Anthology of Interest II

"Anthology of Interest II"is the eighteenth episode in thethirdseasonof the American animated television seriesFuturama,and the 50th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on theFox networkin the United States on January 6, 2002. This episode, as well as the earlier "Anthology of Interest I",serves to showcase three" imaginary "stories.

"Anthology of Interest II"
Futuramaepisode
Episodeno.	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 SoucieasCubert Farnsworth
Episode features
Opening caption	Hey,TiVo!Suggestthis!
Opening cartoon	"A Close Call" (1929)

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

Benderasks what would happen if he were human. The simulation opens withProfessor Farnsworthannouncing that he has invented a process of reversefossilization,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.

A week later, at theNobel Prizejudging, 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 wildhedonism.The next morning, the hungover committee awards Bender theNobel 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

Fryasks to see a world that is more like avideo game.As the simulation starts, President of EarthRichard Nixonis preparing to sign a treaty with AmbassadorKongof planetNintenduu 64.Ambassador Kong attacks Nixon, and a state of war erupts.

Due to his extensive knowledge of video games from the twentieth century, Fry is brought into theMilatariheadquarters and introduced to GeneralColinPac-Man.Before Fry can impart his wisdom to the military, the Nintendians launch an attack onWashington, D.C.,and they are forced into the escape tunnels, which resemble aPac-Manboard.

They emerge outside the Planet Express building, where the Nintendian invaders, led byLrrr,are laying waste to New New York. Fry situates himself at the controls of a rollinganti-aircraft artilleryplatform, and begins destroying the alien ships in a manner similar toSpace Invaders.Fry is unable to destroy the final ship, which lands nearby. The Nintendians emerge and demand "a million allowances' worth of quarters" with which to do their laundry. The crew initially refuse, but then the Nintendians suggest if they would be allowed to throw their laundry in with Earth's as a compromise, to which the crew agrees.

Wizzin'

Leelaasks what if she found her true home. However, when the lever is pulled to start the simulation, it hits Leela on the head and knocks her unconscious, prompting her to dream a parody ofThe Wizard of Ozwith Leela asDorothy,Nibbler asToto,Amy asGlinda the Good Witch,Mom asWicked Witch of the West,Fry as theScarecrow,Bender as theTin Man,Zoidberg as theCowardly Lion,and Professor Fansworth asthe Wizard.

Leela and Nibbler, while riding in the Planet Express ship, are taken by 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. They all are captured by Wicked WitchMom,who asks Leela to be her witch daughter. Leela happily agrees, but when Bender pops 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 boot heels together and wish to be sent back home. Instead, she uses them to become a witch and turns 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 theWorld Trade Centerare seen. This episode aired on January 6, 2002, about 4 months after the towerswere destroyed.
The song that Bender becomes infatuated with as a human is "Conga"byGloria Estefan.The title of the segment is a nod to theIsaac Asimovcollection of short storiesI, Robot.Bender's white shirt and blue pants resemble that ofHomer Simpson,while his blonde hair color, womanzing and also his Wooooo sound resemble that of wrestling legendRic Flair.

Raiders of the Lost Arcade

A parody of the gameSpace Invaders

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 filmRaiders of the Lost Ark.The segment starts off with a sequence fromAsteroids."Ambassador Kong" is a reference to the arcade gameDonkey Kong,as isItaly's ambassador to the U.N. beingMario.The maze which the characters run through is a homage to thePac-Manseries.The crew exits the maze through a warp pipe fromSuper Mario Bros.The Nintendians' fleet is composed of ships based on the aliens from theSpace 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 acassette tapeof "Tom Sawyer"byRush.The planet Nintendu 64 is a reference to the game consoleNintendo 64.When theMilatariHQ is first shown, the green tank fromBattlezoneis driving past.When the characters walk through the HQ, they go past doors labelledMoon PatrolandMissile Command.As the Nintendians (Lrrr, Donkey Kong, aBerzerkrobot, aRobotronbrain,BurgerTime's Mr. Egg, andQ*bert) exit the landed ship, one of them says the phrase "All your base are belong to us",a phrase originating fromZero Wing.

Wizzin'

The majority of the plot is a direct parody of the 1939 filmThe 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 theNBCpeacock logo is seen spreading its feathers. While skipping Fry says “I got to pull over and take The Wiz,” in reference toThe Wiz,a 1978 remake of the original film. Fry attempts to scare a crow by a reading an excerpt of theStephen KingbookChristine.

Reception

In 2006,IGNranked 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 ofThe A.V. Clubgave the episode a B. In its initial airing, the episode received aNielsen ratingof 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"

External links

• Anthology of Interest IIatThe Infosphere.
• "Anthology of Interest II"atIMDb