As of today there are only 11 more Fridays until the Best. Episode. Ever.

The Simpsons Movie opens worldwide on July 27, 2007 and I can hardly wait. I have welcomed the yellow family from Springfield into my home for over a decade now. The show went from being banned by my parents, to slightly tolerated, to a nightly ritual by my wife and I.

Every Friday from today until the release of the movie I will be recounting my favorite moments, episodes, and things that I love about the longest running television sitcom of all time.

Today’s installment:
When I Fell In Love With The Simpsons Part 1

If I had to pick a favorite episode it would probably be I Love Lisa (9F13). Everything about this episode speaks to why I love this show. It has satire, a great story, wonderful gags, and, above all, heart.

The story begins on Valentine’s Day. Remember when you would spend the morning creating “mailboxes” for everyone to put their Valentine cards into? You would sweat and worry that you wouldn’t get one. You glanced around hoping to catch a glimpse of someone dropping a little card into your sack. You didn’t care about the cupcakes at the party. All you cared about was finding out whether or not someone cared about you.

Well, in Lisa Simpson’s class everyone but Ralph Wiggum gets a Valentine. Ralph is the weird kid. He eats glue and crayons. He’s annoying. He’s simple. He simply doesn’t fit in. When Lisa sees that he has been left out she quickly writes him a card and slips it on his desk. The card says, “I Choo-Choo-Choose You” and there’s a picture of a train on it. Her small act of mercy is taken by Ralph as a act of true love. Ralph soon becomes her shadow. While walking home he let’s her in on everything in his small, little life. I mean everything. He tells her, “The doctor said I wouldn’t get so many nose bleeds if I kept my finger out of there.” It is more than Lisa can stand. All she wanted to do was show a little kindness to poor Ralph. She doesn’t want to hurt his feelings but she can’t figure out a way to let him down easy. They even get paired up as George and Martha Washington in the upcoming president’s Day program. Her plans to distance herself from Ralph become even further complicated when Ralph invites her to the Krusty Anniversary Show, the event of the year.

During the broadcast Ralph introduces Lisa to Krusty as his girlfriend exclaiming, “This is Lisa Simpson and one day I’m going to marry her!” Lisa can’t stand anymore. In front of the cameras, Krusty, and the world Lisa revealed that the only reason she gave Ralph a card was because she felt sorry for him. Ralph’s little heart can’t take the pain. later that night Bart replays the video frame by frame so that Lisa can see the exact moment Ralph’s heart broke. It is a lesson we have all had to learn the hard way. Lisa tries to apologize but she isn’t able to before the President’s day performance.

Speaking of…

We are the Mediocre Presidents!
You won’t find our faces on dollars or on cents!
There’s Taylor, There’s Tyler, There’s Filmore and There’s Hayes
There’s William Henry Harrison: “I died in thirty days!”

Right smack in the middle of the episode is this little jewel. It’s President’s Day and the children of Springfield Elementary are performing a Broadway-style review of the history of America’s leaders. Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln are always center stage but in the twisted world of the Simpsons everyone gets their due. Even John Wilkes Booth.

After misbehaving backstage, Miss Hoover grabs Bart by the collar and flatly delivers a classic example of Simpson humor: “Do you want to play John Wilkes Booth, or do you want to act like a maniac?”

Awesome.

As Ralph takes the stage as George Washington everyone is rightly nervous. Will Ralph remember the lines? Will he embarrass everyone? Will he eat his wig? To everyone’s surprise Ralph is mesmerizing as our nation’s first president. As Washington lies on his deathbed, Groundskeeper Willie fights back the tears saying, “I didn’ta cry when my father was hung for stealin’ a pig but I’ll cry now.”

Ralph becomes a hero to everyone at Springfield Elementary that night. Lisa asks for an apology and gives Ralph another Valentine. This time there’s a picture of a bee on it. It says, “Let’s BEE Friends.” Ralph thinks that will be just fine.

Growing up, I was always told that I shouldn’t watch the Simpsons because it was rude, crude, and had a bad attitude. However, episodes like this are the rule rather than the exception. The episode also rang incredibly true to me.

Who didn’t have the weird kid in their class?
Who didn’t feel sorry for them?
Who hasn’t experienced a time where your kindness was pushed to the limit?
And after you blew up at them when didn’t you realize that your limit was set way too short?

In a day where most animated shows seek to shock and push the limits of taste and “humor” the Simpsons has at its core the one thing that “Family Guy,” “American Dad,” and “Moral Oral” will never have:

Heart.

Ralph Wiggum: Portrait of a Legend (Includes clips from “I Love Lisa”)

Next Friday: Why I Love The Simpsons Part 2: I Don’t Want to Look Like A Weirdo. I’ll Just Go With the Muu-Muu