Rate and Review: "Lisa Goes Gaga" (PABF14)

[Mr. Krikt]

A Zii joke? Really? Really? The Wii U's coming out this year! It doesn't even make sense? What game is he playing? What's he trying to do?

• I thought Moe's email was going to be a freeze frame joke. It's just a standard e-mail.
• Random Ralph! Ha ha ha. Oh boy.
• Sparkle eggs? Huh? What was the narrator for?
• A lady gaga cutaway joke. Wow, the Simpsons has fallen so far.
• "No way that can go wrong." This must be one of the laziest joke formats they love to roll out these days.
• Skinner reading an award for least favourite student? What's this supposed to be? Why would he actually do this? Why would a principal be doing this?
• Where'd the laptop come from? Weren't they eating?
• "It takes a lot of courage to post things anonymously" Oh you~!
• I laughed out loud at the twins using Blackberries. RIM are nearly dead at this point. Oh well.
• Another format of a joke that I just despise: "[noun]?" "[adjective] [noun]!" e.g. from another episode: "what sort of ventilating is that?" "hyper!"
• Lisa's impressed by fifth graders when she hung out with young college women before.
• Why would Bart out his own sister? I thought he cared about her to some extent.
• Lady Gaga has magical sadness psychic scanning powers? What show is this? What am I watching? Lisa seems quite good at getting celebrities to make her feel better these years.
• The fetus throwing away the XXX jug just... what?
• "Daily Fourth Graduate" There's a daily newspaper just for fourth-graders?
• "Foop foop foop foop" Wow, good thing I find repetition so funny.
• "Actually I'm half-monster, half-Armenian." Oh is the rag story where he's a Yeti-child canon then?
• "I love you lady JaJa." This must one of the lamest jokes this season and that's saying something. "Old people aren't in touch with pop culture!" Yeah, take that, society! What a seething criticism of society.
• A single piece of glitter is enough to cause Mr Burns to collapse. It's like this episode is a collection of modern Simpsons tropes.
• Homer is standing right beside Lisa when she's being bullied and he somehow doesn't notice nor do anything about. He's right in the frame!
• And then he just lets Lisa walk off with Gaga who is disguised.
• Maggie can barely walk upright but now she can walk in platform boots. Dios mios.
• I nearly turned it off when the lesbian kiss occurred. They already did this in Homer's fantasy with Lindsey Naegle. They've done the homosexual kiss thing to death and either way it's 2012. There's no novelty any more; it's just a normal part of society.
• Penguin with a jetpack with a microphone.

Is Moe dead now? Well, I suppose only the dead can know peace from this evil.

[Cartoonnetwork]

I already said this, but just to discuss something. Why is the pshycic force thing all that problematic? I understand the criticisms about Gaga's prominence in the episode or about the fact that everybody, including Lisa, find her somewhat interesting, but the psychic force thing wasn't really any more "surreal" than her changes of costumes or her crying little diamonds. It is a contrived way to make her noticing about Lisa, but it fits with the way they depicted her in the Simpsons world and it probably works better than her actually taking time to find who needs her help in Springfield as she should have done in real life. Also, the way it was done, with the train passing by Springfield and Gaga already knowing about Springfield being a problematic town, it was more feasible than Lisa comunicating with Gaga by mind powers or Gaga realizing this while she's at her home and travelling all the way to Springfield only because of that problem.

It didn't sound good on the episode synopsis but in the actual episode I didn't mind about the psychic force at all, and it wasn't any more surreal or wacky than a lot of gags in Springfield Files. And not, Rango, those are not the "it's a cartoon" or "classic era also did it" excuses, because this specfiic point actually doesn't differ in any way with how they include wacky aspects in wackier episodes of classic era. The fact that is centered around Lady Gaga is 100% modern Simpsons. The fact that a eccentric character could have psychic powers is nothing really that different to a certain type of episodes classic era, though, and it's not like any surreal joke in those episodes included a relevant satire or anything.

In fact I think the surreal aspects of the last musical number, even if musical numbers are usually used for more surreal scenes, were something more reprehensible, especially Lisa disappearing from the train an appearing in the ground again. I know Gaga disappeared from stage and appeared next to Lisa before, but that's kind of more acceptable at that moment. But the ending is supossed to be the part where everything gets wrapped up and making it wacky with the excuse of the musical number is an easier route rather than having a relevant dialogue or realistic conversation.

