Insane in the Mainframe
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"Insane in the Mainframe" | |
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Peter Avanzino | |
Written by | Bill Odenkirk |
Production code | 3ACV11 |
Original air date | April 8, 2001 |
Episode features | |
Opening caption | Bender's Humor by Microsoft Joke |
Opening cartoon | "The Mild West" by Fleischer and Famous Studios (1947) |
"Insane in the Mainframe" is the eleventh episode in the
The episode introduces the recurring Futurama character
Plot
After spending $100 (his entire life savings) 'investing' in lottery tickets,
Once there, Fry undergoes a torturous physical examination, to Bender's enjoyment. To make matters worse, the doctors refuse to acknowledge that Fry is human, due to their logic that, if Fry is a patient in a robot asylum, he must be a robot, completely disregarding that he is a biological life form. Fry is roomed with car salesman
When Fry thinks he is going to be released, Malfunctioning Eddie gets released instead, and Fry gets a new roommate: the insane bank robber Roberto, who was captured after robbing the same bank again. The day after suffering a complete mental breakdown, Fry is released, having been "cured" of his delusion of humanity, causing him to think he is a robot. Roberto, fed up with life in the asylum, breaks out and takes Bender with him.
Back at the Planet Express building, Fry attempts to discover his function as a robot. He has no success as a "foodmotron" since no one wishes to eat the sandwiches from his "compartment" (the crotch of his pants), nor as a calculator since he cannot identify a plus sign, nor as a toolbot since he cannot unscrew a bolt with his bare fingers (even after he puts oil in his armpits). Fed up with Fry's attempts at proving he is a robot, Leela passionately kisses Fry in order to remind him of his humanity, but it fails to work.
A newly escaped Roberto decides to rob the Big Apple Bank a third time, and Bender takes him back to the Planet Express building to hide out after nearly getting caught. The New New York police surround the building, and Roberto takes the staff hostage, including Bender who is now convinced that Roberto is a maniac. After waking up from a drunken stupor induced by "refueling" with alcohol, Fry, now convinced that he is a
Cultural references
- The title is a reference to the 1993 Cypress Hill song "Insane in the Brain". It also doubles as a reference to the lyric "insane in the membrane", which is often mistaken as the title of the song.
- The name "HAL Institute for Criminally Insane Robots" refers to HAL 9000, a spaceship-installed robot from the Space Odyssey series that murderously turns against its human crew.
- The robot Nurse Ratchet is an allusion to the Autobot superhero in the Transformersrobot superhero franchise.
- Fry's being assumed to be insane because he is in an insane asylum is a reference to the Rosenhan experiment.
- The short story "The Sanatorium of Dr. Stanislaw Lemtakes place in a robot insane asylum, and includes several similar characters, including a robot who is convinced he is human.
- The Linctron is based on, and is a reference to, the Audio-Animatronic Abraham Lincoln in the Disneyland attraction, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
- During the scene in the cafeteria a robot in a hat represents a Alice in Wonderlandsaying "Change places".
Reception
The A.V. Club gave the episode an A−.[1]
References
- ^ "Futurama: "Insane In The Mainframe"/ "I Dated A Robot"". 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
External links
- "Insane in the Mainframe" at the Infosphere, the Futurama Wiki.
- "Insane in the Mainframe" at IMDb