"Lisa's First Word" is the tenth episode of Season 4.
Synopsis[]
Continuing the flashbacks to how The Simpsons became a family as seen on "The Way We Was" and "I Married Marge," Marge tells the family the story of how she, Homer, and Bart moved to their current home from The Lower East Side of Springfield, which includes Bart being jealous of baby Lisa, Homer first meeting (and taking advantage of) Ned Flanders (by borrowing his TV tray and keeping it for eight years and counting), and Krusty losing his shirt over a 1984 fast food Olympics sweepstakes scandal.
Full Story[]
When Homer, Marge, Bart and Lisa unsuccessfully try to get Maggie to speak, Marge tells the family the story of when Lisa said her first word (it would have been the story of Bart's first word, but then Marge would have had to describe the time she heard baby Bart scream, "Ay, caramba!" after walking in on her and Homer having sex). Back in 1983, when "Ms. Pacman struck a blow for women's rights" and "a young Joe Piscopo taught people [us] how to laugh," Homer, Marge, and Bart were living on the Lower East Side of Springfield, which looked more like an 18th century part of the city with Italian and Irish immigrants rather than something from the early-to-mid-1980s. Marge is talking to some housewives (one Irish, one Italian) about the final episode of M*A*S*H when Homer comes home from work and tries to correct Bart calling him by his real name instead of "Daddy," leading to the first of many times that Homer strangles Bart (though Homer does get what's coming to him when Bart dives on Homer's stomach while he sleeps in the montage of Bart being a destructive toddler).
One day, after Bart flushes Homer's wallet down the toilet, Marge reveals to them that she is expecting another baby, which leads to Bart imagining a new brother who he can use as a scapegoat for his own horrible behavior, such as writing on the walls, using his tricycle to jump a ramp which happens to lean on the baby, and using the baby to clean up the table when he spills his milk. Marge later points out to Homer that with another baby on the way, they're probably going to need a bigger place. Homer suggests that they stay where they are, the new baby can have Bart's crib, and Bart can sleep between him and Marge until he's 21, which is what happened to Homer's cousin, Frank, who came out as transgender in 1976, joined a cult, and went from being known as "Francine" to being known as "Mother Shabubu." Marge shoots down the idea and the couple go house-hunting while Bart entertains Patty and Selma.
Because of Marge and Homer's income, the only houses the real estate agent can find in their price range are in a neighborhood referred to as "The Rat's Nest". After four unsuccessful attempts (including a house that's currently a crime scene, a house near a hog fat rendering plant, Captain McAllister's houseboat, and a house legally owned by cats according to the first owner's will), the family finds a house on Evergreen Terrace and buy it with a $15,000 down payment from the sale of Grampa's house, which, despite claims of building it with his own two hands, was won during the 1950s quiz show scandal where Grampa ratted out everyone involved and got off scot-free. Homer promises Grampa he can live with them as thanks for his gesture, only to put him in the retirement home after just a few weeks.
Sideshow Bob with blue hair
In 1984, the Simpsons move into their new Evergreen Terrace home. While Homer strangles Bart for, once again, calling him "Homer" instead of "Daddy," the Flanders family come over to welcome their new neighbors. Ned Flanders has just bought a TV tray from the hardware store, and Homer agrees to borrow the tray from him for a little while (eight years later, in the present, the tray is still in the Simpsons' living room). Bart turns two, begins annoying Marge while she's pregnant and in bed, and for the first time, watches Krusty the Clown (back when Sideshow Bob was his sidekick, though he's shown with Sideshow Mel's hair color), as well as a special Olympic-themed episode of Itchy & Scratchy. Krusty does a promotion for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games with his Krusty Burger chain, which is the "Official Meat-Flavored Sandwich of the 1984 Olympics." The promotion offers scratch-and-win game cards in which people can scrape off the name of the event from the game card, and if the U.S. wins a gold medal, that person wins a free Krusty Burger. Krusty's accountant assures him that the cards are rigged, "all in events that Communists never lose", but the Soviet Union boycotts the Olympics (just as America did back during the 1980 Olympics), and with this, the USA easily dominates every event. Krusty's accountant gloomily revises his estimate of what the promotion will cost him personally, from zero to $44 million. On the air, Krusty has an emotional meltdown, calling viewers "pigs," crying as he smokes a cigarette, and angrily promises to personally spit in every 50th burger. Homer, however, finds those odds to be really acceptable, and continues getting a steady supply of free Krusty Burgers from redeeming his winning game cards along with the hundreds of other Springfieldianites lining up for miles outside the Krusty Burger restaurant.
Bart isn't happy to have a sibling
Bart holding baby Lisa.
Bart is forced to give up his crib for the new baby. Homer builds Bart a toddler bed shaped like an evil clown. After one night in the new bed, Bart is traumatized. While watching TV, Marge goes into labor and Homer drives her to the hospital. Bart stays with the Flanders family until his parents come home from the hospital with the new baby. After Lisa is born, Homer is happy to have a daughter while Marge points out to him that, after reading a parenting magazine, Bart may end up being jealous of Lisa. After meeting his new sister, Bart decides that he hates Lisa. Bart starts to become jealous of Lisa getting all the attention, and plays various pranks on her--such as shaving her head bald, sticking a bunch of stamps on her and putting her in a mailbox, and even shoving her through the Flanders' doggy door with Ned asking Homer if he can have his TV tray back before Homer slams the door (he gets a timeout for each one). He accuses Lisa of ruining his life and is about to run away, until she says her first word, "Bart." Bart discovers that Lisa can talk and is overjoyed that he is her first word, and Marge remarks that Lisa adores Bart. She can even say "David Hasselhoff," "Mommy," and "Homer" but not "Daddy," much to her father's annoyance. After this, Bart hugs Lisa for the first time, and seems to appreciate her more from then on.
However, back in the present day, the flashback ends and Bart and Lisa are fighting. Homer takes Maggie upstairs and tucks her in, saying that "the sooner kids talk, the sooner they talk back," and that he hopes that Maggie never says a word. When he leaves her bedroom, Maggie removes her pacifier and (unheard by the rest of the family) says her first word, "Daddy" just before she falls asleep.
