Neutopia (Futurama)
Encyclopedia
"Neutopia" is the fourteenth episode of the sixth season
of the animated sitcom Futurama
, and the premiere of Season 6-B
. It is the twentieth episode of the sixth season in production order, and the 102nd episode in broadcast order. It aired on Comedy Central
in the United States on June 23, 2011.
s with rivers of mercury
.
Tensions begin to arise between the male
s and female
s of the group, causing them to split into two smaller groups consisting of each gender
. They are then approached by a rock alien, who becomes fascinated by their different genders as its kind only has one gender. The alien tests the two groups on gender superiority, challenging them to reach the "Cave of Harmony" at an icy mountain before the planet reaches perihelion, which would cause everyone left outside to die from the heat. Both groups independently come up with the idea to steal parts from the other group's robot (Bender's gas compressor and the freon coil of a refrigeration fembot named Amana) to create a cooler. Hermes and LaBarbara catch each other stealing the parts and, after accusing each other of being underhanded, have sex. The next day, the rock alien saves the men and women from the heat, citing that their failure to work together as a team caused it to lose a bet with another rock creature called the "Borax
Kid." It then uses its powers to neuter the groups' genders to resolve the issue.
Now without the tension generated by the males and females, the castaways get along much better and work together to repair the crashed ship. However, Hermes and LaBarbara begin to miss the physical intimacy their genders gave them and persuade the alien to undo the change. It attempts to do so, but inadvertently switches the two groups' genders; before it can fix the mistake, Zapp Brannigan
arrives on a rescue mission and vaporizes it. Back at Planet Express, Leela and Amy take advantage of the men's gender switch and have them finish the calendar as the models. Within one day, they sell enough copies to pay off the mortgage and save their business. They then get a surprise visit from the Borax Kid, who restores everyone's correct gender (with the exception of Scruffy the janitor, who misses the Kid's arrival due to being in the bathroom).
episode "The Savage Curtain."
In the beginning, Amy is using a power loader
to hand Leela a letter.
The name of the Planet Express crew's airline service is Plan Am, a play on Pan Am airways, also using a similar logo.
Bender acting as a metal detector, needing to confiscate an old lady's artificial kneecap, is in reference to the TSA
harassing passengers during security screenings.
Zoidberg's stand-up routine on the plane is a parody of Jerry Seinfeld
's stand-up where he frequently wonders, "What's the deal with...?". Also, immediately after getting booed, Petunia requests to see four episodes of The Office
.
Hermes dismisses LaBarbara's intent to be leader by saying that, "Roller derby is not a society."
After melting in the river of mercury, when the rock creature transports both groups to the Cave of Harmony, Bender re-materializes like the T-1000 from Terminator 2, even lampshading it by saying, "I learned that from a movie."
When the genders get reversed, the female Bender, of course, looks like Coilette from "Bend Her
," an episode from season 4 where he has the professor give him a robot sex change to cheat in the Olympics
.
Futurama (season 6)
Futurama sixth production season originally aired on Comedy Central from June 24, 2010 to September 8, 2011 and consisted of 26 episodes. The season marks the change of networks from Fox to Comedy Central.David X...
of the animated sitcom Futurama
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...
, and the premiere of Season 6-B
Futurama (season 6)
Futurama sixth production season originally aired on Comedy Central from June 24, 2010 to September 8, 2011 and consisted of 26 episodes. The season marks the change of networks from Fox to Comedy Central.David X...
. It is the twentieth episode of the sixth season in production order, and the 102nd episode in broadcast order. It aired on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
in the United States on June 23, 2011.
Plot
Planet Express is facing foreclosure and the crew is trying to find a way to pay off the mortgage. Leela suggests they change the company into a commercial airline, but the men instead decide to make a pin-up calendar. Leela, Amy, and LaBarbara pose as models in skimpy clothing, forced to do so by a clause in their employment contracts, but the idea does not go smoothly. Professor Farnsworth then decides to convert the company into a private airline, but things go wrong when Fry and Hermes, who are piloting the plane, fall asleep and overshoot their destination by two days. The plane runs out of fuel and crashes on a planet made entirely of mineralMineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
s with rivers of mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
.
