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The Sting (Futurama)
Encyclopedia
"The Sting" is episode twelve in season four of Futurama
. It originally aired in North America
on June 1, 2003. It is arguably one of the most popular episodes of the series.
is reluctant to send the crew on their next mission, to collect honey from giant space bees, as it is a mission which killed his previous crew. Though Bender and Fry
are relieved at this news, Leela takes offense and drags them along.
At the hive, Leela paints Bender like a bee to distract the other bees while she and Fry collect the honey safely. The crew discover the remains of the previous Planet Express crew and ship in the hive, but Leela insists that they press on. After gathering the honey, Leela decides to bring home a baby queen bee and some royal jelly in order to make more honey. On the way out, Bender inadvertently insults the hive's queen, causing the bees to attack. The crew manage to escape, but in the ship the baby queen awakens and attacks the crew. Fry throws himself in front of Leela to protect her. Fry is impaled by the bee's stinger and Leela is only pricked by the tip of it. Bender disposes of the bee and Leela awakens with a minor wound on her body, and sees Fry lying dead on the floor.
At Fry's funeral, a remorseful Leela blames herself for Fry's death. After taking some space honey to calm herself down and help her sleep, Leela experiences a series of dreams in which Fry is alive, all of them ending with Fry telling her to "wake up" and Leela abruptly awakening. In one dream, Fry tells Leela that there is a gift in his locker; Leela finds it after she awakens. In another, Fry gives Leela his red jacket; Leela awakens to discover that she is wearing it, but it mysteriously turns into her own coat when she presents it to the others. Leela's insistence that Fry is alive leads the others to conclude that she is going insane; after experiencing further delusions while awake, Leela begins to suspect the same.
After awakening from a dream in which she attempts to retrieve Fry's corpse, Leela concludes that she is indeed insane. Wracked with guilt and loneliness, Leela resolves to consume enough space honey to fall asleep forever and be with Fry in her dreams, but a portrait of Fry begins to speak and implores her to stop. Fry's portrait tells Leela that he loves her and pleads with her to "wake up" one last time.
Leela awakens in the hospital to see a dishevelled, crying Fry at her bedside begging her to wake up. Fry explains that the venom in the bee's sting was completely at the tip: while he recovered completely from the attack, Leela was injected with venom and fell into a coma for seven weeks during which Fry stayed with her.
At one point in the episode, Leela is crying and takes a tissue to dry her eye. However, when she does this, she tears the tissue in half. The audio commentary notes that this was an inside joke referring to when the writers were all sick in the writer's room and saved tissues by tearing them in half.
for "Writing in an Animated Television Production". In 2006 this episode was named by IGN
as number 24 in their list of the 25 best episodes of Futurama; the episode was included in the list because of its advancement of the relationship between Fry and Leela. The Futon Critic rated it number 48 in its list of the top 50 television episodes of 2003. This episode is one of four featured in the Monster Robot Maniac Fun Collection, indicating it is one of Matt Groening's four favorite episodes.
In its initial airing, the episode received a Nielsen rating of 2.4/5, placing it 81st among primetime shows for the week of May 26 - June 1, 2003.
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 June 1, 2003. It is arguably one of the most popular episodes of the series.
Plot
Professor FarnsworthHubert J. 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...
is reluctant to send the crew on their next mission, to collect honey from giant space bees, as it is a mission which killed his previous crew. Though Bender and 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:...
are relieved at this news, Leela takes offense and drags them along.
At the hive, Leela paints Bender like a bee to distract the other bees while she and Fry collect the honey safely. The crew discover the remains of the previous Planet Express crew and ship in the hive, but Leela insists that they press on. After gathering the honey, Leela decides to bring home a baby queen bee and some royal jelly in order to make more honey. On the way out, Bender inadvertently insults the hive's queen, causing the bees to attack. The crew manage to escape, but in the ship the baby queen awakens and attacks the crew. Fry throws himself in front of Leela to protect her. Fry is impaled by the bee's stinger and Leela is only pricked by the tip of it. Bender disposes of the bee and Leela awakens with a minor wound on her body, and sees Fry lying dead on the floor.
At Fry's funeral, a remorseful Leela blames herself for Fry's death. After taking some space honey to calm herself down and help her sleep, Leela experiences a series of dreams in which Fry is alive, all of them ending with Fry telling her to "wake up" and Leela abruptly awakening. In one dream, Fry tells Leela that there is a gift in his locker; Leela finds it after she awakens. In another, Fry gives Leela his red jacket; Leela awakens to discover that she is wearing it, but it mysteriously turns into her own coat when she presents it to the others. Leela's insistence that Fry is alive leads the others to conclude that she is going insane; after experiencing further delusions while awake, Leela begins to suspect the same.
After awakening from a dream in which she attempts to retrieve Fry's corpse, Leela concludes that she is indeed insane. Wracked with guilt and loneliness, Leela resolves to consume enough space honey to fall asleep forever and be with Fry in her dreams, but a portrait of Fry begins to speak and implores her to stop. Fry's portrait tells Leela that he loves her and pleads with her to "wake up" one last time.
