The Thief of Baghead
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Season 7 episode Broadcast season 9 episode | |||||
The Thief of Baghead | |||||
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No. | 118 | ||||
Production number | 7ACV04 | ||||
Written by | Dan Vebber | ||||
Directed by | Edmund Fong | ||||
Title caption | If this show's a-rockin', don't come a-knockin' | ||||
First air date | 4 July 2012[2] | ||||
Broadcast number | S09E04 | ||||
Title reference | The film The Thief of Bagdad and the film Baghead | ||||
Additional | |||||
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Season 7 | |||||
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"The Thief of Baghead" is the one hundred and eighteenth episode of Futurama, the fourth of the seventh production season and the ninth broadcast season. It aired on 4 July 2012[2] on Comedy Central. Bender wants to take a photo of an actor whose face has never been seen so he joins the paparazzi.[2]
Plot
After watching an episode of "All My Circuits", Amy suggests that the crew take a trip to the Monsterey Bay Aquarium, due to it having a new non-biting otter. Whilst there, Bender shows his liking for photography, and reveals that he is the last photographer on Earth to use film. After discovering Calculon is at the aquarium, Bender begins to follow him around and take many photos of him, to the point where Calculon leaves out of frustration. Back at Planet Express, Bender shows off his photos to Leela and Zoidberg, but is disappointed with the images of Calculon. However, Zoidberg is impressed with the photos and suggests that Bender goes to Hollywood and take them to the offices of Us People Magazine. Bender does so, and the managing editor of the magazine, Larvae Levin, is pleased enough with the photos that he offers Bender a job as a paparazzo, to which Bender accepts.
Bender is successful at getting many front page images for the magazine. Later, back at Planet Express, Zidberg shows Bender a TV documentary about the greatest actor in the universe, Langdon Cobb, a man who believes he should be admired for his acting and not for his looks, so he wears a brown paper bag on his head. The documentary states that no one has ever taken a photo of Langdon's true appearance, which inspires Bender to attempt to take one. Back in Hollywood, Larvae Levin explains that it's impossible to get a photo of Langdon without his bag because his house is surrounded by a 50 foot high force field. Bender obtains a 60 foot high ladder and jumps over the force field, where he is chased by a mushroom dog, but manages to escape onto the house's pergola. He enters home with ease, and manages to snap a picture of Langdon without his bag. Langdon begs Bender to never show the image to anyone, which Bender promises not to do. However, Bender takes the picture straight to Fry, where upon making him look at it, his eyes and mouth emit a green light and his body gets reduced to a husk. Curious, Bender shows the image to Amy and Hermes too, where it has the same effect. He realises that the image of Langdon only had an effect on living creatures, and calls Zoidberg into the room in an attempt to make him look at the image, but he is stopped by the Professor before it is too late.
Production
In 2012, two revelations concerning the episode were made. On 29 February, CGEF revealed the episode's title, its writer to be Dan Vebber and its director to be Edmund Fong.[3][4] On 2 May, MSN TV revealed the episode's plot and air date.[2]
In May, Countdown to Futurama began releasing promotional material for the episode. It has so far released eleven items: A design of a new character, the Mushroom Ego, and part of the storyboard showing the Mushroom Ego chase Bender on 18 May,[5] a promotional picture showing Fry, Hermes and Amy husks and a character design of Fry and Amy zombies on 19 May,[6] a design of another new character, Langdon Cobb,[7] and part of the storyboard showing an excerpt of an All My Circuits episode on 21 May,[8] a video clip featuring Bender making Zoidberg, Hermes, Amy, Fry, Leela and Farnsworth angry as he attempts to take a photograph of them[1] and the third Futurama podcast[9] - which confirmed that a storyline involving Calculon competing in the World Acting Championship that was revealed at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con[10] was from the episode - on 22 May, a character design of Zoidberg and Farnsworth dressed as burglars on 23 May,[11] a promotional picture showing Bender dressed as a tourist on 24 May[12] and the fourth Futurama podcast - which revealed that the reason why Zoidberg and Farnsworth get dressed as burglars is that they break into Langdon Cobb's estate to find some dirt on him - on 29 May.[9]
Image gallery
Additional information
Allusions
- The episode's title is a reference to the film The Thief of Bagdad.
- The Monsterey Bay Aquarium is a reference to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
- Fry and Amy's zombie appearances are a reference to the aliens in the 1988 science fiction-horror film They Live.
- Larvae Levin is a parody of Harvey Levin, the founder of TMZ.
- Selena Go-Bot is a parody of tween celebrity Selena Gomez.
- Parts Hilton is a parody of celebutante Paris Hilton.
- Us People magazine is an amalgamation of Us Weekly and People Magazine.
