Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?
| "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?" | |
|---|---|
| Futurama episode | |
| File:Futurama 209 - Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?.jpg Fry and Zoidberg fight to the death. | |
| Episode no. | Season two |
| Directed by | Brian Sheesley |
| Written by | Eric Kaplan |
| Original air dates | February 6, 2000 |
| Episode features | |
| Opening cartoon | Unknown |
"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 plot is an extended parody of the Star Trek episode, "Amok Time." The title refers to the Doc Pomus song "A Teenager in Love".
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, and even develops a head fin. 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 and Zoidberg leaves depressed.
Fry begins teaching Zoidberg how to win Edna's heart using human romance techniques. Zoidberg thinks all of the answers to Fry's questions are "Ask her to Mate with me!" Eventually Zoidberg gets the idea. 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 Claw-Plock, 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, prompting an astounded Fry to shriek "You bastard, I'll kill you! You bastard!", before proceeding to beat Zoidberg with his severed arm. 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 is 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, where they are feasted on by seagulls. Zoidberg explains that members of his species die after mating and apologizes to Fry about how he acted. He felt things he never felt before: "love, jealousy, passion for disembowelling." He then tries to reattach Fry's arm but he reattaches it on the wrong side and (presumably) cuts off Fry's legs and flesh.
Continuity
- Zoidberg can dribble a basketball in this episode, but in "When Aliens Attack", he couldn't hit a volleyball without puncturing it.
- The episode of All My Circuits Fry and Bender are watching in the beginning of the episode after the Robo-Router commercial is the same one from "I, Roommate".
- Zoidberg states that members of his species die after mating, but in Bender's Game he says his parents pushed him to become a doctor. However, it could be that they were adoptive parents and not his biological ones.
- During the fight, Zoidberg slashes Dr. Z in Fry's shirt. However, when Fry announces that he refuses to kill Zoidberg, the slashmarks disappear. Possibly it was reattached.
Broadcast and reception
Brian Sheesley won an Annie Award for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television Production" for this episode in 2000.[1] The animatic for this episode is included on the Futurama volume two DVD.[2] In Doug Pratt's DVD Pratt notes this as one of the stronger episodes of the second season because of its use of character humor and the extension of the jokes beyond simple gags.[3]
In its initial airing, the episode received a Nielsen rating of 4.2/7, placing it 83rd among primetime shows for the week of January 31 - February 6, 2000. [4] This was the first episode of Futurama to air on Sundays at 7 pm, having been moved there from its previous 8:30 pm slot in favor of Malcolm in the Middle. [5] As a result, the audience for this episode dropped from a season-long average of 12 million viewers to 6.7 million viewers, at the time a series low.[6]
References
- ^ "28th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners". International Animated Film Society. 2000. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
- ^ "DVD Review: Futurama Season 2". AnimatedBliss.com. 2004-01-19. Retrieved 2008-02-09.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Pratt, Douglas. Doug Pratt's DVD: Movies, Television, Music, Art, Adult, and More!. p. 474.
- ^ "PEOPLE'S CHOICE.(Brief Article)". Broadcasting & Cable. Reed Business Information. 2000-02-14. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
- ^ de Moraes, Lisa (1999-12-02). "This Just In: CNN's Ratings Slide". Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
- ^ de Moraes, Lisa (2000-02-09). "Rampaging 'Millionaires' Pick Off Their Rivals". Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
External links
