The Secret War of Lisa Simpson

"The Secret War of Lisa Simpson" is the twenty-fifth episode and season finale of Season 8.
==Synopsis==
Bart is shipped off to military school after a particularly destructive prank (lining up 15 police bullhorns and unleashing a soundwave that shatters all the glass in town) — and Lisa tags along (despite that the military school is boys-only and the other cadets don't take kindly to change) after finding public school education has become a grind.
== Full Story ==
thumb|left|Bart playing with the megaphones.Lisa confronts Principal Skinner at school, concerned that lessons spent watching videos aren't helping her realize her full potential, but is rebuffed by Skinner telling her that if he did make it harder other students would be in his office complaining about the curriculum like she is. Meanwhile, during a class field trip to the Springfield Police Station, Bart manages to link up several police megaphones together and then says "testing" into one. The word is amplified by the megaphone which is further increased by the next and so on until a powerful sonic boom is released that every piece of glass in town is shattered and renders the population temporarily deaf. At home, Homer loudly berates Bart and declares that he is in for the punishment of a lifetime, both out of irritation towards Bart for what he did, and due to aforementioned effect of being rendered briefly deaf due to the piercing sound lingering from the earlier shockwave. Homer and Marge express concern for Bart's behavior so they choose to take Chief Wiggum's advice and place Bart in Rommelwood Military School (luring him into the car with the trick that they are going to Disneyland). Much to Skinner and Krabappel's delight who drink champaign as Bart leaves. Bart is shocked to learn where they are really going, and is mad to learn that he was tricked. Homer claims that Bart only heard Disneyland but Homer really said Military school. They take a tour and learn that there are also classrooms to help with education as well. Bart doesn't want to be there from the get-go and as the family leaves he grasps Homer's leg and begs him not to make him stay, claiming he'll find religion or be good sometime, but Homer tells Bart firmly he's staying and that's final. Lisa however sees the education the cadets receive and chooses to stay there with him. Marge tells Lisa that if she wants to quit and come home at any time she can, but ignores Bart's pleas for just that.
The pair get a hard time from the other cadets: Bart starts to fit in after a while, the others calling him a "natural solider," while Lisa, the first female ever to join the academy, remains an outcast despite enduring the same hazing as her brother. Bart does well in the shooting but Lisa does not and as a result is only given a whistle. Bart tries to keep her spirits up, while keeping the fact that he cares about her a secret from the others.
At the end of the term, a final challenge awaits all the students; they must pass a physical test called "The Eliminator." In the Commandant's own words, it is a "150 foot hand-over-hand crawl across a 60 gauge Hemp-Jute line with a blister factor of 12. The rope is suspended a full 40 feet over a solid British acre of Old Growth Connecticut Valley Thorn Bushes." Bart helps Lisa to train in secret. The others cheer when she nearly falls off, and Bart starts calling out helpful thing such as "Come on, you can do it!" and "I believe in you, Lisa!" He gets hand gagged by another cadet but gets him off and continues to chant helpful things which help Lisa. They pass, and Lisa receives a medal for "Satisfactory Completion of the Second Grade."
Homer and Marge pick up Bart and Lisa from school, and agree to take them to Disneyland for real, but it turns out they have been tricked again, as they are being taken to a dentist — much to Bart and Lisa's dismay and Marge and Homer's amusement.
== Behind the Laughter ==
Bart's megaphone scene went viral online, this prompted a user to pull I off themselves but after the experiment all megaphones lined up sound just like a single megaphone.
== Citations ==
fr:La Guerre secrète de Lisa Simpson
pl:The Secret War of Lisa Simpson
pt:A guerra secreta de Lisa Simpson
ru:Секретная война Лизы Симпсон
Category:Lisa episodes
Category:Bart episodes
Category:Education-themed episodes
Category:Season finales
Category:Chief Wiggum episodes
Category:Military-Themed Episodes
Category:Episodes named after a character
Category:Homer episodes
Category:Lisa seeks understanding episodes
Category:Simpson Family Bonding episodes
Category:Marge episodes
Category:Episodes named after Lisa
Category:Episodes on DVD
Category:'Of' Episodes
Category:Episodes featuring guest stars
Category:Written by Richard Appel
Category:Directed by Mike B. Anderson
Category:Dramatic episodes
Category:Sad episodes