Lisa's Pony

This is the eighth episode of the third season of the Simpsons and it is funny and heartwarming. There is a sweet message about how love for one's child can make a parent do anything they can. I found it hilarious that towards the end, Homer was essentially acting like a zombie. There are a few sad moments here as well, but they go hand-in-hand with the heartwarming.

In this episode, "Lisa's Pony," Homer fails to bring Lisa a new sax reed in time for her talent show and she is upset. Homer buys her a pony to cheer her up, but now the family is running short of money. That makes Homer take a second job at the Kwik-E Mart in order to help pay things off.

Overall, this is an excellent episode. Not only because of the underlying themes, but because of the movie references. I loved the references to both 2001: A Space Odyssey and the Godfather. This is one of the best episodes this season. I rate this episode 9/10.

Homer attempts to win Lisa's affection with a pony.

This is a great episode with a strong plot and brilliant humour.

The first part is the set up for the Pony to be introduced and it's done with some sharp observations of family life, particularly parents who largely ignore children or have the wrong priorities in life.

When the Pony arrives it does so with a spectacularly funny homage to a great cinematic moment. From then onwards (for me) the dialogue and general interaction between characters is consistently hilarious. There are also some excellent visual gags relating to Homer's tiredness.

It all ends perfectly with a dilemma and decision one character has to make for the good of the family.

When Homer realizes that Lisa has not received enough attention from him, he goes into hock to buy her a pony. From then on the family is beset with bills for stables, riding lessons, etc. Home begins to work at the convenience store for Apu. It's just sad at times.