Futurama/A Tale of Two Santas

A Tale of Two Santas
Season 4, Episode 2
Airdate	December 23, 2001
Production Number	3ACV03
Written by	Bill Odenkirk
Directed by	Ron Hughart
← 4x01 Roswell That Ends Well	4x03 → Anthology of Interest II
Futurama — Season Four

A Tale of Two Santas is the second episode of the fourth season of Futurama, and the forty-fifth episode overall. This episode is most notable for being shelved due to the controversy over the evil robot Santa Claus. It's Christmas again and the crew must deliver letters to Santa. But, when they trap Santa and attempt to bring back the original Christmas spirit, will the world accept Bender? No, probably not.

Guest Stars: Coolio (Kwanzaa Bot), Phil LaMarr (Hermes), David Herman (Mayor Poopenmeyer), Lauren Tom (Amy), Frank Welker (Walter Cronkite)

Plot Overview

It's Christmas Eve in New New York and that means Santa Claus is set to terrorize the world once again. Luckilly, this year the professor had steel shutters installed so that they would only be in harm's way if they were foolish enough to go outside. Unfortunately for Fry, Leela and Bender, they're assigned the task of delivering childrens' letters to Santa. While snooping around the letters, the crew decides to put a stop to Santa once and for all. At Santa's fortress on Neptune, the crew infiltrates Santa's inner sanctum by hiding in the bag of letter. They attempt to destroy Santa by posing a logical paradox. Unfortunately for them, he has paradox absorbing hardware and they flee. They start to escape in the ship, but are caught in Santa's grip. But, the ship's engines melt a hole in the ice, trapping Santa. With Santa trapped in the ice, they all decide to deliver toys again instead of destruction, with Bender taking on the mantle of Santa.

There's a musical interlude where the Neptunians work to finish making toys for children and Bender flies off to deliver them. Bender, however, attempts to sell the toys and is generally rejected by the population because they hate and fear Santa because of the evil things he had done previously. Bender gives up on delivering toys and is arrested by the police. Bender is sentenced to death by being pulled apart by magnets.

In order to save Bender's life, Fry and Leela go back to Neptune to free Santa and take him with them to Earth to prove that Bender isn't really Santa Claus. But, with all of the pollution from the toy factories, the temperature has dropped significantly, causing the ice to start melting away and freeing Santa. They travel back to Earth with Santa in tow (unknowingly) in hopes of figuring out a new plan to save Bender. At the execution, Bender's friends walk in dressed as Santa Claus, claiming to be the real deal (except Zoidberg who comes in dressed as Jesus). They ultimately fail, but Bender is saved by the real Santa. Bender is recruited by Santa for the night in order to finish his violent rampage. At the end of the night Santa threatens Bender and flies off, back to Neptune.

Notes

Alien Language Sightings

• No alien language words make an appearance in this episode.

Referbacks

• 1x02 - The Series Has Landed: Another reference to Bender's compulsion to sing folk tunes when magnetized is made in this episode.
• 2x08 - Xmas Story: All of the Santa references come from the previous Christmas episode from season two, XMas Story. Also, during the Cronkite segment at the beginning, pieces of the first Christmas Episode are shown.
• 2x10 - Put Your Head on My Shoulder: Petunia, Fry's blind date from the Valentine's Day episode makes an appearance in this episode.

Trivia

The Show

• Opening Caption: This Episode Performed Entirely By Sock Puppets
• Christmas Song: The song that the crew and Neptunians sing while making toys was written by Ken Keeler and Bill Odenkirk.

Behind the Scenes

• Emmy Awards: The song in the episode was submitted for Emmy Awards consideration, but was not nominated. Incidentally, Ken Keeler has previously won two awards in the best original song category for The Simpsons, even once beating out co-writer Bill Odenkirk's song about Ronnie Dobbs for Mr. Show with Bob and David.
• Controversy: This episode was originally supposed to air in December, 2000, but FOX executives wouldn't allow a sequel to the first Christmas episode. Despite their protest, the episode was written and animated but the executives wouldn't allow it still. It was shelved until 2001 when they allowed a showing of the episode but only at 9:30PM.
• ComicCon: This episode was aired at the San Diego International Comic Convention.
• Name That Santa: While Santa Claus was voiced by John Goodman in the first Christmas episode, he was not available for the second so Robot Santa was voiced by John Di Maggio in this episode.
• ...And The Robot Devil Too: The Robot Devil in this episode is voiced by Maurice LaMarshe, not Dan Castlenetta like in Hell Is Other Robots.

Allusions and References

• A Tale of Two Cities: The title is a parody of the Charles Dickens novel "A Tale of Two Cities." These two works have absolutely nothing to do with one another.
• Star Trek: The use of a logical paradox to destroy Robot Santa Claus is a reference to where they do the same thing several times in Star Trek.
• Spartacus: When all of Bender's friends step forward to claim that they are Santa Claus, it is remaniscent of the scene in Spartacus in which everyone in the crowd claims to be Spartacus.

Memorable Moments

• The chase scene with Santa.
• The musical number in which Fry, Leela, Bender and the Neptunians sing and make toys.
• Bender singing "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" while being executed via magnets.

Quotes

• Prof. Farnsworth: Good news everyone! Now we're completely safe from Santa, so long as no one is stupid enough to go outside.
  Everyone: Hooray!
  Prof. Farnsworth: On an unrelated matter, you've been hired to deliver these children's letters to Santa at his Death Fortress on Neptune.

• Leela: Santa's a robot. So we should be able to destroy him with a logical paradox. Bender, you'd better cover your ears.

• Girl: Mommy, mommy, Santa's through the perimeter!
  Mother: This is it kids. Take your suicide pills so you won't suffer.
  Bender: No wait, I'm the good Santa. I've got toys - at very reasonable prices!
  Dad: Don't listen to him. He's the father of all lies and the uncle of all tricks.
  Bender: But I come bearing tri-ominos!
  Mother: Go for the shins!

• Kwanzaabot: Yo Kringle! What happened to you, dawg?
  Bender: Oh it's awful Kwanzabot. Everyone hates me.
  Kwanzaabot: At least they understand you, you know what I'm sayin'? Anyone ain't down with this Kwanza tip.

Song Lyrics

We are free and fairly sober
With so many toys to build.
The machines are kinda tricky,
Probably someone will be killed,
But we gladly work for nothing
"Which is good because we don't intend to pay."
The elves are back to work today... Hurray!

We have just a couple hours
To make several billion gifts,
And the labour isn't easy...
"When you all work triple shifts.
You can make the job go quicker,
If you turn up the controls to super-speed."
It's back to work on Xmas Eve!

And though you're cold and sore and ugly,
Your pride will mask the pain.
Let my happy smile warm your heart...
"There's a toy lodged in my brain."

We are getting awfully tired,
And we can't work any faster,
And we're very very sorry...
"Why you selfish little bastards,
Do you want the kids to think Santa's just a crummy empty handed jerk?"
No!
"Then shut your yaps and back to work!"

Now it's very nearly Xmas and we've done the best we could.
These toys soldiers are poorly painted
And they're made from inferior wood.
"I should give you all a beating,
But I really have to fly."
"If I weren't stuck here frozen,
I'd harpoon you in the eye."

Now its back into our tennements to drown ourselves in rye.
You did the best you could,
I guess that some of these gorillas are OK.
The elves have rescued Xmas Day! Hooray!

Reviews

• Overall Grade: N/A with 0 reviews
• Review Breakdown: A+: 0 A: 0 A-: 0 B+: 0 B: 0 B-: 0 C+: 0 C: 0 C-: 0 D: 0 F: 0

• Be the first to review this episode!