Also, the school awards thing was obviously exaggerated but in my school a teacher did actually encouraged children to write who was the less popular kid in the class , supposedly in order to "help" him, and I was chosen once, so that part didn't look so odd to me.

[The Governor]

It didn't sound good on the episode synopsis but in the actual episode I didn't mind about the psychic force at all, and it wasn't any more surreal or wacky than a lot of gags in Springfield Files. And not, Rango, those are not the "it's a cartoon" or "classic era also did it" excuses, because this specfiic point actually doesn't differ in any way with how they include wacky aspects in wackier episodes of classic era. The fact that is centered around Lady Gaga is 100% modern Simpsons. The fact that a eccentric character could have psychic powers is nothing really that different to a certain type of episodes classic era, though, and it's not like any surreal joke in those episodes included a relevant satire or anything.

Even in the Springfield Files, it still felt like a Simpsons episode, not an animated X Files episode and it still holds up funny today. Will this episode be funny 15 years from now? No, unless you're a Gaga fan reliving your Jr. High years. Even Marge vs. the Monorail was more absurd than this episode, but...ah, it had the amazing power of being actually funny. Leonard Niemoy beamed out of the episode, but so what? It made fun of Spock, but it also made fun of him prior because he was boring the shit out of the passengers with how the doors worked on Star Trek.

[Cartoonnetwork]

I mostly agree but I was just discussing the specific point of the psychic force not being a big deal.

I'd argue about Springfield Files feeling like a Simpsons episode, though. When I first watched, and even now, I usually find this episode not feeling like most of the other episodes of classic era, but mostly as an "special" episode. Yes, it's still funny now, but it feels different and more surreal than a majority of episodes and I actually never liked or found the ending with Burns all that funny.

It feels closer to a THOH. Even in a wacky episode like the Monorail one, it seemed unlikely that Homer would have to identify an alien in a identification parade that includes Marvin The Martian, Alf, and Kang.

[The Governor]

I mostly agree but I was just discussing the specific point of the psychic force not being a big deal.

The reason the surrealism in modern episodes is pointed out as being "unnatural" is it's not funny. If there was a clever twist to the oddball humor, people wouldn't complain.

[Cartoonnetwork]

That specific point is not funny per se, but it fits with the whole depiction of Gaga as some crazy eccentric weirdo which is somewhat funny and Simpsonic. The over reliance on the guest star and the somewhat flattery treatment he gets at the end is not funny and it feels totally post-classic, but the exaggeration was mostly well done, and I think the surreal jokes were better and felt more Jean/Reiss or Mirkin-esque than most of the attempts of that we had got recently.

[Homer I Am]

It'll totally harsh your mellow.

Yeah, but maybe being high will stop me from super raging after seeing it. Which is what I tend to do with episodes these days.

[Captain Squid]

First off, calling bullshit on the ratings. Not that I disagree with the 1/5's. But the 0/5 and 6/5 nonsense? Every episode, no matter how cringeworthy it looks in previews, deserves the 1-5 ratings system. Otherwise, whats the point in R&R treads if the OP doesn't give a fuck about scores? Really should instate a every episode has a consistant 1 through 5 rating and the thread doesn't unlock til the episode ends.

--

Anyway, as most others here, I went in with very low expectations and the episode ended up being a bit better than I thought it would end up being. Still not a great episode, but not an awful one. Moe's talking bar rag and D'ohcial Network have the honors of worst of season 23. Really, I think I wouldn't have any major qualms with this episode if:

• They cut the ESP nonsense. Really, Gaga was coming to Springfield already, and she could have easily heard Lisa's crying from the stage and thought "Oh! Somebody in need!"
• Gaga got kicked around a bit more. I think she can take it (and I think she gets off on it) so I think Flanders could have been a bit harsher and Lisa's outburst could have been a bit meaner.

