A Bicyclops Built for Two
Encyclopedia
"A Bicyclops Built for Two" is episode nine in season two of Futurama
. It originally aired in North America
on March 19, 2000.
opens the episode by bearing good news to the Planet Express crew: several years ago he had tried to log onto AOL
, and it has finally connected. He sends the crew into the internet for fun. While playing Death Factory III, Leela meets the only other cyclops
in the known universe, but Fry
dispatches him before she can find out who he is and where he comes from. The crew is sent on a delivery mission to bring popcorn to Cineplex 14, so Leela cannot take the time to find him. However, he records her screen name beforehand and sends her a video mail. Leela abandons the delivery, and heads off to the coordinates provided. Unfortunately, when she jettisons the cargo
, it misses by a margin and hits the Sun, causing a popcorn nebula to form.
The cyclops reveals himself to be Alcazar, sole survivor of the destruction of the planet Cyclopia. He claims that Leela was sent away as a baby when the blind moles of Subterra 3 launched missiles in every direction, hitting forty planets including Cyclopia. Luckily, before the crash, Cyclopia's smartest scientist managed to save a baby that was possibly Leela. Alcazar was employed as a pool cleaner and was spared from the chaos while fishing out a dead possum
. Leela decides that it is her duty to help rebuild the Cyclopian civilization, which primarily includes marrying Alcazar. While Bender loots everything of value, Fry tries to find out "what makes the Forbidden Valley so forbidden," and stumbles right into the dungeon. Now that Leela is committed to Alcazar for the good of their race, he becomes abusive to her, demanding she carry out menial work and humiliating her in front of his friends, an anthropomorphic rat couple and a pig. While he is in the dungeon, Fry tries to convince Leela to dump Alcazar; he almost persuades her when Alcazar proposes marriage. Flattered, she accepts.
As the wedding begins, Fry and Bender break into the Forbidden Valley to find out Alcazar's secret and discover to their amazement four other castle
s, identical except that the decorations show different types of aliens
. They arrive back at Leela's wedding just before she is about to say "I do" and bring a surprise—four other women, each the last of her species like Leela. Alcazar, flustered, tries to reason with the women, shape-shifting each time to match their form; the women quickly beat him into submission, and he takes his real form, a grasshopper-like alien. He explains that he played with their emotions because he wanted to "make it with five weirdos" and get them to become his personal maids, and that he had to stage all the weddings on one day because tuxedos that change shape are expensive to rent. All five of the women reject him, and Leela goes home with the rest of the Planet Express crew. The episode ends with Leela sadly contemplating her desire to find her true species, wondering "How many planets could there be?" as she looks out at a vast, starry space. However, the Professor tells Leela she will have many years to search for her home, considering the amount of time she will spend paying for the popcorn shipment she destroyed.
was nominated for an Annie Award
in 2000 for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television Production" for this episode; she lost to Brian Sheesley
for the Futurama episode "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?
". In Doug Pratt's DVD, Pratt noted that this episode was his favorite of the second season. In particular, he notes that the virtual reality sequence at the beginning was very witty and the overall plot was entertaining.
In its initial airing, the episode received a Nielsen rating of 4.0/7, placing it 86th among primetime shows for the week of March 13–19, 2000.
is parodied when she dresses in a similar fashion to Peggy with Alkazar sitting on his couch with one hand down his trousers a-la Al Bundy in a scene that also lampoons the show's dysfunctional family sitcom style and marriage/sex related jokes.
In the beginning of the episode, when Bender opens the portal to the internet, Fry's exclamation of "My God, it's full of ads!" is a reference to Dave Bowman's line in 2010: The Year We Make Contact of "My God...it's full of stars." As the portal opens, the characteristic theme Also Sprach Zarathustra from 2001: A Space Odyssey can be heard.
When making the popcorn delivery, to Cineplex 14, the name of the planet is a spoof of the Canadian company Cineplex Entertainment. Later when the popcorn is thrown into the sun, it makes a shape of a galaxy, the logo of Galaxy Cinemas, one of the companies that merged to make Cineplex Entertainment.
One of Alkazars fiancees resembles Great Race of Yith
as depicted on the cover of the June 1936 issue of Astounding Stories
.
Futurama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
. It originally aired in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on March 19, 2000.
Plot
The ProfessorProfessor Hubert Farnsworth
Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, or simply The Professor, is a fictional character in the American animated television series Futurama. He is voiced by Billy West using a combination of impressions of Burgess Meredith and Frank Morgan. Farnsworth is the proprietor of the Planet Express delivery...
opens the episode by bearing good news to the Planet Express crew: several years ago he had tried to log onto AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
, and it has finally connected. He sends the crew into the internet for fun. While playing Death Factory III, Leela meets the only other cyclops
Cyclops
A cyclops , in Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, was a member of a primordial race of giants, each with a single eye in the middle of his forehead...
in the known universe, but Fry
Philip J. Fry
Philip J. Fry, known simply as Fry, is a fictional character, the main protagonist of the animated science fiction sitcom Futurama. He is voiced by Billy West using a version of his own voice as he sounded when he was 25.-Character overview:...
dispatches him before she can find out who he is and where he comes from. The crew is sent on a delivery mission to bring popcorn to Cineplex 14, so Leela cannot take the time to find him. However, he records her screen name beforehand and sends her a video mail. Leela abandons the delivery, and heads off to the coordinates provided. Unfortunately, when she jettisons the cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
, it misses by a margin and hits the Sun, causing a popcorn nebula to form.
