81	* NotMeThisTime: When Lisa steals the pig roast, Marge lets out a BigNo at an annoyed Bart, who's standing beside her asking "What?" Marge apologizes to him by saying it's a force of habit before correctly letting out a BigNo at Lisa.
82	-->'''Marge:''' ''[to Lisa who is hauling away the pig roast]'' BART, NOOOOO!\
83	'''Bart:''' ''[standing next to Marge, annoyed]'' What?!\
84	'''Marge:''' ''[embarrassed]'' Sorry, force of habit. ''[to Lisa]'' LISA, NOOOOO!
85	* NotSoAboveItAll: The episode revolves around Lisa causing a fuss over eating meat and creating a bitter conflict. Marge even has to correct herself when [[WrongNameOutburst she blames Bart out of instinct]].
86	* NutritionalNightmare: Apu proudly states that his tofu dogs have "only thrice the fat of a normal hot dog".
87	* OneLinerNameOneLiner:
88	-->'''Jimmy:''' I was a grade-A moron to ever question eating meat.\
89	'''Troy [=McClure=]:''' Yes, you were, Jimmy. Yes, you were.
90	* PetTheDog: While Homer accidentally invites Flanders to his barbecue, he doesn't revoke the invite and happily accepts Flanders' gracious toast.
91	* PolitenessJudo: Homer is offended that [[ComicallyMissingThePoint he wasn't invited to the Flanders family barbecue]], so he decides to StartMyOwn and not invite Ned. Ned asks if he can come too, and Homer says, "sure", before realizing what this means.
92	* RageBreakingPoint: Lisa was already mad at Homer for serving meat, but she snaps when Homer accidentally flips a burger into her face.
93	-->'''Lisa:''' It's bad enough they're all eating meat. They don't have to rub it in my face. ''[burger lands on her face]'' ARRGGGH!!!
94	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The decision to make Lisa a vegetarian was made to satisfy producer David Mirkin, who threatened to leave otherwise, as Lisa eating meat didn't coincide with his personal philosophy.
95	* RecycledAnimation: An interesting example. When Lisa thinks back to all the times people have eaten meat, theres a shot of Kent Brockman pausing a broadcast to take a bite out of a drumstick. Now, while that animation is all new, his dialogue is not; its from the [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E6TreehouseofHorrorVI sixth]] Treehouse of Horror (specifically the ''Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores'' segment), which won't air on Fox for another two weeks.
96	* SarcasmBlind:
97	** When Janie asks Lisa if she is going to marry a carrot, Lisa sarcastically says yes. Sherri and Terri think that is a confession. Of course, being Sherri and Terri, they probably use even sarcasm as an excuse to torment others.
98	** There's also this exchange in the beginning of the episode.
99	--->'''Marge:''' This is where the wolf blows down the pigs' house.\
100	'''Bart:''' He blows alright. He blows big time.\
101	'''Marge:''' That's it, honey! Get into the spirit.
102	** Ralph doesn't seem to register that "Bovine University" is a euphemism for a slaughterhouse, despite Troy [=McClure=] straight-up using sarcasm quotes in describing it.
103	--->'''Ralph:''' When I grow up, I'm going to Bovine University!
104	* ShoutOut: Quite a few to Music/TheBeatles once the [=McCartney=]s show up. For instance, Linda tells Lisa "Whenever we're in Springfield, we like to hang out in Apu's garden in the shade.", referencing the song "Octopus' Garden". Paul had first met Apu while the Beatles were in India with the Maharishi in 1968, leading Apu to say "Back then, I was the fifth Beatle", pronouncing "Beatle" as "[[AccentUponTheWrongSyllable Be-At-Tull]]", just like the Eastern cult members from ''Film/{{Help}}.''
105	** "Maybe I'm Amazed" from ''Music/McCartney'' is played over the closing credits, with Apu reading a lentil soup recipe backwards and Paul saying: "Oh, by the way, I'm alive.", referencing the "Paul is dead" theory.
106	* ShownTheirWork: Apu being horrified with cheese makes sense: Hindus refrain from eating anything with animals. [[note]]Lisa being okay with cheese would make her a lacto-vegetarian[[/note]].
107	* SoapboxSadie: Lisa quickly becomes disgusted with everyone else's carnivorous diet after becoming attached to a baby petting zoo lamb at a storybook village park, culminating in her ruining Homer's big barbecue because the guests did not want to eat the vegetarian food she prepared. Granted that Homer was a bit of a {{Jerkass}} to her while rousing the family in a catchy conga line tune: "You don't win friends with salad". It also doesn't help to call your 8-year old daughter a "know-nothing know-it-all", but that doesn't justify her dangerously irresponsible behavior. The point of that episode was Lisa learning that she shouldn't force other people to become vegetarians and Homer learning to respect his children's choices, and they do apologize to each other at the end.
