The Simpsons: "The Daughter Also Rises"

First aired February 12 2012

Bart:"Why does the guy have to do everything for the girl on Valentine's Day?"
Homer:"We show girls love on Valentine's Day and they let us blow stuff up on the 4th of July. I just pray they never fall on the same day."

It's Valentine's Day in Springfield. Homer has gotten Marge a heart shaped box of candy and roses. Marge gives Homer his Valentine present. She wants him to go out without her and do "guy stuff." Homer takes Bart to an arcade and a batting cage, while Marge takes Lisa out for a mother-daughter dinner.

At dinner, Lisa looks through a crack in the wall in between booths and notices a boy reading A Farewell To Arms. His name is Nick (Michael Cera), he's a precocious kid who quotes passages from Ernest Hemingway stories. Lisa is very taken with Nick's romantic outlook on life and develops a crush on him.

Lisa and Nick meet for lunch at a French restaurant ("Le Petit Apetit"). She ends up being late for a quilting session with Marge,angering her mother. We get a montage showing Lisa and Nick spending lots of time together. Lisa tells Marge she has a crush on Nick, Marge invites him to dinner.

Nick asks Marge if he can take Lisa to the "Doritos Nutrition Fair." Marge says yes, but she's beginning to get jealous of all the the time Lisa has been spending with Nick.

This isn't the first smart boy Lisa's crushed on, but could Nick be "The One ?" Is Nick really as worldly and romantic as he seems?

J.A. Morris says:
"The Daughter Also Rises" is a good episode, but I don't see myself watching it regularly every Valentine's Day. The last act feels sort of tacked on, with a bunch of illusions to Pyramus and Thisbe that don't add much to the story. But there are plenty of trademark Simpson gags (like the aforementioned French restaurant) to make it enjoyable.

My rating:










Two and a half Valentine Hearts.

RigbyMel says:

This episode was enjoyable, but not a "classic" in my opinion. It's chock full of fun Simpsons sight gags, but never quite coalesces into something super-memorable.

My rating:









Two Valentine Hearts.