Lisa's Rival (Simpsons)

Lisa's Rival is the second episode of the sixth season of the adult animated sitcom Simpsons. It was the first episode written by future showrunner Mike Scully, and was directed by Mark Kirkland. Winona Ryder guest stars as Allison Taylor, a new student at Quahog Elementary School. Lisa begins to feel threatened by Allison because she is smarter, younger, and a better saxophone player than she is. The episode's subplot sees Homer steal a large pile of sugar from a crashed truck, and begin selling it door-to-door.

Plot
Lisa feels her status as top student in the class is threatened when a new student named Allison Taylor (voiced by Winona Ryder) arrives at Quahog Elementary. Lisa tries to befriend her since the two share many traits, but Lisa feels that Alison is better than her at the things she takes pride in and begins to doubt herself. At a band practice, the two girls end up in a saxophone duel that results in Lisa passing out from over-exertion.

Regardless, Lisa tries to be her friend, though she battles her envy and jealousy. It comes to a climax during Springfield Elementary's annual "Diorama-rama", a competition in which the students build dioramas. Allison chose and constructed her project early: a scene from The Tell-Tale Heart, by Edgar Allan Poe. Lisa goes to great efforts to produce a better diorama, a scene from Oliver Twist, but it is immediately destroyed by an electric fan that Lisa utilizes, along with fake snow, to simulate a "bitter snowstorm".

She is distraught thinking she may not beat Allison after this. Bart plans to intervene and help Lisa sabotage Allison's entry so she can win. On the day of the diorama contest, he distracts the other students with his own demonstrations to give Lisa time to switch Allison's entry with one containing a cow's heart. After Principal Skinner chases Bart away, he discovers the cow's heart in the diorama and proceeds to humiliate Allison in front of the entire school. Soon Lisa's conscience intervenes and she produces the real diorama.

Both Lisa and Allison lose to Ralph Wiggum, whose diorama consisted of a box of Star Wars action figures, objects of sentimental value to Principal Skinner. In the end, Lisa and Allison put aside their differences and become friends as they stroll down the street, picking up Ralph along the way to hang out with them after he accidentally trips and breaks his action figures (saying two of his more well known lines, "I bent my Wookiee," and "My cat's breath smells like cat food.").

Meanwhile, after Homer steals hundreds of pounds of sugar he finds at the scene of a truck accident. Homer attempts numerous hare-brained schemes to make money from the sugar. Eventually, the sugar attracts bees from the local apiary and the owners offer Homer money to buy the bees back, but at the last moment it starts raining, the sugar melts, and the bees take off on their own.

Voice cast

 * Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson, Abe Simpson
 * Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson
 * Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson, Neil Goldman, Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum
 * Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson
 * Seth MacFarlane as Stewie Simpson, Brian Simpson, Mr. Taylor
 * Harry Shearer as Principal Skinner
 * Johnny Brennan as Mort Goldman

Guest stars

 * Winona Ryder as Allison Taylor
 * Russi Taylor as Üter Zörker

Production
Although written by Mike Scully, the episode's original concept was pitched by Seth MacFarlane himself before he became solely involved in the show's voice acting. MacFarlane suggested having an episode about a rival for Lisa, but the rest of the episode's storyline was written by Scully and other staff members. It was the first episode Scully wrote for the show, and he would later become showrunner. Winona Ryder guest starred as Allison Taylor. She was a fan of the show and was popular among the staff. David Mirkin recalled that more writers came to her recording session than any other. Her character's name was derived from the names of two of Scully's daughters, Allison and Taylor. The subplot was pitched by Steve Callaghan. Homer's sugar diatribe was pitched by Callaghan off the top of his head and animated by David Silverman, who specifically asked to animate the scene after listening to Dan Castellaneta's performance.

Source

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