Girls Just Want to Have Sums

"Girls Just Want to Have Sums"

Episode Information

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"Girls Just Want To Have Sums" is an episode of The Simpsons.

Synopsis

The Simpsons and many other prominent Springfieldians go to see a performance of Stab-A-Lot: The Itchy and Scratchy Musical. The show pretty much comprises of the homicidal cat and mouse doing what they do best, but all in song. The audience is enthralled by the performance and give it a standing ovation. Julianna, the director comes out on stage, accompanied by Principal Skinner, to acknowledge the cheers. Skinner reveals that she used to be a student of Springfield Elementary and, while acknowledging all her accomplishments, says that she wasn't very good in math, because she is a girl. Expectedly, everyone in the audience - women, in particular - is shocked.

The next day, the teachers of Springfield Elementary and other ladies stage a protest outside the school against Skinner's remark, much to the displeasure of Superintendent Chalmers. Skinner assures him that he will take care of it and holds a conference in the school's auditorium, inviting all the protesting ladies to attend. There, he tries to pacify them - by wearing a skirt (revealing his hairy legs), much to the amusement of his students, but not the ladies. He tries saying that men and women are equals, but unique. Nothing he says has a good effect on the ladies, so finally he starts hyperventilating and collapses on stage. Chalmers comes out and introduces them to their new principal - lady principal, that is. As her first act as principal, Melanie Upfoot separates the boys and girls into separate schools. The move is met with mixed reactions.

The next day, Otto drops off the girls at their school, and then drives a few feet ahead and releases the boys from their cage in the bus, so they can attend their school. Lisa seems to feel right at home in the girl-friendly school, with the fountains, paintings, pink paint and all. She attends math class, which will be taught by the new principal herself. However, instead of usual number-crunching or the like, she starts speaking about the philosophy and magic in math. While the other girls go for it, Lisa asks whether they will get down to doing problems, to which the principal replies that is how boys look at math. Disillusioned by this pro-female bias toward one of her favorite subjects, Lisa walks out and gets into the boys' school compound, which looks like a battleground. She peeps into one of the classrooms and sees a math class in session, where actual, accurate math is being taught - exactly how she likes it. She is caught by Skinner, now an assistant to Groundskeeper Willie and told to leave.

After a chat with Marge, she decides to disguise herself as a boy, named "Jake Boyman" and attend the boys' school. During the math class, she gets a problem wrong, but she feels happy to have learned something. Unfortunately, being with the boys means having to act like one. She gets into a fight with Nelson and, as much as she tries to use her intelligence to escape her situation, she gets beaten up.

When Bart returns home that day, happy to have seen a fight, he is shocked to see Lisa, still dressed as Jake, sitting on her bed, crying quietly. He feels sorry for her and he tells her that he will teach her to act like a boy.

Thanks to Bart's help, she starts acting more like a boy, including beating up poor Ralph Wiggum. However, she does well in math class. Finally, at an award ceremony, "Jake" wins an award for outstanding performance in math. Lisa then reveals her identity to the whole school, and explains why she had to disguise herself. Bart gets up and tells everyone that she did well only because she was acting like a boy. Angry at hearing this, she throws her award at Bart, but ends up hitting Ralph. Shocked at how "boy-like" she has become, she apologises to Ralph. In the end, it is assumed that Skinner is reinstated as principal.

Trivia

Hank Azaria, voice of Moe Szyslak, stars in the Broadway musical Spamalot, which was parodied in this episode.
During "Stab-A-lot" Marge and Lisa wear different formal clothes than they do in all preceding episodes.
When Lisa started to dress like a boy, her waist was round just like Homer's and Bart's. Usually, her waist is like Marge's.
In the promos for this episode, the gag where Bart says he can walk around with Bart Jr. hanging out, then pulls out his frog, the frog's subtitled line "I thought he meant his penis" was removed. The subtitle wasn't removed on Global.

Cultural References

The title is a play on the song "Girls Just Want To Have Fun", by Cyndi Lauper.
The Broadway Version of The Lion King is completely parodied by the Itchy and Scratchy Musical, Stab-A-Lot. Its title is a parody of Spamalot. The song "It's Symbiotic" is a parody of the song "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from Jesus Christ Superstar.
The book for the Itchy & Scratchy musical is said to have been written by acclaimed playwright Tom Stoppard.
The song that Otto plays after he lets the girls off is "Breaking the Law" by Judas Priest.
The song that Martin, "Best Flautist" plays and continues playing at the end credits is "Thick As a Brick" by Jethro Tull.
The Waitresses' I Know What Boys Like is used in this episode.
Seymour Skinner's remark that men are better than women at math and Science is a reference to Lawrence Summers, the president of Harvard University.
The episode's basic storyline is similar to William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. The line "We've been Yentld!" is a reference to a film with a similar storyline.
The music that plays in scenes featuring the boys' playground is very reminiscent of the score from Stanley Kubrick's film version of A Clockwork Orange. Both A Clockwork Orange and the episode feature somewhat apocalyptic, violent settings.
In the girls' section of the elementary school, paintings by Frida Kahlo and Georgia O'Keeffe hang on the walls, joined in humorous juxtaposition by a Cathy cartoon, implying an equivalent position in the female-artist pantheon for Cathy Guisewite.
Julianna, the director of "Stab-A-Lot," is based on Julie Taymor, who won two Tony Awards for Direction and Costume Design of the original Broadway adaptation of "Disney's The Lion King."
One Guy Named Moe parodies a Broadway comedy from the late 80s called Five Guys Named Moe.

