Spanish Fry

"Spanish Fry"
Futurama episode
Episode no.	Season four Episode 17
Directed by	Peter Avanzino
Written by	Ron Weiner
Production code	4ACV17
Original air date	July 13, 2003
Opening caption	"(In Alienese) Thanks for watching, Futurama slave army!"
Opening cartoon	"Much Ado About Mutton" (1947)

"Spanish Fry" is the seventeenth episode of Season four of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on July 13, 2003, with a beatbox rendition of the opening theme performed by John DiMaggio and Billy West.

Plot

While camping in the woods on a company outing, Fry is abducted by aliens as he searches for Bigfoot. He wakes up the next morning to find that his nose has been stolen from his face. Fry learns that human noses are regarded by aliens as an aphrodisiac, called "Human Horn". Bender, Leela, and Fry discover that Fry's nose has been sold by a "porno dealing monster" to Lrrr, ruler of Omicron Persei 8.

The three travel to Omicron Persei 8, where they learn Lrrr and his (presumably second) wife, Ndnd, are having marital troubles, explaining Lrrr's purchase. After retrieving Fry's nose, Leela reattaches it by laser. However, once Bender has finished explaining some details of human anatomy to Lrrr, Lrrr orders that Fry's "lower horn" now be removed for consumption. Leela stalls the Omicronian by suggesting that he and Ndnd share a romantic dinner in the woods and work on their relationship. The dinner nearly fails; as Fry is about to get his lower horn removed, Bigfoot shows himself.

Ranger Park, the park ranger, also arrives, pleased to have finally gotten a look at Bigfoot. The ranger tries to amputate one of Bigfoot's feet as a trophy, but Lrrr prevents him. Lrrr then delivers a moving speech: Fry's wing-dang-doodle, like Bigfoot, is one of God's most beautiful creatures (around this time, the park ranger manages to at least cut off part of Bigfoot's fur coat). Ndnd then realizes that her husband is still the sensitive Omicronian she fell for. The crew quickly retreats (to a Lrrr-suggested "safe distance") as the now-happy couple passionately make love, while Bigfoot walks on, mimicking the actions of the Patterson–Gimlin film.

Behind the credits, an episode of The Scary Door shows a mad scientist creating a creature from the DNA of the universe's most evil animals, which will thus be the universe's most evil creature of all; the machine's door swings open to reveal—a Rod Serling twist—a human being, who merely says, "It turns out it's man."

Production

David X. Cohen admits that this is one of their "filthiest" episodes. As with most episodes, the space scenes were done in 3D. Among the non space scenes done in 3D was the roasting car at the alien market.

Originally, Fry was meant to look into Bender's "shiny metal ass" for his reflection but it was decided that the episode was too dirty already and it was too awkward.

A scene depicting a holographic Fry with various noses was cut after being fully animated. Matt Groening said that they deleted it because it "wasn't that funny". The scene is available on the DVD among other deleted scenes.

When watching the surveillance tape, Leela identifies Lrrr because the writers were not sure that the audience would recognize and clearly identify Lrrr.

Writer Ron Weiner admitted that Bender's offscreen quips and "woo-hoo"s were because they felt a bit guilty about all the silly jokes. Weiner also admits that the scene with Bender dancing was something he attempts to work into every episode he writes.

The Scary Door sequence at the end had been cut out of "The Birdbot of Ice-Catraz".

Broadcast and reception

In its initial airing, the episode received a Nielsen rating of 2.3/5, placing it 86th among primetime shows for the week of July 7–13, 2003.

Cultural references

• The Weinermobile is in the RV park with a vintage RV on the back. This is probably a reference to the writer.
• The title is a reference to the Spanish fly, an aphrodisiac.
• When Fry says "My nose, light of my face" it is a reference to the opening line of Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.
• Upon Fry's return to camp after having his nose abducted, Farnsworth proclaims "What in Sega Genesis happened to you?!", in reference to the 1990s video game console made by Sega.
• The lengthy tube that Fry was abducted in is a reference to a Windows screensaver with winding pipes.
• When the gang is at the market Joe Camel and an alien parody the alien dolls in the Toy Story franchise.
• Lrrr refers to Bigfoot as an "innocent giganto"; a reference to cryptozoological claims that the sasquatch may be a remnant population of Gigantopithecus.
• The opening caption this episode when translated from the show's alien language reads "Thanks for watching, Futurama slave army!"
• Lrrr references The Honeymooners with "One of these days, Ndnd - bang, zoom, straight to the third moon of Omicron Persei 8!" ("One of these days, Alice - bang, zoom, straight to the Moon!")

External links

• Spanish Fry at The Infosphere.