Review: "How Hermes Requisitioned His Groove Back" (Season 2, Episode 11)

Airdate: April 2nd, 2000

This is where he lost his groove. (Don't worry - he doesn't jump. And no, that isn't exactly a spoiler.)

Synopsis: Hermes tries to prepare for a promotion from the Central Bureaucracy. However, all seems ruined when Bender's cheating at poker leads to the destruction of his offices. Only saved from suicide by threats of a demotion, he is put on paid leave ("the ultimate penalty") and sent to Spa 5 by Zoidberg - a nice, relaxing labor camp.

Bureaucrat Morgan Proctor takes over, and finds out that Fry is an utter slob. Being cooper up by neat freaks at the Central Bureaucracy, Proctor finds Fry's slobbishness attractive, and begins an affair that would make the Major cabinet blush, complete with granting Fry perks and demoting the rest of the crew. Once Bender finds out, well, let's just say...

"I am Bender. Please insert girder."

Review: Ah, the bureaucracy. No institution is more American than the offices often called the fourth branch of government. In many regards, bureaucrats are known as the blood of the public sector - to the point where conservatives a-la Rand Paul talk about the "federal bureaucracy" in an extremely pejorative tone. (Blogger's note - I tend to align with the more left-wing Democratic Party.) Jokes about the utter redundancy of the bureaucracy rarely get old, and this episode goes above and beyond with the satire, while also expanding on Hermes.

Hermes, after all, is an interesting way to play with what archetypes would leave you to believe. The stereotype of the relaxed Jamaican? Not present - he is probably the single most uptight character in the entire series. And while it's not like he's completely devoid of tropes associated with Jamaican characters (he knows how to limbo, although that is more tied into his character rather than any stereotypes), his neuroses provide him a more complete character.

And here, his neuroses - the idea that he might not go in order of the Bureaucracy - cause a massive breakdown, to the point where he contemplates suicide.

Thing is, Hermes got so caught up in the bureaucracy of the Bureaucracy... that he forgot his passion for organization and bureaucratic measures. It makes more sense than it sounds - people tend to work more for promotions and less because they love the job. Futurama, here, takes a rather typical social message, and twists it around with a lot of brutal irony.

"It may be false. It may be true.
But nothing has been proved..." 
- Nothing Has Been Proved, Dusty Springfield

The meat and potatoes of the episode, however, involves Morgan Proctor. Portrayed by Nora Dunn, who does a pretty good job overall, Proctor is a great example of bureaucratic hypocrisy, and using power for one's own gain.

She is quick to supplement herself in place of Hermes - reasonable, given that he was on "vacation", but her method of doing so shows a somewhat cold, calculating view of her. Once she discovers Fry's slobbishness, she quickly showcases a paranoia - punting Leela and Bender as far away from Fry as possible, and grounding Fry from his job. And once Bender puts two and two together (read, catches the duo), she effectively removes his brain. A far cry from the stolid bureaucrat she presents herself is, she is as opportunistic and callous as possible.

Granted, it could be a reaction to the fact that her job prohibits "franternization". At the very least, it leaves high-level bureaucrats in a life of celibacy. At worst, it cuts them off from any sort of acquaintances. Doesn't excuse her actions, but it does shed some light on her mental state.

Speaking of opportunistic and callous characters, Bender. As hilariously obnoxious as possible through the entire episode (cheating at Poker, encouraging Hermes to commit suicide, etc.), Fry's devotion to him is proven when Morgan removes his "in-your-face interface". Of course, even Fry understands that Bender is a "very bad friend". So, there must be a method to their friendship - and said method is their shared immaturity, their (compared to characters such as Hermes and Leela) relaxed outlook on life.

Now, the show's commentary on the bureaucracy is certainly snarky. Futurama throws it's biggest barbs towards the pointless red tape and bureaucratic hypocrisy overall, as shown by the pointless laws (such as the fraternization regulation) and the committees after committees over pointless nonsense. It's not all bad - Hermes did all but liberate a slave camp - but it's still pretty brutal.

As far as "secondary character" episodes have gone (so far)... I would say this is in the middle of the pack. Very good, but not outstanding.

Tidbits:

• Bizarrely enough, Morgan's character here can't help but remind me of the "Back to Basics" campaign that British Prime Minister John Major attempted - in 1993 he made a speech supporting something of a return to traditional values - y'know, common decency, respect for elders, all that jazz. However, said speech was undermined by Tory sleaze during the 90s, with several MPs caught up in affairs and cash-for-questions scandals. (Even Major himself wound up admitting an affair with Edwina Currie, albeit one that occurred in the 1980s.) 
• More likely, though, Morgan's role in the episode was probably inspired by Newt Gingrich's feud with President Bill Clinton in the 90s - the former a hard-line conservative, the latter, a "third way" liberal known for his sleazy personality. Ironically, Gingrich himself would engage in affairs at the end of his two marriages, and wound up investigated by the House of Representatives for ethics violations (all but one charge was dropped.) Gingrich's attempts to press the Lewinsky scandal during the 1998 election didn't go as planned, and he wound up resigning from the House at the start of 1999.
• More reflection on how poor and naive Zoidberg is - to get food, he refers people to spa resorts... by which, I mean slave labor camps. In fact, Spa 5 has his official endorsement. No wonder why nobody else would hire him, and that's if I don't take into account his medical knowledge.
• Leela's former coworkers at Applied Cryogenics reappear for the poker game. I did like how Terry and Ipji (name taken from the Infosphere) got fleshed out - Ipji hates his life, and unless I'm taking the line too literally, Terry gambles money meant for his kid.

Favorite Scene: Requisiton me a beat... yes, the Bureaucrat Song was hysterical.

Least Favorite Scene: The scene where Morgan jumps Fry after she removes Bender's empathy chip. That joke came off as a bit too rape-y for my tastes, and it seemed brushed over.

Memorable Quote: "Life, death... either way, I'm demoted to a tiny cubicle!" - Hermes. Boy, this man's life is tragic. And he's one of the more well-off characters.

Score: 8.