Infinity183
Nature's Cruelest Mistake
One of the better and, in my opinion, most overlooked episodes from Season 1. I tend to enjoy Lisa episodes a lot, and I feel like this episode is the first and one of the best times the series really examines her character. She constantly feels depressed in life for various, incoherent, and often subconscious reasons, and due to her personal isolation, her saxophone is her best outlet for her emotions. I relate to this episode a lot because I come from a jazz-playing background myself, and sometimes, under the vague stress I deal with in life, playing on my trombone is the best way to make something productive out of it. I think Lisa's relationship with Bleeding Gums Murphy is especially touching because even though they come from completely different environments and thus seem completely unlikely to ever cross each other, they share that same passion for the blues and can therefore empathize with each other through music. Bleedings Gums is actually probably one of the only real friends that Lisa ever had aside from her family, which I think says a lot.
The lesson I got out of this episode is that happiness comes naturally when you let go and express yourself genuinely. Lisa initially feels really off about her misfit life but eventually rediscovers herself when her family allows her to be herself without any interference.
Of course, the boxing competition between Bart and Homer is hysterical and definitely serves as great comic relief to an otherwise bleak episode. It's quite funny how Homer is completely fretting over beating his son in a mere video game, going so far as to get help from an arcade expert, even if it means making a fool out of himself in public. Such a silly, one-dimensional conflict contrasts starkly with the vague sense of trouble that Lisa has to confront.
5/5
The lesson I got out of this episode is that happiness comes naturally when you let go and express yourself genuinely. Lisa initially feels really off about her misfit life but eventually rediscovers herself when her family allows her to be herself without any interference.
Of course, the boxing competition between Bart and Homer is hysterical and definitely serves as great comic relief to an otherwise bleak episode. It's quite funny how Homer is completely fretting over beating his son in a mere video game, going so far as to get help from an arcade expert, even if it means making a fool out of himself in public. Such a silly, one-dimensional conflict contrasts starkly with the vague sense of trouble that Lisa has to confront.
5/5