The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings

A fateful night at the Opera

Production Number: 4ACV18
Title Caption: SEE YOU ON SOME OTHER CHANNEL
First Aired: August 10, 2003
Title reference: The proverb "Idle hands are the Devil's playthings".

The Story

Act I: Mr. Bender, I simply cannot teach your child!

Fry is desperately trying to learn to play the Holophonor, as he once almost won Leela's heart with it. He begs Bender to come and visit a Holophonor recital he is playing at, and Bender graciously agrees to do it. However, Fry sucks at playing and the recital ends in an uproar. Fry is down in the dumps, as he can imagine great music but simply can't bring his hands to craft it. Just then, Leela tells him that she has a soft spot for men with creative musical talent, like her ex-boyfiend Shawn who used to play the saxophone. Bender now suggests that Fry should cut a deal with the Robot Devil to learn to play the Holophonor, and Fry listens to his advice. Both travel to Robot Hell and confront the Robot Devil, who tells Fry that he has "stupid fingers" and with hands like that, he will not even master a belt buckle. He suggests that Fry takes a pair of robot hands to replace them, and leads them to a big wheel of fortune on which the name of every robot in existence is written to determine who must give up his hands for Fry. The wheel chooses the Robot Devil himself, who reluctantly hands his hands over and takes Fry's old hands to replace them.

Act II: I'm back from Hell, and I've got the Robot Devil's hands!

With his new hands, Fry easily masters the holophonor and soon becomes a star. He even makes his own records and plays in public in Hovercar-negie Hall, and Leela is genuinely touched. The Robot Devil is desperately trying to get his hands back, but Fry refuses. Meanwhile, Hedonism Bot asks Fry to write an opera for him, and Fry agrees provided that he can write it about Leela. He begins his work, and Leela is very impressed by his creative talent, but Fry doesn't want her to hear the opera until it's done. The Robot Devil cuts a deal with Bender and installs him a stadium air horn so he can be more anoying, taking his crotch plate in return. Bender tries out his new function on Leela, and the blast is so loud she is deafened and can't hear any more - not even Fry's opera that will premiere the following night. This is just what the Robot Devil had hoped for - and as he has no shiny metal ass left, not even Bender's favourite catchphrase works any more.

Act III: Please don't stop playing, Fry. I want to hear how it ends.

Fry's opera Leela: Orphan of the Stars has its grand premiere in the Metropolitan House of Opera, and a huge audience attends to it. As she still can't hear, Leela begs the Planet Express crew not to tell Fry that she is deaf, because she fears it would break his heart. The first act that deals with Leela's past is a great success, and during the intermission Leela would give anything to hear the rest - enter the Robot Devil. He agrees to grant her new ears in exchange for her hand, and takes Calculon's ears to fulfill the deal, but does not yet take Leela's hand. During the second act which is about Fry's deal with the Robot Devil, the real Robot Devil makes a personal appearance on the stage, confronts Fry and demands his hands back, or he will take Leela's promised hand - in marriage. Fry is desperate, as his skill with the holophonor and thus his ability to impress Leela is connected to his new hands, and without them, he will not be able to complete the opera he wrote to win her heart. But in the end, he decides to give up the hands so that Leela may go free. Left with his old hands, he can't play properly any more, and the opera is a flop. As he is about to leave the empty stage, he spots Leela, who alone has stayed in the auditorium, and asks him to play on so she can hear how it ends. Fry resumes playing and manages to tell the rest of the story - he and Leela live happily ever after. Fade to black...

Additional Info

Trivia

• On the spinning wheel that the Robot Devil uses to select what robot hands Fry shall switch his hands for. The names that it runs through are actual names of robots that have been on previous episodes (and/or this episode). (See below for the full list.)
• The grumpy snail is in every holophonor piece Fry plays, apart from the opera. It is also featured on the advert for Fry's record.
• The final line in the episode took a while to record due to Katey Sagal's involvement with 8 Simple Rules.
• Dan Castellaneta returns as Robot Devil and also plays the slug advertising for Fry's album.
• When the show went on hiatus in April 2002, the Futurama crew made this episode to work as both a season and a series finale, as it was a 50/50 chance that they would get renewed.
• Fry, Leela, Bender, Professor Farnsworth and Richard Nixon are the only characters to appear in both this episode and Space Pilot 3000.
• Writer Ken Keeler was nominated for an Emmy in 2004 (for Outstanding Music and Lyrics) for this episode (specifically, for the song "I Want My Hands Back").
• Preacherbot mentions the power vested in him "by the state of New New York." Up until this point, it had never been mentioned if the state's name had changed along with that of the city's, although it was marked as such in Bendin' in the Wind.
• This is the only time the big screen in the opening sequence shows a picture of the opening sequence itself, repeating itself endlessly.
• The sign of the Holophonor teacher bears the subtitle Taking the fun out of music for over 20 years.
• Fry and Bender ride Segways to get to the recital.
• Amy is using Emotion Flashcards featuring the Poster Guy to tell the deafened Leela what she is supposed to feel during the opera.
• The contract Leela has signed is headed Standard Diabolical Exchange Agreement.

