Revision as of 16:27, 13 April 2011 editMartarius (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers154,497 edits →Plot: tone← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 02:36, 29 November 2024 edit undo2601:100:8984:27d0:fc92:57f9:2217:b9ed (talk) →Raiders of the Lost Arcade | ||
(184 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown) | |||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2020}} | |||
{{Infobox Futurama episode |
{{Infobox Futurama episode | ||
episode_name = Anthology of Interest II | | |||
| image = | |||
episode_no = 50 | | |||
| caption = | |||
prod_code = 3ACV18 | | |||
| season = 3 <!-- Please do not change. Production order, not airing order, is used here. --> | |||
airdate = January 6, 2002 | | |||
| episode = 18 <!-- Please do not change. Production order, not airing order, is used here. --> | |||
country = {{USA}} | | |||
⚫ | | director = ] | ||
| writer = '''I, Meatbag:'''<br/>]<br/>'''Raiders of the Lost Arcade:'''<br/>]<br/>'''Wizzin':'''<br/>Jason Gorbett<br/>Scott Kirby | |||
⚫ | |||
| production = 3ACV18 | |||
⚫ | |
||
| airdate = {{Start date|2002|01|06}} | |||
⚫ | |||
| guests = ] as ] | |||
image = ]| | |||
⚫ | | opening_caption = Hey, ]! Suggest ''this''! | ||
caption = Bender being turned into a human in the segment "]". | | |||
⚫ | | opening_cartoon = "A Close Call" (1929) | ||
season = three | | |||
| prev = ] | |||
| next = ] | |||
}} | }} | ||
"'''Anthology of Interest II'''" is episode |
"'''Anthology of Interest II'''" is the eighteenth episode in the <!-- Please do not change. Production order, not airing order, is used here. --> ] ] of the American animated television series '']'', and the 50th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on the ] in the United States on January 6, 2002. This episode, as well as the earlier "]", serves to showcase three "imaginary" stories. | ||
==Plot== | ==Plot== | ||
Professor Farnsworth hauls out his What-If Machine again, |
Professor Farnsworth hauls out his What-If Machine again, fine-tunes it, and the crew takes a look at three alternative realities. | ||
===I, Meatbag=== | ===I, Meatbag=== | ||
] asks what would happen if he were human. | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | The simulation opens with ] announcing that he has invented a process of reverse ], which can turn robots and machines into organic life forms. He uses his process on Bender, who is transformed into a human. After a short period of adaptation, Bender's self-control is overwhelmed by his new senses of taste and touch, and he goes on a binge of eating, smoking, partying, and drinking alcohol. | ||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | 1 week later, at the ] judging, the Professor presents Bender, who is now morbidly obese and in terrible health. The committee initially condemns Farnsworth, but Bender begs them to consider his lifestyle. This inspires the scientists to spend the night in a state of wild ]. The following day, the hungover committee awards Bender the ] but discovers that he died shortly after the party began. The Planet Express crew then sadly roll away Bender's corpse. | ||
===Raiders of the Lost Arcade=== | ===Raiders of the Lost Arcade=== | ||
] asks to see a world that is more like a video game |
] asks to see a world that is more like a ]. | ||
As the simulation starts, the President of Earth ] is preparing to sign a treaty with Ambassador ] of the planet ]. Ambassador Kong attacks Nixon, and a state of war erupts. Due to his extensive knowledge of video games from the 20th century, Fry is brought into the ]] headquarters and introduced to General ] ]. Before Fry can impart his wisdom to the military, the Nintendians launch an attack on ], and they are forced into the escape tunnels, which resemble a '']'' board. | |||
They emerge outside the Planet Express building, where the Nintendian invaders, led by ], are laying waste to New New York. Fry situates himself at the controls of a rolling ] platform and begins destroying the alien ships like '']''. Fry is unable to destroy the final ship, which lands nearby. The Nintendians emerge and demand "a million allowances' worth of quarters" to do their laundry. The crew initially refuses, but then the Nintendians suggest they would be allowed to throw their laundry in with Earth's as a compromise, to which the crew agrees. | |||
===Wizzin'=== | ===Wizzin'=== | ||
] asks what would have happened if she had found her true home. However, when the lever is pulled to start the simulation, it hits Leela on the head. | |||
