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{{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 = ], ] | | |||
| episode = 18 <!-- Please do not change. Production order, not airing order, is used here. --> | |||
writer = ], ], ], ] | | |||
| director = ] | |||
| writer = '''I, Meatbag:'''<br/>]<br/>'''Raiders of the Lost Arcade:'''<br/>]<br/>'''Wizzin':'''<br/>Jason Gorbett<br/>Scott Kirby | |||
opening_subtitle = Hey ], Suggest THIS! | | |||
| production = 3ACV18 | |||
opening_cartoon = Unknown | | |||
| airdate = {{Start date|2002|01|06}} | |||
guest_star = None | | |||
| guests = ] as ] | |||
image = ]| | |||
| opening_caption = Hey, ]! Suggest ''this''! | |||
season = three | | |||
| opening_cartoon = "A Close Call" (1929) | |||
| prev = ] | |||
| next = ] | |||
}} | }} | ||
"'''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== | |||
'''Anthology of Interest II''' is the 18th episode of the third season of ]. It originally aired in ] on ], ]. | |||
Professor Farnsworth hauls out his What-If Machine again, fine-tunes it, and the crew takes a look at three alternative realities. | |||
__TOC__ | |||
== Plot == | |||
{{spoiler}} | |||
== |
===I, Meatbag=== | ||
] asks what would happen if he were human. | |||
Professor Farnsworth hauls out his What-if Machine again (see ]), and the crew takes a look at three alternate realities. | |||
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. | |||
=== I, Meatbag === | |||
First up is Bender, who asks what would happen if he were human. | |||
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. | |||
The simulation opens with Professor Farnsworth announcing that he has invented a process of reverse ], which can turn metal robots into organic life-forms. He uses his reverse fossilization machine on Bender, who is successfully transformed into a human. | |||
===Raiders of the Lost Arcade=== | |||
After a short period of adaptation, Bender's self-control is overwhelmed by his new senses of taste, touch and emotional responses, and goes on a sensory input binge. A week later, at the ] judging, the Professor presents Bender who has become a thousand-pound blob. | |||
] 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. | |||
The committee initially condemns the Professor, but Bender begs them to consider his new lifestyle. The open-minded scientists spend the night in a state of wild ]. Just before dawn, the committee awards Bender his own Nobel Prize, but discover that he died shortly after the party started. | |||
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. | |||
=== Raiders of the Lost Arcade === | |||
===Wizzin'=== | |||
Next to ask a question is Fry, who wants to see a world that is more like a video game. | |||
] 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 '']'' with Leela as ], Nibbler as ], Amy as ], Mom as ], Fry as the ], Bender as the ], Zoidberg as the ], and Professor Fansworth as ]. | |||
As the simulation starts, ] ] is preparing to sign a treaty with Ambassador ] of planet ]. Ambassador Kong attacks Nixon, and a state of war erupts. | |||
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. | |||
Due to his extensive knowledge of video games, Fry is brought to 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 that resemble a Pac-Man maze. | |||
==Cultural references== | |||
They emerge outside the Planet Express building, where the Nintendian ], led by Lrrr, are blasting New New York. Fry situates himself at the controls of a rolling ] platform, and begins destroying the alien ships. | |||
===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> | |||
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=== | |||
Unfortunately for Earth, Fry is unable to destroy the last ship, which lands, conquering Earth. After Fry enters "ASS" as his initials for his high score, the invaders emerge. They demand millions of dollars in quarters, but the Earthicans refuse, as they need the quarters to do their laundry. A compromise is reached, with the Nintendians throwing their laundry in with Earth's. | |||
]'']] | |||
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 '']''. | |||
===Wizzin'=== | |||
Note: The song played during the Space Invaders portion is "]" by ]. | |||
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 '']''. | |||
== |
==Reception== | ||
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 | |||
| title = Bowl games give ABC rare touchdown in Nielsen ratings | |||
| url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-15624083.html | |||
| work = Daily Breeze | |||
| author = Moore, Frazier | |||
| publisher = Copley Press Inc. | |||
| access-date = 2009-03-07 | |||
| date = 2002-01-09 | |||
}}{{dead link|date=February 2019|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} | |||
</ref> | |||
==See also== | |||
