Less Than Hero
| "Less Than Hero" | |
|---|---|
| Futurama episode | |
| File:Futurama ep58.jpg Captain Yesterday (Fry), Cloberella (Leela) and Super King (Bender). | |
| Episode no. | Season four |
| Directed by | Susie Dietter |
| Written by | Ron Weiner |
| Original air dates | March 2, 2003 |
| Episode features | |
| Opening cartoon | The Dover Boys, by Warner Brothers, 1942. |
"Less Than Hero" is the fourth episode in the fourth production season of Futurama. It first aired on March 2, 2003 as the sixth episode in the fifth broadcast season. The episode was directed by Susie Dietter and written by Ron Weiner.
Plot
Professor Farnsworth orders a supercollider from πKEA; and after assembling it, Fry and Leela are left with sore muscles. Dr. Zoidberg prescribes them a "miracle cream". While returning the broken supercollider to the store, Fry and Leela are mugged. They discover they are immune to laser fire and physical attacks, a side effect of the "miracle cream"; they also gain the abilities of super strength and super speed. They form a team of superheroes, the New Justice Team taking the names Captain Yesterday (combining Captain America and yesterday), Clobberella (combining clobber and Cinderella), and Bender joining them as Super King (combining Superman and king).
Leela makes a visit to CitiHall, and procures a special one-day surface pass for her mutant parents. Shortly after, the mayor summons the New Justice Team to deal with a criminal threat. The Museum of Natural History is going to be robbed of the Quantum Gemerald at 9 a.m. by a criminal mastermind called the Zookeeper, who uses trained animals to aid him in his crimes.
Leela, planning her day, schedules her parents' surface visit for 10 a.m. at the same museum. Her plans are ruined when the Zookeeper is an hour late for the theft. The New Justice Team foils the robbery, but the Zookeeper escapes. Leela's parents, convinced that Leela didn't show up because she's ashamed of them slink back to the sewers, just a moment before Leela rushes out onto the street.
Leela makes a trip to her parents' home where she reveals her superhero identity. Leela swears them to secrecy for their own protection, but Morris tells his friends, and the word spreads. Shortly after, Planet Express receives a call from the Zookeeper, who has kidnapped Leela's parents. He is willing to ransom them for the Quantum Gemerald, which he demands they steal for him.
The New Justice Team resolves to steal the gem. Unfortunately, they have run out of miracle cream, and are forced to commit the robbery without super powers. Fortunately, the museum guards still think The Team have superpowers, and the Gemerald is retrieved successfully. The Quantum Gemerald is given to the Zookeeper, who releases Leela's parents and escapes. Bender and a morally confused Fry set off to commit a few more crimes while they still have their superhero costumes, and life returns to normal.
Continuity
The device that the Zookeeper uses to get the piranhas to walk on land is part of the device Professor Wernstrom presents at the Academy of Inventors annual symposium two seasons previously in "A Big Piece of Garbage", though without the breathing apparatus. Both episodes were directed by Susie Dietter.
Production
The small robot Andrew, the mugger that threatens Fry and Leela, was based on a character in early drafts of the show referred to as "Pocket Pal", an extremely cute and annoying sidekick for Bender that was intended to drive him insane.[citation needed]
Cultural references
- This episode parodies several aspects of the 1960s Batman series complete with corny villains, exaggerated narration, cheesy costumes and comic book-style action bubbles on screen. During the climactic fight scene, when Bender is punched by a kangaroo, the inter-cut place card reads (in binary), "01001010!!!", which is 4A in hexadecimal, or AAAA!!!
- The New Justice Team's theme tune is a loose parody of the theme songs from the Batman TV series, as well as the 1967 Spider-Man animated show. The name "New Justice Team" is a parody of DC Comics' Justice League, including the logo.
- Leela's dramatic ripping of her clothes to show her parents her true identity (and subsequent revealing of yet another layer under her superhero costume) are a reference to Clark Kent's transformation into Superman.
- Heard in the credits, the phrase "Winners Don't Use Drugs" was a slogan used in many 1980s arcade machines.
- Leela's "Clobberella" name is a reference to the comic or film character Barbarella.
- Bender's quote, "We are not amused", is a reference to Queen Victoria and her famous misquote.
- The theme song lyric "And all the rest" is likely a reference to the theme song of the first season of Gilligan's Island, which used virtually the same phrase in its original theme song rather than list "second-tier" characters the Professor and Mary Ann.
- The title of this episode refers to Bret Easton Ellis' classic novel about growing up in Los Angeles Less Than Zero or the song of the same name by Elvis Costello.
- One of the powers that the cream might give them is "control of sea animals", a reference to Aquaman. Fry tried this power, but it proved ineffective (Fry yelled "Hey Zoidberg, get in here!", to which Zoidberg responded with "Screw you!")
- Bender's poem: "Nine, ten, a big fat hen," is a quote from the ubiquitous children's rhyme One, Two, Buckle My Shoe.
- Leela claims to feel like she "went 10 rounds with The Mighty Thor" upon finishing the supercollider, a reference the Norse god.
References
External links
