Difference between revisions of "Free Will Hunting"

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* In this story, they can't charge Bender, because as a robot he doesn't have free will, but this has never been brought up before, when he or any other robot is on trial.
* In this story, they can't charge Bender, because as a robot he doesn't have free will, but this has never been brought up before, when he or any other robot is on trial.
**Probably because they had other ideas for winning.
**Probably because they had other ideas for winning.
* The Professor states he programmed all robots, so they would be unable to harm him, but in the Late Philip J Fry, Bender and him get into a fist fight, Also in Bender's Game he almost sells the professor out to the orcs, and in Bendless Love he three times bends the Professor's spine. Why has this never worked before now?
* The Professor states he programmed all robots, so they would be unable to harm him, but in the Late Philip J Fry, Bender and him get into a fist fight, Also in Bender's Game he almost sells the professor out to the orcs, and in Bendless Love he three times bends the Professor's spine. Not to mention the Kill-Bots that attacked him in Bender's Game. Why has this never worked before now?
** Regarding the fist fight, Bender isn't doing anything of major consequence to the Professor, while bending his spine merely affected him, though Bender was unaware of his actions and was on impulse. The other thing is part of a fantasy.
** Regarding the fist fight, Bender isn't doing anything of major consequence to the Professor, while bending his spine merely affected him, though Bender was unaware of his actions and was on impulse. The other thing is part of a fantasy. The Kill-Bots were probably reprogrammed by Mom.
* If the free-will device was built after the Robots, then how did they know what shape it was going to be, to give to the robots?
* If the free-will device was built after the Robots, then how did they know what shape it was going to be, to give to the robots?
** Farnsworth was designing it around that anticipated shape.
** Farnsworth was designing it around that anticipated shape.
* Bender seems incapable of overcoming his programming in this episode, but in Space Pilot 3000 he's able to after being electrocuted.
* Bender seems incapable of overcoming his programming in this episode, but in Space Pilot 3000 he's able to after being electrocuted.
** Even if the program has changed, it does not mean that Bender had free will.
** Only his programming was changed, he still doesn't have free will.
* Fry and Leela cannot land on Chapek 9's surface because of the anti-human sentiment, despite the robots cheering the humans for providing crucial lugnuts in Fear of a Bot Planet.
* Fry and Leela cannot land on Chapek 9's surface because of the anti-human sentiment, despite the robots cheering the humans for providing crucial lugnuts in Fear of a Bot Planet.
** Entirely possible that human hatred did not completely vanish, or the elders continued using humanity as a scapegoat for issues.
** Entirely possible that human hatred did not completely vanish, or the elders continued using humanity as a scapegoat for issues.

Revision as of 22:38, 13 August 2012

Season 7 episode
Broadcast season 9 episode
Free Will Hunting
Free Will Hunting preview 1.png
A screenshot from the episode shown during the live stream of the Futurama cast and crew live chat, showing robots turning gears.
No.123
Production number7ACV09
Written byDavid X. Cohen
Directed byRaymie Muzquiz
Title captionWarning: Do Not Show To Horses
First air date8 August, 2012[1]
Broadcast numberS09E09
Title referenceThe 1997 film Good Will Hunting
Additional
Commentary
(Transcript)
Transcript

Pictures

Season 7
  1. The Bots and the Bees
  2. A Farewell to Arms
  3. Decision 3012
  4. The Thief of Baghead
  5. Zapp Dingbat
  6. The Butterjunk Effect
  7. The Six Million Dollar Mon
  8. Fun on a Bun
  9. Free Will Hunting
  10. Near-Death Wish
  11. 31st Century Fox
  12. Viva Mars Vegas
  13. Naturama
  14. Forty Percent Leadbelly
  15. 2-D Blacktop
  16. T.: The Terrestrial
  17. Fry and Leela's Big Fling
  18. The Inhuman Torch
  19. Saturday Morning Fun Pit
  20. Calculon 2.0
  21. Assie Come Home
  22. Leela and the Genestalk
  23. Game of Tones
  24. Murder on the Planet Express
  25. Stench and Stenchibility
  26. Meanwhile
← Season 6Season 8 →

"Free Will Hunting" is the one hundred and twenty-third episode of Futurama, the ninth of the seventh production season and the ninth broadcast season. It aired 8 August 2012 on Comedy Central. As a robot, Bender lacks free will, so he embarks on a quest for the meaning of life.

Plot

Act I

Bender and Fry wakes up and Bender decides to wear nerd glasses, and therefore a college robot student on the street a thinks he also is a college student and invites him to a hot sorority party. Enrolling in college on a whim, Bender gets a questionable student loan from the robot mafia and falls into a bad crowd; he then promptly drops out of college, gets addicted to robot drug "Spark," and ends up doing questionable acts for Hedonismbot to earn money.