The last person to ask a what if question is Leela, who wants to see her true home. When the Professor pulls the lever on the What-if Machine, he whacks her in the head, and she falls to the floor unconscious. | |||
*], a film with a storyline similar to "Raiders of the Lost Arcade" | |||
She wakes up at the helm of the Planet Express ship, which is caught in a tornado. It crash lands in a technicolor wonderland. The ] (Amy) tells her that she should seek out ], who lives in the Emerald Laboratory down ] Boulevard, which is constructed from yellow brick. | |||
While travelling, she meets a ] (Fry), a ] (Bender) and "]" (Zoidberg). ] (Mom) sends her ] (Walt, Larry, and Ignar) to kidnap Leela and her friends. The Wicked Witch always wanted a daughter, and offers to take Leela in. Leela accepts, and as part of a celebration, Bender uncorks a bottle of champagne. Under tremendous pressure, the champagne shoots out of the bottle and lands on the Wicked Witch, causing her to melt. | |||
Falling back to the original plan, Leela and co. make their way to the Emerald Laboratory. There they meet the great and forgetful Professor. The Professor tells Leela that she can go home by clicking her ruby boots together and wishing to go home. Leela decides that she wants to be the new Wicked Witch, and uses the boots' wishing power to that end. She turns the Professor, the scarecrow, and the robot into ]. Her reign of terror is cut short by Zoidberg, who has encountered a problem with the Emerald Laboratory's upstairs toilet, and accidentally splashes water on her. | |||
As she melts in the dream world, she wakes up back in the Planet Express building. | |||
== Quotes == | |||
*'''Farnsworth:''' There. I've finished fine tuning my "What If?" machine. It can answer any "What If?" question, accurate to within 1/10th of a plausibility unit.<br />'''Leela:''' That's so plausible I can't believe it! | |||
*'''Nintendian:''' All your base are belong to us! | |||
*'''Farnsworth:''' Good news, everyone. I've discovered a way to make Bender human using a process I call "reverse fossilization."<br />'''Leela:''' How does it work?<br />'''Farnsworth:''' Well, in regular fossilization, flesh and bone turn to minerals. Realizing that, it was a simple matter to reverse the process. I've already tested it by turning the ] into a ]. | |||
*'''Fry:''' Wait a second! I know that monkey! His name is Donkey!<br />'''Farnsworth:''' Hey! Monkeys aren't donkeys! Now quit messing around with my head! | |||
*'''Bender''' ''(shouting):'' Goodbye moderation! | |||
*'''Fry:''' All right. It's Saturday night. I've got no date, a two liter bottle of ], and my all ] ]. Let's rock. | |||
*'''Hermes''' ''(from inside):'' Yes?<br>'''Leela''' ''(outside door):'' We're here to see the Professor.<br>'''Hermes''' ''(from inside):'' No one sees the mighty Professor!<br>'''Farnsworth''' ''(from inside):'' Who's there Hermes? Is it visitors? I want to see them!<br>'''Hermes''' ''(from inside, to Farnsworth):'' It's nobody! Now sign that will I gave you!<br>''(to outside the door):'' He's not in. | |||
*'''Leela''' ''(after learning the power of the boots):'' There's no place like--- I want to be a witch! | |||
*'''Narrator:''' You watched it! You can't un-watch it! | |||
*'''Fry:''' What do you monsters want?<br>'''Donkey Kong:''' One thing, and one thing only. Quarters! A million allowances worth of quarters! No slugs or tokens!<br>'''Nintendian 2:''' ''Fork 'em over, fork 'em over!''<br>'''Professor:''' But we need those quarters to do our laundry!<br>'''Nintendian:''' But Space Invaders need to do laundry too. Just look at Donkey Kong, have you smelled his loin cloth lately?<br>'''Zoidberg:''' Yes. | |||
*'''Leela''': I was having the most wonderful dream... except you were there, and you were there, and *you* were there. | |||
*''']''': Ereh dnuora stnap emos teg yug a nac erehw? ''(Which is the phrase "Where can a guy get some pants around here?" backwards)'' | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist}} | |||
*The title of the segment ''I, Meatbag'' is a reference to ]'s book ] . | |||
*The title of the segment ''Wizzin'' is from the musical ] (based on ]). | |||
*The title of the segment ''Raders of the Lost Arcade'' is a reference to the ] film ]. | |||
*When the Nintendians are exiting their ship, one of them says "All your base are belong to us", a reference to the then-popular ] catch phrase. | |||
{{Futurama navigation| ] |]}} | |||
==External links== | |||
{{tv-episode-stub}} | |||
{{wikiquote|Futurama#Anthology of Interest II|Anthology of Interest II}} | |||
*] at ]. | |||
*{{IMDb episode|0756879}} | |||
{{Futurama episodes|3}} | |||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anthology Of Interest Ii}} | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
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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.