Goofs

• During the advertisement for Fry’s record he switches between having normal and robot hands.

Quotes

• Bender: (looking at signs that tell him to keep him out of Fry's room) I choose to not understand these signs.
• Bender: You know what always cheers me up? Laughing at other peoples misfortunes! (laughs)
• Bender: Fry, if you don't take this offer right now, I will lose all respect for you and punch you.
• Bender: (watching the Wheel of Robots spin) I got a hundred bucks on Rectal-Exam-Bot!
• Hedonism Bot: Courtesans and gentle fops, I bid you welcome to my opera. Let us cavort like the Greeks of old. You know the ones I mean.
• Zoidberg: (as Fry enters the stage) I watch TV with that guy!
• Opera PA: Please take your seats for Act 2!
  Hedonism Bot: But I'm not done vomiting! Ahahahaha!
• Hedonism Bot: (as the Robot Devil chops off Fry's hands) Surgery in an opera? How wonderfully decadent! And I was just beginning to lose interest. Jombee, the chocolate icing! (servant covers him in chocolate) Oh! Oh my, yes!
• Leela: (touching Fry's robot hands) Aah! They're so cold!
  Robot Devil: (off screen) AND YET HELL IS SO HOT! (laughs) Can I have my hands back now?
  Fry: NO!
  Robot Devil: (whining) YOU'RE NOT NICE!
• Fry: I can't play anymore...
  Zoidberg: Yes you can! The music was in your heart, not in your hands! (Fry begins playing crude images on the holophonor, and the audience is disgusted)
  Zoidberg: Your music is bad and you should feel bad!
• Hedonism Bot: A man writing an opera about a woman? (giggles) Oh, sirrah, how deliciously absurd!
• Robot Devil: You can't just have your characters come out and say how they feel! That makes me feel angry!
• Leela: Please don't stop playing, Fry. I want to hear how it ends.

Inside References

• This episode takes up the storyline of Parasites Lost.
• Leela is seen eating a grilled Buggalo leg, a reference to Where the Buggalo Roam.

Characters on the wheel of robots

Flexo Daisy Mae 128k Crushinator Roberto Helper Kwanzaabot Robot 1-X Clamps Hedonism Bot Fatbot Linctron Destructor

Santa Joey Tinny Tim Chain Smoker Angleyne Execu-tor Preacherbot Fembot Hair Robot Unit 2013 Donbot Boxy

Lulubelle 7 Humorbot 5.0 Calculon URL Foreigner iZac Cartridge Unit Barkerbot Teenbot Gearshift Q. T. McWhiskers Deep Blue

iHawk Cylon Patchcord Adams Liubot Stage Mom 7.0 Sinclair 2K Vending Machine Oily Coolometer Andrew Monique Rab-Bot

Lisa Executive Gamma Keg Robot Greeting Card EuroTRaSh 80 Nannybot 1.0 Emotitron, Jr. Ceiling Fan Hookerbot Bender Robot Devil

Outside References

• Two people in the holophoner image jump over barrels as they walk upstairs, which is similar to the gameplay in Donkey Kong. This links the first episode (Space Pilot 3000) and what was at the time of production the final episode of the series in that they both have a Donkey Kong reference.
• The idea of someone selling something to the devil for an artistic talent is similar to The Devil and Daniel Webster.
• The name of the opera hall where Fry's opera debuts is MHOp (Metropolitan House of Opera), a reference to both IHOP (International House of Pancakes) restaurants and the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City

Characters

• Fry
• Leela
• Bender
• Professor Farnsworth
• Hermes
• Zoidberg
• Amy
• Robot Devil
• Hedonism Bot
• Calculon
• Morbo
• Richard Nixon's head
• Zapp Brannigan
• Humorbot 5.0
• Florp
• Preacherbot
• Tinny Tim
• Debut: Mrs. Mellonger

Episode Credits

• Writer
  • Ken Keeler
• Director
  • Brett Haaland
• Voice Actors
  • Billy West
  • Katey Sagal
  • John DiMaggio
  • Tress MacNeille
  • Lauren Tom
  • Maurice LaMarche
  • Phil LaMarr
  • David Herman
• DVD Commentary
  • Matt Groening
  • David X. Cohen
  • Ken Keeler
  • Brett Haaland
  • Billy West
  • Maurice LaMarche
  • Dan Castellaneta
• Special Guest
  • Dan Castellaneta