Lisa Gets an "A"

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The Simpsons episode
"Lisa Gets an "A""

Episode no.	210
Prod. code	AABF03
Orig. Airdate	November 22, 1998
Show Runner(s)	Mike Scully
Written by	Ian Maxtone-Graham
Directed by	Bob Anderson
Chalkboard	"I will not scream for ice cream"
Couch gag	Salon-style hair dryers switch the family's hairstyles. Maggie falls off the couch because of the weight of Marge's hair.
Season 10 August 23, 1998 – May 16, 1999
Lard of the Dance The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace Bart the Mother Treehouse of Horror IX When You Dish upon a Star D'oh-in in the Wind Lisa Gets an "A" Homer Simpson in: "Kidney Trouble" Mayored to the Mob Viva Ned Flanders Wild Barts Can't Be Broken Sunday, Cruddy Sunday Homer to the Max I'm with Cupid Marge Simpson in: "Screaming Yellow Honkers" Make Room for Lisa Maximum Homerdrive Simpsons Bible Stories Mom and Pop Art The Old Man and the "C" Student Monty Can't Buy Me Love They Saved Lisa's Brain Thirty Minutes over Tokyo
List of all Simpsons episodes...

"Lisa Gets an 'A'" is the seventh episode of The Simpsons' tenth season. It aired on November 22, 1998.

1 Synopsis
2 Trivia
3 Cultural references
4 External links

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Another day at church comes and the family goes to a grocery store (Eatie Gourmet's) to try free samples. At the store Homer finds a small lobster he likes, which he wants to raise. While there, Homer looks for normal flavors of ice cream so he puts Lisa in the freezer to help him, resulting in her getting sick. Marge wants Lisa to stay home the next day. At home, Lisa gets addicted to one of Bart's video games, blowing off the homework on The Wind in the Willows she gets from Ralph. When Lisa returns to school there's a test on the book. She has a problem doing the test and Bart gives her some advice: consult Nelson for the answers, although Bart said to Lisa that if he were her, he rather get the zero. Although she initially objects, she buys the answers from Nelson and when she has finished the test, she earns a rare A+++ grade.

Meanwhile, Homer treats his lobster, which he names Pinchy, as a pet. The family is proud of Lisa's "achievement." The next day in school Principal Skinner informs Lisa that the achievement on her test has helped bring Springfield Elementary's GPA up to the point where the school can qualify for a state grant. Lisa confesses she cheated on the test. Principal Skinner and Superintendent Chalmers both say that they do not want to tell anyone else about it because Skinner wants to keep the grant money. Although Lisa comes clean during the grant meeting, the school staff secretly keep the cash after tricking Lisa into thinking the school's grant was turned down, with the help of many students, including Bart. At home, Pinchy gets a hot bath from Homer, but unfortunately the bath is too hot and Pinchy is boiled alive. Homer sadly eats what is left of his lobster friend.

[edit] Trivia

The title "Lisa Gets an A" mirrors the title of the second-season opener of the show, "Bart Gets an F", as does another second-season title, "Bart's Dog Gets an F".
In this episode it is revealed that the school was called the worst school in Missouri, supposedly revealing which state Springfield is in, causing Lisa and Principal Skinner to react in astonishment at the fact that the location has been revealed, but immediately afterward it is said that the school was moved "brick by brick" to its current, still unknown, location. This does, however, indicate that Springfield is not in Missouri.
Lisa is worried about being sent to Brown, which Ian Maxtone-Graham, who wrote this episode, attended.

[edit] Cultural references

"Dash Dingo", the video game Lisa becomes addicted to, is a parody of Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back. The music that plays when the game starts is exactly like the music when the Crash game starts. Also, the evil floating Australian head is a parody of the Crash games' villain, Doctor Neo Cortex. The game also revolves around finding and devouring "seven crystal babies", referencing the Azaria Chamberlain disappearance and the Crystals in the same game.
Homer: (shopping for ice cream) "Cherry Garcia? Honey Bono? Desmond Tutti Frutti?"

The ice cream flavors are named after Jerry Garcia (the Grateful Dead's lead singer), Sonny Bono (of Sonny and Cher) and Archbishop Desmond Tutu (South African anti-apartheid activist and Nobel Prize Winner). There's also a flavor called Milli Vanilla, a reference to Milli Vanilli, the infamous musicians who had to give up their Grammy Award after it was revealed that someone else sang their songs and all the duo did was lip-synch. Cherry Garcia is an allusion to Ben & Jerry's, an ice cream company that gives their ice cream flavors amusing names, like Cherry Garcia. Lisa also mentions flavors called Candy Warhol, Xavier Nougat, and Sherbert Hoover, respectively named after Andy Warhol, Xavier Cugat, and Herbert Hoover.