A Head in the Polls
Encyclopedia
"A Head in the Polls" is the third episode in the second production season of Futurama
. It originally aired in North America
on December 12, 1999 as episode seven in the second broadcast season. The episode was written by J. Stewart Burns
and directed by Bret Haaland
. Claudia Schiffer
makes a guest appearance as herself. The title is a pun on the common phrase "Ahead in the poll
s".
as candidates. Leela, appalled by the apathy of the Planet Express crew, exhorts them to register to vote. Meanwhile, a mining disaster sends the price of titanium
through the roof, and Bender seizes the opportunity to make a quick buck by pawning
his 40% titanium body.
As a head with a pile of cash, Bender begins enjoying his new lifestyle. During a trip to the Hall of Presidents in the New New York Head Museum, Richard Nixon
's head ruins Bender's illusions about the glamour of a life without a body. The next day Bender heads off to the pawn shop to retrieve his body, but it has been sold. Later, Nixon's head announces its candidacy for President of Earth, using Bender's body to escape a constitutional provision that "nobody can be elected more than twice".
Fry
, Leela, and Bender take off to Washington, D.C.
to stop Nixon and recover Bender's body. Directly confronting Nixon fails to recover Bender's body, so the crew infiltrates Nixon's room at the Watergate Hotel. Leela successfully separates the sleeping head from the robot body, but Fry accidentally wakes Nixon. Confronting the intruders, Nixon begins ranting about his future plans for Earth. However, Bender records the conversation and knowing that the tape would ruin his election chances if released, Nixon trades the body for the tape.
On election day, Nixon wins by a single vote. He regained the robot vote by replacing Bender's body with a giant war robot
while Leela and Fry forgot to vote against him. The episode ends with Nixon on a rampage through Washington D.C., escorted by Secret Service
agents into the White House.
of The Twilight Zone
featured in multiple episodes. At the beginning of this episode the classic Twilight Zone episode "Time Enough at Last
" is spoofed.
This episode contains numerous references to Richard Nixon's presidency and political career:
References to other aspects and events in the American political system are also made:
Other cultural references include:
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 December 12, 1999 as episode seven in the second broadcast season. The episode was written by J. Stewart Burns
J. Stewart Burns
J. Stewart Burns is a television writer and producer most notable for his work on Unhappily Ever After, The Simpsons and Futurama....
and directed by Bret Haaland
Bret Haaland
Bret Haaland is an American animation director. He worked on The Simpsons during the first season as a layout artist. He has directed episodes of The Critic, Futurama and Father of the Pride...
. Claudia Schiffer
Claudia Schiffer
Claudia Schiffer is a German model and occasional actress, who reached the peak of her popularity during the 1990s, initially due to her resemblance to Brigitte Bardot. Schiffer is one of the world's most successful models, having appeared on over 500 magazine covers...
makes a guest appearance as herself. The title is a pun on the common phrase "Ahead in the poll
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
s".
Plot
The election race for President of Earth is in full swing, with two identical clonesHuman cloning
Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a human. It does not usually refer to monozygotic multiple births nor the reproduction of human cells or tissue. The ethics of cloning is an extremely controversial issue...
as candidates. Leela, appalled by the apathy of the Planet Express crew, exhorts them to register to vote. Meanwhile, a mining disaster sends the price of titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
through the roof, and Bender seizes the opportunity to make a quick buck by pawning
Pawnbroker
A pawnbroker is an individual or business that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as collateral...
his 40% titanium body.
As a head with a pile of cash, Bender begins enjoying his new lifestyle. During a trip to the Hall of Presidents in the New New York Head Museum, Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
's head ruins Bender's illusions about the glamour of a life without a body. The next day Bender heads off to the pawn shop to retrieve his body, but it has been sold. Later, Nixon's head announces its candidacy for President of Earth, using Bender's body to escape a constitutional provision that "nobody can be elected more than twice".
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:...
, Leela, and Bender take off to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to stop Nixon and recover Bender's body. Directly confronting Nixon fails to recover Bender's body, so the crew infiltrates Nixon's room at the Watergate Hotel. Leela successfully separates the sleeping head from the robot body, but Fry accidentally wakes Nixon. Confronting the intruders, Nixon begins ranting about his future plans for Earth. However, Bender records the conversation and knowing that the tape would ruin his election chances if released, Nixon trades the body for the tape.
