Blame It on Lisa
Encyclopedia
"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 whom Lisa has been sponsoring. Writer Bob Bendetson
received a Writers Guild of America Award
nomination for the episode.
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 fembot
s 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 is a sexual predator
) who cuts off their phone service. Later, Lisa
tries to call her friend Janey, but cannot. 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 does not 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 does not 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
.
, most specifically the Rio de Janeiro
Tourist Board (Riotur). The 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." Jose Eduardo Guinle, president of Riotur, requested a copy of the show and asked his lawyers what legal action could be taken. The tourist board asserted that "went too far" and undermined an $18m (£12.5m) advertising campaign to attract visitors to the city. Fernando Henrique Cardoso
, then the president of Brazil, stated that the episode "brought a distorted vision of Brazilian reality." By April 9, Riotur, who had just spent US$
18,000,000 promoting the city, was preparing to sue the producers and Fox, for damage to its international image and loss of revenue. The issue threatened to become a diplomatic incident.
Upon knowledge of an impending lawsuit, the show's producers contacted Fox lawyers, who informed them that a city could not technically sue for defamation. 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
". Al Jean, show runner, commented that it was "one of the biggest controversies in the history of the show". In honor, a special feature was placed on the thirteenth season DVD set, titled "Blame It On the Monkeys".
received a Writers Guild of America Award
nomination for the episode. He lost to the Futurama
episode "Godfellas
".
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."
Alessandro de Almeida, a history
master
from the Federal University of Uberlândia
argued that the episode's criticism "is not focused only in Brazil", but as well as all globalized societies
, citing that while "in the U.S. Bart used to watch violent cartoons
, in Brazil he watches 'educational' programs linked to sexuality".
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
The Simpsons (season 13)
The Simpsons thirteenth season originally aired on the Fox network between November 6, 2001 and May 22, 2002 and consists of 22 episodes. The show runner for the thirteenth production season was Al Jean who executive-produced 17 episodes...
. It first aired on the Fox network
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the United States on March 31, 2002. In the episode, the family goes to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in search of a Brazilian orphan named Ronaldo whom Lisa has been sponsoring. Writer Bob Bendetson
Bob Bendetson
Bob Bendetson is an American television writer and producer. He has written for a number of TV series, including ALF, Home Improvement and two episodes for The Simpsons .Bendetson served as a supervising producer on Coach, leaving after its fifth season to become...
received a Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Awards 2003
The 56th Writers Guild of America Awards, given in 2004, honored the film and television best writers of 2003.-Best Adapted Screenplay: American Splendor - Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini*Cold Mountain - Anthony Minghella...
nomination for the episode.
Plot
While HomerHomer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
and Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
are watching Itchy & Scratchy, Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
tells Homer that someone has been calling Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
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 fembot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s 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 is a sexual predator
Sexual predator
The term sexual predator is used pejoratively to describe a person seen as obtaining or trying to obtain sexual contact with another person in a metaphorically "predatory" manner. Analogous to how a predator hunts down its prey, so the sexual predator is thought to "hunt" for his or her sex partners...
) who cuts off their phone service. Later, Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
tries to call her friend Janey, but cannot. 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
Maggie Simpson
Margaret "Maggie" Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She first appeared on television in the Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Maggie was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James...
with Patty and Selma.
When they arrive in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Bart watches a Xuxa-esque show called Teleboobies (which Marge does not 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
Flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus , the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae...
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 does not have to worry about his parents taking the money he earned for being a child star
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
). 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
Anaconda
An anaconda is a large, non-venomous snake found in tropical South America. Although the name actually applies to a group of snakes, it is often used to refer only to one species in particular, the common or green anaconda, Eunectes murinus, which is one of the largest snakes in the world.Anaconda...
.
Controversy
In the week following the episode's original broadcast, it faced intense controversy involving the country of BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, most specifically the Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
Tourist Board (Riotur). The 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." Jose Eduardo Guinle, president of Riotur, requested a copy of the show and asked his lawyers what legal action could be taken. The tourist board asserted that "went too far" and undermined an $18m (£12.5m) advertising campaign to attract visitors to the city. Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Fernando Henrique Cardoso – also known by his initials FHC – was the 34th President of the Federative Republic of Brazil for two terms from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2002. He is an accomplished sociologist, professor and politician...
, then the president of Brazil, stated that the episode "brought a distorted vision of Brazilian reality." By April 9, Riotur, who had just spent US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
18,000,000 promoting the city, was preparing to sue the producers and Fox, for damage to its international image and loss of revenue. The issue threatened to become a diplomatic incident.
Upon knowledge of an impending lawsuit, the show's producers contacted Fox lawyers, who informed them that a city could not technically sue for defamation. In response, executive producer James L. Brooks
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the...
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
Celebrity Boxing
Celebrity Boxing was a FOX television show, in which celebrities whose careers and/or notoriety had diminished were pitted against each other in exhibition boxing matches. The contestants wore headgear during the fights, which were scheduled for three rounds apiece...
". Al Jean, show runner, commented that it was "one of the biggest controversies in the history of the show". In honor, a special feature was placed on the thirteenth season DVD set, titled "Blame It On the Monkeys".
Reception
Writer Bob BendetsonBob Bendetson
Bob Bendetson is an American television writer and producer. He has written for a number of TV series, including ALF, Home Improvement and two episodes for The Simpsons .Bendetson served as a supervising producer on Coach, leaving after its fifth season to become...
received a Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Awards 2003
The 56th Writers Guild of America Awards, given in 2004, honored the film and television best writers of 2003.-Best Adapted Screenplay: American Splendor - Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini*Cold Mountain - Anthony Minghella...
nomination for the episode. He lost to the Futurama
Futurama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
episode "Godfellas
Godfellas
"Godfellas" is the twentieth episode of the third production season of Futurama. It was first shown in North America on March 17, 2002, as the eighth episode in the fourth broadcast season. The episode was written by Ken Keeler and directed by Susie Dietter. It features Bender becoming the god of...
".
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."
Alessandro de Almeida, a history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
master
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
from the Federal University of Uberlândia
Federal University of Uberlândia
The Federal University of Uberlândia is an institution in the southwest of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is a public university located in Uberlândia...
argued that the episode's criticism "is not focused only in Brazil", but as well as all globalized societies
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
, citing that while "in the U.S. Bart used to watch violent cartoons
The Itchy & Scratchy Show
The Itchy & Scratchy Show is a show within a show in the animated television series The Simpsons. It usually appears as a part of The Krusty the Clown Show, watched regularly by Bart and Lisa Simpson...
, in Brazil he watches 'educational' programs linked to sexuality".
External links
- "Blame It on Lisa" at The Simpsons.com