"Hell Is Other Robots" is the ninth episode in season one of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on May 18, 1999 as the season finale of the first broadcast season. The episode was written by Eric Kaplan and directed by Rich Moore. Guest stars in this episode include The Beastie Boys as themselves and Dan Castellaneta as the Robot Devil. The episode is one of the first to focus heavily on Bender as he develops an addiction to electricity. When this addiction becomes a problem, Bender joins the Temple of Robotology; however, after Fry and Leela successfully tempt Bender with alcohol and prostitutes, he receives a visit from the Robot Devil. This article is about the television series. ... Image File history File links Futurama_109_-_Hell_is_Other_Robots. ... is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Eric Kaplan is an American television writer, producer, and story editor. ... Rich Moore is an animation director whose credits include The Simpsons, Futurama, Baby Blues, and The Critic. ... Betty Boop and Grampy is a 1935 Fleischer Studios animated short film starring Betty Boop, and featuring Grampy. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... Michael Diamond, also known as Mike D (born November 20, 1965), is a founding member of New York hip hop trio the Beastie Boys. ... Not to be confused with Adam Horowitz. ... Daniel Louis Dan Castellaneta (born October 29, 1957) is an Emmy award winning American voice actor, actor and comedian best known for providing the voice of Homer Simpson and other characters on the long-running Fox animated series The Simpsons. ... Space Pilot 3000 is the first episode of Futuramas first season, which originally aired in North America on March 28, 1999. ... The Series Has Landed is the 2nd episode in series 1 of Futurama. ... I, Roommate is the third episode of season one of Futurama. ... Loves Labours Lost in Space is the fourth episode in season one of Futurama. ... Fear of a Bot Planet is the fifth episode in season one of Futurama. ... A Fishful of Dollars is episode six in the first season of Futurama. ... My Three Suns is episode 7 in season 1 of Futurama. ... A Big Piece of Garbage is episode 8 in season 1 of Futurama. ... The subject of this article may not satisfy the notability guideline for Television episodes. ... Mars University is episode eleven of season one of Futurama. ... When Aliens Attack is episode twelve in season one of Futurama. ... Fry and the Slurm Factory is the thirteenth episode and season finale of season one of Futurama. ... The complete Futurama DVD collection The following is an episode list for the FOX animated television series Futurama. ... This article is about the television series. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... The complete Futurama DVD collection The following is an episode list for the FOX animated television series Futurama ordered by date broadcast instead of the intended order. ... Eric Kaplan is an American television writer, producer, and story editor. ... Rich Moore is an animation director whose credits include The Simpsons, Futurama, Baby Blues, and The Critic. ... The Beastie Boys as depicted on the cover of their 1992 album Check Your Head. ... Daniel Louis Dan Castellaneta (born October 29, 1957) is an Emmy award winning American voice actor, actor and comedian best known for providing the voice of Homer Simpson and other characters on the long-running Fox animated series The Simpsons. ... Bender, full name Bender Bending Rodríguez or designated Bending Unit 22, is a fictional robot character in the animated television series Futurama. ... Robotology is a fictional religion in the animated TV series Futurama. ... Philip J. Fry is the protagonist of the animated television series Futurama and is voiced by Billy West. ... Turanga Leela (often referred to simply as Leela) (born A.D. 2975) is the primary female character in the animated television series Futurama. ... Alcoholic beverages An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol, although in chemistry the definition of alcohol includes many other compounds. ... Whore redirects here. ...

The episode introduces the Robot Devil and Reverend Lionel Preacherbot and the religion the Temple of Robotology, a Futurama spoof on the Church of Scientology. The episode received positive reviews, and was one of four featured on the DVD boxed set of Matt Groening's favorite episodes, the Monster Robot Maniac Fun Collection. Futuramas recurring robot characters: // Boxy Boxy is a crude, Dalek-like robot similar to the Gonk droid from Star Wars, that is capable of communicating only by beeping. ... Futuramas recurring robot characters: // Boxy Boxy is a crude, Dalek-like robot similar to the Gonk droid from Star Wars, that is capable of communicating only by beeping. ... Scientology cross Symbol The Church of Scientology is the largest religious organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. ...