On election day, Nixon wins by a single vote. He regained the robot vote by replacing Bender's body with a giant war robot
Super Robot
is a term used in manga and anime to describe a giant robot or mecha, with an arsenal of fantastic super-powered weapons, extreme resistance to damage unless the plot calls for it, sometimes transformable or combined from two or more robots and/or vehicles usually piloted by young, daring heroes,...
while Leela and Fry forgot to vote against him. The episode ends with Nixon on a rampage through Washington D.C., escorted by Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
agents into the White House.
Reception
In Doug Pratt's DVD, Pratt opined that this episode was one of the "less inspired" episodes of the second season.Continuity
Nixon's head would continue to be president throughout the series and into the four direct-to-video feature films. However, he does not use the supersuit he had at the end of the episode ever again.Cultural references
This episode is the first to heavily feature the character of Richard Nixon's head. Although Nixon is often remembered only as "Tricky Dick" the writers for this episode not only mocked his "ruthless drive" but also showed his resilience and relevance. This episode also showcases the show-within-a-show The Scary Door, a parodyParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
featured in multiple episodes. At the beginning of this episode the classic Twilight Zone episode "Time Enough at Last
Time Enough at Last
"Time Enough at Last" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It was adapted from a short story by Lyn Venable , which had been published in the January 1953 edition of the science fiction magazine If: Worlds of Science Fiction...
" is spoofed.
This episode contains numerous references to Richard Nixon's presidency and political career:
- The Watergate Scandal: When Leela is breaking into Nixon's room, Fry asks why he is staying at the Watergate, and Leela responds "They give you a discount if you've been here before", referring to the Watergate scandal. (Nixon, however, was not part of the group that broke into the Watergate complex.)
- Nixon says later, "Don't expect me to grant a pardon like that sissy Ford," a reference to Gerald Ford's pardoning of him of the Watergate scandal.
- When Nixon discloses what he plans on doing when he is sworn in as president, Bender records it on audio tape, which is a reference to the Watergate tapesWatergate tapesThe Watergate tapes, a subset of the Nixon tapes, are a collection of recordings of conversations between Richard Nixon and his fellow conspirators plotting a break in to the Watergate Hotel. U.S. President Richard Nixon and various White House staff started communicating on February 1971 and...
. - Foreign Relations: Nixon tells Fry, Bender, and Leela to leave his room "before I get Cambodian on your asses", a reference to the U.S. aerial bombardment of Cambodia during his presidency. He also repeatedly refers to them as hippies and Communists. Leela also mentions his re-opening of relations with China.
- The head of his dog Checkers (namesake of Nixon's notorious Checkers speechCheckers speechThe Checkers speech or Fund speech was an address made by Richard Nixon, the Republican vice presidential candidate and junior United States Senator from California, on television and radio on September 23, 1952. Senator Nixon had been accused of improprieties relating to a fund established by his...
) is also in a jar on a shelf in his dressing room. - The Checkers speechCheckers speechThe Checkers speech or Fund speech was an address made by Richard Nixon, the Republican vice presidential candidate and junior United States Senator from California, on television and radio on September 23, 1952. Senator Nixon had been accused of improprieties relating to a fund established by his...
is also referenced when Nixon's head recalls his former body as "... flabby, pasty-skinned, riddled with phlebitis — a good Republican body," a description alluding to the line in that speech in which he claimed his wife wore not an extravagant mink coat, but rather "a respectable Republican cloth coat." - During the debate, Richard Nixon's jar begins to sweat profusely due to the sensitive nature of a question. This is a reference to Nixon's first televised presidential debate of 1960 against John F. KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. Nixon's appearance in the 1960 televised debate caused him to look old and sweaty.
References to other aspects and events in the American political system are also made:
- The names of the two clones' respective parties, the Tastycrats and the Fingerlicans, are obvious parodies of the DemocratsDemocratic Party (United States)The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
and the RepublicansRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. - The head of Gerald FordGerald FordGerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
says, "Frankly, I've never felt voting to be all that essential to the process," to which Richard Nixon's head replies, "No kidding, Ford." This is a reference to Ford being the only U.S. president and vice-president never actually elected to either office. - When explaining why they could not allow Bender to move in at the Head Museum's Presidential head exhibition, the head of George H. W. BushGeorge H. W. BushGeorge Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
expresses that they cannot allow "every TomThomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, DickRichard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
and HarryHarry S. TrumanHarry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
to move in" before immediately apologizing to the heads of Jefferson, Nixon and Truman, having offensively referred to their first names. - The 22nd Amendment to the constitution reads, "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice...". Nixon uses the key word of "body" to justify running again, as he now had Bender's body, hence not the same body he had before.
