"Futurama" The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings (2003)

User Rating:

8.9/10   

Director:

Bret Haaland

Writers:

Matt Groening (creator)
Matt Groening (developer) ...

TV Series:

"Futurama" (1999)

Original Air Date:

10 August 2003 (Season 5, Episode 16)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Fry makes a deal with the Robot Devil so he can get robot hands to play the holophoner and impress Leela. In a twist of fate, Fry trades hands with the Robot Devil and writes a masterpiece opera about Leela. However, the Robot Devil has evil plans of his own. |

Plot Keywords:

Series Finale | Deal With The Devil | Nixon | Alien | Robot

Cast

Billy West	...	Philip J. Fry / Prof. Hubert J. Farnsworth / Dr. Zoidberg / Bartender / President Richard Nixon's Head / Zapp Brannigan (voice)
Katey Sagal	...	Turanga Leela (voice)
John Di Maggio	...	Bender (voice) (as John DiMaggio)
Tress MacNeille	...	Mrs. Mellonger / Mother at Recital / Child at Recital / Tinny Tim (voice)
Maurice LaMarche	...	Hedonismbot / Opera House Announcer / Calculon (voice)
Dan Castellaneta	...	The Robot Devil / Snail (voice)
Lauren Tom	...	Amy Wong (voice)
Phil LaMarr	...	Hermes Conrad / Reverend Preacherbot (voice)
David Herman	...	Scruffy (voice)

Trivia:

When the final episode was produced, there was about a 50/50 chance of it being the last episode. Because of this, the staff chose to loosely resolve the show, but left it open in case production continued.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Even though Leela is deaf, she is able to have a conversation with the Robot Devil. However, it is extremely possible and likely that she is only able to figure out what he is saying by the hand gestures he makes.

Quotes:

Beelzebot, The Robot Devil: Your lyrics lack subtlety! You can't just have your characters announce how they feel! That makes me feel angry!

Movie Connections:

References Gojira (1954)

Soundtrack:

Leela: Orphan of the Stars

Well, that's it.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

It's over, and with a very fitting episode as well. This had a great balance of emotion and comedy, and even had a real sense of urgency and finality and an epic plot, particularly towards the end. While it would have been nice to have some final story lines for Amy and Zoidy, I'm glad this wasn't just about Leela and Fry, with Bender having a real part to play in the storyline. Obviously, I had huge expectations for this and can't help but feel a little disappointed, but I like it more every time I see it. I loved the return of the Robot Devil, who had some great lines and gags, and it was cool to put a new spin on the 'deal with the devil' storyline, with Fry actually having the upper hand (pun not intended) to begin with. I was truly surprised when the wheel slipped over from Bender to the devil, which is always good. I was also happy to see the holophoner return, the music it plays is always hauntingly beautiful. Leela finally telling the whole story of her and her ex-boyfriend Sean was great, and the way she was given a real reason to change her mind about Fry made the whole thing more believable. HedonismBot was OK, but not great. Bender had some great gags ("By 'metaphorically' I mean get your coat.") and even a crazy kind of closure with the crotchplate thing. I was a bit disappointed with the opera itself, I was hoping for something more modern, or abstract like in 'Parasites Lost' (that was one of my favorite scenes). It was really more of a parody of an opera, which is fine, but could have been better. Once the characters started singing themselves it got better, and I like that part more every time I see it. The very ending was just absolutely fantastic, with beautiful music, and a fitting end to the show.