>>118658517As someone who was basically Lisa when they were younger... yeah... it happens. I was a vegan goth teenager with the highest grades in my graduating high school class who was briefly a painting virtuoso who became locally famous for painting works for charity fundraisers. I won a national scholarship in university to study biogeochemical cycles and then right afterwards I dropped out, failed two semesters of classes, moved back in with my mom, got evicted by my mom because I had to play the hero and protect my elderly grandfather from abuse by my stepfather, and now I'm couch surfing. I still technically have a bachelors in geoscience and chemistry, but after the way my grades plummeted in my final year due to a mental health breakdown I have zero hope of getting a job in my field or going fo graduate school like I planned. I'm basically burning through my savings on marijuana, alcohol, psychedelics, cocaine and tobacco until I find the nerve to kill myself.
Point is that "gifted kid burnout" is very real. Early Simpsons (which is the only one I'll talk about) was great in how they portrayed Lisa as a very aware and sad person.
I understand that much of the desire to see Lisa go the Patty Selma route is fuelled by hatred for what her character became, but it does seem realistic. I'm a 25 year old woman chainsmoker with a few extra pounds who snarks perpetually.
I'm not saying I want to see Lisa's life go pearshaped, but I could see her trying to do something ambitious like medical school, burning out because of the viciousness of the competition (I knew kids who faked notes to trick other students), and then dropping out. Maybe getting a good job and then feeling useless because of institutional biases (ala Hospital with George C Scott). Either way, I can't see Lisa getting married. I would like her to still have a "happy ending" in that her struggles improve her relationship with her family and she still insist on her vegetarianism.