- Leela mispronounces William Shakespeare's first name as will.i.am.
- The "Id" and "ego" are two parts of the psyche.
- After Langdon Cobb tells his butler, LeRoy, that he wants to relax with his bag off and that LeRoy should leave, LeRoy responds by saying "By Your Command." This is a reference to the Cylon catchphrase from the television series Battlestar Galactica.
Continuity
- Bender's camera makes its first appearance since "The Mutants Are Revolting".[5]
- Bender's sunglasses[12] were last seen in "Decision 3012".
- The Tea with Titans segment of Channel √2 News was last seen in Bender's Game.
- The referee uses the phrase "Ladies and gentlemen and smizmars", previously used by another referee in "Raging Bender".
- The Professor's device used to scan for life in the year 1000000000 in "The Late Philip J. Fry" is used to scan Fry, Amy and Hermes' husks when their life forces are removed.
- Fry uses his supposed catchphrase, "Help! Police!" in this episode.
Quotes
Calculon: [as All My Circuits counterpart] It seems someone in this room... is a murderer! ...It's me. But the real question is, which of you is the victim? And that secret I shall take to my grave!
[He stabs himself with a sword.]
Hermes: Film? Who uses film? We've had digital cameras for a thousand years!
Bender: Digital?!? [Bender turns his head to his right, spits and turns his head back.] No digital camera can capture the warmth and grain o' good, ol' film.
Farnsworth: How can you even tell?!? Your eyes are digital cameras.
Trivia
- The topics on the blackboard of the office of Us People include:
- Hypnotoad paternity suit
- Morbo's backside blow
- Harold Zoid's shocking revelation
- H.G. Blob's botox disaster
- Langdon Cobb bags Oscar
- (In Alien Language 1) Earth invasions gone wild
Goofs
- Langdon Cobb's house had a fifty foot force field around it, so how did his ego get out from its grounds to contest hall?
- If Bender's camera is simply a none futuristic film camera, then shouldn't the heat of the fire he hid in to take Langdon Cobb's photo, have caused the camera to melt or the film to burn.
- The Professor explains that looking upon a Quantum Litchen drains any living things life force, so why does it reduce the body, to a deflated husk? Shouldn't the bones, muscle, fat and blood remain?
- Even for a robot, shouldn't drinking battery acid, corrode their insides?
Characters
- Amy
- Antonio Calculon, Jr.
- Bender
- Boxy Robot
- Zapp Brannigan
- Calculon[1]
- Scoop Chang
- Farnsworth
- Fly Mutant
- Fry
- Debut: Selena Go-Bot
- Hermes
- Debut: Parts Hilton
- Debut: Langdon Cobb[7]
- Leela
- Debut: Larvae Levin
- Debut: LeRoy
- Monique
- Morbo
- Debut: Pookie[5]
- Richard Nixon's head
- Debut: The Robot boy[8]
- Debut: Starlet #3's head
- Zoidberg
References
- ^ a b c Matt Tobey (22 May 2012). Countdown to Futurama: Just Take the Damn Picture. (Comedy Centrl [sic].) Retrieved on 22 May 2012.
- ^ a b c d Futurama - Episode Guide. (MSN TV.) Retrieved on 02 May 2012.
- ^ Episode Guide: 7 ACV. (CGEF.) 29 February 2012. Retrieved on 29 February 2012.
- ^ "Just Fan" (29 February 2012). "Futurama: Futurama News (pre-season 7)". (PEEL.) Retrieved on 29 February 2012.
- ^ a b c Matt Tobey (18 May 2012). Countdown to Futurama: Mushroom Dog. (Comedy Centrl.) Retrieved on 18 May 2012.
- ^ Matt Tobey (19 May 2012). Countdown to Futurama: Husks and Zombies. (Comedy Centrl.) Retrieved on 19 May 2012.
- ^ a b Matt Tobey (21 May 2012). Countdown to Futurama: Langdon Cobb. (Comedy Centrl.) Retrieved on 21 May 2012.
- ^ a b Matt Tobey (21 May 2012). Countdown to Futurama: All My Circuits Storyboard. (Comedy Centrl.) Retrieved on 21 May 2012.
- ^ a b Cite error: Invalid
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- ^ JavieR (27 July 2011). "San Diego Comic-Con 2011 Futurama panel sneak peeks + videos". The Futurama Point. Retrieved on 22 August 2011.
- ^ Matt Tobey (23 May 2012). Countdown to Futurama: Zoidberg and Farnsworth Burglars. (Comedy Centrl.) Retrieved on 23 May 2012.
- ^ a b Matt Tobey (24 May 2012). Countdown to Futurama: Tourist Bender. (Comedy Centrl.) Retrieved on 24 May 2012.