1.8 "A big piece of garbage"
(Tagline: "Mr. Bender's wardobe by Robotany 500")
It's the annual awards ceremony at the Academy of Inventors, and Professor Farnsworth believes his invention this year is unbeatable. However, when he realises that due to galloping senility he is about to present the same invention this year as last, he has to make a sudden change on the fly, and ends up embarrassing and humiliating himself in front of the august assemblage. What's even worse is that his arch-enemy, Doctor Wurnstrum, wins with
his invention. But Farnsworth is determined to plough ahead with the invention that was a mere scribbled blueprint at the awards, something he calls a smelloscope, which will allow distant odours to be picked up --- why? Then he remembers he already built one!
It's while using this that they discover a stench that is off the charts, and with some research they realise that a massive ball of garbage from the twentieth century that was fired off into space has come back around and is heading for Earth, with what will be disastrous consequences! But when they try to warn the mayor about the impending disaster, it turns out he has hired Wurnstrum as his scientific advisor. Loath to turn down a chance to make his nemesis look bad, Wurnstrum plays down the danger, saying it could be a fault with the smelloscope, but when a report comes in from Neptune that the big ball of garbage has passed close by their monitoring station, there can be no doubt and action must be taken.
Shooting a missile at it won't work as the density of the ball would just allow the rocket to pass right through it, so Farnsworth suggests placing an explosive device upon it, and guess who gets the job? Unfortunately, the professor's senility has again been at work, and where he thought they had twenty-five minutes to get off the garbage ball before it blew, the counter has been put on upside down and they have just over fifty seconds! With no other choice, Bender has to hurl the bomb into space, and they're safe, but now with no way to stop the stinking ball. Farnsworth though comes up with an idea: if they can build a similar ball maybe they can launch it against this one, the one knocking the other out of its path and thereby causing it to miss Earth. It's a stupid plan, but it might just work ... if they can think of something to make the second ball out of.
"Uh," suggests Fry, "how about garbage?" And so the people of New New York have to learn from a twentieth century wastrel how to make garbage all over again. The ball is built, the rocket is fired and knocks the other one into the sun. Leela expresses concern over where the second ball may end up, but nobody cares. As Fry says, it's none of their concern:
that's the twentieth century way!
QUOTES
Wurnstrum: "It's time to leave science to the hundred twenty-year olds!"
Farnsworth: "You young turks think you know everything! I was inventing things while you were just barely turning senile!"
Fry: "As long as you don't make me smell Uranus!"
Leela: "I don't get it?"
Farnsworth: "I'm sorry Fry, but astronomers renamed Uranus in 2620 to end that stupid joke once and for all."
Fry: "What's it called now?"
Farnsworth: "Urectum!"
Voiceover: "The repulsive barge circled the oceans for fifty years but no country would allow it to land. Not even that
really filthy one.
You know the one I mean!"
Fry: "Hey! You have no right to criticise the twentieth century! We gave the world the light bulb, the steam press and the cotton jenny!"
Leela: "All of those things are from the nineteenth century."
Fry: "Yeah, well, they probably just copied us."
Morbo: "Puny Earthlings were today shocked to learn that a giant ball of garbage will soon destroy their pathetic city of New New York."
Human Female: "Makes me glad we live in Los Angeles, Morbo!"
Morbo: "Morbo agrees!"
Mayor: "It's time to put a real scientist in charge! Doctor Wurnstrum, can you save my city?"
Wurnstrum: "Of course. But it'll cost you."
Mayor: "Anything."
Wurnstrum: "All right then, first I want tenure."
Mayor: "Done."
Wurnstrum: "And a big research grant."
Mayor: "You got it."
Wurnstrum: "Also access to a lab, and three graduate students, at least three of them Chinese."
Mayor: "Err... done. Now what's your plan?"
Wurnstrum: "What plan? I'm set for life! Au revoir, suckers!"
Leela: "That rat! Do something!"
Mayor: "I wish I could but he's got tenure!"
Mayor: "Garbage isn't something you just find lying in the streets of Manhattan!"
Morbo: "Ha ha! Kittens give Morbo gas. In lighter news, the city of New New York is doomed. Blame rests with known human Professor Hubert Farnsworth and his tiny, inferior brain!"
PCRs
The plaque outside City Hall is all one word, and with an "i" used instead of a "y", making it look like the Citibank logo: CitiHall
Farnsworth suggests placing a bomb on the garbage ball between a mass of coffee grounds and a deposit of America Online floppy discs!
On the way to the ship Bender, Fry and Leela do the "The Right Stuff" walk.
SIMPSONS REFERENCES
The guys find a bunch of Bart Simpson dolls on the garbage ball. Bender picks one up, it says "Eat my shorts!" in Bart's voice. Bender obliges. Fry thinks they're cool --- he would! --- but Leela tells him this stuff was garbage before it was sent out into space, and it's garbage now.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES
Pete's TVs: "Letting people watch news reports in our window since 1951!"