108	* SpecialGuest: Creator/PhilHartman as Troy [=McClure=]
109	* SqueamishAboutSlaughter: Lisa's class is shown [[https://youtu.be/zR_4h5A5z_A?t=60 an educational film]] about the food chain. In the film, a student becomes visibly distraught after being taken on a tour of a meat packing plant by Troy [=McClure=].
110	-->'''Troy:''' Come on Jimmy, let's take a peek at the killing floor.
111	-->'''Jimmy:''' ''[gasp]!''
112	-->'''Troy:''' Don't let the name throw you Jimmy. [[BaitAndSwitchComment It's not really a floor, it's more of a steel grating that allows material that's loose through so it can be collected and exported]].
113	* StartMyOwn: Homer holds his own barbecue because he wasn't invited to Flanders'. Flanders asks if he could go and Homer, out of instinct, answers "Yes" right before realizing he's destroyed the whole reason he decided to hold a barbecue in the first place.
114	* StatusQuoIsGod: Averted: Lisa stays a vegetarian throughout the rest of the series.
115	* StrawVegetarian: {{Deconstructed\|trope}}; the plot of the episode is about Lisa learning ''not'' to be this. In the early throes of her conviction that eating meat is wrong, she tries to convince the family and even the crowd attending Homer's barbecue to join her, finally getting rid of the roast pig that Homer bought as the barbecue's ''piece de resistance.'' Her perspective becomes more mature after she talks to Apu and realizes that he treats her with respect despite the fact that she's fine with consuming animal ''products,'' which makes her no better than the meat-eaters in his view.
116	* SubliminalSeduction: Paul claims that if his song "Maybe I'm Amazed" is played backwards, it reveals a recipe for a "really ripping" lentil soup. Indeed, as "Maybe I'm Amazed" plays over the credits, you can hear Paul speaking backwards.
117	* SweetSheep: There are actually three, and each cuter than the last. The last sheep is small, has big, round eyes and a pink ribbon, and is friendly enough to give Lisa an affectionate lick. It's so cute, in fact, that it kick starts Lisa's decision to become a vegetarian.
118	* TakeThat:
119	** There's a secret passageway at the Kwik-E-Mart hidden by what looks like a cooler door labeled "non-alcoholic beer". When Lisa asks him what he does when someone orders a non-alcoholic beer, he shows no concern over the possibility of it ever happening.
120	-->'''Apu:''' You know, it's never come up.
121	** Vegetarianism takes a lot of bashing in this episode. The kid in the documentary admits he was an idiot for questioning the notion of eating meat (and Troy [=McClure=] openly ''[[BrutalHonesty agrees]]'' with him), non-meat options in Springfield are rarer than gold dust, and when Lisa brings vegetarian food to Homer's BBQ, she is told to "Go back to Russia!"
122	* TellHimImNotSpeakingToHim: After Lisa ruins the barbecue, Homer and Lisa talk like this, but Homer soon gets confused about who he is/isn't talking to.
123	-->'''Homer:''' Marge? Since I'm not talking to ''Lisa,'' would you please ask her to pass me the syrup?
124	-->'''Marge:''' Please pass your father the syrup, Lisa.
125	-->'''Lisa:''' Bart, tell Dad I will only pass the syrup if it won't be used on any ''meat'' product.
126	-->'''Bart:''' You're dunkin' your sausages in that syrup, homeboy?
127	-->'''Homer:''' Marge, tell ''Bart'' I just want to drink a nice glass of syrup like I do every morning.
128	-->'''Marge:''' Tell him yourself! You're ignoring Lisa, not Bart.
129	-->'''Homer:''' Bart, thank your mother for pointing that out.
130	-->'''Marge:''' Homer, you're not not-talking to me, and secondly, I heard what you said!
131	-->'''Homer:''' Lisa, tell your mother to get off my case!
132	-->'''Bart:''' Uh, Dad? Lisa's the one you're not talking to.
133	-->'''Homer:''' Bart, go to your room!
134	-->'''Lisa:''' Why don't you just eat him, Dad?!
135	-->'''Homer:''' ''(angrily)'' I don't need any serving suggestions from ''you'', you barbecue-wrecking KnowNothingKnowItAll!
