Crimes of the Hot
Encyclopedia
"Crimes of the Hot" is the eighth episode of the fourth production season of the television show Futurama
. It originally aired in North America on November 10, 2002 as the season premiere of Futuramas fifth broadcast season. The episode was written by Aaron Ehasz and directed by Peter Avanzino
. Al Gore
guest stars as his own preserved head in a jar, his second appearance in the series. The episode tackles the topic of global warming
as the Planet Express crew is sent to retrieve Earth's yearly ice supply in order to keep the planet cool. When they are unable to retrieve the ice the Earth is forced to search for other ways to solve their global warming problem. In 2003 the episode was nominated for an Environmental Media Award.
The Planet Express crew is assigned the task of gathering a new slab of ice to drop in the ocean. The crew goes to Halley's Comet, but finds that it is out of ice. With no ice left, the world's top scientists are called to a special meeting to find a new solution to the problem. Ogden Wernstrom uses a giant mirror to deflect 40% of the sun's rays, but a stray asteroid causes it to reflect the rays into a highly destructive beam. Professor Farnsworth
reveals that robots (which he invented), with their high-pollution
emissions, are the cause of the crisis. The scientists, led by Wernstrom, decide that the only course of action is to destroy all the robots on earth.
Meanwhile, Bender is moved to tears after witnessing a news report showing the migration
of turtles due to the heat and decides to rescue one from Holland. When questioned by the crew it is revealed that Bender, like the turtle, have many things in common, such as they can not get up if he falls directly on to his back. Earth President Richard Nixon's head organizes a party for the unsuspecting robots on the remote Galapagos Islands, where he plans to destroy the entire robot population with an electromagnetic blast from an orbiting EMP cannon modified by Wernstrom after his mirror. Bender, who was at the meeting of scientists and thus knows of the plan, decides, for the sake of the turtles, that he will accept his fate and attend the party.
At the party Bender is overheard saying that all the robots are doomed, causing panic. Farnsworth arrives with Fry
and Leela and delivers a solution to the robots; every last one needs to blast their exhaust vents at the same time, straight up in the sky, in order to push the earth farther from the sun, thus cooling the earth and causing the EMP cannon to miss its target. Unfortunately, during the panic Bender and the turtle are knocked onto their backs and cannot get up, which means there is not enough exhaust to move the earth. As Bender is lamenting his fate, the turtle rocks from side to side and rolls to its feet. Shocked and inspired, but not to be shown up, Bender does the same, allowing him to release his massive exhaust, just barely saving the robots from the EMP. Farnsworth receives a medal of pollution (which actually pollutes) for his work, and the extra week caused by the new orbit of the earth is declared Robot Party Week. As the robots party, they exhaust fumes, causing all organics to choke.
's father had insisted upon it; however, Cohen jokes that his father was disappointed with the episode. Halley's comet was originally going to be white and snowy in this episode, since that was what the staff's idea of a comet looked like; however, they later realized that, since the comet was "out of ice", it should be brown. The location chosen for the robot party was the Galapagos Islands because the writers thought that, if they were actually going to push the earth out of orbit, they would need to be near the equator
.
Al Gore was unable to attend the table reads of the script, so Maurice LaMarche
read his lines. He notes in the DVD commentary that Gore's daughter Kristin
, who wrote for Futurama, was also at the table read, and he jokes that this was one of the highlights of his career. Additional voice roles in the episode include Tress MacNeille
as Joan Rivers
' preserved head in a jar and LaMarche as the headless body of Spiro Agnew
. Billy West
, who voices Nixon's head, says that his impression of Nixon is not meant to be an accurate impression but it intentionally plays up certain quirks and flaws. West also voices the C-3PO
-esque robot which appears early in the professor's flashback. He accomplished the voice effect by speaking into a coffee cup during the recording of the lines.
This episode was nominated for an Environmental Media Award in the television episodic-comedy category in 2003, it lost to the episode "I Never Promised You An Organic Garden" of King of the Hill
. The episode has been used to highlight the dangers of global warming, particularly the retro-style public service announcement
shown to the Planet Express employees at the beginning of the episode. A short clip from the episode was later used in An Inconvenient Truth
to humorously explain how global warming works. Gore's appearance on Futurama is considered to be a part of his "carefully choreographed" reemergence after his loss in the 2000 Presidential election
. The appearance also allowed him to show a different side of himself rather than the "personified synonym for woodenness" he had previously been known for in order to promote his book Joined at the Heart.
