Girls Just Shauna Have Fun

"Girls Just Shauna Have Fun" is the 19th episode of the 33rd season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 725th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on May 1, 2022. The episode was directed by Matthew Nastuk and written by Jeff Westbrook.

Plot
Lisa is selected to substitute at the Springfield High School marching band. There, she encounters Shauna Chalmers on drums, but she ignores her. Later, she finds Shauna practicing by herself, and they begin to bond. They play music at Shauna’s house, but leave when Superintendent Chalmers interrupts.

Homer goes to pick up Lisa, and Chalmers invites him to try the Trappist beer he brewed. Since he likes it, Chalmers teaches him how to brew the next batch. Meanwhile, Lisa encourages Shauna to try out for lead drummer, and she wins it. Impressed, the football team quarterback, Trevor, invites them to a party at his house. Shauna uses Lisa to distract Chalmers to steal his beer and bring it to the party.

At the party, Shauna deserts Lisa to hang out with Trevor. Chalmers and Homer find the beer missing and discover that Shauna stole it. Without Shauna, Lisa gets scared at the party and calls the police. They arrest the kids for underage drinking, but the beer is nonalcoholic because Homer forgot to add yeast, so no one gets in trouble. Lisa is angry at Shauna for abandoning her.

Later, Homer and Marge go out and have Shauna come to babysit the kids. She squares things with Lisa, and they start playing music again.

Viewing figures
The episode scored a 0.3 rating and 1.03 million viewers.

Critical response
Tony Sokol of Den of Geek gave the episode a 4 out of 5 stars stating, "’Girls Just Shauna Have Fun’ is a fun episode, loaded with emotional bits, one liners, and visual gags, like Mouth Mistake Hot Sauce. It is an original plot, which moves naturally, with effective overall character development. It also lets Shauna get off without a warning."

Marcus Gibson of Bubbleblabber gave the episode an 6/10 stating, "Overall, ’Girls Just Shauna Have Fun’ is a fitting episode dedicated to Lisa's passion for playing music. However, it later succumbs to the ordinary high school tropes it's satirizing. As a result, it became a mildly uninspired episode filled with predictable elements and Lisa's unlikable ’big sister'. It isn't without a few chuckle-worthy moments, including a nod to James Corden's Late Late Show and a visual gag involving a movie that somehow reminds me of the 2019 film ’Five Feet Apart’. Other than that, this episode is nowhere near as fun as I thought it would be."

Awards and nominations
Writer Jeff Westbrook was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Animation at the 75th Writers Guild of America Awards for this episode.