Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch

"Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch" is forty-fifth episode of Futurama, the first of the fourth production season and the fifth of the fifth broadcast season. It aired 12 January, 2003 on FOX. After having Leela getting Kif pregnant, Amy is forced into motherhood, a task she cannot handle.

Act I: "No-shoot fire stick in space canoe! Cause explosive decompression!"
Kif just can't stand his long-distance relationship with Amy any more - he wants more. Just at this moment, the crew is sent to deliver pain medicine to the hive mind of Nigel 7. The Nimbus is patrolling nearby, with Kif onboard. Amy smuggles herself on board of the Planet Express Ship and changes course towards the Nimbus while the crew is in hibernative naptosis to save oxygen.

Kif and Amy share an intimate moment on the Nimbus' Holo-Shed where he tries to display his romantic feelings to her, when the Holo-shed malfunctions and the holographic characters come alive. Kif and Amy flee towards the bridge, pursued by the holograms. Zapp fires on the pursuers, causing an explosive decompression that whirls everyone around on the bridge. In the process, Kif looses his right glove and has skin contact with everyone present. Later in sickbay, the doctor finds that Kif is pregnant.

Act II: "So the toilet seat is the uncle or something?"
It turns out that Amphibiosans can exchange genetic material over their skins when romantically engaged. Kif is delighted, but Amy does not quite share his enthusiasm. Besides, it is unclear who is the sire of Kif's offspring. They travel back to Earth and let the Professor figure it out with the Alien Cross-Species Genetic Analyzer - after expelling Fry, Zapp (much to Kif's relief), Zoidberg (who lives in the machine), and finally Amy, it turns out that Leela has provided the DNA.

But Kif states that his romantic involvement is with Amy, his smizmar, and according to the rules on his planet, she is considered the mother. At Kif's baby shower with the crew and Zapp in Fry's and Bender's apartment, everyone gives presents to Kif and Amy, and her parents' present is an ironing board symbolising her new responsibilities. Amy can't stand it any longer - she's not yet ready for the responsibility of motherhood and runs away in tears, leaving Kif behind alone.

Act III: "It's a poisonous froad!"
Just then, Kif's birthing process is about to start and he returns to his home world Amphibios 9 - accompanied by Leela, Fry, Bender and Zapp. They enter the ancestral birthing grounds of Clan Kroker in a swamp, where they meet the Grand Midwife. Since his smizmar Amy is not with him, he has to go through the beginning of the birthing ceremony alone, but then Amy arrives and assists in the birth of the several hundred tadpole-like offspring. Leela and Amy defend the little creatures as they are attacked by predators on the way towards the water and succeed. In twenty years time, the offspring will crawl onto land as children, and Amy thinks she will be ready then. Leela indeed turns out to be the genetic mother - many of the tadpoles have just one eye.

Trivia

 * The DVD commentaries state the ship-to-ship-intimacy is a spoof from the James Bond movie "Moonraker". It might also have been inspired by the slightly older predecessor "You only live twice" that had a similar setting.
 * Outside the Nimbus' sickbay, the sign reads "Sick Bay & Horta Burn Clinic", referring to a Star Trek TOS episode featuring a race of crystalline beings named the Horta, which, among other things, had very high surface temperature.
 * Only in this episode, we see Amy's wristlojackimator in operation - as a holographic day-planner. (See Items on Amy's Calendar.)
 * The doctor in the Nimbus' sickbay greatly resembles from Star Trek, as such he is named "Veins" in a deleted scene.
 * Fry has only 9 lines in this episode.

Items on Amy's Calendar
This is the full list of items that appear on Amy's holographic day-planner. The calendar starts with the 1st on a Monday. Unreadable portions are shown with question marks, while guessed portions are marked in italics.

Allusions

 * The Nimbus's Holo-Shed is a clear reference to Star Trek

Goofs

 * In the shot after Zoidberg is ejected from the Maternifuge, it looks as if he's got no pants on - belly and legs are carapace-coloured.
 * On Amy's Calendar, Sunday the 21st says "Hang with Walter Koening", but his name is properly spelled "Koenig".
 * Amy may have just misspelled his name by accident.

Characters

 * Amy
 * Debut: Attila the Hun
 * Bender
 * Debut: Evil Lincoln
 * Professor Farnsworth
 * Fry
 * Debut: The Grand Midwife
 * Hermes
 * Debut: Jack the Ripper
 * Kif
 * LaBarbara (on the Titanic Survivors note)
 * Leela
 * Debut: Poisonous Froad
 * Debut: Professor Moriarty
 * Leo and Inez Wong
 * Scruffy
 * Debut: Spirit
 * Zapp Brannigan
 * Zoidberg
 * Debut: Dr. Veins McGee

Episode Credits

 * Writer
 * Bill Odenkirk
 * Director
 * Wes Archer
 * Voice Actors
 * Billy West
 * Katey Sagal
 * John DiMaggio
 * Maurice LaMarche
 * Lauren Tom
 * Tress MacNeille
 * DVD Commentary
 * Matt Groening
 * David X. Cohen
 * Bill Odenkirk
 * Wes Archer
 * Billy West
 * Maurice LaMarche