# Simpsons 11/19- "Moe 'n' a Lisa" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 20, 2006, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155 "2006-11-20T15:33:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155/1 "2006-11-20T15:33:09Z")
I was surprised there wasn’t a thread about this one yet- I thought this episode was pretty good. I liked the idea of Moe as a poet, and I thought some of his fragments were very interesting (especially “liver fights kidney- who wins? no one”). The opening stuff with Grampa at the Olympics was pretty funny, too (as a guy who likes to play WWII video games, I’m gonna have to find a use for “What is this- Kill Hitler Day?” one of these days). I also liked the (silent) return of Thomas Pynchon among the authors. I got rid of my TiVoed copy, so I’m paraphrasing here. Lisa: I submitted Moe’s poem to _American Poetry Perspectives_. Homer: Don’t you dare mention that publication in this house! I sent a poem to them and it never got published- There once was a rapping tomato- That’s right, I said “rapping tomato”- It rapped all day From April to May And also…guess what? It was me. Moe: I didn’t come up with the title myself. Gore Vidal: That’s not a problem. I needed help for my titles, too. $18.76 is what I paid for gas once. I saw the word “Burr” on an Eskimo Pie wrapper. (male onlooker gasps) Female Onlooker: Those sound like horrible puns! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155/2 "2006-11-20T16:11:43Z")
Not bad – about equal to the American Dad that followed it. You know, I think that’s the issue with Simpsons vs. Scott Mcfarland. American Dad and Family Guy are both about as funny as the Simpsons is these days, but people are used to getting more from the Simpsons. In addition, the Simpsons is old news; does’t mean it’s bad, but people tend to like what’s new over what’s older, even if they are equal in quality. I did spot Pynchon and loved that. I also loved the American Poetry Perspectives building (I know something about how poetry magazines fare in the US – I ran one once), with J. Jonah Jamison as editor. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155/3 "2006-11-20T16:13:22Z")
Yeah, I thought it was a pretty good episode, whose only major flaw is that its whole “disappointed Lisa” plot structure is one we’ve seen plenty of times before. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155/4 "2006-11-20T16:14:12Z")
First ep I’ve watched in a while because of the football delay of The Amazing Race, and it was nice to have my decision to abandon the show re-affirmed so handily. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155/5 "2006-11-20T16:37:57Z")
I felt the same about last week’s episode: the plot didn’t really hold together, but I liked a lot of the jokes. I also thought this might have been the nerdiest episode ever. That’s okay for the most part, although it felt like they spent a lot of time introducing the guest voices. I think they’ve had that happen a lot in recent years. I was forced to sit through American Dad and Family Guy this week, and I have to say I laughed about three times in the whole hour. So the old news Simpsons looked pretty good to me. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155/6 "2006-11-20T16:59:36Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] I also loved the American Poetry Perspectives building (I know something about how poetry magazines fare in the US – I ran one once), with J. Jonah Jamison as editor. [/QUOTE] “Get me pictures of Spider-Man!” “But this is a poetry magazine.” “Then get me _poems_ about Spider-Man!” ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155/7 "2006-11-20T17:04:58Z")
I thought it was great. Tom Wolfe had numerous funny lines. The Chabon/Franzen stuff was funny (it helps that I basically consider them the same person). “Your jaw is going to need corrections.” I liked some of the Vermont jokes. The closing bit, with Homer tasting the syrup cracked me up. ---
**Author:** ![whole\_bean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@whole\_bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whole_bean)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155/8 "2006-11-20T18:08:04Z")
[QUOTE=mobo85] “Get me pictures of Spider-Man!” “But this is a poetry magazine.” “Then get me _poems_ about Spider-Man!” [/QUOTE] You thought that was funny? I thought that was stupid. And the Chabon/Franzen stuff was overplayed as well. This whole episode seemed like a giant name drop with very little added in the way of humor. ---
