The Simpsons Season 36 Highlights a Classic Lisa Contradiction That’s Existed for Decades

The following contains spoilers for The Simpsons Season 36 Episode 3, ‘Desperately Seeking Lisa,’ now streaming on HuluThe SimpsonsSeason 36 used just one of Lisa’s defining characteristics to capture an industry’s attention, highlighting an interesting contradiction that has always been a part of the series. Over the past thirty-six seasons, The Simpsons has evolved in some interesting ways, with characters like Moe, Ralph, and Nelson having many differences between their original incarnation and their modern version. Despite this, the main titular family has remained fairly consistent from a character perspective. Lisa is a great example of this, who has been shaped over time to reflect different decades’ versions of a lonely but talented girl.

This is especially true in season 36 of The Simpsonswith “Desperately Seeking Lisa” following the young woman as she falls in love with the Capital City art scene. Although Lisa’s ambitions and love for art are never portrayed in a negative light, the episode makes many trenchant attacks on the state of affairs surrounding art, casting its main figures as thieves and mobs. It’s a unique dichotomy that has always existed in the series’ approach to the art world, and it speaks to a central theme of Simpsons stories that never gets old and has existed since the show’s earliest days.

The Simpsons Season 36 Disproves Lisa’s Dreams of Being an Artist

Lisa’s love for art keeps her pure despite the art world’s flaws and failings

The Simpsons season 36 highlights the problems with Lisa wanting to enter the art world, even though it never actively condemns the actual act of creating art. ‘Desperately Seeking Lisa’ is a largely Lisa-centric affair, as the young woman navigates the trendy arts scene of nearby Capital City. Although she is initially in love with the potential and creativity of the landscape, she soon discovers that the art scene is full of con artists and thieves. While Lisa may have ambitions to escape Springfield, she spends the episode discovering that the urban art scene is a space filled with con artists.

“Desperately Seeking Lisa” argues that being an artist can be rewarding and exciting, but it is also nearly impossible to achieve the success necessary to survive at it. Additionally, all of the artists are shown to be quick to judgment and even quicker to anger, with only a single empathetic artist sparing Lisa and helping her escape back to Springfield. Even highly regarded artists and playwrights are involved, suggesting an industry-wide concern that The Simpsons He always liked to make fun.

The Simpsons love Lisa the artist, but they always make fun of the art world

The Simpsons Mocked the Art World Long Before Season 36

This may seem like an inherent contradiction, since The Simpsons uses Lisa’s art as a way to give the often mistreated girl an outlet for which she is respected. Her entire love affair with music stems from season one’s “Moaning Lisa,” where she discovered it as an outlet for her sadness. However, his saxophone skills are often recognized and celebrated in Springfield. The Simpsons paints Lisa’s genuine love of art and expressionism as a value, a good trait that separates her from the more mundane and often cruel forms of entertainment found in Springfield.

This is a far cry from the show’s approach to the art industry itself, which it has satirized before. In Season 2’s “Brush with Greatness,” Season 10’s “Mom and Pop Art,” and Season 23’s “Exit Through the Kwik-E-Mart,” the show saw Marge, Homer, and Bart find outlets for their feelings through classic, abstract and street. art. In each case, the art industry was the butt of the joke, full of opportunistic dealers and would-be nice people. The Simpsons respects art as an outlet and loves artists, but doesn’t care about the industry that profits from them.

How The Simpsons Subverts Its Own Artistic Inspirations

Love the artist, hate the art world

The natural contradiction in celebrating the effect of art and at the same time drawing attention to the world of high art speaks The Simpsons‘trademark sardonic approach to modern society. The show has always found clever ways to reference poetry, art, and music, often in different and surprising ways. This indicates that the rotating roster of creatives behind The Simpsons has a deep appreciation for art. However, the show has never necessarily been kind to the performers themselves, other than characters like Lisa. She admires specific artists and pieces, but ends “Desperately Seeking Lisa” by saying that she hates Capital City and what it represents.

The Simpsons He’s not afraid to reference his inspirations, but he’s also not afraid to mention them. It is another example of The Simpsons‘ overt political themes, in which the individual must be praised while the industry that uses them must be condemned. It’s far from the only time The Simpsons highlighted that point, but season 36 proves that it’s still relevant, especially with a character like Lisa who is so personally defined by her love of art. The Simpsons loves Lisa for this artistic side, while at the same time mocking the world she would like to join.