What I liked:
• The opening over Springfield. There were some really great looking shots of the town.
• The school assembly. Skinner letting the kids do their own awards ceremony. What could go wrong?
• The shots of the train approaching Springfield. Not that I like Gaga and her train, but the shots looked great.
• Ralph being a dog
• Milhouse's fear of the cars in Cars
• Lisa's sadness, at first, was unconvincing. But as the episode went on I actually felt sorry for her.
• Lisa Roulette
• Moe being a lost cause
• Singing returns to the Simpsons! Yeah, they were based on Gaga songs, but they had original lyrics and Simpson characters singing

What I didn't like:
• Too many "Gaga is ca-wazy!" gags (though I did like the large boots going into larger boots and the Jawa costume)
• Gaga needed a little more kicking around and needed to be a bit more annoying when it came to trying to help Lisa
• The fact that I had to hear "Gaga" throughout the episode
• Kissing Marge, what was that all about??
• The twitter hashtags
• The Maggie ad. I'm looking forward to the short film, but they advertised it once already during commercials. Why again before the credits? At least make a joke about shameless self promotion by adding "Buy Lady Gaga music from iTunes" or some nonsense

So overall, not the worst of 23, pretty much a middle of the road episode. I will say, the episode told a STORY from beginning to end. Unlike a few of the season 23 stinkers I mentioned earlier. 2.5/5, rounded up to a 3/5 for the fact that I wasn't horribly offended. Episode will probably play better on DVD with the commercials cut, lack of hashtags and lack of Maggie ad.

[Mr. Krikt]

It is a contrived way to make her noticing about Lisa, but it fits with the way they depicted her in the Simpsons world and it probably works better than her actually taking time to find who needs her help in Springfield as she should have done in real life.

It's half that and half to do with the way they treated her in the episode. I don't like when they trip over themselves to portray the celebrity as a genius or some sort of superhero etc. It feels like I'm watching a fanboy/fangirl tribute to their "fave celeb".
Secondly, it is lazy. In this episode Lady Gaga is this apparently super-caring person who can detect people's sadness, cry diamonds, solve emotional problems with homosexual kisses etc. I don't find it satisfactory how it all just falls into place, not to imply any sort of elegance.

I seriously think this episode would have been served better if they had parodied Lady Gaga instead of actually featuring her. It could have contained far less pandering and may have even featured a hint of satire.

I'm reminded of the Michael Jackson episode of the Simpsons with Leon Kompowsky. He's not some superstar who can fix all the world's problems through magic. We can understand that he wants to help Homer and his family because he bonded with Homer during his stay in the mental facility. Also, we get a chance to see that he's a well-natured and caring individual and why he decides to help Bart and Lisa in particular. He doesn't need to psychically detect it; the episode's written so that he's exposed to the problem and is at a point where he's familiar enough with the family to step in and do something.

The ending is of this episode is just the epitome of their laziness but I didn't reference it in my first post because they just throw in the towel entirely and I didn't feel I could do it justice. Lisa spontaneously launches into a song that Lady Gaga joins into (with a microphone handily delivered by a jetpack-using penguin) complete with a relevant video displaying behind them. Compare that to Bart and Leon sitting constructing the song and Bart tapping along to it on a trashcan as he performs it for Lisa.

[Cartoonnetwork]

I totally agree about the ending. You're also right that maybe it would have worked better if they have parodied Gaga instead of featuring her. Or having her in a character that was a parody of her.

However the superhero thing can go either way. You can see it as pandering or as a comic exaggeration of her eccentrities. Has the episode included a more sarcastic ending I wouldn't really find it as amiable to Lady Gaga, despite of her superpowers.

[Blobulle]

3/5
Not bad, but I didn't like the song at the end.
The train of Lady Gaga is nice (the shoes XD)

[Captain Squid]

Thinking about it, I'd have preferred Gaga as she was but all of Springfield was bitter and didn't want her help, Lisa especially. Gaga figures if she can't cure a town, she'll zero in on Lisa and Lisa ends up bitching out Gaga, which in turn makes Lisa feel better and Lisa ends up being the one who temporarily cheers up the town. Gaga departs, defeated, Moe runs to her saying he'll let her take a chance on cheering him up and Gaga dismisses him as she did in the episode. Roll credits.

[irvine_11]

You people disgust me. Get a life. And learn to enjoy your meat dress.

So, you came back from being grounded, I see.

