The Duh-Vinci Code

Last updated
"The Duh-Vinci Code"
Futurama episode
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 5
Directed byRaymie Muzquiz
Written by Maiya Williams
Production code6ACV05
Original air dateJuly 15, 2010 (2010-07-15)
Episode features
Opening caption Put on 3-D monocle now
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Proposition Infinity"		Next →
"Lethal Inspection"
Futurama (season 6)
List of episodes

"The Duh-Vinci Code" [1] is the fifth episode in the sixth season of the American animated television series Futurama , and the 93rd episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on July 15, 2010. [2] In the episode, Fry finds a drawing of a lost Leonardo da Vinci invention which leads him and Professor Farnsworth to planet Vinci.

Contents

The episode's title and plot is a parody of The Da Vinci Code . It received positive reviews from critics and went up one-tenth in the 18-49 demographic from the previous episode, "Proposition Infinity".

Plot

Fry misses the first question on Who Dares to Be a Millionaire?, and Professor Farnsworth berates him for his stupidity. Farnsworth explains that he is a proud scientist who greatly admires classic geniuses of history, mainly Leonardo da Vinci, and it pains him that one of his relatives (Fry) is such an idiot. Farnsworth shows Fry his most precious possession, Da Vinci's beard. Fry accidentally destroys it, uncovering a secret project of Da Vinci's. After two weeks of fruitless research, Farnsworth orders Bender to steal Da Vinci's original Last Supper, and using an x-ray machine, learns that Saint James was a robot.

The Planet Express crew goes to Rome to find the tomb of Saint James. They discover a robot in the tomb, who suddenly comes back to life and explains to the crew that he is Animatronio, a robot version of the original Saint James created by Leonardo da Vinci. Farnsworth asks Animatronio about Da Vinci's secret project, but Animatronio realizes that if they do not know about the "Machina Magnifica", they must not be a part of Da Vinci's secret society. He carelessly reveals that Da Vinci's secret is in a fountain, and proceeds to self-lash himself and fakes death to deny them any other information. Farnsworth uses clues from a statue of Neptune in the room to deduce that they need to look in the Trevi Fountain.

The crew arrives at Trevi Fountain, and Bender dives in to steal the coins at the bottom. He fights a mutant octopus for the coins and discovers a secret door that leads to a room filled with many of Da Vinci's famous inventions. Animatronio reappears and after an attempt at their lives, carelessly mentions that all the inventions fit together.

Fry triggers one of the inventions, which assembles itself into a spaceship and sends Fry and Farnsworth to the planet Vinci. They find Leonardo da Vinci, who reveals his great secret: He is from the planet Vinci, which is populated by a humanoid, near-immortal, highly intelligent alien race that takes pleasure in education. Farnsworth is elated, and runs off to explore and learn. Fry confesses his stupidity to Leonardo, who sympathizes and says that he is actually the dumbest person on planet Vinci, and lived on Earth during the Renaissance because he could not withstand the continuous bullying from his race. Earth's relatively stupid inhabitants were also intolerable to him, so he eventually returned to Vinci. Leonardo mentions the lost plans for his Machina Magnifica, which Fry happens to be carrying, and Leonardo takes them happily.

Fry helps Leonardo build the Machina Magnifica, under the assumption that they are plans for an ice cream machine. Farnsworth is having difficulty keeping up with the academic rigors on Vinci, and is ridiculed for his relative stupidity. Leonardo eventually reveals that his Machina Magnifica is a doomsday device, and attempts to use it on all those who tormented him. Fry is appalled at the machine's true purpose and tries to sabotage it, only to jam the gears when he falls in among them. The people of Vinci laugh at the failed machine, and Leonardo defiantly pulls a lever and is killed by a giant cog that falls on him. Farnsworth and Fry fly home in Leonardo's ship, and Farnsworth clumsily apologizes to Fry for insulting his intelligence.

