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| Bender can get out of this for old time's sake. He just doesn't want to. |
Synopsis: Bender causes Elzar (his idol) to temporarily blind Leela at a live taping of his show. To try and make it up for her, he offers the crew a dinner at the restaurant. However, he stiffs them with a $1200 bill. To try and get closer to Elzar (and avoid jail), Bender agrees to work off the bill. There, he meets up with the regular diners, the Robot Mafia. Impressed with Bender's attempts to cheat him out of his change, the Donbot offers Bender a spot in the mafia. Here's the problem - his first major hit is on the Planet Express ship.
Review: I think it's time I came forward and admitted something about myself... I never saw The Godfather.
Yes, I'm aware of the horse-head-in-bed scene, and all that jazz, but I never really sat down to watch The Godfather. Most I know about the movie is that Abe Vigoda wound up taking a bit part in Good Burger, where he provided the comic relief in the deep plot about shutting down a competitor to the titular establishment. (We'll get to a plot like that in season 3.)
Oh, never saw Goodfellas, neither. Nor The Sopranos. So, as far as "mafia" movies, I'm going into this with a relatively fresh mind when it comes to the cliches and stuff.
Bender's character is the "catch all" anti-hero. Selfish, obnoxious, and constantly out for attention, it's no wonder why he's the most recognizable character from the show. This episode shows an intersection of both ends of the "anti-hero" tent - a manchild, so to speak, who gets involved with the Mafia.
Yet, it's through is involvement in the Mafia that he finally gets another test of his friendship with Fry and Leela.
Given the opportunity to satisfy his lust for, well, greed (two deadly sins for the price of one), it bites him in the end by having him target his friends. While we saw this before in "Fear of a Bot Planet", there, it was his ego and anti-human tendancies that were being satisfied until the two got thrown in. However, there, his decision to side with Fry and Leela could have been more indicative of how he realized just how extreme he was becoming - a rare moment of clarity. Here, it appears as though he sides with the two purely because they are his friends. It could also have been remorse, given that his idiocy blinded Leela. Even then, coming from Bender, his actions in the episode are impressive.
However, to counter my argument, an argument could also be made that he did so because robbing his ship could've exposed that he wasn't sick. I like how complex Bender is - did he do what he did for his own selfish motives, or because he's grown much closer to the duo?
Speaking of the duo, I did like the role reversal that Fry and Leela encountered. Normally "pigenholed" as the loopy and the sensible one, respectively, this episode flips that around by having Fry take hold of the ship, to try and counter any potential damage from a blinded Leela. Leela, herself, shows an arrogant streak in this episode - apparently, being blinded and almost arrested may have made her slightly cocky. That is, if that wasn't part of her personality beforehand.
I even liked the interaction between the Robot Mafia. Again, I don't watch crime dramas such as The Sopranos, so I can only guess as what tropes are being twisted around. One thing's for sure, they don't have a large gang - it's the three of them - and even then, they yield a large amount of power.
Between the three of them, I found that Clamps was the most well-developed. With hints of insecurity and paranoia, he was also the most entertaining of the three. The Donbot was also rather entertaining - simultaneously coming off as affable, yet also merciless and callous. He's like Bender without the jokey exterior. Joey Mousepad really served more as a "third wheel" - the sane one of the three. Kinda works as a balance between the more comic Clamps and the more serious Donbot.
Outside of that plot, we also got re-introduced to Elzar. Honestly, there is no better person for Bender to idolize. He's arrogant, egotistical, and charges somebody he blinded by accident. Granted, the last one might have been punishment directed toward Bender's actions - those that led to Elzar blinding Leela - but it still comes off as a bit crude and underhanded.
"Bender Gets Made" is a fine episode. While not necessarily the best, it's still a rather decent, entertaining half-hour of television.
Trivia:
- This episode, along with the last one, seems to seal Zoidberg as the Futurama-verse's punching bag - he gets drugged up by doctors, the after-effects cause him to experience withdrawals, and as soon as Leela crashes the ship through the roof? "That's coming out of your pay!"
- One animation error of note - at the end of the episode, Leela manages to pilot the Planet Express ship into the side of the offices. Next shot, it's in the hangar. I'm just assuming that Farnsworth commissioned a backup... or something.
- Maybe it's because I am a bit of a Taco Bell devotee, but Taco Bellvue Hospital was brilliant. "How's my cyst?" "Grande."
- As you may have noticed, the episodes are starting to get aired out of order.
- "Fronty's Meat Market - Not A Front Since 2997". I died.
Favorite Scene: Gotta be Bender's way of getting the Mafia off his and his friends' tail. Beautiful. Absolutely hilarious.
Best Character: Clamps. Leads to my...
Memorable Quote: This exchange between Joey and Clamps.
Joey Mousepad: "You better give him the clamps, Clamps!"
Clamps: "Gee, you think? You think that maybe I should use these clamps that I use every single day at every opportunity? You're a freakin' genius, ya idiot!"
Score: 7.5. Good, if not outstanding.
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