Near-Death Wish

"Near-Death Wish" is the one hundred and twenty-fourth episode of Futurama, the tenth of the seventh production season and the ninth broadcast season.

Plot
When the Professor learns that his parents are coming out of virtual retirement from the Near-Death Star, he becomes upset.

Production
On 28 July 2011, it was revealed at the that, in an episode of the seventh production season, Professor Farnsworth's parents would be revealed to be still alive and living in the Near Death Star. On 29 February 2012, CGEF revealed the episode's title, its writer to be Eric Horsted and its director to be Lance Kramer. On 29 June, revealed the episode's air date.

On 12 July, following the broadcast of the episode "Zapp Dingbat", the public were given the opportunity to participate in a live chat with the Futurama cast and crew. Several clips of "Near-Death Wish" were shown during the live stream.

Continuity

 * The Fry-Leela relationship is featured again.

Allusions

 * The episode's title is a reference to the Near-Death Star and the term "".
 * The "Theater in the Ground" is reference.
 * Professor Farnsworth parodies the Phantom in at Fry's Holophoner recital.
 * The Opening Title Caption "There's No Bismuth Like Show Bismuth" parodies the phrase "There's No Business Like Show Business" which is also the title to the 1954 movie and the song in the 1946 musical Annie Get Your Gun.
 * Fry states "We must boldly go where we have already gone once before," in an homage to Star Trek.
 * A poster of Braino sticking out his tongue like appear at Hubbert's room.

Goofs

 * In "The Sting", when Fry is thought to be dead, the Professor claims to be the oldest living member left in his family.
 * There three possible solutions: the majority of the events of "The Sting" are part of a dream as part of Leela's coma and thus non-Canon, the Professor is senile, and/or the attribution of "living" only applies to non-dead persons who are not in "virtual retirement".
 * Possibly the Professor did not know that his parents are still alive. It was never mentioned how long people stay alive in the Near-Death star.
 * When telling the story the make it clear, that Floyd was unaware he had a brother, so how did he know about the professor when he went to see him years ago (as mentioned by Bender.)?
 * Being homeless he could have went and tracked down living family to possibly ask for money.
 * Here Fry can play the Holophoner, but in The Devils Hands are Idle Playthings, he couldn't because he had stupid hands.
 * He could play short (and usually not very good) songs, which he did in this episode, plus he seems to have played enough to have some basic skills with the instrument by now.
 * Its mentioned (and shown) that the Professor was in Diapers till age six, in Clone of My Own, but in this episode's flashbacks he doesn't have them.
 * Although probably a joke, you couldn't use humans in the place of Batteries.
 * Hermes and Bender seem to be quite close in this episode, but a few episodes ago, in the Million Dollar Mon, Bender described there relationship as neutral.
 * When talking about his lack of living family, Fry forgets Cubert and Igner.
 * He may have forgot about Igner, and he might hate Cubert as much as Cubert hates him (judging by past episodes such as "The Route of All Evil")

Trivia

 * It is revealed in this episode that the Professor is uncircumcised.
 * It is revealed that the Professor has a younger brother named Floyd.

Characters

 * Amy
 * Barrier Bots
 * Bender
 * Dwight
 * Fry
 * Professor Farnsworth
 * Debut: Ned Farnsworth
 * Debut: Velma Farnsworth
 * Hermes
 * LaBarbara
 * Leela
 * Sal
 * Sunset Squad Chasers
 * Zoidberg