NEW CHARACTER!
Soon to become the Kent Brockmann of Futurama, Morbo is a hueg green alien with a head like a gigantic fly and a gruff voice that always sounds angry. He is an anchor for the news channel on TV.
Doctor Wurnstrum is also introduced here, but he's only in it once or twice more, hardly worth noting really.
1.09 "Hell is other robots"
(Tagline: none. And no intro reel either...)
Attending a Beastie Boys concert (yeah, they're Heads!) Fry is delighted when Bender introduces him to one of his friends who works on the road crew and can get them backstage. The robo-roadie later ducks out with Bender to take him to "the real party", which turns out to be a "jacking-on" den, where robots plug live wires into their sockets to get "a jolt", presumably similar to us humans doing drugs. Problem is, Bender has never done this before and becomes totally addicted to the point where it takes over his life, and his friends begin to worry about him. His addiction is confirmed when he puts the crew's life in danger by steering the ship INTO an electrical storm Leela was trying to avoid.
In an attempt to cure himself Bender turns to religion and enters the Temple of Robotology, where he gets completely caught up in his new belief, making him even harder to live with, but at least he's not Using anymore. However his religion soon begins to bug them as much as his electrical abuse did, and they decide to try to "reacquaint him with a little thing called sleaze". It doesn't take too much persuading to get the old Bender back, and all seems well. Except for one thing. When Bender was baptised he did so on the express understanding that if he sinned he would go straight to Robot Hell. Robotology is not abstract though: they take everything literally and the moment Bender broke their rules the Robot Devil was sent to collect his electronic soul!
He literally takes him from his hotel and to an abandoned carnival where Robot Hell is situated, telling him that he will be held here forever. Nibbler picks up his scent and Fry and Leela head off to try to rescue him, and find that if they can beat the Robot Devil in a fiddle contest they will be able to release Bender, winning back his soul. Of course they can't play the fiddle as well as the Robot Devil, so Leela hits him on the head with it and the trio make their escape.
QUOTES
Fry: "Wow! I love you guys! Back in the twentieth century I had all five of your albums."
Ad-Rock: "Man that was a thousand years ago! We've got seven now!
Fry: "Can I borrow the new ones? And some blank tapes?"
Robo-preacher: "Wretched sinner unit! The path to Robot Heaven lies here, in the Good Book, 3.0!" (The Good Book is shaped like an old 3.5" floppy disc!)
Leela: "Bender! Why are you spending so much time in the bathroom? Are you jacking-on in there?"
Bender: "No! Don't come in!"
Fry: "You made me feel like a jerk for trusting you! Just like when my friend Ritchie swore he wasn't taking drugs, then he sold me my mom's VCR. And later I found out he was taking drugs!"
Robot Preacher: "I see a lot of fancy robots in here today, made o' real shiny metal! But that don't impress the Robot Devil! Cause if you sin, He's gonna plug His infernal modem into the wall, belchin' smoke and fire, and He's gonna download your soul to Robot Hell!"
Bender: "Wonderful! Then you'll all come to my exceedingly long, un-air-conditioned baptism ceremony?"
Robot Preacher: "We are gathered here today to deliver our brother Bender from the cold steel grip of the Robot Devil unto the cold steel bosom of our congregation."
Leela: "Who would have thought that Hell would really exist? And that it would be in New Jersey?"
Fry: "Actually..."
PCRs
Bender spends a night at the Trump Trapezoid.
The fiddle contest in Robot Hell is based on Charlie Daniels' "The devil went down to Georgia", though I have no doubt that song is also based on some folk or fairy tale, but it's the first reference I have to it.
NEW CHARACTER?
Not really, but Scruffy is seen wheeling the three Heads onstage. He's still not named. It's possible he's holding down some different jobs, though robo-masseur to road crew is a bit of a stretch...
The Robot Devil: Oh yes, He exists, as does Robot Hell. It's in Jersey! And he loves to sing in bossa-nova style. Now
that's scary!
SIGNS OF THE TIMES
In the Temple: "10 Sin 20 Goto Hell"
A ROBOT CALLED BENDER
This is a great final episode! We find out so much about not just Bender but robots in general. They have their own religion, with a very real and definite Hell that they are dragged to by a very real Robot Devil if they sin. The
Fairness in Hell Act of 2263 though requires that any robot's soul can be released if a petitioner can best the Robot Devil in a fiddle contest. We also learn about "jacking on", where robots plug electrical cables into their sockets and consume electricity, in strict violation of their warranties. When done properly, like many drugs, this provides a pleasant "buzz", but when overindulged in it can be dangerous and habit-forming, leading to full on addiction.
Bender finds out for himself that Robot Hell exists, and finds his many and varied crimes all punished in ironic ways, like being rolled up and smoked like a cigar, or having his hard drive scratched by the Beastie Boys! This will not be the last encounter he will have with the Robot Devil, though he won't be jacking-on any more.