My Simpsons Love Affair

Back in 2003, to celebrate the 300th episode of The Simpsons, Entertainment Weekly came up with its list of the series' 25 greatest episodes. At the time I came up with my own list, although I didn't rank all 25 in order. I ranked the top 5, and then listed the rest in order by the season in which it aired. Only 7 of EW's top 25 made my list. I think that's more of a reflection of their incompetence than my personal tastes.

I'm thinking of going through that list and ranking them, as well as looking at some other episodes to decide if they may be worthy of my top 25. For now, though, I want to mention one of my picks -- not in my top 5, not on EW's list at all, but it sort of clinched the deal for me.

"Moaning Lisa" was the 6th episode in that first season. Lisa has a case of the blues. She's sent home from school with a note: "Lisa refuses to play dodge ball because she is sad." She meets jazz musician Bleeding Gums Murphy but it doesn't help much. Marge advises her to smile, even though she doesn't feel like it: "Take all your bad feelings and push them down, all the way down, past your knees until you're almost walking on them. And then you'll fit in, and you'll be invited to parties, and boys will like you, and happiness will follow."

Marge drops Lisa off for band practice and watches from the car as Lisa tries to take her advice. Watching the scene, Marge realizes she was wrong, pulls up and yanks Lisa back into the car and drives off, and then says, "Lisa, I apologize to you, I was wrong, I take it all back. Always be yourself. If you want to be sad, honey, be sad. We'll ride it out with you. And when you get finished feeling sad, we'll still be there. From now on, let me do the smiling for both of us."

Of course, that made Lisa smile, and she actually felt like smiling. I don't know why -- maybe it's the sentimental softy side of me -- but that was the moment I fully bought in to the greatness of The Simpsons.