136	-->'''Lisa:''' ''(angrily)'' THAT'S ''IT''! I CAN'T ''LIVE'' IN A HOUSE WITH THIS PREHISTORIC CARNIVORE! I AM ''OUT'' OF HERE! ''(leaves in a huff)''
137	-->'''Homer:''' THAT'S IT!! GO TO YOUR ROOM!
138	* TemptingFate:
139	** Marge tries to reassure Lisa and Grampa the place they're going will be fun for all ages from eight to whatever Grampa's age is. When they arrive, there's a sign stating the place to be for ages from one to seven and a half. Later, when Lisa comments that the people at the barbecue don't need to rub it in her face, a burger falls on her face.
140	** And Mr. Burns stating he'll donate $1,000,000 to the orphanage when pigs fly ([[CueTheFlyingPigs which they do]]). He doesn't make good on his word, though.
141	* TheyCalledMeMad: Lisa brings gazpacho to Homer's barbecue to provide a non-meat alternative to the guests, but she finds that not only do they ''want'' to eat meat, but they feel that anyone who wouldn't is an idiot. The taunting she receives ends up turning her attitude toward meat-eaters from mild annoyance to bitter hostility, prompting her to sabotage the party.
142	* UnbuiltTrope: This episode was one of the first to depict Lisa as a SoapboxSadie. However, unlike in later episodes, she isn't doing it out of a desire for attention or to appear hip. She becomes a vegetarian out of a genuine desire not to hurt adorable animals. However, her good intentions don't justify her extreme behavior, and she is called out by other vegetarians for trying to force her beliefs onto others.
143	* UncannyFamilyResemblance: All the men in Ned Flanders' family reunion look like Ned (including a Mexican Ned[[note]]"Buenos ding-dong-diddly Dias, señor!"[[/note]] and a [[BritishStuffiness stuffy British]] Ned[[note]]"Charmed." (nudged by Ned) "Err... oogly... googly."[[/note]]). Meanwhile, all the women look like Maude.
144	* VegetarianForADay: Averted. Despite her parents trying to stop her, Lisa stays vegetarian and has consistently been depicted as such since. The reason why Lisa remains a vegetarian after that episode is because Paul [=McCartney=] makes a special guest appearance in that episode, and the only way to get him to do so was to keep Lisa a vegetarian.
145	* VisualPun:
146	** The above-mentioned RageBreakingPoint.
147	** Apu's shirt, which says "Don't have a cow, man!" and has a design of a cow with a "no" symbol over it, alluding to one of Bart's catchphrases as well as the fact that Apu is a vegetarian (and the fact that cows are considered sacred in India).
148	* WaxingLyrical: When Paul [=McCartney=] hears Lisa say that she ran away from home he says: "What, she's leaving home?", referring to Music/TheBeatles song "She's Leaving Home", and his then-wife Linda says "Whenever we're in Springfield, we like to hang out in Apu's garden in the shade", paraphrasing "Octopus's Garden".
149	* WhamEpisode: Lisa becomes a vegetarian, and the series would never be the same, ever again.
150	* WriterOnBoard: In an example of Guest Star on Board, Paul and Linda [=McCartney=] only agreed to appear in the episode on the condition that Lisa remain a vegetarian for the rest of the series. On the other hand, Paul and Linda end the episode by telling Lisa that even if she doesn't approve of other people eating meat, it isn't okay to force them to change or shove her own vegetarian choices down their throats, so there's that.
151	* WrongNameOutburst: Marge, when it's Lisa who is doing something bad for a change.
152	-->'''Marge:''' Bart, [[BigNo nooooo]]!
153	-->'''Bart:''' [[NotMeThisTime What?]]
154	-->'''Marge:''' Sorry, force of habit. Lisa, nooooo!
155	* YouMustBeThisTallToRide: Bart faced the opposite problem at the Mother Goose train ride for not being short enough. He did make the ride more fun for the preschoolers, though.[[note]]Bart—sitting in the front passenger car—smacks face-first into a tunnel that only comes up to his nose, dragging it and the train into several prop trees and telephone poles, destroying them, before coming to a stop at a tunnel made of statues of Myth/PaulBunyan and Babe the ox (Bart’s face smacking right into the Bunyan statue’s crotch, under which the train would have had room to pass through had he not gotten on); the Bunyan tunnel/statue somehow breaks in half, and beheads a nearby Mother Goose statue with its axe.[[/note]]

Context Recap / TheSimpsonsS7E5LisaTheVegetarian