The episode received a "B" rating from Sci Fi Weekly noting that while the episode was not one of the best in the series it was still a solid effort and was "funny and irreverent". The reviewer praised the voicing in the episode, particularly Gore's performance calling him "a stitch" and noted that there were many humorous moments however overall it was too scattered.
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 on November 10, 2002 as the season premiere of Futuramas fifth broadcast season. The episode was written by Aaron Ehasz and directed by Peter Avanzino
Peter Avanzino
Peter Avanzino is an American animation director. He has directed several episodes of Futurama, and currently serves as supervising director on the 6th season of the series. He has also directed episodes of Drawn Together, Duckman, The Wild Thornberrys, Sit Down, Shut Up, and The Ren and Stimpy Show...
. Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
guest stars as his own preserved head in a jar, his second appearance in the series. The episode tackles the topic of global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
as the Planet Express crew is sent to retrieve Earth's yearly ice supply in order to keep the planet cool. When they are unable to retrieve the ice the Earth is forced to search for other ways to solve their global warming problem. In 2003 the episode was nominated for an Environmental Media Award.
Plot
On Planet Earth, the days are getting hotter and hotter. The crew, looking for an explanation, watch an old movie about global warming. The film explains a temporary solution for global warming was found by dropping a mountainous slab of ice into the ocean on a regular basis to cool it (this started in 2063).The Planet Express crew is assigned the task of gathering a new slab of ice to drop in the ocean. The crew goes to Halley's Comet, but finds that it is out of ice. With no ice left, the world's top scientists are called to a special meeting to find a new solution to the problem. Ogden Wernstrom uses a giant mirror to deflect 40% of the sun's rays, but a stray asteroid causes it to reflect the rays into a highly destructive beam. Professor Farnsworth
Professor 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...
reveals that robots (which he invented), with their high-pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
emissions, are the cause of the crisis. The scientists, led by Wernstrom, decide that the only course of action is to destroy all the robots on earth.
Meanwhile, Bender is moved to tears after witnessing a news report showing the migration
Animal migration
Animal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individuals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is a ubiquitous phenomenon, found in all major animal groups, including birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and crustaceans. The trigger for the migration may be local...
of turtles due to the heat and decides to rescue one from Holland. When questioned by the crew it is revealed that Bender, like the turtle, have many things in common, such as they can not get up if he falls directly on to his back. Earth President Richard Nixon's head organizes a party for the unsuspecting robots on the remote Galapagos Islands, where he plans to destroy the entire robot population with an electromagnetic blast from an orbiting EMP cannon modified by Wernstrom after his mirror. Bender, who was at the meeting of scientists and thus knows of the plan, decides, for the sake of the turtles, that he will accept his fate and attend the party.
At the party Bender is overheard saying that all the robots are doomed, causing panic. Farnsworth arrives with 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:...
and Leela and delivers a solution to the robots; every last one needs to blast their exhaust vents at the same time, straight up in the sky, in order to push the earth farther from the sun, thus cooling the earth and causing the EMP cannon to miss its target. Unfortunately, during the panic Bender and the turtle are knocked onto their backs and cannot get up, which means there is not enough exhaust to move the earth. As Bender is lamenting his fate, the turtle rocks from side to side and rolls to its feet. Shocked and inspired, but not to be shown up, Bender does the same, allowing him to release his massive exhaust, just barely saving the robots from the EMP. Farnsworth receives a medal of pollution (which actually pollutes) for his work, and the extra week caused by the new orbit of the earth is declared Robot Party Week. As the robots party, they exhaust fumes, causing all organics to choke.
Production
The episode focuses on global warming in part because David X. CohenDavid X. Cohen
David 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:...
's father had insisted upon it; however, Cohen jokes that his father was disappointed with the episode. Halley's comet was originally going to be white and snowy in this episode, since that was what the staff's idea of a comet looked like; however, they later realized that, since the comet was "out of ice", it should be brown. The location chosen for the robot party was the Galapagos Islands because the writers thought that, if they were actually going to push the earth out of orbit, they would need to be near the equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
.
