Before getting into the episode, I need to get something off my chest. I have never wanted an iPhone so badly. Why would that be? Because they’ve just released a free make-your-own-head-in-a-jar app. My friend Andrew was nice enough to make one of me, but I still wish I could try it out for myself. I suggest any Futurama-loving iPhone users to check it out.
One of the best things about Futurama is the abundance of nerd jokes. Sure, a good majority of these jokes are science related, but this week’s “All the Presidents’ Heads” gave the history buffs about 30 nerdgasms. And that’s the way we like it.
Sure, not everything was historically accurate (duh), but the jokes based on real colonial history are definitely treats, like “f” being used instead of “s” in print and Benjamin Franklin’s ladies’ man status. It’s also fun to see the different presidents’ versions of partying, including the pie-eating contest between Clinton and Taft, and Madison wanting some women who flash a little elbow (gasp!). I giggled like a mad-woman when they made a callback to Gerald Ford’s “cameo” in the classic Simpsons episode “Two Bad Neighbors“.
The time travel was handled cleverly. The Futurama writers have made a point of making time travel very rare in this universe, and this particular mode of time travel is quite unique. Besides the many history jokes, the colonists had varying guesses at what Bender could be, including a crockpot, a cannon and scrap metal. This week, the Professor also referenced “Roswell that Ends Well” and coined a new term for when you mess with the timeline (look at the last quote at the bottom of this page).
Once the episode got to the alternate British Occupation 3011, we got so many great Anglophile jokes. I openly cheered when they did the Doctor Who reference. As far as I know, it’s the first Doctor Who reference in the show, which is amazing since they’ve parodied practically every other sci-fi franchise out there. It took me a minute to realize it, but I’m pretty sure the Tardis was supposed to be a suicide booth, with the 4th Doctor gleefully running in. Make of that what you will. There was also an abundance of Monty Python references, with maybe the best part being a monocled Zoidberg silly walking.
In short, “All the Presidents’ Heads” is a light-hearted romp into historical satire. We’ve seen a lot of these presidents in the show before, but the writers have never poked so much fun at them in just one sitting … it was a lot of fun transcribing the quotes below and attributing the silly lines to Andrew Jackson, FDR, Thomas Jefferson and the like. I’m actually impressed that the writers refrained from focusing on Nixon and gave the other presidents some teasing for once. History buffs in particular will love this episode because there are so many clever little inside jokes in there for them, but it’s just a hilarious episode over-all and one of the best of the season. The summer episodes are really picking up!
All the best quotes:
“Apply viewing oil now.” — Opening title card
“This is my ancester Philo Farnsworth, inventor of television, and as a bonus, childhood obesity!” — Professor Farnsworth
“Woo! Time to go clubbing. Baby seals, here I come!” — Bender
“Sorry guys, you know the rules. No fun allowed.” — Fry
“Come on, you pansy! I’m thirsty. I want me some Tennessee loopy juice!” — Andrew Jackson
“And I want loose women. The kind that aren’t afraid to show a little ankle.” — Warren G. Harding
“[whispers] Or elbow.” — James Madison
“You’re mean, Rutherford B. Hayes!” — Fry
“Listen here, young man. We have nothing to fear, but running out of beer!” — Franklin Delano Roosevelt
“Four more beers! Four more beers!” — All
“Hi! I’m Jerry. I like movies!” — Gerald Ford
“I recognize this. It’s the 1960’s. I did a report on it for my drug-taking class.” — Amy
“The ‘yeas’ have it. Our nation’s official joke state shall be New Jersey.” — Thomas Jefferson
“Isn’t Franklin in Philadelphia?” — Leela
“When he’s not in Charlotte or Marybelle or Louisa.” — Thomas Jefferson
[laughter]
“… I don’t get it.” — Fry
“You may go, Louisa.” — Ben Franklin
“Now I get it!” — Fry
“Fascinating. Be you man or machine?” — Ben Franklin
“Mostly machine. Might be a couple dead cats in there.” — Bender
“The British are coming! The British are coming! By land! By land! Gotta treat this OCD! Gotta treat this OCD!” — Paul Revere
“Fry, you dolt! You really screwed the granny this time!”– Farnsworth
Clacked by Katie Schenkel 
on Jul 29, 2011 @ 01:04 EST5EDT