**Author:** ![whole\_bean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@whole\_bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whole_bean)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155/9 "2006-11-20T18:12:19Z")
[QUOTE=mobo85] “Get me pictures of Spider-Man!” “But this is a poetry magazine.” “Then get me _poems_ about Spider-Man!” [/QUOTE] I can see Homer watching an allusion like this and hear him say /in whispered voice/," the newspaper editor from Spiderman" a la Homer in “The Front.” ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155/10 "2006-11-20T18:12:58Z")
I’m so nerdy, I even liked the maple syrup joke at the end. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155/11 "2006-11-20T18:15:00Z")
I think the only joke I liked was “vhat is ziss? Kill Hitler day!?” I’ve always hated Lisa episodes with the exception of the one with Homer’s BBBQ (the third B stands for BYOBB…that last B’s a typo) ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155/12 "2006-11-20T18:21:28Z")
[QUOTE=whole bean] I can see Homer watching an allusion like this and hear him say /in whispered voice/," the newspaper editor from Spiderman" a la Homer in “The Front.” [/QUOTE] I know what you mean. I love the way Homer whispers “Ed Sullivan” in that episode. ---
**Author:** ![Reloy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c68b51/32.png) [@Reloy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reloy3)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155/13 "2006-11-20T18:52:26Z")
The A plot was ok but not great - My kids laughed at Lemony Snicket at the writers table with the paper bag, but- The Senior Olympics stuff was great. I haven’t laughed that frequently at the Simpsons in a long time. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155/14 "2006-11-20T19:56:14Z")
[QUOTE=Reloy3] The A plot was ok but not great - My kids laughed at Lemony Snicket at the writers table with the paper bag. [/QUOTE] That wasn’t Lemony Snicket. It was Thomas Pynchon. Unless they’re the same person and I’m unaware. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155/15 "2006-11-20T20:00:59Z")
I found it to be a very pleasing episode. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155/16 "2006-11-20T20:08:11Z")
The part in the Senior Olympics where the old guy does the high dive and his arm wattle allows him to drift down ala Rocky the Flying Squirrel gave me a pretty decent chuckle. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155/17 "2006-11-20T20:22:13Z")
Oh, I forgot the part where Homer had visited the Vermont Teddy Bear factory and got the “Lisa” and “Moe” bears…Lisa bursts into tears and Homer says something to the effect of “Honey, they’re not made from real bears, just their fur and noses”. Also pretty decent. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155/18 "2006-11-20T20:25:57Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] That wasn’t Lemony Snicket. It was Thomas Pynchon. Unless they’re the same person and I’m unaware. [/QUOTE] Nope. Lemony Snicket’s real name is Daniel Handler, and he makes public appearances in the guise of Snicket. Thomas Pynchon is a recluse, but not a Salinger recluse- he goes out on the street. His first appearance on _The Simpsons_ (in which he actually provided his own voice) featured him with a bag over his head inviting people to come into his house, playing on his not-that-reclusive recluse status. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155/19 "2006-11-20T20:43:47Z")
[QUOTE=whole bean] And the Chabon/Franzen stuff was overplayed as well. [/QUOTE] Yeah, especially since I have no idea who those guys are, though Chabon’s stuff looks right up my alley. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155/20 "2006-11-20T20:58:59Z")
[QUOTE=mobo85] Nope. Lemony Snicket’s real name is Daniel Handler, and he makes public appearances in the guise of Snicket. Thomas Pynchon is a recluse, but not a Salinger recluse- he goes out on the street. His first appearance on _The Simpsons_ (in which he actually provided his own voice) featured him with a bag over his head inviting people to come into his house, playing on his not-that-reclusive recluse status. [/QUOTE] But there was a guy there with the exact same bag w/ question mark, so it pretty much had to be a Pynchon reference. Unless I’m misreading your post. I like that they went out and got J. K. Simmons to voice the J Jonah Jameson character, although I still always see him as the shrink on Law and Order. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-11-19-moe-n-a-lisa/381155.md?page=2)