Opening Caption

Codemned by the Space Pope

Plot

After a Beastie Boys concert Bender attends a party with his old friend, Fender, where he develops an electricity addiction. After getting a nearly lethal dose from an electrical disturbance Bender realizes he has a problem and searches for help. He joins the Temple of Robotology where he accepts the doctrine of the pain of eternal damnation in Robot Hell should he sin. After baptizing him in oil, the Reverend Lionel Preacherbot welds the symbol of Robotology to Bender's case. This article is about the Christian religious act of Baptism. ...

As Bender begins to annoy his coworkers with his new religion, Fry and Leela decide they want the old Bender back. They fake a delivery to Atlantic City and tempt Bender with alcohol, prostitutes, and easy targets for theft. He eventually succumbs, rips off the Robotology symbol and tosses it away, causing it to beep ominously. Atlantic City redirects here. ...

Bender is interrupted in the process of seducing three female robots by a knock at his hotel room door. He opens the door and is knocked unconscious. He awakens to see the Robot Devil and finds himself in Robot Hell. The Robot Devil informs Bender that he agreed to be punished for sinning when he joined Robotology. Fry and Leela discover that Bender is missing and attempt to track him down using Nibbler's sense of smell. Eventually they arrive at an abandoned New Jersey amusement park where they find the entrance to Robot Hell. Lord Nibbler is a fictional character from the animated television series Futurama. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ...

A musical number starts as the Robot Devil begins detailing Bender's punishment. As the song ends Fry and Leela arrive and try to bargain with the Robot Devil on Bender's behalf. The Robot Devil tells them that the only way to win back Bender's soul is to beat him in a musical contest using a solid gold fiddle. After a few notes it is clear Leela's fiddle playing is pathetic so she beats the Robot Devil with the fiddle instead.

As the three flee the Robot Devil's clutches Bender steals the wings off a flying torture robot, attaches them to his back and airlifts Fry and Leela to safety. Leela drops the heavy golden fiddle onto the Robot Devil's head, making them light enough to successfully escape. Bender promises to never be too good or too evil but to remain as he was before joining the Temple of Robotology.

Production

David X. Cohen and Ken Keeler traveled to New York in order to work with the Beastie Boys but after three days of waiting they gave up and returned to the studios. The audio tracks were recorded at a later date.^[1] Adam "MCA" Yauch was unavailable at the time of the recording so only Adam "King Adrock" Horovitz and Michael "Mike D" Diamond voice themselves in the episode with Horovitz also voicing Yauch. ^[2][1] The Beastie Boys perform their 1998 hit single "Intergalactic" and "Super Disco Breakin'", the first track off of their album, Hello Nasty.^[2] It was initially requested that they perform "Fight for Your Right" but they refused.^[3] David X. Cohen (born 1966), born David Samuel Cohen, is an American television writer. ... Adam Nathaniel Yauch, pronounced Yauk, also known as MCA and Nathaniel Hornblower, is a founding member of hip-hop trio the Beastie Boys. ... Not to be confused with Adam Horowitz. ... Michael Diamond, also known as Mike D (born November 20, 1965), is a founding member of New York hip hop trio the Beastie Boys. ... The Beastie Boys are a hip hop musical group from New York City consisting of Michael Mike D Diamond, Adam MCA Yauch, Adam Ad-Rock Horovitz. ... Intergalactic is a single by the Beastie Boys from their album Hello Nasty. ... Hello Nasty is an album by the Beastie Boys. ... (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party) was the first single released from the Beastie Boys breakthrough album, Licensed to Ill (1986). ...

The episode contains Futurama's first musical number.^[2] The song lyrics were written by Eric Kaplan and Ken Keeler and the music was written by Keeler and Christopher Tyng.^[1] In the DVD commentary for the episode, David X. Cohen, Matt Groening, and Eric Kaplan all agreed that they felt comfortable enough with each of the Futurama characters to begin to take them in new and strange directions.^[2][4] They also felt that the writing team had begun to loosen up. Because of their higher comfort level this episode has a feeling similar to the later episodes in the series more than to the earlier episodes.^[1] Christopher Tyng is an American composer. ... Matthew Abram Groening is an American cartoonist (Life in Hell) and the Emmy Award-winning creator of the animated series, The Simpsons and Futurama. ...

