Lisa's Pony

Infobox Simpsons episode
episode_name = Lisa's Pony


image_caption = Lisa falls in love with her pony, Princess
episode_no = 43
prod_code = 8F06
airdate = November 7, 1991
writer = Al Jean & Mike Reiss
director = Carlos Baeza
guest_stars = Frank Welker as Princess
blackboard = "'Bart Bucks' are not legal tender."
couch_gag = Homer gets there first and lies down. The rest of the family arrive and sit on him. Homer flails his arms.
commentary = Matt Groening
James L. Brooks
Al Jean
Dan Castellaneta
Julie Kavner
David Silverman
Mike Reiss (Easter Egg)
season = 3

"Lisa's Pony" is episode eight of the "The Simpsons"' third season, which aired on November 7, 1991.

The episode is modeled after the novel The Yearling; a boy receives a deer, but his family has to work harder as the deer destroys the farm. When the father can not work anymore, the boy must give up the deer.

Plot

Lisa requires a reed for her saxophone because there is a talent show that evening. After calling Marge, Flanders, Reverend Lovejoy, Patty and Selma and "the nice man who caught the snake in our basement", she finally calls Homer at work. Homer agrees but goes into Moe's before the music shop, which is right next door. The shop closes in 5 minutes. Homer, thinking he has enough time to drink a beer, enters Moe's. He walks out with 15 seconds to spare but is too late as the shop is closed. Dejected, he goes back to Moe's where the shop owner is enjoying a drink. Moe helps Homer convince the man to re-open his store. Homer is happy that he's remembered exactly which reed he needs to get, then realises he's forgotten which instrument Lisa plays. After going through pretty much every instrument in the store, Homer finally remembers that Lisa plays the Saxophone and rushes to the school, but unfortunately he is still late. He arrives just in time to hear Lisa humiliate herself by butchering the song she chose to play.

Homer desperately tries to make it up to Lisa, but it's clear she has no intention of forgiving him. To make Lisa love him again, Homer decides to purchase a pony. However, the ponies range from $5,000 to $500,000. To afford the pony, he applies for a loan through the Power Plant Credit Union. Mr. Burns personally reviews the loan, and approves it only after determining that Homer does not intend to eat the pony and has no knowledge of the "state's stringent usury laws." Homer buys the pony for Lisa and, after waking up to find it lying next to her, gallops into her parents bedroom happily telling Homer she loves him. While Homer is happy that Lisa is no longer angry with him, Marge is very upset with him for making such an extravagant purchase.

In order to pay for all the care the pony (now called Princess) requires, in addition to the high interest rate charged by Mr. Burns, Homer takes a second job working for Apu at the Kwik-E-Mart. Homer becomes more and more exhausted after trying to work both jobs. Finally, Marge admits to the kids that their father has been working two jobs to pay for the pony. Marge tells Lisa that she isn't going to make her give up the pony, as this is something Lisa needs to decide for herself and Lisa sadly notes that she is finally being treated like a grown-up. After watching a meek, sleep-deprived Homer being bullied by his own son at the Kwik-E-Mart, Lisa agrees to give up the pony, and she shares a heart breaking goodbye with Princess. Lisa tells Homer that there's a "big dumb animal" she loves even more than her horse, that being Homer himself.

Debut appearances

Characters making a first appearance in this episode are:

* Lunchlady Doris

Cultural references

The episode starts off with a Dawn of Man sequence spoofing the 1968 film "".

The tune playing when Homer falls asleep in his car is an instrumental cover version of The Beatles song "Golden Slumbers". In syndication, the familiar elements are removed, reducing the piece to the orchestral backing due to copyright issues. The original music remains in the DVD.

The scene in which Lisa first awakes with the pony in her bed is an obvious homage to the famous scene of Part I of "The Godfather", in which a movie producer awakens to discover the head of his favorite horse removed and placed in his bed. The musical chords used in the episode are the same, but shortened.

Millicent, the woman at the horse stables, is modeled after Katharine Hepburn.

When Lisa first rides Princess, the theme song from The Magnificent Seven can be heard.

Mr. Burns asks Homer if he is acquainted with the state's usury laws - state laws which limit the interest rate a lender can charge a borrower. From his reaction to Homer not knowing about them, or even knowing the meaning of the word "usury", Mr. Burns is likely charging Homer an illegal amount of interest on his loan. Although Mr. Burns has an interesting way of loansharking, when Homer asks about collateral, Burns replies that "Homer's spirit is collateral" then gives a diabolical laugh. This is likely a reference to the hellish nature of Mr. Burns and that he is trying to somehow claim Homer's soul should he not repay. This could also be a reference to The Devil and Tom Walker, where Tom Walker sells his soul to the devil and becomes a usurer.

As he quits, Homer's line "You can take this job and restaff it" resembles the hook lyric "You Can Take This Job and Shove It" from a song by David Allen Coe.

The boy before Lisa in the talent show sings the Chuck Berry song "My Ding-A-Ling" before being stopped by Principal Skinner, who angrily exclaims, "This act is over!"

In a home movie we see Homer watching the tv serial Fantasy Island instead of paying attention to Lisa.

External links

* [http://www.snpp.com/episodes/8F06.html Episode Capsule on "Simpsons Archive"]