When Aliens Attack
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| Futurama episode | |
| "When Aliens Attack" | |
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|---|---|
| Episode no. | 12 |
| Prod. code | 1ACV12 |
| Airdate | November 7, 1999 |
| Writer(s) | Ken Keeler |
| Director | Brian Sheesley |
| Opening subtitle | Proudly Made On Earth |
| Opening cartoon | "Daffy The Commando" |
| List of all Futurama episodes... | |
"When Aliens Attack" is episode twelve in season one of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on November 7, 1999.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The episode opens in the year 1999, with Fry making a pizza delivery to the control booth of WNYW, New York's Fox affiliate. While there, Fry spills beer on the console, interrupting the broadcast of Single Female Lawyer (a spoof of Ally McBeal). As the technician panics, Fry ominously states "Like anyone on Earth cares." The camera pulls back from the broadcast tower, away from Earth, and through the depths of space, settling on Omicron Persei VIII, a thousand light-years away.
Back on Earth, the Planet Express crew decides to take a trip to Monument Beach, where most of the world's monuments now stand . While there, flying saucers arrive and blast the monuments to rubble. Lrrr, ruler of Omicron Persei VIII, demands that the Earth produce "the one called McNeal". President McNeal, fearing for his own safety, orders Zapp Brannigan to lead an assault against the alien invaders.
After the attack ends in disaster, Earth's government hands over President McNeal. Lrrr announces that he is the wrong McNeal, and vaporizes the President. Lrrr shows the world a photo of the McNeal they want, and Fry recognizes her as Jenny McNeal, the title character of Single Female Lawyer.
The Omicronians demand the broadcast of the television show, or they will destroy the Earth. Unfortunately, most videotapes were destroyed in 2443, during the second coming of Jesus. The Planet Express crew decides to fake the show in order to save the world.
Fry's script comes up short, and Leela (as Jenny), is forced to improvise. She proposes marriage to the judge (played by Professor Farnsworth). An aggravated Fry tells Bender (the camera) to go to commercial. Fry tells Leela that people don't watch TV for clever and unexpected situations, and Lrrr makes a public statement backing up Fry's assertion.
Fry quickly writes an ending where the judge dies, leaving Jenny McNeal as a single female lawyer. The Omicronians, satisfied with the ending, leave Earth to watch a one thousand year old Jay Leno monologue, saying the show was good enough for them to spare the planet, though not good enough for them to give humans the secret to immortality.
The episode ends with Fry stating that the secret to a successful television show is that everything ends up back to normal at the end of each episode. The camera pans out to a view of New New York burning in ruins.
[edit] Trivia
- This episode was rated TV-14 D in the United States. The second time for Futurama.
- The monuments on "Monument Beach" include the White House, the Leaning Tower of Piza, Mount Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty and Randy's Donuts.
[edit] Cultural references
- The title is a reference to the Fox series When Animals Attack.
- The show "Single Female Lawyer", as well as the main character's name "Jenny McNeal", are parodies of Ally McBeal.
- When the technician at the control booth of WNYW offers to let Fry watch the show, he replies "ah, I don't know, that's a chick show. I prefer programs of the genre World's Blankiest Blank". This is a reference to such reality shows as World's Wildest Police Videos.
- The big pullback from Earth, through space to Omicron Persei VIII is a parody of a similar scene in Contact.
- When Leela parks the hovercar, a vehicle similar to that of the 60's Batmobile from Batman can be seen.
- The scene with the monuments being destroyed is a parody of the film Independence Day, especially the destruction of the White House.
- The Earth forces accidentally destroy Hubble Telescope instead of the alien mothership, though the telescope looks nothing like the "current version" -- instead being a circular saucer like craft with legs rotating around its edges.
- The scene where Zapp Brannigan is briefing his pilots before attacking the Omicronians is a parody of the scene from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope where Jan Dodonna briefs the Rebel pilots before attacking the Death Star. In addition, the scene where the Planet Express ship flies onscreen with other starfighters mimics the opening of the Battle of Yavin. Also some of the battle resembles the Battle of Naboo from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, especially when the Hubble Telescope explodes in resemblance to the explosion of the Trade Federation Droid Control Ship.
- When Fry is sitting in the turret he says he feels like a space hero, "like Uhura, Captain Janeway or Xena!" (who all happen to be female, and none of whom are fighter pilots).
- During the shooting of the mock episode of "Single Female Lawyer", Fry explains that "TV audiences don't want anything original; they wanna see the same thing they've seen a thousand times before..." to which Bender replies "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Fry?" This is a reference to Gary Coleman's famous catch phrase, "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" from the television programme Diff'rent Strokes.
- In the last scene, Fry says that the secret of television is that in the end, everything is back as it was. This is a mockery of the reset button technique, as the final shot as the camera zooms away from Planet Express headquarters is a ruined cityscape from The Omicronians' bombardment.
- At the end where the survivors emerge after the aliens depart, there is a clown that bears a striking resemblance to Krusty The Klown.
- The Scary Door is a reference to The Twilight Zone.
- In accordance with all crash scenes, the explosion of the Hubble Telescope is followed by a flying tire.
- When Fry, Leela, and Bender return to Planet Express, the Professor is interrupted when orienting his replacement crew, each one of them resembling the previous crew (1 female, 1 male, and 1 robot). The female replacement bears a striking resembalence to the Lisa Lionheart Doll from The Simpsons.
- Ndnd states that "men are from Omecron Perseii IX, women are from Omecron Perseii VII," an alien version of the saying "men are from mars, women are from venus."
[edit] Goofs
- Even though Fry only spilled beer on the console after the notary had finished her line ("Could you repeat that last part") and McNeil's shoe had fallen off (plus the time it took for Fry to yawn), when Lrrr and Ndnd watch it, it cuts off when the notary is half-way through saying the word "part".
- The monuments are seen in other episodes in different places, e.g. the Leaning Tower of Pisa and The White House are seen in "The Cryonic Woman" and "A Head in the Polls" respectively, although replicas could have been built.
- WNYW is described as Old New York's "Fox affiliate." In real life, WNYW is not an affiliate (an independently owned local station that broadcasts a national network's programming); it is owned and operated by Fox Broadcasting itself (in fact, it is the network's flagship station).
[edit] The Passage of Time
- Though his coworker Linda appears, Morbo is absent from this episode. According to the audio commentary, the writers try to avoid putting Morbo into episodes that have a large focus on aliens.
