 = Lisa the Simpson = 
 
 " Lisa the Simpson " is the seventeenth episode of The Simpsons 's ninth season . It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 8 , 1998 . In the episode , Lisa fears that she may be genetically predisposed to lose her intelligence after Grandpa tells her of a family gene that can permanently take away intelligence . 
 " Lisa the Simpson " was written by Ned Goldreyer and directed by Susie Dietter . This episode was the final episode with Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein as show runners . It received generally positive reviews from critics , and is considered one of the best episodes of the ninth season . 
 
 = = Plot = = 
 
 At Springfield Elementary , Lisa is presented with a brain teaser , which she is unable to solve . Following this incident , Lisa finds herself unable to perform simple tasks . Later , Lisa tells Grampa about her recent cognitive problems . He seems to recognize this , and tells Lisa about the " Simpson Gene " , which apparently causes all members of the Simpson family to gradually lose their intelligence as they get older . 
 Meanwhile , Jasper visits the Kwik @-@ E @-@ Mart and attempts to empty the freezer containing ice cream in order to freeze himself , with the intention of being defrosted sometime in the distant future . Apu decides to take advantage of this unusual situation for financial gain . The convenience store becomes more profitable as a tourist trap , until the freezer 's cooling system fails , causing Jasper to defrost and walk away . 
 Lisa appears on the TV news program Smartline to tell the citizens of Springfield to treasure their brains . As she does this , Homer decides to prove her wrong , and contacts the entire extended Simpson family to visit . However , when they arrive , Homer realizes they 're also unsuccessful , unintelligent people , which only depresses Lisa further and causes Homer to send them home . 
 However , before they leave , Marge urges Homer to talk to the Simpson women . Reluctantly , he talks to them at her request and he discovers that the women are all successful . Lisa is relieved that she is fine and she will not suffer the " Simpson Gene " , because of her gender . 
 The episode ends with Lisa finally being able to solve the brain teaser she was unable to finish earlier in the episode . 
 
 = = Production = = 
 
 This episode was the final episode that was run by Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein , as it was a carry @-@ over episode from season eight . The episode was written by Ned Goldreyer , and is one of the two episodes he has written on The Simpsons . Susie Dietter , one of the directors of the show , also left the show after this episode , but returned for one episode in season 18 , " Yokel Chords " . 
 As it was the final episode they ran , Oakley and Weinstein wanted to end on a good note , with Weinstein stating that the episode " was meant to embody the humor , depth , and emotions of The Simpsons " . They also wished to have an episode they ran that was based on the background of every character they could do , and believed that this episode came out well . The name of the episode was the center of an argument that Oakley and Goldreyer had , as Oakley had originally wanted to have the episode named " Lisa the Simpson " , although Goldreyer wanted to name it " Suddenly Stupid " , a pun on a show that had been airing at the time called Suddenly Susan . 
 The Simpsons ' family members that showed up took some time to be made , but the staff enjoyed the results . All of the male Simpson family members that showed up were voiced by Dan Castellaneta , the voice of Homer . He had asked for the recording tape to be run for about 20 minutes , so he could do many different voice variations that would fit the different men , but still be close to Homer 's voice . 
 
 = = Reception = = 
 
 In its original broadcast , " Lisa the Simpson " finished 19th in ratings for the week of March 2 – 8 , 1998 , with a Nielsen rating of 10 @.@ 7 , equivalent to approximately 10 @.@ 4 million viewing households . It was the second highest @-@ rated show on the Fox network that week , following The X @-@ Files . 
 IGN 's Todd Gilchrist named the episode as one of his favorites of the ninth season in his review of the DVD boxset . The authors of the book I Can 't Believe It 's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide , Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood , thought well of the episode , saying , " A terrific episode , with a good mix of pathos ( Lisa 's farewell to the Springsonian and her favourite jazz club are inspired ) and fun ( her Homeresque ' woo @-@ hoo ' ) which comes together to make a refreshing and exciting look at Lisa 's life . " 
 Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein greatly enjoyed the episode and thought of it as a great final episode that they ran . On the DVD audio commentary , writer Ned Goldreyer stated , " I think this might have been the best episode ever produced . " 
 
 