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| Thank you, Dewey Decimal System. You destroyed the universe. |
"Brain! Brain make people dumb!" "No, Leela. Brain make people smart." - Leela and Fry. No, I did not mix up that order.Airdate: February 18th, 2001.
Written By: Jeff Westbrook and David X. Cohen
Plot: Leela is disenchanted at how stupid Nibbler appears, not doing anything but cause trouble at a pet competition. However, when brains attack the Earth, Leela catches Nibbler as he boards a mini space shuttle, back to his home planet of Eternium. There, the Nibblonians introduce themselves as an intellectual (if cute) species determined to tackle the Brainspawn. The Brainspawn feed off of the Delta Brainwave, making everybody in their path stupid, and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. The one person that can save them? Fry, who happens to lack a Delta Brainwave.
Review:
Season 3 is, again, often cited as the season which started Futurama's rise from merely being a great show to being a sublime show. If "Parasites Lost" launched the central romantic relationship in the franchise, and "Luck of the Fryrish" give emotional levity to it's central plot, than "The Day The Earth Stood Stupid" stands out as one of the most inventive science fiction elements in the history of the show - all while being drop. Dead. Funny.
Ironically, I think this episode owes a small debt to two famed sci-fi franchises. The first lies in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and it's famed antagonists, The Borg. According to Q, "They are the ultimate user." They assimilate the species they consider the brightest within their ranks, forcing them into a collective, soulless entity under the guise of perfection. So torturous was the assimilation process that even Captain Picard declared that killing those mid-assimilation would "be doing them a favor".
The second, the Daleks from Doctor Who. Built out of a plunger and some pots and pans, all they seek to do is exterminate the entire universe of anything non-Dalek, and rule over a dry, mindless universe. Psychopathic and dedicated to their craft, they were the chief enemies of the Doctor, and tormented him for many years - up to and including via elevation.
What do you get when Futurama gets ahold of these ideas? The Brainspawn.
The Brainspawn are, as their name suggests, a bunch of sentient brains who want to wipe out all sort of consciousness possible. Why? For some reason, the mere act of others using conscious thought causes them agony. It's heavily implied that, well, the entire universe is run by morons. Their desire to wipe out all thought is, on one hand, understandable. On the other hand, it's still psychopathic.
Their actions do seem self-defeating at first glance. If you dumb people down, than what are you trying to do? Their idiocy is only going to be just as painful. Of course, they ignore it by shutting down the delta brain wave that emanates their thoughts.
This leads us to part 2 of what their true goal is - eradicating all thought by eradicating those who do think. They do so by turning them into such incompetents that they are effectively unable to survive for long. Thus, the Brainspawn can think in peace... if they weren't lead by a dictatorial "big brain". This Big Brain's goal is simple - erase all counter-thought in order to secure his spot of "universal domination", and justify it under the cause of "everybody is stupid." A good excuse, but not a valid one.
Good news? There is one animal that does not emit a delta brainwave. The bad news? It's Fry. Possibly because of his lack of a Delta Brainwave, he's an eccentric and a goof from the start. He doesn't cross the line into totally brainless idiocy in this episode, but his silliness does make it clear that our hero is truly unconventional. It's a thin fine line, and while Fry toes that line, he never seems to cross it - coming off as clever in his own eccentric way.
There's also a little bit of Freela in this episode. Fry did write in his own death, causing Leela to scream out in agony. Of course, this was all fake, but the exposure that this was all a figment of Fry's pen does leave in this one line -
Also incredible is the reveal that Nibbler is a hyper-intelligent being, part of the advanced (and pretty damned cute) Nibblonian species. On one hand, this does cock an eyebrow at some of his earlier, more animal-like behavior (such as in "I Second That Emotion"). On the other hand, this episode does make him fairly likable - somewhat resentful of his species reputation as "cute". ("Sometimes, I fear we are cute." "Oh, Nibble-snoosh!") Frank Welker, thankfully, takes his character to the next level, what with his deep voice.
Oh, not to mention - this episode is downright hysterical. Every single scene had me in stitches - the pet competition (with Bender entering Zoidberg), the Nibblonians, the sheer stupidity of everybody, the literary parodies - all of it is pure gold. It represents Futurama's comedy at some of it's finest. While probably not the funniest episode, it's certainly in my top five "funniest".
And, indeed, it is one of the most memorable episodes of the show. While just missing my "Best Episodes" label, it is a very, very funny episode, as well as a very smart take on how one can turn a goofy, incompetent society, and make that look normal by comparison. Good job, Mr. Cohen and Mr. Westbrook, you brilliant geeks!
And besides, if the Futurama universe is based off of our universe, that says something deeper, doesn't it? Well... all glory to the Hypnotoad!
