Review: The Simpsons “Lisa Gets An F1”

Overview

Lisa feels a need for speed as well as a need for control of her anxiety when she becomes a pro kid go-cart racer.

Our Take

We won’t get a new episode of The Simpsons for a few weeks so this one’s gotta count and it does. “Lisa’s Got An F1” is a fantastic idea for an episode for a potentially already-watching NASCAR audience written by Ryan Koh featuring guest stars Matt Berry and Rachel Bloom(remember her?) . For my money, Berry gets the nod here as the funnier contribution in his role as Kids Formula 1 commentator Chester Arborday but really the entire episode is one of the funnier ones written in years.

There are definitely some loving homages to other motorsports-inspired films and I don’t want to ruin any of them, but they arrive dripping in the classic paradoxical flair that only The Simpsons can really offer. Specifically Homer’s one-liners are extra funny this week, especially when he’s on screen with Berry’s “Arborday” character being interviewed while simultaneously having the shit kicked out of him by kids wielding baseball bats. Lisa’s racing efforts are super cute, especially when she gives her impassioned speeches as to why she’s racing in the first place which is such a great shine on Hollywood’s fascination with medicating it’s way out of anxiety as opposed to finding alternate means in which to do so.

“Lisa’s Got An F1” has a couple of slights but they really are minor. With so much going on I kind of felt like Bart’s contributions were kind of slopped together in an attempt to showcase importance, but I think if the writers went a little more cynical in Bart’s efforts to thwart Lisa’s competition on the track, I would’ve given this week’s episode a higher score. Still though, The Simpsons are kicking off 2024 on the right foot in terms of quality new episodes, now if someone could do something about the ridiculous scheduling of reruns.