Cultural references

The basic plot and title of the episode is a parody of The Da Vinci Code . [3] They also make a reference to Achilles' Heel and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? . [3]

Reception

In its original broadcast on Comedy Central, "The Duh-Vinci Code" was viewed by an estimated 2.204 million viewers (up nearly 200,000 or 10% from "Proposition Infinity") with a 1.5 household rating and a 1.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic, up 1/10 of a point from the previous week and making it the 3rd highest rated episode of the season behind premiere week's doubleheader of "Rebirth" and "In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela". [4]

Robert Canning of IGN gave the episode an 8.0/10 stating in his review "As wary as dated references and repurposed story ideas have been making me feel, it's hard not to enjoy an episode of Futurama that can deliver fun twists and an unexpected Achilles' Heel gag." [3] Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave a B and also said in his review "Generally, I like shows that build on emotional relationships, but the rules are different here. Although I'm starting to wonder if a little more cohesion might do the show good". [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoidberg</span> Futurama character

Dr. John A. Zoidberg, often referred to mononymously as Zoidberg, is a fictional character from the animated series Futurama. He is a Decapodian, a crustacean-like species of alien, who works as the staff doctor for Planet Express, despite his woeful understanding of human physiology and allusions to his questionable credentials. His character parodies the supposed wealth and automatic respect of modern doctors—for example, his incompetence at human medicine makes him extremely poor despite his profession, and he is implied to be frequently homeless when not at work. The Decapod are an extended parody on Jewish culture—the bigger joke being that shellfish are not kosher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Professor Farnsworth</span> Futurama character

Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, commonly referred to in-show as either Professor Farnsworth or simply Professor, is a fictional character in the American animated television series Futurama. The mad scientist proprietor of the Planet Express delivery service for whom the main characters work, he is the great (×30) grandnephew and the great (×30) grandson of series protagonist Philip J. Fry because of a time paradox and [[Leela (Futurama) |Turanga Leela) due to marriage. He is also Elena Fry's distant grandfather due to have an orange joe hair between her father and distant grandfather and Cubert Farnsworth's father and “creator” because of their relation that would make Cubert and Elena distant cousins since their fathers are related to each other. He alternates between intelligence and amoral senility due to his greatly advanced age of 175. He demonstrates a mastery of any field of science necessary for the series' plots and is suggested to be one of the most brilliant inventors on Earth. However, he falls asleep constantly, and he routinely sends his crews on suicide missions.

The animated science fiction television program Futurama makes a number of satirical and humorous references to religion, including inventing several fictional religions which are explored in certain episodes of the series.

"31st Century Fox" is the eleventh episode in the seventh season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 125th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central on August 29, 2012. The episode was written by Patric M. Verrone and directed by Edmund Fong.

"I, Roommate" is the third episode in the first season of the American animated television series Futurama. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 6, 1999. The title of the episode is a reference to collected short stories written between 1940 and 1950 by author Isaac Asimov titled I, Robot. The episode was written by Eric Horsted and directed by Bret Haaland. The plot focuses on Fry and Bender's search for an apartment after deciding to become roommates and the various difficulties they have in finding a place that is acceptable to both of them.

"A Fishful of Dollars" is the sixth episode in the first season of the American animated television series Futurama. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 27, 1999. The title of the episode is a play on name of the film A Fistful of Dollars. The episode was written by Patric Verrone and directed by Ron Hughart and Gregg Vanzo. Pamela Anderson guest stars as her own preserved head in a jar. This episode marks the first appearance of the character Mom, the series' recurring antagonist.

"A Big Piece of Garbage" is the eighth episode in the first season of the American animated television series Futurama. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on 11 May 1999. The episode was written by Lewis Morton and directed by Susie Dietter. Ron Popeil guest stars in this episode as himself. Nancy Cartwright also has a brief cameo as a Bart Simpson doll. Much of the episode is a spoof of the 1998 film Armageddon; however, instead of Earth being threatened by an asteroid, it is threatened by a giant ball of garbage.

"Mars University" is the eleventh episode in the first season of the American animated television series Futurama. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 3, 1999. This episode was written by J. Stewart Burns and directed by Bret Haaland.

"When Aliens Attack" is the twelfth episode in the first season of the American animated television series Futurama. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 7, 1999. This episode was written by Ken Keeler and directed by Brian Sheesley. The episode features an attack by aliens from Omicron Persei 8, when their leader, Lrrr, is outraged when the final episode of the series, Single Female Lawyer, is interrupted by technical difficulties caused by the clumsiness of Fry in 1999.