[Prune Tracy]

Thinking about it, I'd have preferred Gaga as she was but all of Springfield was bitter and didn't want her help, Lisa especially. Gaga figures if she can't cure a town, she'll zero in on Lisa and Lisa ends up bitching out Gaga, which in turn makes Lisa feel better and Lisa ends up being the one who temporarily cheers up the town. Gaga departs, defeated, Moe runs to her saying he'll let her take a chance on cheering him up and Gaga dismisses him as she did in the episode. Roll credits.

I actually like this plot a lot better, and would probably have raised my grade had it been the actual thing.

[cymek]

The ratings are in: 4.79 million viewers. I guess 0.79 million viewers are gaga fans who were attracted by promos.

[Financial Panther]

What are the Gaga fans saying about this episode?

[cymek]

I wish I could know.

[The Governor]

What are the Gaga fans saying about this episode?

They're going Gaga over it.

[D DEBBS]

Lady Gaga: Worst. Guest Appearance. Ever!

(Those who speculate that last night's ep was going to be bad...well...they're right. Wish they wasn't, but 'Lisa Goes Gaga' ranks up there with 'Simpsons Safari' and 'New Kids On The Bleech.')

[Cartoonnetwork]

Thinking about it, I'd have preferred Gaga as she was but all of Springfield was bitter and didn't want her help, Lisa especially. Gaga figures if she can't cure a town, she'll zero in on Lisa and Lisa ends up bitching out Gaga, which in turn makes Lisa feel better and Lisa ends up being the one who temporarily cheers up the town. Gaga departs, defeated, Moe runs to her saying he'll let her take a chance on cheering him up and Gaga dismisses him as she did in the episode. Roll credits.

Yeah, that would also be a little pointless in terms of Lisa's conflict, since the resolution would be almost as contrived as the one we got, though a little more sarcastic and vitriolic which would felt more Simpsonic.

On the other hand, it would totally work as a parody of the whole "celebrities appear to help people" subject in movies/series.

I think a mixture of your idea and the real episode would also be fine. I don't mind Lisa making peace with someone that actually tried to help her, since Lisa is a nice kid anyway but maybe the moral she got from her could have been totally tongue in cheek. Something among these lines:

Lisa: I wanted to say sorry before you go. I still disapprove the image you project for the young generations, but I appreciate that you tried to help.
Gaga: "Did I solve your problems?"
Lisa: "Nope, but thanks to you I realized that if a woman has to behave like this and wear those crazy costumes in order to be popular these days I'd rather be myself"
They hug but after Lisa has gone Gaga starts thinking and says: "Wait a minute!"

Roll credits or add Moe's scene there and then roll credits.

Personally, I would have also accepted something less bitter and more "realistic" about the guest star, like Lisa disliking Gaga for the image she has now, then realizing she was once a "normal" girl like her. Yahoo showed images of Gaga as a teenager before becoming famous and she looked like a normal, not especially glamourous girl. I don't know if she wants to recognize her past or anything but a solution like this would have felt a little more deep I guess.

Also, I totally agree with your review.

[The Angry Animated Comedy Nerd]

The Simpsons Season 23 Finale Ratings: 4.790 million.

Ha Ha, if Lady GaGa can't boost your ratings... it's time to end.

Not even five million tuned in... lol!

Swear to God; I was expecting seven or eight million viewers just b/c of GaGa.

[Captain Squid]

I don't get why people are so obsessed with ratings. The show is continuing til 25 anyway, its not like a Bob's Burgers that needs to depend on ratings to survive. Also, with the sheer number of TV channels and the many non-TV related things people could be doing at 8pm on a Sunday, who knows what the real reasons are for ratings ups and downs. Hell, I almost missed the episode because I know I could catch it on Hulu or just download it.

Also, I don't get why a number like nearly five million is small. Sounds like a lot of fucking people to me.

[The Angry Animated Comedy Nerd]

Yeah... your right.

Networks hate ad revenue... fuck ratings.

Go here and read about how important advertizers money is and how much goes where.. all b/c of ratings:

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/

8:00PM
ABC Billboard Music Awards 7.400
CBS 60 Minutes 10.128
FOX The Simpsons 4.790

Fox is getting beaten so bad it's embrassassing to them... the all important 18-49 demo numbers are starting to sag as well.