The episode features the two major social issues of drug addiction and religious conversion. David X. Cohen notes that Bender's addiction is a perfect example of something they could do with a robot character which they could not get away with had it been a human character.^[1] One person at the studio refused to work on this episode because they did not agree with the portrayal of some of the religious content.^[3] Drug addiction, or dependency is the compulsive use of drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to continue use. ... Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religious identity, or a change from one religious identity to another. ...

Themes

This episode is one of very few which focus on the religious aspects of the Futurama universe. In most episodes it is indicated that the Planet Express crew, along with most beings in the year 3000, are "remarkably unreligious".^[5][6] It introduces two of the three religious figures of Futurama, The Robot Devil and Reverend Lionel Preacherbot, both of whom make appearances in future episodes. Preacherbot, who speaks in a manner typical of inner-city African-American pastor stereotypes,^[5] converts Bender to the religion Robotology. This leads to a series of events which are similar in many ways to the experiences of real world religious converts. Mark Pinsky states that the episode has a "double-edged portrayal of religion" as it portrays both an improvement in Bender's character but also some of the "less pleasant characteristics of the newly pious".^[5] The Robot Devil is introduced after Bender's fall back into sin. While explaining to Bender his claim on his soul he uses logic similar to that used by many Southern Baptists.^[5] By the end of the episode Bender has returned to his old ways and states that he will no longer try to be either too good or too bad, a parody and contradiction of the Book of Revelation statement that one should not be lukewarm in their faith.^[5] Futuramas recurring robot characters: // Boxy Boxy is a crude, Dalek-like robot similar to the Gonk droid from Star Wars, that is capable of communicating only by beeping. ... Futuramas recurring robot characters: // Boxy Boxy is a crude, Dalek-like robot similar to the Gonk droid from Star Wars, that is capable of communicating only by beeping. ... Visions of John of Patmos, as depicted in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. ...

Cultural references

This episode contains a large amount of religious parody and thus references multiple works of fiction which also have a religious focus. The title of the episode is a riff on the famous line "Hell is other people" from Jean Paul Sartre's one act play No Exit though the episode has little to do with the actual play.^[5][6] The punishments in Robot Hell are similar to the levels and rationale which are portrayed in Dante's The Divine Comedy, specifically the Inferno.^[5] The "Fairness in Hell act", wherein one must engage in a fiddle battle to save their soul is taken directly from The Charlie Daniels Band song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia".^[5] The jokes poking fun at New Jersey in the episode are due to the fact that writer David X. Cohen and actor John DiMaggio both grew up in the Garden State.^[2] Jean Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Sartre (June 21, 1905–April 15, 1980) was a French existentialist philosopher, dramatist, novelist and critic. ... For other uses, see No Exit (disambiguation). ... Dante in a fresco series of famous men by Andrea del Castagno, ca. ... For other uses see The Divine Comedy (disambiguation), Dantes Inferno (disambiguation), and The Inferno (disambiguation) Dante shown holding a copy of The Divine Comedy, next to the entrance to Hell, the seven terraces of Mount Purgatory and the city of Florence, with the spheres of Heaven above, in Michelino... For other uses see The Divine Comedy (disambiguation), Dantes Inferno (disambiguation), and The Inferno (disambiguation) Dante shown holding a copy of The Divine Comedy, next to the entrance to Hell, the seven terraces of Mount Purgatory and the city of Florence, with the spheres of Heaven above, in Michelino... Charles Edward Daniels (born October 28, 1936) is a very popular country singer. ... The Devil Went Down to Georgia is a country song written and performed by the Charlie Daniels Band and released on their 1979 [1] album Million Mile Reflections. ...

