Fear of a Bot Planet

For my money, the weakest episode of the first 5 -but that doesn't mean it's bad!

The plot is my least favourite of the first 5 episodes. It's incredibly fun in a 'kooky' sort of way, it just lacks an emotional resonance that usually exists in Futurama.

However, gag-wise, it's probably my favourite episode of the first 5, so if you prioritise humour above plot then take from this what you will. This episode is packed full of nerd-jokes in particular, as well as some great role-reversal stuff with humans being portrayed as monsters.

One thing that lets the episode down is its visuals. Everything is very dull and grey throughout and whilst I understand that it's a robot planet so the dull colours were absolutely necessary, it's simply unfortunate as it does somewhat lessen my overall enjoyment of the piece.

Still, a solid episode when taken in context of the show as a whole.

FOABP is one of the nerdiest of the first season episodes, and introduces more important concepts, although no new recurring characters. Bender is at his funniest here, and also at his most human. Strangely for an episode without a real sideplot, it feels very tightly packed, and manages to squeeze more into its running time than some others from Seasons 2 and 3.

The jokes are hilarious, "No! It is the *bad* kind of puppy!" and the backround gags and nerdy references are spot-on as with almost everything from Season 1. More continuity is established that will be referenced in later seasons, and there is some fantastic voice acting, especially for the robots.

Whilst it's a fantastic episode, the animation quality isn't amazing in parts, and there are a couple of scenes (like with the stacking robots) where there are obvious cut-and-pastes, but that's a minor thing.

The voice acting is mostly top-notch, but there are a couple of sticky moments, and the opener and ending are once again some of the best Futurama moments to date. A very solid episode. The crew really delivers in this one.

"Fear of a Bot Planet" is an extended look at robot-human relations in the future. In the human-dominated society of Earth, robots are considered second-class citizens who perform automated tasks and aren't allowed to play in the human Blernsball leagues, while in the robot-dominated world of Chapek 9, robots are conditioned to view humans as mortal enemies through a combination of propaganda and mythology that is uncomfortably reminiscent of societies such as 1930s Eastern Europe and 1800s-era America.

While watching a Blernsball game (a ridiculously souped-up futuristic version of baseball), Bender bitterly grouses to the others about the fact that there are no robots in the major leagues, and he further objects to being sent on a delivery to Chapek 9 during a robot holiday. He reluctantly joins Leela and Fry on the journey, and while attempting to make a delivery he is imprisoned on suspicion of working for humans, but gains the favor of the people of Chapek 9 by claiming to be a prolific human hunter. Leela and Fry set out to rescue Bender and experience the absurdities of a robot-dominated society.

"Fear of a Bot Planet" packs plenty of gags and sharp satire, but unfortunately the final two-thirds of the episode centers around robot society, making it feel one-dimensional and a little tedious at times. Still, it's a clever exploration of social problems as they might exist in the future.