 In a 2008 article , Entertainment Weekly named Meryl Streep 's role as Jessica Lovejoy as one of the sixteen best guest appearances on The Simpsons . Total Film 's Nathan Ditum ranked Streep 's performance as the fifth best guest appearance in the show 's history , commenting that she is " the perfect mix of beguiling and devilish as Reverend Lovejoy ’ s rebellious daughter . " David Mirkin told the Daily News of Los Angeles that " Bart 's Girlfriend " and " Homer the Great " are his favorite episodes of the season . Mirkin liked the scene where Bart is punched by Nelson at the playground because Bart takes a while to recover , which made the scene more realistic . Nancy Cartwright told the Chicago Tribune that this episode , and " Lisa 's Substitute " from season two , are her two favorite The Simpsons episodes . 
