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| Just hope the silent majority doesn't mind Robot bodies, Richard Nixon. |
Speaking of which, Earth is holding an election to determine who will be the next President of the Planet. The two candidates up for election - Jack Johnson and John Jackson - are not only identical clones, their political positions (despite being members of the Tastycrats and the Fingerlicans, respectively) are completely identical.
Nixon, having listened to Bender's story, decides to buy Bender's body and use it to run in the election (citing a loophole in the Constitution). Disgusted, Bender, Fry, and Leela realize that the only way they're getting the body back is through a break-in at a hotel in Washington.
Review (SPOILER ALERT!): Studying politics is right up there with studying history, watching science fiction dramedies, and eating Taco Bell on my list of "favorite pastimes". It's a world of tragedy, comedy, and backstabbing that shapes the way we live.
There's a Futurama episode about that, and it is hysterical - probably gonna be my favourite of the season.
The centerpiece of this episode is the brutal analysis of the American political system - simultaneously, the most fascinating and boring system of government in the world. Fascinating because of the amount of power it lords over the world (literally, in Futurama's case), and boring due to the lack of challenge presented in the elections.
Take, for example, Johnson and Jackson. They are as bland candidates as there ever was - clean hair, suits, bland rhetoric, and little to no difference between the two. ("I say your 3¢ titanium tax goes too far!" "And I say your $.03 titanium tax doesn't go far enough!") For those unaware, this seemed to be the state of American politics in the 90s. Ronald Reagan dragged the nation so far to the right, that left-ish economics became almost anathema for two decades - Bill Clinton's social democratic health care proposals led the conservative-leaning Republican Party to a landslide victory in the 1994 congressional elections, and thus, Clinton had to become a relative fiscal conservative to maintain power.
Even today, you'll find that, in practice, there's no radical difference in between the Republican and Democratic parties - both support a healthy private sector, believe in American exceptionalism, and reject outright socialism (although the Democrats are lukewarm supporters of pseudo-Social Democracy, something that a good chunk of Republicans are downright critical of even in the vaguest terms.)
Enter Richard Nixon, and his... eccentric behavior. Nixon, for those unaware, is one of the most colorful figures in American history. Elected as a moderate conservative, Nixon was known for his normalization of American-Chinese relations, as well as the passage of the EPA and (after initially increasing the troop amounts) winding down the Vietnam War. However, he was also really paranoid - possibly over rumors that surfaced during his time as Vice President in the 50s - and kept a list of people he regarded as enemies. His re-election campaign, in retribution, tried to get as much dirt on the Democrats as possible. One instance had a break-in and wire-tap at the Watergate Complex, the offices of the Democratic Party. When Nixon found out, he tried to effectively cover up the break-in. Two years and a Supreme Court decision later, he wound up being the first president to resign the presidency before the end of a term.
The fact that Nixon could be a star candidate in the Futurama universe is a tool that the writers use to show just how messed up the Year 3000 is. Oh, and while Johnson and Jackson are inoffensive centrists who might have slight left-leaning tendencies ($.03 titanium tax), Nixon has few political positions discussed in this episode. He's just in it to get a whiff of that old power back.
On one hand, he does seem sympathetic at first - he does recognize that he has been only part of a man since he was put in the head museum, and his attempts to get back into office do lend some sympathy for the character. Then he actually reveals himself to the public, and that sympathy begins flying out the window. By the time Fry, Leela, and Bender break into the Watergate hotel, you just want his head punted out a window.
Other characters also get a turn in the spotlight. Only two prior episodes really focused on Bender, and mainly served as a guide to his madness, or tried to make him more sympathetic. Here, he just goes out and has fun, acting on a complete impulse. And he pays emotionally.
Of particular note is the ending. I'm just going to say that turnout in the 2014 midterms was 36.4% and let you figure out the lesson and this episode's ending.
Y'know what? Forget it!
NIXON'S BACK!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, and this episode was great.
Tidbits:
- Oh, the Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton jokes I could make!
- I liked how Nixon described his old body: "Flabby, pasty-skinned, riddled with phlebitis... a good Republican body! God, I loved it!"
- In hindsight, the joke about "only losers and mutants join third parties" makes Amy come off as a bit cold. I mean, given that the Mutants, when people do know about them, are treated as an underclass... a bit of dark humor, eh?
- "Frankly, I never felt voting to be all that essential to the democratic process." - President Gerald Ford. This is a joke that is aimed for people with even a cursory knowledge of the History of the American Presidency, and I like that. In October 1974, Gerald Ford was appointed Vice President after VP Spiro Agnew stood down (exposure of bribery did him in), and Ford was the only one that was suggested to Nixon. Ten months later, Nixon stood down, and Ford ascended to the presidency. Two years after that, he ran for his own mandate... and lost to Jimmy Carter, the Georgian Governor. Thus, Ford was the only President to never win an election to the Executive Branch.
- If there is a flaw, I dunno - I felt like Bender coming off of the high he felt when hocking his body seemed a bit rushed. But, with the great political humor that ensued, I don't mind that much. Plus, he was brought down by Nixon - arguably more callous and criminal than Bender in this universe.
Least Favorite Scene: One note to make is that, according to the journalist at Nixon's press conference, he mentions that "nobody can be elected twice", citing the Constitution. Nixon exploits that loophole. This alone implies that the United States overtook the rest of the world. However, given Leela's statement that "the United States is part of Earth", it implies that the US is still it's own separate political entity - just less powerful than the Earthican Government. The writers done goofed up.
Memorable Quote: Read what I put for "Favorite Scene", and apply it to here.
Score: 9.
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