Leela awakens in the hospital to see a dishevelled, crying Fry at her bedside begging her to wake up. Fry explains that the venom in the bee's sting was completely at the tip: while he recovered completely from the attack, Leela was injected with venom and fell into a coma for seven weeks during which Fry stayed with her.
Production
The idea from the episode was originally inspired by an idea to kill off one of the characters and the story came together in a matter of hours after that.At one point in the episode, Leela is crying and takes a tissue to dry her eye. However, when she does this, she tears the tissue in half. The audio commentary notes that this was an inside joke referring to when the writers were all sick in the writer's room and saved tissues by tearing them in half.
Broadcast and reception
This episode was nominated for an Emmy in 2003 for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour). Writer Patric Verrone was also nominated for an Annie AwardAnnie Award
The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972...
for "Writing in an Animated Television Production". In 2006 this episode was named by IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
as number 24 in their list of the 25 best episodes of Futurama; the episode was included in the list because of its advancement of the relationship between Fry and Leela. The Futon Critic rated it number 48 in its list of the top 50 television episodes of 2003. This episode is one of four featured in the Monster Robot Maniac Fun Collection, indicating it is one of Matt Groening's four favorite episodes.
In its initial airing, the episode received a Nielsen rating of 2.4/5, placing it 81st among primetime shows for the week of May 26 - June 1, 2003.
Cultural references
- The title is taken from a 1973 film The StingThe StingThe Sting is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936 that involves a complicated plot by two professional grifters to con a mob boss . The film was directed by George Roy Hill, who previously directed Newman and Redford in the western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.Created by...
. Bender wears an outfit in the beginning similar to that worn by Robert RedfordRobert RedfordCharles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
's character, and the duplicity of the capers and events in The Sting is exaggerated as the duplicity of reality itself in this episode. - The scene where Leela wakes up wearing Fry's jacket is a reference to the 1984 film A Nightmare on Elm StreetA Nightmare on Elm StreetA Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American slasher film directed and written by Wes Craven, and the first film of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. The film features Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Amanda Wyss, Jsu Garcia, Robert Englund, and Johnny Depp in his feature film...
. - This episode is analogous to the Philip K. DickPhilip K. DickPhilip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
book UbikUbikUbik is a 1969 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. Critic Lev Grossman described it as "a deeply unsettling existential horror story, a nightmare you'll never be sure you've woken up from."-Plot synopsis:...
, in which several astronauts visit an area in space, suffer from an explosion and an extremely close shave, and then it is revealed that the characters who survived the explosion are in a coma, and characters who are supposed to have died are alive. - The scene where Leela looks into Fry's coffin and sees a tunnel of shape and color parodies 2001: A Space Odyssey2001: A Space Odyssey (film)2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
. - The bees' drone of "Don't Worry, Bee Happy" is an homage to the Bobby McFerrinBobby McFerrinRobert "Bobby" McFerrin, Jr. is an American vocalist and conductor. He is best known for his 1988 hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy". He is a ten-time Grammy Award winner.-Life:...
song "Don't Worry, Be HappyDon't Worry, Be Happy"Don't Worry, Be Happy" is a song by musician Bobby McFerrin. Released in September 1988, it became the first a cappella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a position it held for two weeks. On the UK Singles Chart, the song reached number 2 during its fifth week on the chart...
". - The scene where Bender distracts the bee and then ejects it through the airlock references the film AlienAlien (film)Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...
. - Fry being put into a torpedo and shot into space while Scruffy plays the bagpipes is a reference to Star Trek II: The Wrath of KhanStar Trek II: The Wrath of KhanStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a 1982 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the second feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise. The plot features James T...
. - Fry's regeneration is similar to the T-1000T-1000The T-1000 is a fictional nanomorph mimetic poly-alloy assassin and the main antagonist in Terminator 2: Judgment Day controlled by the series main antagonist Skynet. The T-1000 is portrayed primarily by Robert Patrick; however, being a shape-shifter, the T-1000 is played by other actors in some...
's regeneration in Terminator 2: Judgment DayTerminator 2: Judgment DayTerminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr.. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and Edward Furlong...
. - When Leela sees Fry in one of her fantasies, he appears as a smile hanging in the air before the rest of him appears, which closely resembles the way the Cheshire catCheshire CatThe Cheshire Cat is a fictional cat popularised by Lewis Carroll's depiction of it in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Known for his distinctive mischievous grin, the Cheshire Cat has had a notable impact on popular culture.-Origins:...
frequently makes an entrance or an exit in the book Alice in Wonderland. - The scene where the crew discusses the size of the bees' honeycomb is a reference to the 1970s commercials for HoneycombHoneycomb (cereal)Honeycomb is a breakfast cereal that has been made since 1965 by Post Cereals. It consists of honey-flavored corn cereal bits in a honeycomb shape. It is wheat free.-Versions:...
cereal where kids would sing the jingle 'Honeycomb's big. Yeah yeah yeah...'. There is also a later reference to the Honeycomb Hideout from the same advertisement campaign. - At Fry's funeral, the head of Chester Alan Arthur can be seen in the front row.
External links
- The Sting at The Infosphere.