Al Gore was unable to attend the table reads of the script, so Maurice LaMarche
Maurice LaMarche
Maurice LaMarche is an Emmy Award winning Canadian-American voice actor and former stand up comedian. He is best known for his voicework in Futurama as Kif Kroker, as Egon Spengler in The Real Ghostbusters, Verminous Skumm and Duke Nukem in Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Big Bob Pataki in Hey...
read his lines. He notes in the DVD commentary that Gore's daughter Kristin
Kristin Gore
Kristin Carlson Gore is an American author and screenwriter. She is the second daughter of Al and Tipper Gore and the sister of Karenna Gore Schiff, Sarah and Albert III.-Background:...
, who wrote for Futurama, was also at the table read, and he jokes that this was one of the highlights of his career. Additional voice roles in the episode include Tress MacNeille
Tress MacNeille
Tress MacNeille is an American voice actress best known for providing various voices on the animated series The Simpsons, Futurama, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Disney's House of Mouse, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, All Grown Up!, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Dave the...
as Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers is an American comedian, television personality and actress. She is known for her brash manner; her loud, raspy voice with a heavy New York accent; and her numerous cosmetic surgeries...
' preserved head in a jar and LaMarche as the headless body of Spiro Agnew
Spiro Agnew
Spiro Theodore Agnew was the 39th Vice President of the United States , serving under President Richard Nixon, and the 55th Governor of Maryland...
. Billy West
Billy West
William Richard "Billy" West is an American voice actor. Born in Detroit but raised in the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, Billy launched his career in the early 1980s performing daily comedic routines on Boston's WBCN. He left the radio station to work on the short-lived revival...
, who voices Nixon's head, says that his impression of Nixon is not meant to be an accurate impression but it intentionally plays up certain quirks and flaws. West also voices the C-3PO
C-3PO
C-3PO is a robot character from the Star Wars universe who appears in both the original Star Wars films and the prequel trilogy. He is also a major character in the television show Droids, and appears frequently in the series' "Expanded Universe" of novels, comic books, and video games...
-esque robot which appears early in the professor's flashback. He accomplished the voice effect by speaking into a coffee cup during the recording of the lines.
Continuity
- This is the second guest appearance by Al Gore who previously appeared in the episode "Anthology of Interest IAnthology of Interest I"Anthology of Interest I" is episode sixteen in season two of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on May 21, 2000. This episode, as well as the later "Anthology of Interest II", serves to showcase three "imaginary" stories, in a manner similar to the "Treehouse of Horror" episodes of...
".
Broadcast and reception
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
. The episode has been used to highlight the dangers of global warming, particularly the retro-style public service announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
shown to the Planet Express employees at the beginning of the episode. A short clip from the episode was later used in An Inconvenient Truth
An Inconvenient Truth
An Inconvenient Truth is a 2006 documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate citizens about global warming via a comprehensive slide show that, by his own estimate, he has given more than a thousand times.Premiering at the...
to humorously explain how global warming works. Gore's appearance on Futurama is considered to be a part of his "carefully choreographed" reemergence after his loss in the 2000 Presidential election
United States presidential election, 2000
The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush , and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President....
. The appearance also allowed him to show a different side of himself rather than the "personified synonym for woodenness" he had previously been known for in order to promote his book Joined at the Heart.
The episode received a "B" rating from Sci Fi Weekly noting that while the episode was not one of the best in the series it was still a solid effort and was "funny and irreverent". The reviewer praised the voicing in the episode, particularly Gore's performance calling him "a stitch" and noted that there were many humorous moments however overall it was too scattered.
Cultural references
- Al Gore's head makes reference to the book Earth in the BalanceEarth in the BalanceEarth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit is a 1992 book written by Al Gore, published in June 1992, shortly before he was elected Vice President in the 1992 presidential election...
, written by Al Gore in 1992; the second, more popular book, entitled Harry Potter and the Balance of Earth, is a reference to the Harry PotterHarry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
book series. - Professor Farnsworth's early attempt at a robot is based on C-3POC-3POC-3PO is a robot character from the Star Wars universe who appears in both the original Star Wars films and the prequel trilogy. He is also a major character in the television show Droids, and appears frequently in the series' "Expanded Universe" of novels, comic books, and video games...
, and his later successful design strongly resembles a robot from the cover of Startling Comics #49.
External links
- Crimes of the Hot at The Infosphere.