Quotes

Chalmers: Skinner, you've got to deal with these kooks.
Skinner: Don't worry, I have a plan: pretend I agree with them.
Chalmers: Well, you'd better hurry. (pointing to his car) Look what they've done to your car.
Skinner: No, that's how its always looks.
Chalmers: Oh, how sad.

Skinner: Today, we celebrate the first of many, many, many, many diversity forums. Why is it that women "appear" to be worse at math than men? What is the source of this "illusion" or as I call it, the biggest lie ever told.
Lindsey Naegle: You're a worse version of Hitler!
Skinner: Please believe me. I-I understand the problem of women. (he moves from behind the podium revealing he's wearing a purple dress and purple heels) See. (the audience gasps)
Nelson: Ha, ha! (sing-songy) The principal's a tranny.
Skinner: Am I wearing women's clothes? I didn't notice. When I look in my closet, I don't see male clothes or female clothes. They're all the same.
Edna Krabappel: Are you saying that men and women are identical?
Skinner: Oh, no, of course not! Women are unique in every way.
Lindsey Naegle: Now he's saying men and women aren't equal!
Skinner: No, no, no! It's the differences of which there are none that makes the sameness exceptional. Just tell me what to say! (he starts to breathe heavily then pass out)
Chalmers: Oh dear. Um, attention students. Due to nervous exhaustion and diarrhea of the mouth... (the students start laughing) Yes, yes, yes. I said diarrhea.

Bart: I think it's great! Now I can walk down the hall with Bart Jr. hanging out! Isn't that right, Bart Jr.? (pulls out his pet frog)
Frog: (subtitled) I thought he meant his penis.

Lisa: You'd do that for me? That's so sweet! (hugs him)
Bart: (pushes her away) You're a boy. Nothing is sweet. (steps on her foot)
Lisa: Ow! That hurt!
Bart: Sweet.

Lisa: Principal Skinner?
Skinner: That's Groundskeeper Skinner now.
Willie: Assistant Groundskeeper, ya moron!

Ralph: I got hit by Boy Lisa and Girl Lisa!

Ralph: (covered in ants) These dots are itchy!

Cat: (singing to the Lion King's Circle of Life) In the circle, the circle of-
Itchy: (Spoken) Knife! (cuts puppets arms and legs and red streamers fly out)

(Lisa thinks of math, as they speak to her)
Greater-than-or-equal-to sign (≥): Do it Lisa! You'll be greater than or equal to boys.
Number eight: Even though you're only eight (flips over to side to become infinity sign), your possibilities are infinite.
Number Twenty-Seven: Twenty-seven!

Lisa: What are you drawing?
Nelson: A robot with guns for arms shooting a plane made of guns that fires guns.

Songs

"Two Days, Two Circles"

Itchy, Scratchy, Itchy, Itchy, Scratchy
Itchy, Scratchy, Itchy, Itchy, Scratchy
From the day you are born in the alley
To the day you are hit by a car
There's cream to drink
And mice to eat
And great big balls of yarn
It's the circle...
The circle of...knife.

"It's Symbiotic"

sung by Itchy and Scratchy
Scratchy:
I don't know why I trust him
I guess some cats just never learn
Itchy:
I feel so good when I have crushed him
Or left him mangled, maimed, and burned
Both:
I supposed it's symbiotic
And perhaps a bit erotic
Scratchy:
'Cause pain is my narcotic
Itchy:
You really liked it?
Scratchy:
Yes, I loved it
Both:
And that's why we're always...
Itchy:
Fighting
Scratchy:
and Biting
Itchy:
And dynamite igniting

"Knives Finale":

It's the circle
The circle of knife
Yes, the circle
The circle of knife

Broadcasting Information

US/Canada

1st Airdate: Sunday, April 30, 2006
2nd Airdate: Sunday, July 9, 2006

UK

1st Airdate: Sunday, September 17, 2006

Australia

1st airdate: Tuesday, 15th August, 2006

Characters

Couch Gag

Episode

← Season 16 Season 17 Episodes Season 18 →
The Bonfire of the Manatees • The Girl Who Slept Too Little • Milhouse of Sand and Fog • Treehouse of Horror XVI • Marge's Son Poisoning • See Homer Run • The Last of the Red Hat Mamas • The Italian Bob • Simpsons Christmas Stories • Homer's Paternity Coot • We're on the Road to D'ohwhere • My Fair Laddy • The Seemingly Never-Ending Story • Bart Has Two Mommies • Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife • Million-Dollar Abie • Kiss Kiss Bang Bangalore • The Wettest Stories Ever Told • Girls Just Want to Have Sums • Regarding Margie • The Monkey Suit • Marge and Homer Turn a Couple Play