Bart's Girlfriend  "Bart's Girlfriend" is the seventh episode of "The Simpsons"' sixth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 6, 1994. The plot of the episode follows the secret romance of Bart and Jessica Lovejoy, Reverend Lovejoy's daughter. Bart tries to end the romance when he discovers that, behind her innocent façade as a preacher's kid, she is an even bigger troublemaker than he is. Jessica then steals the money from the church collection plate, leaving Bart to take the blame until Lisa exposes the truth. The episode was written by Jonathan Collier and directed by Susie Dietter. Show runner David Mirkin originally came up with the idea of Bart having a girlfriend that was more evil than he was. Meryl Streep guest stars in the episode as Jessica Lovejoy. It features cultural references to films such as "Planet of the Apes" and "The Silence of the Lambs". Since airing, the episode has received acclaim from both critics and fans, and "Entertainment Weekly" named Meryl Streep's role as one of the best guest appearances on "The Simpsons". During a church sermon, Bart falls in love with Reverend Lovejoy's daughter, Jessica. When he approaches her, she ignores him. Bart attends Sunday school the next week to convince Jessica that he is a saint, but she still ignores him. Frustrated, Bart plays a prank on Groundskeeper Willie and is punished with detention. Jessica expresses sympathy for Bart and invites him to her house for dinner. During dinner with the Lovejoys, Bart's crude manner and foul language cause Reverend Lovejoy to forbid him from ever seeing Jessica again. She and Bart secretly date, bonding over their shared love of mischief while vandalizing the town. When Bart realizes that Jessica is more badly behaved than he is, he tries to reform her at the next church service. Undeterred, Jessica empties the money from the collection plate into her purse and abruptly leaves after forcing the empty plate into Bart's lap. The congregation mistakenly believes that Bart took the money when Helen Lovejoy calls their attention to the empty plate. Homer assumes Bart is guilty, but Marge believes he is innocent. Reluctant to implicate Jessica, Bart visits her the next day and admits he does not like her after she refuses to confess. Upon learning the truth, Lisa is determined not to allow her brother to be blamed for something he did not do. She tells the congregation that Jessica is the guilty party.