Ep 16. Make Room For Lisa

Make Room For Lisa is the sixteenth episode of the tenth season of the world-famous animated sitcom, The Simpsons. The episode revolves around the relationship between Lisa and her father Homer and how their interests and habits clash with each other.

At the beginning of the episode, Lisa becomes interested in astronomy after watching a TV advertisement for a telescope. She requests her father to buy her a telescope but Homer, who is not interested in astronomy, is reluctant to spend money on something that he considers useless. However, Lisa convinces Homer to buy her the telescope by sacrificing her dance lessons.

As soon as Lisa gets her telescope, she sets it up in the town square for people to see but only a few people show up. Disheartened by the lack of public response, Lisa climbs to the highest hill in Springfield to look at the night sky. But she fails to do so as Homer, accompanied by Bart, Marge, and Maggie, drive up the hill to deter Lisa from seeing the stars. Homer’s car headlights blind Lisa’s telescope making her frustrated.

In the next scene, Lisa’s grandfather, Abraham Simpson, comes to visit the family. Lisa talks to her grandfather about her newfound interest in astronomy but he dismisses it, telling Lisa that when he was her age, his father told him that astronomy is only for nerds. Feeling neglected and unsupported by her family, Lisa runs away to stay at Bleeding Gums Murphy’s house.

Meanwhile, a TV show producer, Alex Whitney, approaches Homer to use his name in her new sitcom show to make it more appealing to the audiences. Homer agrees to work for Alex but their working relationship becomes strained when Homer’s lack of interest in the job becomes apparent. In contrast, Alex is very passionate about her work and expects the same enthusiasm from her team.

Back at Bleeding Gums Murphy’s house, Lisa discovers that Bleeding Gums’s niece, who is only interested in astrology, has her own telescope. When they set it up and look at the sky, Lisa, for the first time, sees a shooting star. The two engage in a conversation about the difference between astronomy and astrology and whether they have any relationship. During the conversation, Bleeding Gums’s niece tells a story about a shooting star that fulfilled her earlier wish.

Meanwhile, Homer struggles to keep up with Alex’s expectations and becomes stressed, which causes him to lose his hair. When Marge confronts him about his stress he admits that he doesn’t care about the job and only took it to impress Lisa, who he believed would appreciate the celebrity lifestyle. Marge suggests that they should go on a ‘family vacation’ as a way for Homer to apologize to Lisa.

While on the vacation Lisa and Homer reconcile and rekindle their shared interest in stargazing. They spot a shooting star together and Homer reminds Lisa to make a wish. When Lisa declines saying that she has already made a wish, Homer asks her what she wished for. Lisa reveals that she wished for her family to be together and happy and Homer tells Lisa that he wishes the same.

The episode ends on a note of familial togetherness and reflection on the importance of family bonds.