Tensions begin to arise between the male
Male
Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
s and female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
s of the group, causing them to split into two smaller groups consisting of each gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
. They are then approached by a rock alien, who becomes fascinated by their different genders as its kind only has one gender. The alien tests the two groups on gender superiority, challenging them to reach the "Cave of Harmony" at an icy mountain before the planet reaches perihelion, which would cause everyone left outside to die from the heat. Both groups independently come up with the idea to steal parts from the other group's robot (Bender's gas compressor and the freon coil of a refrigeration fembot named Amana) to create a cooler. Hermes and LaBarbara catch each other stealing the parts and, after accusing each other of being underhanded, have sex. The next day, the rock alien saves the men and women from the heat, citing that their failure to work together as a team caused it to lose a bet with another rock creature called the "Borax
Borax
Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. It is usually a white powder consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve easily in water.Borax has a wide variety of uses...
Kid." It then uses its powers to neuter the groups' genders to resolve the issue.
Now without the tension generated by the males and females, the castaways get along much better and work together to repair the crashed ship. However, Hermes and LaBarbara begin to miss the physical intimacy their genders gave them and persuade the alien to undo the change. It attempts to do so, but inadvertently switches the two groups' genders; before it can fix the mistake, Zapp Brannigan
Zapp Brannigan
Captain Zapp Brannigan is a fictional character in the animated sitcom Futurama. He is voiced by Billy West, but was originally intended to be voiced by Phil Hartman, with West taking over the role after Hartman's death. Brannigan is a 25-Star General in the Democratic Order of Planets, and captain...
arrives on a rescue mission and vaporizes it. Back at Planet Express, Leela and Amy take advantage of the men's gender switch and have them finish the calendar as the models. Within one day, they sell enough copies to pay off the mortgage and save their business. They then get a surprise visit from the Borax Kid, who restores everyone's correct gender (with the exception of Scruffy the janitor, who misses the Kid's arrival due to being in the bathroom).
Cultural references
The plot and the rock creature are based on the Star TrekStar Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode "The Savage Curtain."
In the beginning, Amy is using a power loader
Aliens (film)
Aliens is a 1986 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, William Hope, and Bill Paxton...
to hand Leela a letter.
The name of the Planet Express crew's airline service is Plan Am, a play on Pan Am airways, also using a similar logo.
Bender acting as a metal detector, needing to confiscate an old lady's artificial kneecap, is in reference to the TSA
Transportation Security Administration
The Transportation Security Administration is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that exercises authority over the safety and security of the traveling public in the United States....
harassing passengers during security screenings.
Zoidberg's stand-up routine on the plane is a parody of Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
's stand-up where he frequently wonders, "What's the deal with...?". Also, immediately after getting booed, Petunia requests to see four episodes of The Office
The Office
The Office is a popular mockumentary/situation comedy TV show that was first made in the UK and has now been re-made in many other countries, with overall viewership in the hundreds of millions worldwide. The original version of The Office was created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. It...
.
Hermes dismisses LaBarbara's intent to be leader by saying that, "Roller derby is not a society."
After melting in the river of mercury, when the rock creature transports both groups to the Cave of Harmony, Bender re-materializes like the T-1000 from Terminator 2, even lampshading it by saying, "I learned that from a movie."
When the genders get reversed, the female Bender, of course, looks like Coilette from "Bend Her
Bend Her
"Bend Her" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of the animated television series Futurama.-Plot summary:While attending the Earth 3004 Olympic Games with the crew to see Hermes compete in limbo , Bender feels he should compete as well...
," an episode from season 4 where he has the professor give him a robot sex change to cheat in the Olympics
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
.