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"Lisa Gets an 'A'" is the seventh episode of The Simpsons' tenth season. It aired on November 22, 1998.

Synopsis

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Another day at church comes and the family goes to a grocery store (Eatie Gourmet's) to try free samples. At the store Homer finds a small lobster he likes, which he wants to raise. While there, Homer looks for normal flavors of ice cream so he puts Lisa in the freezer to help him, resulting in her getting sick. Marge wants Lisa to stay home the next day. At home, Lisa gets addicted to one of Bart's video games, blowing off the homework on The Wind in the Willows she gets from Ralph. When Lisa returns to school there's a test on the book. She has a problem doing the test and Bart gives her some advice: consult Nelson for the answers. Although she initially objects, she buys the answers from Nelson and when she has finished the test, she earns a rare A+++ grade.

Meanwhile, Homer treats his lobster, which he names Pinchy, as a pet. The family is proud of Lisa's "achievement." The next day in school Principal Skinner informs Lisa that the achievement on her test has helped bring Springfield Elementary's GPA up to the point where the school can qualify for a state grant. Lisa confesses she cheated on the test. Principal Skinner and Superintendent Chalmers both say that they do not want to tell anyone else about it because Skinner wants to keep the grant money. Although Lisa wants to come clean they secretly keep the cash after tricking Lisa into thinking the school's grant was turned down. At home, Pinchy gets a hot bath from Homer, but unfortunately the bath is too hot and Pinchy is boiled alive. Homer sadly eats what is left of his lobster friend.

Trivia

• The title "Lisa Gets an A" parodies the title of the second-season opener of the show, "Bart Gets an F".
• In this episode it is revealed that the school was called the worst school in Missouri, revealing which state Springfield is in, causing Lisa and Principal Skinner to react in astonishment at the fact that the location has been revealed, but immediately afterward it is said that the school was moved "brick by brick" to its current, still unknown, location.

Cultural references

• "Dash Dingo", the video game Lisa becomes addicted to, is a parody of Crash Bandicoot. The music that plays when the game starts is exactly like the music when the Crash game starts. Also, the evil floating Australian head is a parody of the Crash games' villain, Dr. Neo Cortex. The game also revolves around finding and devouring "seven crystal babies", referencing the Azaria Chamberlain disappearance and the Chaos Emeralds from the Sonic the Hedgehog series (Dash Dingo needs the same number of crystal babies as there are Chaos Emeralds).
• Homer: (shopping for ice cream) "Cherry Garcia? Honey Bono? Desmond Tutti Frutti?"

The ice cream flavors are named after Jerry Garcia (the Grateful Dead's lead singer), Sonny Bono (of Sonny and Cher) and Archbishop Desmond Tutu (South African anti-apartheid activist and Nobel Prize Winner). There's also a flavor called Milli Vanilla, a reference to Milli Vanilli, the infamous musicians who had to give up their Grammy Award after it was revealed that someone else sang their songs and all the duo did was lip-synch. Cherry Garcia is an allusion to Ben & Jerry's, an ice cream company that give their ice cream flavors amusing names, like Cherry Garcia. Lisa also mentions a flavour called Candy Warhol, named after Andy Warhol; Homer tells her nothing "made of dead guys".

• Nelson: "Well la-di-da, Lady Cheaterly."

This is a reference to the D.H. Lawrence novel Lady Chatterley's Lover.

External links

• "Lisa Gets an "A" episode capsule". The Simpsons Archive.
• "Lisa Gets an "A"" at IMDb

• The Simpsons episodes, season 10