His downward spiral leads to his arrest and trial, but his lawyer argues that, as a robot, he lacks free will and it was his programming that led to the sequence of events. The judge rules Bender not guilty, much to Bender's dismay.

The Planet Express crew is hired to deliver a package to the robot homeworld, requiring a despondent Bender to come along due to the robots' intense dislike of humans. After delivering the package, Bender decides to stay on the planet, going on a journey of self-discovery.

Act II

As Bender wanders the wastelands of Chapek 9, he comes upon a robot monastery of the Order of the Binary Singularity. Inside, the temple's abbot, Ab-Bot warmly welcomes Bender, who then tells the abbot about his recent depression due to his lack of free will, the abbot tells him that there is no need to feel sorrow as he can find happiness through his programming and it is their pre-programmed nature that makes robots magnificent. Bender then becomes a member of the order and spends his days living a humble life of prayer and simplicity. However after Bender discovers the presence of a free will slot in his forehead, the abbot tells him that the Creatrix made those slots so that robots could have free will units installed in them, Bender then quickly leaves the order and heads back to Earth to steal a free will unit from the Creatrix, who is none other than Mom, CEO of MomCorp.

Act III

Production

On 27 November 2011, CGEF revealed the episode's title to be "Freewill Hunting".[2] On 29 February 2012, it revealed the actual title, its writer to be David X. Cohen and its director to be Raymie Muzquiz.[3][4] On 28 June, MSN TV revealed the episode's plot and air date.[1]

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 "Free Will Hunting" were shown during the live stream.[5]

Additional information

Trivia

  • Bender delivers a package to Mr. 147573952589676412927 — which is equal to 267 − 1, and is a reference to mathematician Frank Nelson Cole.

Allusions

  • The episode's title is a parody of the 1997 drama film, Good Will Hunting.
  • The robot tattooist has the name of the printer manufacturer, Epson, upside down on its chest.
  • The Abbot reads from "The Whole eBook", a pun on "The Holy Book", a common name for The Bible.
  • The programming that prevents robots to harm the Professor is a (partial) reference to the First Law of the Three Laws of Robotics, where robots are programmed to never harm humans.
    • Alternately it makes reference to Directive 4 from Robocop.
  • Bender wanting the big purple dinosaur is a reference to Barney the Dinosaur.

Continuity

Goofs

  • In this story, they can't charge Bender, because as a robot he doesn't have free will, but this has never been brought up before, when he or any other robot is on trial.
    • Probably because they had other ideas for winning.
  • The Professor states he programmed all robots, so they would be unable to harm him, but in the Late Philip J Fry, Bender and him get into a fist fight, Also in Bender's Game he almost sells the professor out to the orcs, and in Bendless Love he three times bends the Professor's spine. Not to mention the Kill-Bots that attacked him in Bender's Game. Why has this never worked before now?
    • Regarding the fist fight, Bender isn't doing anything of major consequence to the Professor, while bending his spine merely affected him, though Bender was unaware of his actions and was on impulse. The other thing is part of a fantasy. The Kill-Bots were probably reprogrammed by Mom.
  • If the free-will device was built after the Robots, then how did they know what shape it was going to be, to give to the robots?
    • Farnsworth was designing it around that anticipated shape.
  • Bender seems incapable of overcoming his programming in this episode, but in Space Pilot 3000 he's able to after being electrocuted.
    • Only his programming was changed, he still doesn't have free will.
  • Fry and Leela cannot land on Chapek 9's surface because of the anti-human sentiment, despite the robots cheering the humans for providing crucial lugnuts in Fear of a Bot Planet.
    • Entirely possible that human hatred did not completely vanish, or the elders continued using humanity as a scapegoat for issues.

Characters

(In alphabetic order)

References

  1. ^ a b Futurama - Episode Guide. (MSN TV.) Retrieved on 09 June 2012.
  2. ^ Awesome Auction Action!. (CGEF.) 27 November 2011. Retrieved on 27 November 2011.
  3. ^ Episode Guide: 7 ACV. (CGEF.) 29 February 2012. Retrieved on 29 February 2012.
  4. ^ "Just Fan" (29 February 2012). "Futurama: Futurama News (pre-season 7)". (PEEL.) Retrieved on 29 February 2012.
  5. ^ "Tastes Like Fry" (12 July 2012). "Newsarama! (Futurama News Thread)" (page 1). (PEEL.) Retrieved on 13 July 2012.