Will any other show ever be as iconic as The Simpsons? It's been airing for years and years on end, and even though many believe it's about time the writers called it quits, others believe that the show still has a lot to give. The humor is sensational, and the satire tends to be extremely sophisticated compared to other adult animated television series. Plus, even issues that were tackled several years ago remain relevant to this day, which compels younger audiences to become fans of the show.
The Simpsons is the show it is thanks to the incredible array of characters it has created. And one of the best characters to ever come out of it is none other than eight-year-old prodigy Lisa Simpson, who is always a voice for complex social issues. Lisa is often misunderstood by her peers and adults alike, which has made for some very heartbreaking moments. So, let's dive deep into the 10 worst things that the family has ever done to Lisa.
When Bart Didn't Accept Her
"Lisa's First Word" actually ended on a pretty sweet note, when Lisa uttered her first word, Bart, which warmed our hearts and made everyone tear up a little bit. However, what happened before shed a light on how the dynamic between Bart and Lisa would play out throughout the rest of their lives.
After Lisa is born, Bart pretty clearly hates her and is mean to her. Granted, he was two years old and all of a sudden wasn't the only kid in the house. But his treatment of his new little sister was pretty horrible, which didn't really change much as they both grew up.
When Bart Burned Her Thanksgiving Centerpiece
You'll probably notice that Bart is mentioned quite a few times on this list. Over the years, the two have shared some very sweet moments, but sibling rivalry is and always has been the main dynamic between Bart and Lisa. So, we have to mention that one time Bart was a brat and threw Lisa's centerpiece into the fire.
He does this when he needs a place to put the turkey, and ends up ruining the holiday and making viewers extremely mad. It was unnecessary and one of Bart's worst moments.
When Bart Showed Lisa's Beach Friends Her Yearbook
Lisa has never been extremely popular at school... or anywhere else, for that matter. During a season seven episode, she realizes just how lonely she is when not a single person signs her yearbook. This propels her to create a whole new persona when the family goes on vacation and she wants to make friends with the cool kids she meets.
Bart being Bart, he decides to mess with Lisa and her newfound friendships and shows the kids his sister's yearbook. When they find out she's a nerd, they leave her. Thanks, Bart!
When Homer Disregarded Their New Bond
Homer's low IQ was pretty much obvious from day one. It's the father's idiocy that gave us so many great moments over the years, even though this has always made Lisa feel out of place and like she didn't have a true bond with her dad. This all changes when Homer removes a crayon that was stuck in his brain and becomes a genius.
Homer realizes that his newfound intelligence is hard to live with since his life was much easier when he was dumb, so he reinserts the crayon. This destroys the beautiful connection he developed with Lisa since he chooses to take "the coward's way out" as he put it.
When Bart Humiliated Lisa On The Internet
Look, we're not saying what Lisa did after Bart's humiliation was the right way to go. As we all know, Lisa has had more than a few morally questionable moments throughout the show. Nobody's perfect, not even Lisa Simpson, and giving Bart nightmares while he's in a coma is plain mean.
But what drove her to it? Well, earlier in the episode, Bart tricks Lisa into playing The Scary Maze Game. Afterward, he posts a picture of her surrounded by his dirty clothes online, propelling a horrible humiliation. No one was right here, they were both horrible, but it was really unnecessary on Bart's side, to begin with.
When No One Accepted Her Vegetarianism
Lisa's journey towards vegetarianism has become a defining part of her character, and one of her many moments tackling important and relevant issues. But when Lisa has her awakening in "Lisa, The Vegetarian," her decision is received with very little from her family.
Homer, in particular, is extremely against it, and the entire family even comes together to sing "You don't win friends with salad," which is just plain horrible. Even though her family is not understanding in the slightest, Lisa held her own.
When Bart Bullied Her Into A Restraining Order
There would always be a time when too much was just too much when it comes to Bart's bullying of Lisa. Honestly, if you think about it hard enough, you start realizing just how problematic it is that parents allow one of their kids to treat their sibling the way Bart treats Lisa 90% of the time.
During a field trip, the bullying gets so bad Lisa ends up going to court and getting a restraining order against Bart. That doesn't sound like a very reasonable reaction, but imagine how much that girl had to put up from Bart to finally decide getting a restraining order is the only way forward?
When Everyone Seemed To Forget She Was Bright
We don't appreciate Lisa's extremely jealous and competitive nature when it comes to her skills and intellect. Let's not forget she actually tried to sabotage a girl that was better than her in "Lisa's Rival," which is far from being a commendable thing to do, and showed Lisa's dark side pretty effectively.
However, when Maggie is tested and everyone believes she's a genius, everyone in the family suddenly belittles Lisa, to an unnecessary level. Her attitude isn't the best either, but why can't they accept they have to bright kids in the house?
When Bart Destroyed Her Tomato
when Lisa was actually pretty close to solving the problem of world hunger? She developed a genetically modified tomato that could feed people several times as a science project. Well, we'd love to hear more about that but, unfortunately, we can't.
Bart ended up getting rid of the tomato, and Lisa doesn't even get the chance to enter the science fair. Why? he just decided to use it as a weapon to prank Skinners, by throwing it at him. What a nice brother!
When Bart Forgot Her Birthday
We'll never forget "Stark Raving Dad," the episode where pop legend Michael Jackson guest-starred as someone who believes he is Michael Jackson. The point of the episode is that Bart forgets Lisa's birthday every year. Every single year.
Isn't that enough to grant you the "Worst Brother Award?" He eventually gets her a gift this one time, but how hard can it be to the day your own sister was born?