Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Futurama episode | |
| "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?" | |
 |
|
|---|---|
| Episode no. | 18 |
| Prod. code | 2ACV05 |
| Airdate | February 6, 2000 |
| Writer(s) | Eric Kaplan |
| Director | Brian Sheesley |
| Opening subtitle | From The Network That Brought You "The Simpsons" |
| Opening cartoon | Unknown |
| Season 2 November 1999 – December 2000 |
|
|
|
| List of all Futurama episodes... | |
"Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love" is episode five in season two of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on February 6, 2000.
[edit] Plot
Amy and Leela drag Fry and Bender to the gym, and Doctor Zoidberg tags along. While at the gym, Zoidberg behaves erratically and aggressively. Back at the laboratory, Professor Farnsworth examines a restrained Zoidberg, and determines that it is mating season for Zoidberg's species.
The crew flies to Zoidberg's home planet, Decapod 10. After a short tour, Zoidberg sets up a mound on the beach and begins trying to attract a mate. After an unsuccessful day, Zoidberg meets Edna, an old classmate. She rejects him as well, and Zoidberg leaves depressed.
Fry begins teaching Zoidberg how to win Edna's heart using human romance techniques. Using his newfound techniques, Zoidberg successfully woos Edna to a date. While at a restaurant, Leela reveals to Edna that Fry is responsible for the change in Zoidberg.
Under the pretext of discussing Zoidberg, Edna invites Fry to her apartment and begins an unsuccessful attempt at seducing him. Zoidberg walks in, sees them embracing, and challenges Fry to a Claw-Plagh, a ritual fight to the death.
In the arena, Fry is about to defeat Zoidberg, but cannot kill his friend. Unfortunately, Zoidberg doesn't feel the same way and cuts Fry's arm off with his claw. After more fighting, Fry and Zoidberg look up to discover the entire Decapodian audience has left, including Edna who has decided to mate with the king. Once every Decapodian was underwater, masses of eggs float to the surface; Zoidberg has missed the mating frenzy of his species. They soon witness the corpses of all the Decapodians float to the surface and Zoidberg explains that members of his species die after mating. Zoidberg apologizes to Fry about how he acted. He felt things he never felt before: jealousy, love and passion. Unfortunately, he reattaches Fry's arm on the wrong side. Trying again, he saws off the legs and possibly Fry's head (or other vital part).
[edit] Cultural references
- The title comes from a lyric in the Dion and the Belmonts song "A Teenager in Love".
- In the gym scene, Zoidberg says he is going to work out with "the nautilus", and goes to play play basketball with a nautilus-like alien. The company Nautilus, Inc. produces exercise equipment.
- In the gym scene, one of the "dirtiest, but subtlest jokes ever on Futurama" (as described by David X. Cohen on the DVD commentary) is seen: the Kegelcizer machine.
- Fry assisting Zoidberg in courting Edna is a parody of the story in Cyrano de Bergerac
- The national anthem of Decapod 10 is the same music heard during the fight scene between James T. Kirk and Spock from the Star Trek: TOS episode "Amok Time". Several elements in this episode, such as Decapodian mating season and the ritualistic battle to the death also mirror plot details from that particular Star Trek episode. Also the traditional Vulcan weapon used in kal-if-fee is shown as one of the weapons Fry can choose from. "Claw-plagh" also sounds a lot like "Qa'pla", the Star Trek Klingon word for "Victory".
- During claw-plagh Zoidberg cuts a 'Dr Z' in Fry's shirt, a reference to Zorro.
- When taking bets just prior to the Claw-plagh fight between Zoidberg and Fry, Bender refers to Zoidberg as "The Great Red Hope". This is a reference to "The Great White Hope" Jim Jeffries, who in 1910 fought Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion, in a symbolic racial competition.
[edit] Censorship
- After the initial premiere of the episode, Sky One in the United Kingdom cuts Fry yelling "You bastard! I'll kill you, you bastard!" after Zoidberg cuts his arm off down to "I'll kill you, you--"
