The Simpsons Season 21 Episode 13: The Color Yellow

While working on her Black History Month presentation, Lisa discovers a diary written by her great-great-great grandaunt, Eliza Simpson. She reads it, hoping to discover a Simpson in her family tree that was not an alcoholic or a criminal. Reading the diary, she finds out Eliza was a slaveowner, but learns that she and her mother Mabel were part of the Underground Railroad in 1860. Eliza sneaks into a ball hosted by Colonel Burns to meet a slave named Virgil, but as the two make their escape, they are spotted by a patrol. Unfortunately, the diary is a fragment, Lisa can't go on, and she doesn't know if Virgil escaped.

Lisa and Marge discover a cookbook at the local library, and in it is an anecdote that tells how Eliza and Virgil were not captured by disguising at a traveling circus. They make it back to the Simpson household, but Eliza's father Hiram is suspicious of Virgil. Virgil makes him 'wheel cakes' and Hiram swears to keep Virgil's location a secret.

Lisa believes Eliza to be a hero for helping Virgil escape, and tells this story at a Black History Month presentation at school. However, Milhouse says that Eliza was a coward. He reads from the journal of his ancestor, Milford Van Houten, who witnessed Colonel Burns bribe Hiram with a new pair of shoes in exchange for Virgil. Eliza does not stand up against the Colonel and Lisa is crushed to think her ancestor was a coward. At the library, Lisa views a 1950's interview with an elderly Eliza, where she says that not standing up was being the one regret of her life.

At home, Grandpa Simpson tells how Mabel threatened to castrate Colonel Burns with a shotgun blast and then escaped with Virgil to Canada. She divorced Hiram and married Virgil. Grampa reveals that Virgil and Mabel's son Abraham was his great-grandfather. Lisa is happy that one of her ancestors was a hero.

My thoughts:

How many times have I watched it: 2 times

Couch Gag: The Simpsons swim across a pool. Marge, Lisa, Maggie, and Bart make it across, while Homer lies faced-down floating on the surface. A bit disturbing... (B)

Storyline: I do not like past stories of any kind that much, but this was an exception. This episode had great character usage from all of the Simpsons, but retained the focus on Lisa. Homer was funny for the most part. The past story was actually good. It did a good job keeping me guessing what was going on and what was going to happen. The animation during the chase sequence was very good too. I would have liked a little more personality in the character of Virgil.

There were some pretty good gags, like the Barack Obama kids warming up, Willie and the fishing hole, and the cookbook gags. My favorite ones were Ralph's report with Elmo and Toy Story and Lisa's software program update. Again, the gags were pretty good with the past story too, especially when Krusty was trying to hide Virgil.

Overall, a funny episode, but the fact that I hate past stories makes this get a lower grade than what it would be.

My grade: B+