- A closet of "Presidential Losers" is seen, which is inhabited by Bob DoleBob DoleRobert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
, Lyndon LaRoucheLyndon LaRoucheLyndon Hermyle LaRouche, Jr. is an American political activist and founder of a network of political committees, parties, and publications known collectively as the LaRouche movement...
, H. Ross Perot, Walter MondaleWalter MondaleWalter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States , under President Jimmy Carter, and as a United States Senator for Minnesota...
, Michael DukakisMichael DukakisMichael Stanley Dukakis served as the 65th and 67th Governor of Massachusetts from 1975–1979 and from 1983–1991, and was the Democratic presidential nominee in 1988. He was born to Greek immigrants in Brookline, Massachusetts, also the birthplace of John F. Kennedy, and was the longest serving...
(who is not named) and an unidentified man (who was scripted to be George WallaceGeorge WallaceGeorge Corley Wallace, Jr. was the 45th Governor of Alabama, serving four terms: 1963–1967, 1971–1979 and 1983–1987. "The most influential loser" in 20th-century U.S. politics, according to biographers Dan T. Carter and Stephan Lesher, he ran for U.S...
, but changed at the last minute to avoid causing controversy over Wallace's segregationist platform). Rob ReinerRob ReinerRobert "Rob" Reiner is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and political activist.As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie and Edith Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s...
also appears, despite never having run for political office; this was due to David X. CohenDavid X. CohenDavid Samuel Cohen , primarily known as David X. Cohen, is an American television writer. He has written for The Simpsons and he is the head writer and executive producer of Futurama.-Early life:...
and several other Futurama producers hating The American President, which Reiner directed.
Other cultural references include:
- While living it up as a rich head, Bender orders a martini "shaken, not stirredShaken, not stirred"Shaken, not stirred" is a catchphrase of Ian Fleming's fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond, and his preference for how he wished his martini prepared. The phrase first appears in the novel Diamonds Are Forever , though Bond does not actually say the line until Dr...
", a reference to the famous James BondJames Bond (character)Royal Navy Commander James Bond, CMG, RNVR is a fictional character created by journalist and novelist Ian Fleming in 1953. He is the main protagonist of the James Bond series of novels, films, comics and video games...
line. - While dreaming, Nixon references Betty FriedanBetty FriedanBetty Friedan was an American writer, activist, and feminist.A leading figure in the Women's Movement in the United States, her 1963 book The Feminine Mystique is often credited with sparking the "second wave" of American feminism in the twentieth century...
, an influential feminist. - As the group is walking in the head museum, Leela and Bender's head pass by a section with the heads of TV stars, one of which is Katey SagalKatey SagalCatherine Louise "Katey" Sagal is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She first achieved widespread fame as Peggy Bundy on the long-running Fox comedy series Married.....
, best known as Peg Bundy on Married...With Children and the voice of Leela on this show. - In Bender's dream, a two does appear in the lower right part of the screen. The binary code in the final frame before the bigger numbers appear can be translated into the sentence "get a life".
- When Amy goes to the hemp booth, the hippie says "Dave's not here, man." This is a reference to the stand up comedy duo Cheech and ChongCheech and ChongCheech & Chong are a comedy duo consisting of Richard "Cheech" Marin and Tommy Chong, who found a wide audience in the 1970s and 1980s for their films and stand-up routines, which were based on the hippie and free love era, and especially drug culture movements, most notably their love for...
. - During his speech, Nixon sings the song "White RabbitWhite Rabbit (song)"White Rabbit" is a song from Jefferson Airplane's 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow. It was released as a single and became the band's second top ten success, peaking at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100...
" by Jefferson AirplaneJefferson AirplaneJefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
.
Trivia
A sample from this episode was used in the Devin Townsend song "Bend it like Bender". It features Bender saying "Game's over losers, I have all the money".External links
- A head in the Polls at The New York Times Movies
- A Head in the Polls at The Infosphere.