"Anthology of Interest I" is the sixteenth episode in the second season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 29th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 21, 2000. This episode, as well as the later "Anthology of Interest II", serves to showcase three "imaginary" stories, in a manner similar to the "Treehouse of Horror" episodes of Matt Groening's other animated series The Simpsons.

"Rebirth" is the premiere and first episode in the sixth season of the American animated television series Futurama, the 89th episode of the series overall, and the revival of the series. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on June 24, 2010. The episode was written by David X. Cohen and Matt Groening, and directed by Frank Marino.

"Lethal Inspection" is the sixth episode in the sixth season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 94th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on July 22, 2010. In the episode Bender learns that he suffers from a terminal manufacturing defect, effectively rendering him mortal. Bender must cope with his newfound mortality and enlists Hermes Conrad's help to track down the mysterious quality inspector, Inspector No. 5, whom he blames for allowing him to enter the world only to die.

"A Clockwork Origin" is the ninth episode in the sixth season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 97th episode of the series overall. It aired on Comedy Central on August 12, 2010. In the episode, Professor Farnsworth leaves Earth after being frustrated by anti-evolutionists' belief in "Creaturism", a form of Creationism. He and the Planet Express crew arrive at a lifeless planet and the Professor introduces nanobots into the environment. The nanobots rapidly begin evolving into mechanical organisms, allowing the crew to witness a whole new evolutionary history that unfolds before their eyes.

"The Prisoner of Benda" is the tenth episode in the seventh season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 98th episode of the series overall. It aired on Comedy Central on August 19, 2010. In the episode, Professor Farnsworth and Amy build a machine that allows them to switch minds so that they may each pursue their lifelong dreams. However, they learn that the machine cannot be used twice on the same pairing of bodies. To try to return to their rightful bodies, they involve the rest of the crew in the mind switches, leaving each member free to pursue their own personal endeavors in a different crew member's body. The episode is composed of multiple subplots, with the main subplot being Bender attempting to steal a crown, but ending up switching places with the Robo-Hungarian emperor.

"Overclockwise" is the twenty-fifth episode in the sixth season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 113th episode of the series overall. It originally aired September 1, 2011 on Comedy Central. The episode was written by Ken Keeler and directed by Raymie Muzquiz. In the episode, Bender is overclocked by Cubert Farnsworth, gradually becoming more powerful in computing ability, until eventually becoming omniscient and able to foresee future events. Meanwhile, Cubert and Professor Farnsworth are tried in court by Mom for violating Bender's license agreement, and Fry's relationship with Leela takes a turn for the worse.

"The Bots and the Bees" is the first episode in the seventh season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 115th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central on June 20, 2012, along with "A Farewell to Arms" as part of an hour long season premiere. The episode was written by Eric Horsted and directed by Stephen Sandoval. Wanda Sykes guest stars as Bev.

"Free Will Hunting" is the ninth episode in the seventh season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 123rd episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central on August 8, 2012. The episode was written by David X. Cohen and directed by Raymie Muzquiz.

"Near-Death Wish" is the tenth episode in the seventh season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 124th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central on August 15, 2012.

"Simpsorama" is the sixth episode of the twenty-sixth season of the animated television series The Simpsons, and the 558th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Bob Anderson and written by J. Stewart Burns. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 9, 2014.

References

  1. ↑ Tobey, Mathew (2010-05-27). "Countdown to Futurama: The Duh-Vinci Code Storyboards". Comedy Central Insider. Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
  2. ↑ "Futurama - Episode Guide - MSN TV". Archived from the original on 2010-07-01. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
  3. 1 2 3 Canning, Robert (July 16, 2010). "Futurama: "The Duh-Vinci Code" Review". IGN . Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  4. ↑ Seidman, Robert (July 16, 2010). "Thursday Cable: Burn Notice On Top, Futurama Up; Bethenny Down". TVbythenumbers. Archived from the original on July 18, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  5. ↑ Handlen, Zack (July 15, 2010). "Futurama "The Duh-Vinci Code"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved February 14, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.