From: mxg77@po.cwru.edu   
      
   ...or is it "Margie the Meanie"? That's what the principal says in the only   
   usage of the phrase, so I'd expect it to be the official title. Anyway, fine   
   as far as unusual parental bond episodes go, though a little broad in parts.   
   Interesting, as well,    
   that Homer's quest to find something in common with Lisa reminded me of "Lost   
   Our Lisa" (5F17), and the B story in that episode involved Bart and classic   
   pranks/gags (and Marge, though not in a bonding context). Not a great sign   
   when the most memorable    
   thing about the plot is that it reminds me of a different episode. Well, I   
   liked mints and near mints.   
      
   Other previous episode stuff:   
   AABF12: Homer and Lisa spend some quality time with her interests as well (and   
   Bart and Marge are involved, with places reversed, in a prank to teach a   
   lesson)   
   CABF09: The revenge pranks against CBG are somewhat reminiscent of Homer's   
   sticking up for the little guy   
      
   A new wrinkle: the episode ended with (most of) a reversed and sped-up full   
   opening sequence, complete with a sax solo I need to figure out and a   
   blackboard gag half explaining it: "I will not violate the law of entropy"   
   (which playing events backward    
   would do). The couch gag (and clouds gag) are not the same as in the abridged   
   opening title itself. This seems to have no connection to the episode, so just   
   random fun?   
      
   Also: dedication at the end to an Ian Wilcox, an animation background artist   
   of several job descriptions who seems to have died April 30. This sort of   
   dedication seems to stick around past the first airing, but we'll see.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)