Lisa the Vegetarian

The plot is great and in perfect line with Lisa's character development; the gags are a-plenty and are both well-written and well-delivered; the satire manages to hit home and be funny at the same time. There's even a bit of nuanced realism at the end, so it avoids looking preachy.

Lisa becomes a vegetarian after meeting some farm animals.

This is a very strong episode with a great message humorously delivered.

The message and themes the writers put across about a child having her eyes opened by the reality of meat production is a good one and reminds me of the early episode 'Mr Lisa Goes To Washington', where she discovers the corruption of politics.

There are plenty of laughs and memorable moments like the conga line, Homer forgetting who he's not speaking to, and the moment Paul and Linda McCartney offer a song to Lisa and it is hilariously sung by a different character.

For me it's an 8.5/10 but I round upwards.

In the episode "Lisa the Vegetarian," Lisa Simpson embarks on a journey of self-discovery that culminates in a valuable lesson for both her character and the viewers. As she embraces vegetarianism, the episode humorously navigates the challenges Lisa faces in a meat-centric world, ultimately leading to her realization about the ethical and moral aspects of her dietary choice. Highlight moment when the scientist is about to speak on the Troy McClure tape but Troy interrupts him. Troy's argument seems fallacious from both a philosophical and scientific standpoint.

The narrative cleverly weaves humor into the storyline, using satire to shed light on societal norms and expectations.

Lisa learns a valuable lesson at the end of the episode. Definitely, I would use it to educate children before they become the aberrant individuals of the snowflake generation who bark like wild beasts on the internet and in other untimely places.

This is the episode when Lisa became a vegetarian (a few episodes later, on Lisa the Treehugger (2000), she went vegan). It portrays the reality that young vegetarians often face: taunts from classmates, monologues about the food chain, and manipulative commercials promoting the meat industry's products. These commercials are satirically represented here in the form of a propaganda film that Springfield kids are forced to watch at school, featuring a fallacious line: "If a cow ever got the chance, he'd eat you and everyone you care about." It's a satirical take on anti-vegetarianism.

The episode features Paul McCartney and his wife Linda, both long-time vegetarians and real-life animal rights activists, who lent their voices to their animated characters. This episode received the Environmental Media Award and the Genesis Award for addressing environmental and animal rights topics.

Interestingly, this is probably the only episode where we discover that Apu is a vegan. During his conversation with Lisa, we also learn why she rarely mentions her vegetarianism in other episodes: You don't eat cheese, Apu? -I don't eat any food that comes from an animal. -Then you must think I'm a monster. -Yes, indeed, I do think that. But I learned long ago, Lisa, to tolerate others rather than forcing my beliefs on them. You know, you can influence people without badgering them always.

Lisa suddenly becomes aware of what meat eating is all about and decides to go the veggie route. She is persecuted by her family and her community. There is a priceless, tasteless video shown to the children, where cows go up a conveyor belt and come out steaks and roasts. There is quite a message here, delivered in classic Simpsons style.