The Temple of Robotology is a spoof of the Church of Scientology,^[7][6] and according to series creator Matt Groening he received a call from the Church of Scientology concerned about the use of a similar name.^[4] Groening's The Simpsons had previously parodied elements of Scientology, in the Season 9 episode "The Joy of Sect".^[8][9] In a review of the episode, TV Squad later posed the question: "Is the Temple of Robotology a poke at the Church of Scientology?"^[2] When TV Squad asked actor Billy West about this, he jokingly sidestepped the issue.^[2] Scientology cross Symbol The Church of Scientology is the largest religious organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Doctrine Practices Concepts People Public outreach Organization Controversy Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by American pulp fiction author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as an outgrowth of his earlier self-help system, Dianetics. ... The Simpsons Season 9 DVD Digipak. ... The Joy of Sect is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons ninth season. ... For the silent film-era actor, see Billy West (silent film actor). ...

Reception

This episode, along with its animatic version, is one of four featured in the DVD boxed set Monster Robot Maniac Fun Collection, indicating it is one of Matt Groening's four favorite episodes from the series.^[10] The DVD includes audio commentary from Matt Groening and John DiMaggio, the voice of Bender - as well as a full-length animatic of "Hell Is Other Robots."^[11][12][13] In an article on the DVD release, Winston-Salem Journal described "Hell Is Other Robots" as one of Futurama's best episodes.^[14] Dan Castellaneta's performance as the Robot Devil in this episode along with the episode "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings" was described as a "bravura appearance".^[6] Storyboards are graphic organizers such as a series of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of previsualizing a motion graphic or interactive media sequence, including website interactivity. ... DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ... An animatic is created to test dramatic timing. ... The Winston-Salem Journal is a daily newspaper primarily serving the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina and its county, Forsyth County, North Carolina. ...

John G. Nettles of PopMatters gave the episode a favorable review writing: "'Hell is Other Robots' is a terrific introduction to Bender and Futurama's irreverent humor, sly social satire, and damn catchy musical numbers."^[15] TV Squad also gave the episode a favorable review noting that the funnier material appears in "robot hell" - after Bender is "born again" in the Temple of Robotology.^[2] David Johnson of DVD Verdict described "Hell Is Other Robots" as "Not one of my favorites," and gave it a rating of "B".^[16] The episode later also led to a Dark Horse Comics book, Futurama Pop-Out People: Hell Is Other Robots.^[17] This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

See also

• List of fictional religions
• Parody religion
• Religion in Futurama
• Religious satire

This is a list of fictional religions from specific works of published fiction (films, novels, etc. ... A recent parody religion, Pastafarianism was created in 2005 to protest a decision by the Kansas State Board of Education to allow intelligent design to be taught in science classes alongside evolution. ... The animated science fiction show Futurama makes a number of satirical and humorous references to religion, including inventing several fictional religions which are explored in certain episodes of the series. ... Religious satire is a form of satire targeted at religion and religious practices. ...

References

David X. Cohen (born 1966), born David Samuel Cohen, is an American television writer. ... This article is about the television series. ... DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ... Twentieth (20th) Century Fox Film Corporation (known from 1935 to 1985 as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation) is one of the six major American film studios. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Rich Moore is an animation director whose credits include The Simpsons, Futurama, Baby Blues, and The Critic. ... This article is about the television series. ... DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ... Twentieth (20th) Century Fox Film Corporation (known from 1935 to 1985 as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation) is one of the six major American film studios. ... Matthew Abram Groening is an American cartoonist (Life in Hell) and the Emmy Award-winning creator of the animated series, The Simpsons and Futurama. ... This article is about the television series. ... DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ... Twentieth (20th) Century Fox Film Corporation (known from 1935 to 1985 as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation) is one of the six major American film studios. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 131st day of the year (132nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Toronto Star is Canadas highest-circulation newspaper, though its print edition is distributed almost entirely within Ontario. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Winston-Salem Journal is a daily newspaper primarily serving the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina and its county, Forsyth County, North Carolina. ... Dow Jones & Company NYSE: DJ, based in the United States, is a publishing and financial information firm. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Scientology Portal

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