Leela asks what if she found her true home and ends up being accidentally knocked unconscious, prompting her to dream a parody of '']'' with Leela as ], Fry as the ] (who tries to claim that he has a brain), Bender as the ] (saying "beer" instead of "oil can") and Zoidberg as the ] ("the other guy, courage, not enough of it, need some from whatshisname"). Along the way, they encounter a group of small alien creatures who had previously appeared in the series, who "]" the ]. | |||
It knocks her unconscious, prompting her to dream a parody of '']'' with Leela as ], Nibbler as ], Amy as ], Mom as ], Fry as the ], Bender as the ], Zoidberg as the ], and Professor Fansworth as ]. | |||
They all make their way to see The Professor at the Emerald Laboratory only to be captured by Wicked Witch ] who asks Leela to be her daughter. Leela agrees as long as she gets to hurt people but Mom ends up melting because of Bender splashing champagne on her. Later they end up at the Emerald Laboratory where The Professor tells Leela to clap her magic boots that she got earlier together to send her back home. Instead, she uses them to become a witch and turns Fry, Bender and The Professor into toads. She then gets splashed by some water from the ceiling because of Zoidberg ("I think there's a problem with your upstairs toilet.") and starts melting. She then wakes up to Bender splashing water in her face saying she was having a wonderful dream except for the fact that they were all there. The Professor becomes disappointed that Leela has revived: he was holding tongs and a box marked, "Leela's Organs". Hermes tells him, "there's always next year". | |||
Leela and Nibbler, while riding in the Planet Express ship, are taken by a tornado to Oz. The ship's landing gear lands on the Wicked Witch of the East, killing her. Leela takes the witch's magic boots from her corpse and puts them on since it is hard to find footwear in her size. She asks Amy for help getting back home, and Amy tells her that only the Professor at the Emerald Laboratory can send her home. Leela is joined in her quest by Fry, Bender, and Zoidberg. Wicked Witch ] captures them all and asks Leela to be her daughter. Leela happily agrees, but when Bender opens a celebratory bottle of champagne, the spilled liquid causes Mom to melt into nothing. They resume their journey to the Emerald Laboratory, where the Professor tells Leela to click her bootheels together and wish to be sent back home. Instead, she uses them to become a witch, turning Fry, Bender, and the Professor into toads. However, a toilet overflow in the upstairs bathroom (caused by Zoidberg's use of it) leaks through the ceiling and onto Leela, causing her to melt. She wakes up to find Bender splashing water in her face and berates the crew for showing up in her wonderful dream and ruining it. The Professor is disappointed to see Leela alive, as he had intended to harvest her organs. | |||
==Cultural references== | ==Cultural references== | ||
===I, Meatbag=== | ===I, Meatbag=== | ||
In a split-second establishing shot of New New York before the Professor's press conference, the towers of the ] are seen. This episode aired on January 6, 2002, about 4 months after the towers ].<br> | |||
Human Bender's outfit (a white shirt, blue pants and black shoes) is nearly identical to the normal attire of ]. It is possible this was intended as a nod to Matt Groening's other show. The song that Bender becomes infatuated with as a human is "]" by ]. The title of the section is also a nod to the ] collection of short stories ]. | |||
The song that Bender becomes infatuated with as a human is "]" by ]. The title of the segment is a nod to the ] collection of short stories '']''. Bender's white shirt and blue pants resemble that of ], while his blonde hair color, womanzing and also his Wooooo sound resemble that of wrestling legend ]. | |||
===Raiders of the Lost Arcade=== | ===Raiders of the Lost Arcade=== | ||
]'']] | ]'']] | ||
The "Raiders of the Lost Arcade" segment is a "non-stop barrage of game references" with jokes and allusions referencing a wide array of classic video games.<ref name="GameLife" /> The title is a reference to the 1981 film '']''. The segment starts off with |
