Parasites Lost

Production Number:3ACV02

Title Caption: IF NOT ENTERTAINING, WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMAN

First Aired: January 21, 2001

Act I: She's got more meat than a cow!
The Planet Express Ship pulls over for a fuel stop. Bender blows himself up by trying to smoke while refueling. In the men's room, Fry buys an egg-salad sandwich. While Leela is cleaning the windshield, several truckers (including Sal) make derrogatory, sexist comments. Fry attempts to defend her, but only ends up insulting her.

Back at the Planet Express building Fry despairs over being unable to please Leela. Bender and Fry go to fix the plasma-fusion boiler, which Scruffy is unable to fix due to a schedule conflict. However, since they are unqualified to make such repairs, the boiler explodes, lodging a lead pipe in Fry's abdomen. During an examination, the pipe is cut in half mysteriously, and the holes in Fry's abdomen seal themselves. Dr. Zoidberg gives Fry a more thorough examination, which the rest of the crew watches on a video screen while eating popcorn. Hermes eats his popcorn using a Jai Alai scoop, because Fry has been eating all the silverware. During Fry's colonoscopy, it is revealed that there is a colony of parasitic worms living in Fry's bowels, within a city made of the silverware Fry ate. The Professor reveals that the only way to get rid of the parasites is to enter Fry using a microscopic version of the Planet Express Ship. Bender calls shotgun and beats out Zoidberg.

Act II: Nobody make a smell!
The Professor creates micro-droids for each crew member, which is apparently cheaper than shrinking them. The micro-droids are controled via the net-suits.

The Professor lays out the plan, which involves entering through Fry's ear, and traveling through his systems until they reach the pelvic splanchnic ganglion. Irritation of the ganglion will expel the parasites from Fry. Fry cannot be warned of the plan, however, as the worms know everything he knows. Leela distracts Fry long enough to launch the PE ship into his ear. In order to keep him distracted, Leela proposes taking a walk.

The PE Crew discovers that the worms are actually making Fry smarter, stronger, and more coordinated. While being bombarded by pollen, Zoidberg suggests they escape through a nasal capillary, which surprises everyone as it's the first time he's expressed any correct knowledge of human anatomy. He reveals however that he learned it from a decongestant commercial.

While on their walk, Fry and Leela encounter Sal, and Fry confronts him, revealing his newfound strength and forcing Sal to apologize.

Act III: Worms to battle stations!
The PE Ship sets off an alarm, and the worm's defenses are activated. After a narrow escape from several worm fighter ships, they arrive in the bowel and begin an assault on the worm city.

At a coffee-shop across the street from Planet Express, Fry finally shares his feelings with Leela, which he has been too inarticulate to do until now. Leela realizes that the worms may have something to do with the new Fry, and runs off to the Planet Express building.

Just before reaching the ganglion, Zoidberg enters the room revealing that, although Fry was sterilized by the professor's F-Ray (1ACV13), the worms have apparently repaired the damage. Leela scans herself to create a micro-droid for herself, and enters Fry. Before the others can stimulate the ganglion, Leela arrives and attacks the micro-droids.

Act IV: Ever wonder what makes special sauce so special?
After destroying the microscopic versions of the crew, Leela takes off her net-suit. Leela tells the Professor that Fry might be better off with the worms. Fry enters the room and demands an explanation.

After receiving his explanation, Fry says that the worms are the best parasites he's ever had. Later, Leela takes Fry to her apartment. Fry pulls out a holophoner, apparently one of the most difficult instruments in the universe. He plays, and the hologram shows Fry and Leela in a variety of forms. Without saying a word, Leela takes fry into the bedroom. Leela says she loves what Fry's become, and Fry realizes she may not love him for who he truly is. He returns to the PE building and makes a micro-droid of himself.

Inside his own bowel, Fry confronts the lord mayor of Col&oacute;n. He explains his situation and asks the worms to leave, but they refuse. Fry and the lord mayor engage in a sword fight, which takes them to Fry's brain. Fry threatens to injure himself to evict the worms. They call his bluff, but he cuts several connections within his brain. He reaches the medula oblongata, and threatens to kill himself if they do not leave. After a brief standoff, the worms agree to leave.

Act V: I'm still seduced from before.
Fry returns to Leela's apartment. He asks to play the holophoner, and does so badly. Leela realizes he's become an idiot again. Fry asks for a chance, but blows it by presenting a baggie of massage oil and offering to give Leela the same massage he used to give Amy.

Later that night, Fry begins his first lesson on the holophoner, creating a rudimentary hologram of Leela.

Trivia

 * Leela's apartment is a spoof of the old Maxell commercials, which featured a similar setting.
 * Although Fry was sterilized in Fry and the Slurm Factory by the F-Ray, the worms seem to have repaired this functionality, as evidenced by Zoidberg's riding a sperm, and Fry's impregnating his own grandmother in Roswell that Ends Well.

Quotes

 * Leela: You're not gonna eat a sandwich from a truck stop mensroom are you? Fry: What's the worst thing that can happen... ewww, it's like a party in my mouth and everyone is throwing up.
 * Zoidberg: Ahh, the hypochondriac's back, so what is it this time? Fry: Well, my lead pipe hurts a little. Zoidberg: That's normal, next patient!"
 * Bender: Yo old guy, why do we have to use those tiny micro droids? Can't you just shrink us? Professor: Oh my no, that would require extremely tiny atoms, have priced those lately? I'm not made of money, leave me alone!

Fast Forward

 * Fry again plays the holophoner with the help of an outside force in The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings.

Characters

 * Amy
 * Bender
 * Hermes
 * Leela
 * Fry
 * Professor Farnsworth
 * Sal
 * Zoidberg

Episode Credits

 * Writer
 * Eric Kaplan
 * Director
 * Peter Avanzino
 * Voice Actors
 * Billy West
 * Katey Sagal
 * John DiMaggio
 * Phil LaMarr
 * DVD Commentary
 * Peter Avanzino
 * Rich Moore
 * Eric Kaplan
 * David X. Cohen
 * Scott Vanzo
 * Matt Groening