I often find myself writing about movies, so I thought for a change of pace, I would write about a Television Series instead: The Simpsons. Specifically the well-developed and poignant relationship between Lisa and her father, Homer Simpson. Both because it is Father’s Day and because it happens to be my favorite character-relationship on the show, and possibly my favorite father-daughter dynamic in general. This is also a companion piece to my earlier post about The Place Beyond the Pines.
I moved to the U.S. as a six year-old and The Simpsons was the first TV show I was introduced to. At the time, my parents weren’t familiar enough with the content to realize that it wasn’t quite appropriate for my age, but most of the more adult-oriented jokes went over my head anyway. The Simpsons served was my indoctrination into American culture; I like to credit it as being one of my primary English Teachers– here is where I learned about pop culture references, colloquialisms, and American slapstick humor.
Re-watching The Simpsons as an adult is a special treat as I pick up on the references that I was once too young to understand and the wit I couldn’t yet appreciate. I, like many Simpsons fans, have come to the conclusion that The Simpsons Golden Age ended after Seasons 9 and refuse to watch newer episodes. Rather than keeping the episodes character-driven, the newer ones, supervised by Mike Scully since Season 9, rely on gimmicky contrived situations featuring the original characters as mere one-dimensional caricatures of their old selves.
And now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about Lisa and Homer They Way They Was up until Season 9. Why do I love Homer and Lisa?
1. Homer is not inherently a bad parent; he cares deeply for his children. Though he is the classic slow-witted oaf, he is a sharp contrast to other animated TV dads (Seth McFarlane’s shows come to mind). A deeper examination will lead us to discover that his poor parenting skills stem from his traumatic motherless childhood.
2. Lisa can be quite disdainful of Homer: his meat binges, love for senselessly violent television, uncharitable attitude towards the arts, and his indifference to cultural experiences– museums, ballet shows, et cetera. At times, she can be unbearably self-righteous– such as when she sabotages her father’s barbecue. However, this lets us remember that Lisa is, after all, despite her brilliance and precocious mind, only an eight year-old girl.
3. And yet, there’s a give-and-take between the two.
- Homer never once chastises Lisa for her intelligence; instead, is proud and loves her for it. Homer is aware of his own failings as a person, even if he shows little motivation for self-improvement. But in reality, his recognition of his shortcomings can be interpreted as a sign of his maturity. In “Lisa’s Substitute”, he tells her quite honestly that he knows she is superior to him (“You’ll have lots of special people in your life, Lisa. There’s probably some place where they all get together and the food is real good, and guys like me are serving drinks.”) We catch a further glimpse of this when Homer speaks to Lisa before her wedding— one of my favorite sentimental Homer-moments.
- Lisa is ultimately still a Simpson. She adopts her father’s love for football and helps him win the SuperBowl. She gives up the pony. She camps out in the Nuclear Power Plant with him during summer while Bart is wreaking havoc on the road. She breaks off her engagement to a high-born, intelligent, and compatible man in favor of retaining a close relationship to her family. After spending time in the isolation tank, understands Homer better and goes to a monster truck rally with him. And don’t forget– she loves TV just as much as the rest of the Simpson clan.
- Homer makes a lot of sacrifices that demonstrate his love for Lisa. He sells his Duff blimp ride tickets to enter her in a beauty contest to boost her self-esteem. He uses the air conditioner money to buy her a sax. Twice. He gives her veggie-back rides. He buys her a pony and takes a second job to pay for it. He breaks into a museum with her (“Would you mind opening the window? The cops have daddy’s fingerprints on file”).
The Simpsons has taught us that the love between a parent and child is unconditional and who the hell cares if Lisa is a flower that grew out of a pot of dirt?— she does not have to take on the attitude of the snobbish intelligent elite and Homer still has the capacity to love and enjoy his relationship with a daughter, no matter how smart she is.
Lastly, some advice to fathers in the words of Homer Simpson: “Money comes and money goes, but what I have with my daughter can go on for eight more years!”