The "Raiders of the Lost Arcade" segment is a "non-stop barrage of game references" with jokes and allusions referencing a wide array of classic video games.<ref name="GameLife" /> The title is a reference to the 1981 film '']''. The segment starts off with a sequence from '']''. "Ambassador Kong" is a reference to the arcade game '']'', as is ]'s ambassador to the U.N. being ]. The maze which the characters run through is a homage to the ]. The crew exits the maze through a warp pipe from '']'' The Nintendians' fleet is composed of ships based on the aliens from the '']'', which move in the same pattern as those in the video game ("Drop down, increase speed, and reverse direction!").<ref name="GameLife">{{cite magazine|url=http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/12/video-games-fut.html| title=Videogames & Futurama, Part 1: Raiders of the Lost Arcade| author= Baker, Chris| date= 2007-12-17| access-date= 2008-02-02| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080128151750/http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/12/video-games-fut.html| archive-date= 28 January 2008 | url-status= live| magazine=Wired}}</ref> Fry plays to the accompaniment of a ] of "]" by ]. The planet Nintendu 64 is a reference to the game console ]. When the ] HQ is first shown, the green tank from '']'' is driving past.<ref name="GameLife" /> When the characters walk through the HQ, they go past doors labelled ] and ]. As the Nintendians (Lrrr, Donkey Kong, a '']'' robot, a '']'' brain, '']''{{'}}s Mr. Egg, and ]) exit the landed ship, one of them says the phrase "]", a phrase originating from '']''. | ||
The Nintendians' fleet comprises of '']'' ships, which move in the same pattern as those in the original video game.<ref name="GameLife">{{cite web|url=http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/12/video-games-fut.html| title=Videogames & Futurama, Part 1: Raiders of the Lost Arcade| author= Baker, Chris| date= 2007-12-17| accessdate= 2008-02-02}}</ref> Also the song that is playing when Fry is playing is "]" by ]. The planet Nintendu 64 is a reference to the game console ]. When the ] HQ is first shown, the green tank from '']'' is shown driving past.<ref name="GameLife" /> When the characters walk through the HQ, they go past doors labelled ] and ]. As the video game villains (Lrrr, Donkey Kong, a ] robot, '']''{{'}}s Mr. Egg and ]) exit the landed ship, one character says the phrase '']''. | |||
===Wizzin'=== | ===Wizzin'=== | ||
The majority of the plot is a direct parody of the 1939 film '']'', with Leela taking the place of Dorothy, Amy as the Good Witch of the North, Fry as the Scarecrow, Bender as the Tin Man, Zoidberg as the Cowardly Lion, Professor Farnsworth as the Wizard and Mom as the Wicked Witch of the West. When Leela first exits the spaceship, a parody of the ] peacock logo is seen spreading its feathers. | The majority of the plot is a direct parody of the 1939 film '']'', with Leela taking the place of Dorothy, Amy as the Good Witch of the North, Fry as the Scarecrow, Bender as the Tin Man, Zoidberg as the Cowardly Lion, Professor Farnsworth as the Wizard and Mom as the Wicked Witch of the West. When Leela first exits the spaceship, a parody of the ] peacock logo is seen spreading its feathers. While skipping Fry says “I got to pull over and take The Wiz,” in reference to '']'', a 1978 remake of the original film. Fry attempts to scare a crow by a reading an excerpt of the ] book '']''. | ||
==Trivia== | |||
During the "Raiders Of The Lost Arcade" story, when the Nintendians exit the space craft, Q*bert can be heard speaking backwards. When played in reverse, he can be heard saying "Where can a guy get some pants around here?" This is an example of ]. | |||
==Reception== | ==Reception== | ||
In 2006 ].com ranked this episode as |
In 2006, ].com ranked this episode as the series' twelfth best, with "Anthology of Interest I" at number 13, in their list of the "Top 25 Futurama episodes".<ref name="IGN">{{cite web|url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/716/716663p1.html |title=Top 25 Futurama Episodes |author=Iverson, Dan |publisher=IGN.com |date=2006-07-07 |access-date=2008-03-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070706054922/http://tv.ign.com/articles/716/716663p1.html |archive-date=2007-07-06 }}</ref> Zack Handlen of '']'' gave the episode a B.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/futurama-roswell-ends-wellanthology-interest-ii-220014|title=Futurama: "Roswell That Ends Well"/"Anthology Of Interest II"|date=2015-05-28|access-date=2017-02-16}}</ref> | ||
⚫ | In its initial airing, the episode received a ] of 4.5, placing it 62nd among primetime shows for the week of December 31, 2001 – January 6, 2002.<ref name="Ratings">{{cite news | ||
⚫ | In its initial airing, the episode received a ] of 4.5, placing it 62nd among primetime shows for the week of December 31, 2001 |
||
| title = Bowl games give ABC rare touchdown in Nielsen ratings | | title = Bowl games give ABC rare touchdown in Nielsen ratings | ||
| url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-15624083.html | | url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-15624083.html | ||
Line 58: | Line 61: | ||
| author = Moore, Frazier | | author = Moore, Frazier | ||
| publisher = Copley Press Inc. | | publisher = Copley Press Inc. | ||
| |