The cyclops reveals himself to be Alcazar, sole survivor of the destruction of the planet Cyclopia. He claims that Leela was sent away as a baby when the blind moles of Subterra 3 launched missiles in every direction, hitting forty planets including Cyclopia. Luckily, before the crash, Cyclopia's smartest scientist managed to save a baby that was possibly Leela. Alcazar was employed as a pool cleaner and was spared from the chaos while fishing out a dead possum
Possum
A possum is any of about 70 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi .Possums are quadrupedal diprotodont marsupials with long tails...
. Leela decides that it is her duty to help rebuild the Cyclopian civilization, which primarily includes marrying Alcazar. While Bender loots everything of value, Fry tries to find out "what makes the Forbidden Valley so forbidden," and stumbles right into the dungeon. Now that Leela is committed to Alcazar for the good of their race, he becomes abusive to her, demanding she carry out menial work and humiliating her in front of his friends, an anthropomorphic rat couple and a pig. While he is in the dungeon, Fry tries to convince Leela to dump Alcazar; he almost persuades her when Alcazar proposes marriage. Flattered, she accepts.
As the wedding begins, Fry and Bender break into the Forbidden Valley to find out Alcazar's secret and discover to their amazement four other castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
s, identical except that the decorations show different types of aliens
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
. They arrive back at Leela's wedding just before she is about to say "I do" and bring a surprise—four other women, each the last of her species like Leela. Alcazar, flustered, tries to reason with the women, shape-shifting each time to match their form; the women quickly beat him into submission, and he takes his real form, a grasshopper-like alien. He explains that he played with their emotions because he wanted to "make it with five weirdos" and get them to become his personal maids, and that he had to stage all the weddings on one day because tuxedos that change shape are expensive to rent. All five of the women reject him, and Leela goes home with the rest of the Planet Express crew. The episode ends with Leela sadly contemplating her desire to find her true species, wondering "How many planets could there be?" as she looks out at a vast, starry space. However, the Professor tells Leela she will have many years to search for her home, considering the amount of time she will spend paying for the popcorn shipment she destroyed.
Reception
Color stylist Bari Kumar won an Emmy award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for this episode in 2000. Susie DietterSusie Dietter
Susan E. Dietter, usually credited as Susie Dietter, is an American director, known primarily for her work on television cartoons. She has directed episodes of the popular series Futurama, Baby Blues, The Simpsons, Recess and The Critic. She also worked as an animator for the modern-day Looney...
was nominated for an Annie Award
Annie Award
The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972...
in 2000 for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television Production" for this episode; she lost to Brian Sheesley
Brian Sheesley
Brian Sheesley is an animation director who has worked on several comedy shows, including directing duties on The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, two episodes of The Critic, nine episodes of Futurama and two episodes of King of the Hill...
for the Futurama episode "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?
Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?
"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. The episode is a parody of the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Amok Time".-Plot:...
". In Doug Pratt's DVD, Pratt noted that this episode was his favorite of the second season. In particular, he notes that the virtual reality sequence at the beginning was very witty and the overall plot was entertaining.
In its initial airing, the episode received a Nielsen rating of 4.0/7, placing it 86th among primetime shows for the week of March 13–19, 2000.
Ratings
This episode was rated TV-14 for suggestive dialogue (D) in the United States, the third time for Futurama.Cultural references
Katey Segal's role as Peggy Bundy on the TV show Married... with ChildrenMarried... with Children
Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
is parodied when she dresses in a similar fashion to Peggy with Alkazar sitting on his couch with one hand down his trousers a-la Al Bundy in a scene that also lampoons the show's dysfunctional family sitcom style and marriage/sex related jokes.
In the beginning of the episode, when Bender opens the portal to the internet, Fry's exclamation of "My God, it's full of ads!" is a reference to Dave Bowman's line in 2010: The Year We Make Contact of "My God...it's full of stars." As the portal opens, the characteristic theme Also Sprach Zarathustra from 2001: A Space Odyssey can be heard.
When making the popcorn delivery, to Cineplex 14, the name of the planet is a spoof of the Canadian company Cineplex Entertainment. Later when the popcorn is thrown into the sun, it makes a shape of a galaxy, the logo of Galaxy Cinemas, one of the companies that merged to make Cineplex Entertainment.
One of Alkazars fiancees resembles Great Race of Yith
Great Race of Yith
The Great Race of Yith are aliens in the Cthulhu Mythos of H. P. Lovecraft. They first appeared in Lovecraft's short story "The Shadow Out of Time" . They are called the Great Race because they are the only beings to have mastered time travel...
as depicted on the cover of the June 1936 issue of Astounding Stories
Analog Science Fiction and Fact
Analog Science Fiction and Fact is an American science fiction magazine. As of 2011, it is the longest running continuously published magazine of that genre...
.
External links
- A Bicyclops Built for Two at The Infosphere.