"Blame It on Lisa" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons' thirteenth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 31, 2002. In the episode, the family goes to Brazil in search of a Brazilian orphan named Ronaldo that Lisa has been sponsoring. Writer Bob Bendetson received a Writers Guild of America Award nomination for the episode.[1]
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Plot
While Homer and Bart are watching Itchy & Scratchy, Marge tells Homer that someone has been calling Brazil and she does not want to pay the phone bill. Homer and Marge then visit the phone company and are amused to find it staffed by fembots modeled after 1930s telephone operators and Mr. Moviefone, who is going out on a date. Then they met Lindsey Naegle (who, after Marge points out how she and Homer always find her working in different offices, admits that she constantly changes jobs because she's a sexual predator) who cuts off their phone service. Later, Lisa tries to call her friend Janey, but can't. Homer tries to fix the phone line, but succeeds only in getting shocked several times.
Lisa then reveals she was making phone calls to Brazil to support an orphan named Ronaldo. She had been donating money to the orphanage where he lives, but after a few months Ronaldo went missing and Lisa has been trying to find out what happened. The Simpsons decide to travel to Brazil to solve the mystery, leaving Maggie with Patty and Selma.
When they arrive in Rio de Janeiro, Bart watches a Xuxa-esque show called Teleboobies (which Marge doesn't like because of its sexual undertones). Lisa plans the search at a restaurant, but their early efforts prove fruitless. During the search, Homer is kidnapped. The family doesn't have enough money to pay the ransom, so they go looking for him. On the way they run into a parade featuring a Teleboobies float and Lisa is surprised to find out Ronaldo has become the show's flamingo because the shoes Lisa gave him made him good at dancing. Ronaldo then gives the Simpsons the money to save Homer (being an orphan, Ronaldo doesn't have to worry about his parents taking the money he earned for being a child star). The exchange is made on the cablecar of the Sugarloaf Mountain. Homer is saved, but they face a new problem: Bart gets eaten by an anaconda.
Reaction in Brazil
The episode received negative reaction with Brazilian authorities even before it aired in the country. The Rio de Janeiro Tourist Board claimed that the city was portrayed as having rampant street crime, kidnappings, slums and a rat infestation. A spokesman for the Board added that "what really hurt was the idea of the monkeys - the image that Rio de Janeiro was a jungle."[2] The episode also incorrectly stated that Brazil was the birthplace of the Macarena.[3] Fernando Henrique Cardoso, then the president of Brazil, stated that the episode "brought a distorted vision of Brazilian reality." The Rio Tourist Board, which had spent US$18,000,000 promoting the city, threatened to take legal action against Fox, claiming the episode would have "drastic consequences" on the tourism industry.[4]
In response, executive producer James L. Brooks apologized, stating "we apologize to the lovely city and people of Rio de Janeiro, and if that doesn't settle the issue, Homer Simpson offers to take on the President of Brazil on Fox's Celebrity Boxing".[5]
The writers made a running gag of the situation:
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- On The Regina Monologues, Homer mentions that Brazil's "monkey problem is getting worse."
- On "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington", Krusty reveals that his monkey sidekick "Mr. Teeny" is an illegal immigrant from Brazil whose uncle was "head monkey at the Board of Tourism."
- On The Wife Aquatic, Lisa mentions that Barnacle Bay is "the most disgusting" place the family has been, "after Brazil". On the Brazilian Portuguese dub of this episode, the entire line was removed.
Reception
The episode has become study material for sociology courses at University of California Berkeley, where it is used to "examine issues of the production and reception of cultural objects, in this case, a satirical cartoon show", and to figure out what it is "trying to tell audiences about aspects primarily of American society, and, to a lesser extent, about other societies." Some questions asked in the courses include: "What aspects of American society are being addressed in the episode? What aspects of them are used to make the points? How is the satire conveyed: through language? Drawing? Music? Is the behavior of each character consistent with his/her character as developed over the years? Can we identify elements of the historical/political context that the writers are satirizing? What is the difference between satire and parody?"[6]
References
- ^ "Awards for "The Simpsons"". IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096697/awards. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
- ^ "Simpsons apologise to Rio". BBC News. 2002-04-15. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1931551.stm. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
- ^ Bellos, Alex (2002-04-10). "Rio sin-bins the Simpsons". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/04/09/1018333350608.html. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
- ^ Bellos, Alex (2002-04-09). "Doh! Rio blames it on The Simpsons". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2002/apr/09/broadcasting.internationalnews. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
- ^ Orecklin, Michele (2002-04-22). "!AY, CARAMBA!". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1002267,00.html. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
- ^ Thomas B. Gold (2008). "The Simpsons Global Mirror". University of California Berkeley. http://sociology.berkeley.edu/documents/undergrads/syllabi/Soc190_1.pdf.
External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Blame It on Lisa |
- Episode summary at TV.com
- "Blame It on Lisa" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
- "The Simpsons" Blame It on Lisa at the Internet Movie Database
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