| access-date = 2009-03-07 | ||
| date = 2002-01-09 | | date = 2002-01-09 | ||
}}{{dead link|date=February 2019|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | </ref> | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
*], a film with a storyline similar to "Raiders of the Lost Arcade" | |||
*] | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Line 72: | Line 75: | ||
{{wikiquote|Futurama#Anthology of Interest II|Anthology of Interest II}} | {{wikiquote|Futurama#Anthology of Interest II|Anthology of Interest II}} | ||
*] at ]. | *] at ]. | ||
*{{IMDb episode|0756879}} | |||
{{Futurama episodes}} | {{Futurama episodes|3}} | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anthology Of Interest Ii}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Anthology Of Interest Ii}} | ||
] | ] | ||
] | ] | ||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | ] | ||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] |
Latest revision as of 02:36, 29 November 2024
18th episode of the 3rd season of Futurama
"Anthology of Interest II" | |||
---|---|---|---|
Futurama episode | |||
Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 18 | ||
Directed by | Bret Haaland | ||
Written by | I, Meatbag: Lewis Morton Raiders of the Lost Arcade: David X. Cohen Wizzin': Jason Gorbett Scott Kirby | ||
Production code | 3ACV18 | ||
Original air date | January 6, 2002 (2002-01-06) | ||
Guest appearance | |||
Kath Soucie as Cubert Farnsworth | |||
Episode features | |||
Opening caption | Hey, TiVo! Suggest this! | ||
Opening cartoon | "A Close Call" (1929) | ||
Episode chronology | |||
| |||
Futurama season 3 | |||
List of episodes |
"Anthology of Interest II" is the eighteenth episode in the third season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 50th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 6, 2002. This episode, as well as the earlier "Anthology of Interest I", serves to showcase three "imaginary" stories.
Plot
Professor Farnsworth hauls out his What-If Machine again, fine-tunes it, and the crew takes a look at three alternative realities.
I, Meatbag
Bender asks what would happen if he were human.
The simulation opens with Professor Farnsworth announcing that he has invented a process of reverse fossilization, which can turn robots and machines into organic life forms. He uses his process on Bender, who is transformed into a human. After a short period of adaptation, Bender's self-control is overwhelmed by his new senses of taste and touch, and he goes on a binge of eating, smoking, partying, and drinking alcohol.
1 week later, at the Nobel Prize judging, the Professor presents Bender, who is now morbidly obese and in terrible health. The committee initially condemns Farnsworth, but Bender begs them to consider his lifestyle. This inspires the scientists to spend the night in a state of wild hedonism. The following day, the hungover committee awards Bender the Nobel Prize in Chemistry but discovers that he died shortly after the party began. The Planet Express crew then sadly roll away Bender's corpse.
Raiders of the Lost Arcade
Fry asks to see a world that is more like a video game.
As the simulation starts, the President of Earth Richard Nixon is preparing to sign a treaty with Ambassador Kong of the planet Nintenduu 64. Ambassador Kong attacks Nixon, and a state of war erupts. Due to his extensive knowledge of video games from the 20th century, Fry is brought into the Milatari headquarters and introduced to General Colin Pac-Man. Before Fry can impart his wisdom to the military, the Nintendians launch an attack on Washington, D.C., and they are forced into the escape tunnels, which resemble a Pac-Man board.
They emerge outside the Planet Express building, where the Nintendian invaders, led by Lrrr, are laying waste to New New York. Fry situates himself at the controls of a rolling anti-aircraft artillery platform and begins destroying the alien ships like Space Invaders. Fry is unable to destroy the final ship, which lands nearby. The Nintendians emerge and demand "a million allowances' worth of quarters" to do their laundry. The crew initially refuses, but then the Nintendians suggest they would be allowed to throw their laundry in with Earth's as a compromise, to which the crew agrees.
Wizzin'
Leela asks what would have happened if she had found her true home. However, when the lever is pulled to start the simulation, it hits Leela on the head.
It knocks her unconscious, prompting her to dream a parody of The Wizard of Oz with Leela as Dorothy, Nibbler as Toto, Amy as Glinda the Good Witch, Mom as Wicked Witch of the West, Fry as the Scarecrow, Bender as the Tin Man, Zoidberg as the Cowardly Lion, and Professor Fansworth as the Wizard.
