Post by The Human Being on Dec 9, 2013 23:16:14 GMT -6
2013 CZ Advent Calendar - December 7th
Futurama: "Xmas Story"
by thefunjustneverends
What is your holiday tradition? For Fry, it was eating gooseburgers and drinking eggnog made out of bourbon and ice cubes. Now, it’s a foreign holiday with new people one thousand years in the future. It’s Fry’s first Xmas in the year 3000 and he’s experiencing culture shock. Christmas is now named Xmas, pine trees have become extinct and have been replaced by palm trees, and there’s a robotic Santa that delivers gifts. Unfortunately due to a programming error, Robot Santa’s standards for niceness have been set too high and everyone has been deemed naughty (except for Dr. Zoidberg).
Fry isn’t the only Planet Express member alone for the holidays. Leela, an orphan and the only one of her species in the seemingly infinite universe, doesn’t receive a holiday card during the Xmas party. After making Leela cry, Fry decides to buy her a gift so that she’ll never be lonely again. Fry shops around to find the perfect gift – weaponry to defend oneself from Santa, five hundred stink lizards, or a squawking parrot – and almost makes it home until the parrot escapes and Fry almost dies tracking it down before Leela saves him. Leela says she doesn’t need a gift to be happy. “You’re lonely and I’m lonely, but together we’re lonely together” Leela remarks as they walk home hand-in-hand. It’s too late; sundown has arrived and brought Robot Santa with it. As Santa chases them through New New York, they become cornered under mistletoe (which is no match for Santa’s T.O.E. Missile). Seeing their death, they attempt a kiss only to be saved by Fry’s parrot getting in the way of the missile.
A small C-story occurs with Bender pretending to be homeless so he can drink free booze at a robot shelter. When the booze runs dry, Bender takes some other robots caroling so they can ask for more booze and then ransack houses. After the two groups meet and escape Santa, they return to Planet Express but cannot keep Santa from entering. Thanks to Dr. Zoidberg and teamwork from everyone, they evict Santa through the chimney and sit down to enjoy a Xmas meal. Bender has cooked the meal – Fry’s dead parrot that he found on the side of the road – but it’s swallowed by Nibbler (Leela’s pet). “Look the food isn’t what’s important. The important thing is that we’re all together for Xmas. And even though I’m surrounded by robots, and monsters, and old people, I’ve never felt more at home” Fry states. Fry’s traditions have changed. It’s not about being with his immediate family anymore; it’s being with his workplace family singing songs about Robot Santa wanting to murder you. That’s what the holiday is for; making your traditions meaningful no matter who you’re with or what time period it takes place in.
Random Thoughts:
- When I watched Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas for the first time, I thought about this episode. This episode has been part of my Christmas tradition along with watching A Christmas Story with my family.
- Bender’s Xmas card from him mom called him Son #1729. That’s the Hardy–Ramanujan number.
- John Goodman was the voice of Robot Santa for this episode only.
- This is a small story about the Fry/Leela relationship which is expanded throughout the series in some standout episodes. I’d recommend The Sting, Parasites Lost, The Day the Earth Stood Stupid and The Why of Fry together, Time Keeps on Slippin’, and The Late Philip J. Fry.
- Everyone go watch the pilot Space Pilot 3000 now. It’s available on Netflix.