The Six Million Dollar Mon

"The Six Million Dollar Mon" is the one hundred and twenty-first episode of Futurama, the seventh of the seventh production season and the ninth broadcast season.

Act I: "When I fight machinery, machinery always wins."
Hermes discovers he's the most inefficient employee of Planet Express and has himself fire and replaced by a machine. Zoidberg is the only member upset by his departure believing Hermes hatred for him is merely a friendly inside joke.

After telling his family the news and having a diner of near-fatally spicy goat soup, he and Labarbara go for a walk, where they are attacked by Roberto. Smitty and URL come to their rescue at the last minute using URL's robotic chest harpoon, leading Hermes to conclude that requires robotic upgrades for himself. Because of his multiple escapes, Roberto is taken immediately to the Electromagnetic Chair and executed.

Using Bender's help, Hermes finds a shadowy surgeon to perform the operation on him and returns home to show his family, much to their surprise and shock, that he now has a robotic chest harpoon.

Production
On 28 July 2011, it was revealed at that, in an episode of the seventh production season, "Hermes [would] realize he [was] less efficient than a machine, so he [would] chop some unnecessary parts of his body and [would] become a cyborg". On 30 August, a photograph of the cover of the episode's production script was posted on a blog - revealing the episode's title. On 29 February 2012, CGEF confirmed the episode's title and revealed its writer to be Ken Keeler and its director to be Peter Avanzino.

In June, Countdown to Futurama began releasing promotional material for the episode. It has so far released eight items: A promotional picture showing Leela, Amy, Zoidberg, Farnsworth, a  Hermes, Bender and Fry in the Planet Express employee lounge and a design of the mecha Hermes - together with the revelation that the episode was the one associated with the Hermes plot at the San Diego Comic-Con - on 6 June, a design of the cover of the magazine Astounding Tales on 7 June, part of the storyboard showing Bender suggest to Hermes getting an implant on 8 June, a design of a new character, Mark 7-G, on 9 June, a design of Hermes with an extendo arm and cycloscanner eyes and a design of four stages undergone by a ventriloquist dummy of Hermes on 10 June, a promotional picture showing Zoidberg controlling the Hermes dummy on 11 June and a video clip featuring Hermes - with the extendo arm and the cycloscanner eyes - and LaBarbara in bed on 12 June.

By 8 June, had revealed the episode's air date.

Comedy Central's website released another promotional picture, showing mecha Hermes about to drive a drill into Farnsworth's head.

On 12 June, 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 "The Six Million Dollar Mon" were shown during the live stream.

Allusions

 * The episode's title is a reference to the American television series  -  is, like Hermes here, a cyborg - and the fact that Hermes pronounces "man" as "mon".
 * Astounding Tales is a reference to the American science fiction magazine ' - which was initially published as "Astounding Stories" - and the American anthology comic book series '.
 * The book Lady Chatterley's Janitor is a reference to the 1928 book . In keeping with the running gag of Scruffy only reading sexually explicit material, Lady Chatterley's Lover is well-known for containing explicit descriptions of sex.
 * Hermes reads a book called "The Invisible Mon" - which is a reference to the H. G. Wells science fiction novella .
 * The song sung by Zoidberg is a parody of the .
 * The Professor showing Hermes' brain to his family is a possible reference to Dr. Mark Shelley, a Navy doctor who allowed the family of a deceased Marine to handle his brain and take pictures.

Trivia

 * This is the second episode of season 7 where a recurring character has been killed (The first being Calculon in "The Thief of Baghead").
 * One of the gravestones in the cemetery reads Helper, another short-lived replacement for one of the main cast members.

Continuity

 * Farnsworth's operation clothes make their third appearance.
 * Farnsworth's operation clothes make their third appearance.

Goofs

 * Hermes Robot Body, starts talking like Roberto before his brain is inserted into the body. However it is possible that Roberto's disembodied software (or robotic ghost) possessed the body.
 * No one ever attaches Hermes Brain and scalp to his head, so it should have fallen off, when he tried to run away.
 * If the temperature is hot enough to melt Roberto, then why does Hermes' key survive?
 * The key might of been made out of a different metal.
 * It was originally shown Hermes had three keys, in his Robot bodies chest compartment, but at the end after Roberto melted there was only one.
 * Shouldn't the magnetic waves have destroyed Roberto's brain circuits?
 * Hermes robot body, goes from having a hole in its head, where the brain was taken out, to not having one, when Roberto attacks.
 * Hermes stated Zoidberg didn't reattach his nerves in which case, he would have died the moment he tried to move.

Alien Language Sightings
Time:06:46

Location: Alley wall next to Organ Dealer's store

Language: AL1

Translation: If you lived here you'd be homeless by now

Characters

 * Amy
 * Bender
 * Dwight
 * Farnsworth
 * Fry
 * Hermes
 * LaBarbara
 * Leela
 * Debut: Mark 7-G
 * Organ Dealer
 * Roberto
 * Robot Devil
 * Ron Whitey
 * Sal
 * Scruffy
 * Zoidberg