What do you get when Futurama gets ahold of these ideas? The Brainspawn.
The Brainspawn are, as their name suggests, a bunch of sentient brains who want to wipe out all sort of consciousness possible. Why? For some reason, the mere act of others using conscious thought causes them agony. It's heavily implied that, well, the entire universe is run by morons. Their desire to wipe out all thought is, on one hand, understandable. On the other hand, it's still psychopathic.
Their actions do seem self-defeating at first glance. If you dumb people down, than what are you trying to do? Their idiocy is only going to be just as painful. Of course, they ignore it by shutting down the delta brain wave that emanates their thoughts.
This leads us to part 2 of what their true goal is - eradicating all thought by eradicating those who do think. They do so by turning them into such incompetents that they are effectively unable to survive for long. Thus, the Brainspawn can think in peace... if they weren't lead by a dictatorial "big brain". This Big Brain's goal is simple - erase all counter-thought in order to secure his spot of "universal domination", and justify it under the cause of "everybody is stupid." A good excuse, but not a valid one.
Good news? There is one animal that does not emit a delta brainwave. The bad news? It's Fry. Possibly because of his lack of a Delta Brainwave, he's an eccentric and a goof from the start. He doesn't cross the line into totally brainless idiocy in this episode, but his silliness does make it clear that our hero is truly unconventional. It's a thin fine line, and while Fry toes that line, he never seems to cross it - coming off as clever in his own eccentric way.
There's also a little bit of Freela in this episode. Fry did write in his own death, causing Leela to scream out in agony. Of course, this was all fake, but the exposure that this was all a figment of Fry's pen does leave in this one line -
Leela cried for her lost love as Fry lay dead under the heavy bookcase.For Fry, if he can create anything to defeat the Brainspawn, he may as well take a shot in the dark and hope he can have the woman he loves reciprocate his feelings. It's not a major part of this episode - the third act feels more like "Fry and Leela vs the World" rather than "Freela Shippiness", but it's still a rather interesting tangent.
Also incredible is the reveal that Nibbler is a hyper-intelligent being, part of the advanced (and pretty damned cute) Nibblonian species. On one hand, this does cock an eyebrow at some of his earlier, more animal-like behavior (such as in "I Second That Emotion"). On the other hand, this episode does make him fairly likable - somewhat resentful of his species reputation as "cute". ("Sometimes, I fear we are cute." "Oh, Nibble-snoosh!") Frank Welker, thankfully, takes his character to the next level, what with his deep voice.
Oh, not to mention - this episode is downright hysterical. Every single scene had me in stitches - the pet competition (with Bender entering Zoidberg), the Nibblonians, the sheer stupidity of everybody, the literary parodies - all of it is pure gold. It represents Futurama's comedy at some of it's finest. While probably not the funniest episode, it's certainly in my top five "funniest".
And, indeed, it is one of the most memorable episodes of the show. While just missing my "Best Episodes" label, it is a very, very funny episode, as well as a very smart take on how one can turn a goofy, incompetent society, and make that look normal by comparison. Good job, Mr. Cohen and Mr. Westbrook, you brilliant geeks!
And besides, if the Futurama universe is based off of our universe, that says something deeper, doesn't it? Well... all glory to the Hypnotoad!
Tidbits:
- This episodes debuts one of Futurama's most memorable pop culture set-pieces - the Hypnotoad. I don't know why it works - it just works. While this is it's strongest appearance, most of the Hypnotoad's scenes are funny, as far as I can recall.
- Also, kudos for making George Washington himself stupid when the Brainspawn attack, to the point where he believed the first president was Thomas Jefferson. This marks his third speaking appearance - the first being "A Head In The Polls", the second, "Put Your Head On My Shoulder".
- "Let's all join the Reform Party!" Ah, 2000 election references. With what's going on, I think there's some nostalgia going on with that debacle of an election.
- Also, I have heard that, at the recent Comic Con, Matt Groening has expressed interest in reviving Futurama. I have mixed feelings about that, but I'll get to that when I hit Seasons 6 and 7. That should be around the time the Islanders win the Stanley Cup.
- "Stephen King: A-Aardvark". I rolled. Also, I love how the Big Brain was able to absorb all of the information via the Dewey Decimal System. This episode is just a laugh riot.
Wrap Up:
Favorite Scene: Too many to list. Gotta go with Fry tricking the Big Brain by writing a book "full of plot holes and spelling errors."
Memorable Quote: "The Big Brain am winning again! I am the greetest! Muhahahaha! Now I am leaving earth for no raisin!" No prizes for guessing whom.
Best Character: Fry. While the Big Brain and Nibbler give him a run for his money, Fry stands out because this episode showcases the flashes of his intelligence.
Score: 9.25. Fantastic, funny episode.
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