Mr. Lisa's Opus

Mr. Lisa's Opus is the eighth episode of Season 29. It is also the 20th episode that Al Jean wrote. This episode was originally going to be the first episode of the season. 
== Synopsis ==
Lisa's version of "Barthood". First, Homer discovers how smart she is, then she will go to college, and finally being scared after getting out of Springfield. Meanwhile, Ned will try to cure Homer of his alcohol problem.
As future Lisa writes her college application essay for , she recalls past disappointing birthdays that helped shape her.
==Full Story==
Seven years ago, Lisa wakes up Marge and Homer. Homer admires how awesome she is, offending Bart, who stabs him in the leg with a pencil.
In the present, Lisa is writing a Harvard College admission essay and she starts writing her past.
She begins with her seventh birthday, showing how Marge gets Maggie addicted to pacifiers. The family and her teacher Ms. Myles forget her birthday, with Ms. Myles sending her to Principal Skinner after she gets sad on them celebrating Hubert Wong's birthday. Homer comes to get her and finally remembers that it is her birthday, and coming home they find out Ned didn't forget and gifts her a tricycle. The family celebrates her birthday with a cake made of a cup of milk and some candles on it.
Next, Homer is working on a stationary bike and is having medical trouble. Lisa shows how the marriage with Marge is troubled, that nearly fell apart when she turned 14. This time, the family remembers and brings Leon Kompowsky to sing new verses for "Happy Birthday, Lisa" while Homer brings a cake with “Happy twelfth 12th birthday”, upsetting her.
Lisa returns home from school in the bus and discovers a letter in a suitcase while placing some packs in Marge's closet, saying that she left him and opened a bed and breakfast with the other kids, and a tablet with Artie Ziff mocking him for it. However, Marge hasn't left yet.
While having dinner, Marge gets irritated at Homer for drinking beer in front of the kids and tells him to go to Moe's Tavern to drink. Marge goes into the kitchen to cry and Lisa is ready to take action. At the tavern, Moe has artificial spider-like legs, while Lisa enters to tell him that Marge is going to leave Homer, and that makes him promise that he will stop drinking. He calls his sponsor to help him to stop, and it is Ned. He succeeds and the marriage is saved.
Harvard College sends in a drone to Lisa with her acceptance and it destroys other similar drones from other colleges. She goes to college and sets up her room, but is not happy in her first day. Bart cheers her up and then leave with the rest of the family, preparing for the new life, also meeting a new roommate that makes life in college better. A collage of scenes through Lisa's life is shown, then the episode reverts back to the first scene.
In the final scene, Homer, Lisa, and Marge sing a new version of "Those Were The Days" from All in the Family. enters the house, telling Homer and Marge that he will see them in court.
A final tour of Springfield is shown during the credits which play the closing theme to All In the Family with the Duff Blimp saying "Stay tuned for Simpson and Son" (a spoof of Sanford and Son).
fr:L'Opus de Lisa
pl:Mr. Lisa's Opus
pt:A vida de Lisa
Category:Episodes named after a character
Category:Episodes named after Lisa
Category:Episodes named after a film or TV Show
Category:Lisa episodes
Category:Episodes featuring guest stars
Category:Episodes Set in The Past
Category:Flashback episodes
Category:Episodes Set In The Future
Category:Sequels
Category:Artie Ziff episodes
Category:Education-themed episodes
Category:Episodes showran by Al Jean
Category:Episodes in which Homer almost loses Marge
Category:Flash-forward episodes
Category:Homer episodes
Category:Marge episodes
Category:Episodes with alternate end credits
Category:Lisa seeks understanding episodes
Category:Dramatic episodes
Category:Birthday Episodes
Category:Episodes where Homer chokes Bart
Category:Written by Al Jean
Category:Directed by Steven Dean Moore