The Squirt and the Whale 21.19

As this episode begins Homer is upset by the very high electricity bill. He proceeds to unplug all of the electronics in order to save money. Lisa supports reducing consumption, so she suggests the family attend an alternative energy expo to find another source of energy. At the expo Homer finds his alternative energy source, wind power. The family then has a windmill installed in their back yard. The family discovers the wind is providing so much energy that it is giving energy back to the electric company. This upsets Homer so he as all of the Simpson's electricity turned off, and they are taken off the grid. Homer doesn't see the problem in this until the wind stops. Every time the wind stops the Simpson's loose power. They are forced to live with limited power because they only have the unreliable wind for energy. Eventually the Simpson's keep their power by having Bart spin the windmill. In trying to get more wind Bart prays for wind. Bart gets what he wants and a giant windstorm comes to Springfield.

After the storm Bart and Lisa go to check out the damage. They go to the beach, and find a beached whale. Lisa immediately falls in love with the whale, and begins the search for help for "Bluella." Lisa goes home to get Homer, and he gets his tool belt, but before he leaves, Marge expresses her worry that Lisa will get her hopes up. Marge read that most beached whales don't make it, and doesn't want Lisa to see something she loves die. Homer leaves anyway, determined to get the whale back in the water. After a few failed attempts, Bluella is still stuck on the beach. This makes Lisa very sad, and when Marge tells her to come home Lisa says she rather stay with the whale.
Lisa falls asleep on the beach and thinks Bart has woken her up to Bluella being saved. She believes a helicopter has come to save her, and put he back in the water. Reality sets in when Bluella swims up to the sky. This is when Lisa wakes up and finds the whale died during the night. Lisa so distraught that when Homer tries to cheer her up it is an utter failure. Bart and Millhouse go back to the beach to poke Bluella with a stick. When they get there they discover the town is going to blow Bluella up. She is blown up, and the town makes use of every part of her. A sad Lisa wanders the town, and ends up back at the beach. She hears whale sounds and discovers there are two baby whales, Bluella's children. The baby whales are then surrounded by sharks. Lisa becomes sad once again, fearing for the lives of the baby whales. Homer then shows up in a stolen boat and tells Lisa they are going to save the whales. Homer is about to harpoon the sharks when shark enthusiasts tell him to stop because every animal's life is worth saving. Lisa takes this to heart and agrees that the sharks deserve to live too. An upset Homer falls out of the boat after a shark hits it. The sharks then surround him, and Homer looks like he is going to be eaten until a whale comes out of the water. It is the father of the baby whales. Homer is saved, and Lisa doesn't loose her hope.

This entire episode had a green theme to it. Lisa was the main focus as the family environmentalist. She is the member that cares the most about the environment and every creature in it. In taking on the green theme, this episode had a semi-serious tone to it. Instead of everything being about the humor, it conveyed an important message. That message being that the environment and every creature that lives in it are important. They are both worthy of being saved, and preserved.