Leela and Nibbler, while riding in the Planet Express ship, are taken by a tornado to Oz. The ship's landing gear lands on the Wicked Witch of the East, killing her. Leela takes the witch's magic boots from her corpse and puts them on since it is hard to find footwear in her size. She asks Amy for help getting back home, and Amy tells her that only the Professor at the Emerald Laboratory can send her home. Leela is joined in her quest by Fry, Bender, and Zoidberg. Wicked Witch Mom captures them all and asks Leela to be her daughter. Leela happily agrees, but when Bender opens a celebratory bottle of champagne, the spilled liquid causes Mom to melt into nothing. They resume their journey to the Emerald Laboratory, where the Professor tells Leela to click her bootheels together and wish to be sent back home. Instead, she uses them to become a witch, turning Fry, Bender, and the Professor into toads. However, a toilet overflow in the upstairs bathroom (caused by Zoidberg's use of it) leaks through the ceiling and onto Leela, causing her to melt. She wakes up to find Bender splashing water in her face and berates the crew for showing up in her wonderful dream and ruining it. The Professor is disappointed to see Leela alive, as he had intended to harvest her organs.
Cultural references
I, Meatbag
In a split-second establishing shot of New New York before the Professor's press conference, the towers of the World Trade Center are seen. This episode aired on January 6, 2002, about 4 months after the towers were destroyed.
The song that Bender becomes infatuated with as a human is "Conga" by Gloria Estefan. The title of the segment is a nod to the Isaac Asimov collection of short stories I, Robot. Bender's white shirt and blue pants resemble that of Homer Simpson, while his blonde hair color, womanzing and also his Wooooo sound resemble that of wrestling legend Ric Flair.
Raiders of the Lost Arcade
The "Raiders of the Lost Arcade" segment is a "non-stop barrage of game references" with jokes and allusions referencing a wide array of classic video games. The title is a reference to the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark. The segment starts off with a sequence from Asteroids. "Ambassador Kong" is a reference to the arcade game Donkey Kong, as is Italy's ambassador to the U.N. being Mario. The maze which the characters run through is a homage to the Pac-Man series. The crew exits the maze through a warp pipe from Super Mario Bros. The Nintendians' fleet is composed of ships based on the aliens from the Space Invaders series, which move in the same pattern as those in the video game ("Drop down, increase speed, and reverse direction!"). Fry plays to the accompaniment of a cassette tape of "Tom Sawyer" by Rush. The planet Nintendu 64 is a reference to the game console Nintendo 64. When the Milatari HQ is first shown, the green tank from Battlezone is driving past. When the characters walk through the HQ, they go past doors labelled Moon Patrol and Missile Command. As the Nintendians (Lrrr, Donkey Kong, a Berzerk robot, a Robotron brain, BurgerTime's Mr. Egg, and Q*bert) exit the landed ship, one of them says the phrase "All your base are belong to us", a phrase originating from Zero Wing.
Wizzin'
The majority of the plot is a direct parody of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, with Leela taking the place of Dorothy, Amy as the Good Witch of the North, Fry as the Scarecrow, Bender as the Tin Man, Zoidberg as the Cowardly Lion, Professor Farnsworth as the Wizard and Mom as the Wicked Witch of the West. When Leela first exits the spaceship, a parody of the NBC peacock logo is seen spreading its feathers. While skipping Fry says “I got to pull over and take The Wiz,” in reference to The Wiz, a 1978 remake of the original film. Fry attempts to scare a crow by a reading an excerpt of the Stephen King book Christine.
Reception
In 2006, IGN.com ranked this episode as the series' twelfth best, with "Anthology of Interest I" at number 13, in their list of the "Top 25 Futurama episodes". Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B. In its initial airing, the episode received a Nielsen rating of 4.5, placing it 62nd among primetime shows for the week of December 31, 2001 – January 6, 2002.
See also
- Pixels (2015 film), a film with a storyline similar to "Raiders of the Lost Arcade"
References
- ^ Baker, Chris (December 17, 2007). "Videogames & Futurama, Part 1: Raiders of the Lost Arcade". Wired. Archived from the original on January 28, 2008. Retrieved February 2, 2008.
- Iverson, Dan (July 7, 2006). "Top 25 Futurama Episodes". IGN.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2007. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
- "Futurama: "Roswell That Ends Well"/"Anthology Of Interest II"". May 28, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
- Moore, Frazier (January 9, 2002). "Bowl games give ABC rare touchdown in Nielsen ratings". Daily Breeze. Copley Press Inc. Retrieved March 7, 2009.