A Farewell to Arms (Futurama)
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"A Farewell to Arms" is the second episode of the seventh season of the animated sitcom ''
Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years a ...
''. It originally aired on
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
on June 20, 2012 directly after "
The Bots and the Bees "The Bots and the Bees" is the first episode of the Futurama (season 7), seventh season of the animated sitcom ''Futurama''. It originally aired on Comedy Central on June 20, 2012, along with "A Farewell to Arms (Futurama), A Farewell to Arms" as ...
". In the episode, an ancient
Martian Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. It became the most popular celestial object in fiction in the late 1800s as the Moon was evidently lifeless. At the time, the pr ...
prophecy predicts the end of civilization in the year 3012. The episode was written by
Josh Weinstein Josh Weinstein (born May 5, 1966) is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series ''The Simpsons''. Weinstein and Bill Oakley became best friends and writing partners at St. Albans School; Weinst ...
and directed by Raymie Muzquiz. The episode received a
WGA Award WGA may refer to: In arts and entertainment: * Web Gallery of Art * Writers Guild of Alberta * Writers Guild of America, an American union ** Writers Guild of America, East ** Writers Guild of America, West Other uses: * Wagga Wagga Airport ...
WGA Awards
nomination.


Plot

Professor Farnsworth Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, commonly referred to in-show as either Professor Farnsworth or simply Professor, is a fictional character in the American animated television series ''Futurama''. The mad scientist proprietor of the Planet Express ...
launches a
weather balloon A weather balloon, also known as sounding balloon, is a balloon (specifically a type of high-altitude balloon) that carries instruments aloft to send back information on atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity and wind speed by means of a ...
to gather data on a series of recent, bizarre weather patterns on Earth. Fry ties his "lucky pants" to the balloon by mistake, so he shoots the balloon down and sends his pants down to
Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
on Earth, whereupon they are stolen by a Central Park
Badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by ...
and dragged down a burrow. As the Planet Express crew go down the burrow to get them (with Leela breaking her leg when Fry tries to save her from falling), they stumble upon an ancient
Martian Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. It became the most popular celestial object in fiction in the late 1800s as the Moon was evidently lifeless. At the time, the pr ...
pyramid and a large stone calendar. Amy translates the ideograms on the calendar, as she is somewhat familiar with the Martian language, and concludes that the world will end in 3012, the current year. Farnsworth reviews the data from the weather balloon and finds that the Sun is about to release a giant
solar flare A solar flare is an intense localized eruption of electromagnetic radiation in the Sun's atmosphere. Flares occur in active regions and are often, but not always, accompanied by coronal mass ejections, solar particle events, and other solar phe ...
that will destroy the planet. An electromagnetic storm causes all electronic devices on Earth to stop working, including spaceships, preventing evacuation from the planet. However, Amy learns through the calendar that the pyramid is actually a giant stone spacecraft able to hold 30,000 people. As they try to use the spacecraft for themselves, the Planet Express crew are caught by
Zapp Brannigan This article lists the many characters of '' Futurama,'' an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of ...
and brought before President
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
's Head. President Nixon's Head insists that a decision-making machine called the Choose-Matron be used to select the most optimal cross-section of humanity to take to
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...
, where they will restart human civilization. Fry is chosen because of his "lucky pants", while Leela is rejected since Zapp has been chosen to pilot the craft. Before boarding can begin, Fry disguises his boarding ticket as one for Leela and gives it to her while he remains behind on Earth with Bender (who purposefully remains behind to take part in the
looting Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...
). After reaching Mars, the evacuated humans are greeted by Leo and Inez Wong. Back on Earth, the remaining humans begin looting, as does Bender (going so far as to even steal from his own apartment). The escapees on Mars construct a new city called
Dick Dick, Dicks, or Dick's may refer to: Media * ''Dicks'' (album), a 2004 album by Fila Brazillia * Dicks (band), a musical group * ''Dick'' (film), a 1999 American comedy film * "Dick" (song), a 2019 song by Starboi3 featuring Doja Cat Names ...
Francisco Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Nicknames In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed "Paco (name), Paco". Francis of Assisi, San Francisco de Asís was known as '' ...
, as well as a memorial statue for those who were left behind on Earth. They are then approached by the
Martian Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. It became the most popular celestial object in fiction in the late 1800s as the Moon was evidently lifeless. At the time, the pr ...
Chief Singing Wind (who has returned to Mars to retrieve his possessions after abandoning his planet in "
Where the Buggalo Roam "Where the Buggalo Roam" is the tenth episode in season three of the animated television series '' Futurama''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 3, 2002. The title is a pun on a lyric from the classic Western fol ...
"). Chief Singing Wind clarifies that the calendar foretells the destruction of Mars, not Earth, as the solar flare will bypass Earth and hit Mars; the calendar was created to warn the Earthlings to stay away from Mars. Because Zapp had disassembled the stone ship to construct the memorial statue, the humans on Mars are unable to escape. The solar flare bypasses Earth and strikes Mars, igniting the gases in the planet's crust, which propel Mars towards Earth. As Mars closes within hundreds of feet of Earth's surface, the escapees safely jump off of Mars and back onto their home planet. However, Leela is unable to jump due to her broken leg. Fry tries to grab Leela atop the Planet Express building as Mars passes by, but both only manage to tear off one of each other's arms. Scruffy rescues Leela off-screen using a ladder. With Mars still in Earth's orbit, Professor Farnsworth uses the birth machine from "
Rebirth Rebirth may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Film * ''Rebirth'' (2011 film), a 2011 Japanese drama film * ''Rebirth'' (2016 film), a 2016 American thriller film * ''Rebirth'', a documentary film produced by Project Rebirth * ''The Re ...
" to make new arms for Fry and Leela while their severed arms float off into space, still holding each other's hands.


Cultural references

* The episode's title is taken from the
Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...
novel '' A Farewell to Arms''. It is used to refer to Fry and Leela's arms getting torn off in the episode. * The episode is a parody of the 2012 phenomenon and the film ''
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
''. * The way that characters jump between Mars and the Earth is reminiscent of the
Italo Calvino Italo Calvino (, also , ;. RAI (circa 1970), retrieved 25 October 2012. 15 October 1923 – 19 September 1985) was an Italian writer and journalist. His best known works include the ''Our Ancestors'' trilogy (1952–1959), the '' Cosmicomi ...
sci-fi short story ''The Distance of the Moon'' from his work Cosmicomics. * The way Fry found the lettering amidst flammable grease is a reference to a death scene in the film ''
Saw A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, wire, or chain with a hard toothed edge. It is used to cut through material, very often wood, though sometimes metal or stone. The cut is made by placing the toothed edge against the material and mo ...
''.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Farewell to Arms, A 2012 American television episodes Futurama (season 7) episodes 2012 phenomenon Mars in television Apocalyptic television episodes