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

People are obsessed with the ratings because they want the show to end and are thrilled they are low. They hope that will mean the show dies despite the guaranteed 2 years remaining.

[Mr. Krikt]

The Simpsons Season 23 Finale Ratings: 4.790 million.

Ha Ha, if Lady GaGa can't boost your ratings... it's time to end.

Not even five million tuned in... lol!

Swear to God; I was expecting seven or eight million viewers just b/c of GaGa.

It wasn't until I looked up the rest of the season that this surprised me. That's seriously low compared to the highs of this season but there's a fair number of episodes around that mark. Maybe people are just fed up with Simpsons celebrity episodes?

I don't get why people are so obsessed with ratings.

It's a decent metric for audience interest.

People are obsessed with the ratings because they want the show to end and are thrilled they are low. They hope that will mean the show dies despite the guaranteed 2 years remaining.

I don't want the show to die; there are so many television and video game series that I loved but eventually stopped thinking about because they've been long dead. Even though I do call it Zombie Simpsons, it still pleases me that it's being worked on and is on the air. It's already declined in terms of cultural relevance tremendously but once the series is cancelled, that will be the death knell.
And hell, if nothing else, it sure is fun to complain on the internet and have other people validate my opinions. The low ratings provide that service, in a sense. I wouldn't watch it if it was something else; I didn't watch that atrocious Allen Gregary for instance. It's because I still feel emotionally invested in the Simpsons to some degree.
I suspect it's the same for many other people who lurk, if not post here.

[The Angry Animated Comedy Nerd]

People are obsessed with the ratings because they want the show to end and are thrilled they are low. They hope that will mean the show dies despite the guaranteed 2 years remaining.

After the GaGa episode... I'm now one of those people.

The show cranks out about six good episodes a year now... two good 'final' seasons would be a nice change of pace.

[Mother Teresa Jr]

I actually found Lady Gaga to be a great voiceover artist. I'd have no problem with her coming back and playing another character. That being said, I understand why she agreed to do an episode parodying her. They did take shots at her, and she understood that from the get go. She was a good sport about it.

I'm sick and tired of every new Simpsons episode featuring a guest star. It's been that way for years now. The guest star episodes used to be ratings dynamite because they didn't happen that often. It's to be expected now. I guess they're running out of storylines, and Gaga's basically wrote itself.

I don't want "The Simpsons" to end yet. There are still good episodes being made (from time to time). That's more than what can be said for other shows, new and old. We should take anything we can get in terms of entertainment.

[The Angry Animated Comedy Nerd]

It's not dying.. it's ending with a goddamn microbe of grace and dignity left... before the original legacy is gone forever... and all that remains is a cold, bereft of life.. marketing machine.

The franchise will go forever; the show will be rebooted in twenty to thirty years.. just like everything else.

I love endings... whats wrong with wanting something I once truly loved to have some slight form of finality?

Guys, Al Jean already said; one or two more movies after it leaves T.V. anyway...
I'd like to see those before I'm dead.

[Shaunbadia]

The Gaga train, the weird psychic stuff, the awards show, making out with Marge, Homer spinning Lisa, Homer Face....all just horrible

Now for what I did like.
The opening until Gaga's train appeared
I liked the first song...it was surprisingly good.
Moe's "Pick your poison" line and "Come on I woke up for this".
Ned and Gaga's conversation...that last bit from Ned actually gave me an honest laugh.
Homer and Marge attempting to cheer Lisa up (Before Homer did the stupid spinning thing)
Maggie giving Lisa her pacifier
"There is no over the top"
Lisa's little anti-Gaga rant (I'm surprised that the writers even went that far with the Gaga bashing...even if they did buy it back)

Moe getting hit by a train actually made my jaw drop, but he's been abused so much he may as well be one step away from Gil..below that is Moleman and just above Moe is Milhouse.

It had a few semi-decent gags, but the bad outweighed the good here. It's bad when the best way you can sum up an episode after watching it is "At least it wasn't a shit as the bar rag episode".
2/5

[The Angry Animated Comedy Nerd]

500th EPIC POST

Didn't Moe say he was self-aware of being half monster in this ep... so that was indeed a callback to the shit-rag ep... was it not?

B/c you can't go GaGa.. without a callback to the shit-rag episode, lol.