Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch

Last updated
"Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch"
Futurama episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 1
Directed by Wes Archer
Written by Bill Odenkirk
Production code4ACV01
Original air dateJanuary 12, 2003 (2003-01-12)
Episode features
Opening caption Bigfoot's Choice
Opening cartoon "It's a Greek Life" by Van Beuren Studios (1936)
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The 30% Iron Chef"		Next →
"Leela's Homeworld"
Futurama season 4
List of episodes

"Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch" is the first episode in the fourth season of the American animated television series Futurama , and the 55th episode of the series overall. It first aired on Fox in the United States on January 12, 2003. The episode was written by Bill Odenkirk and directed by Wes Archer. The plot centers on Kif and Amy's relationship; Kif is suddenly impregnated so he returns to his homeworld to give birth. The episode was generally well received by critics.

Contents

Plot

Amy is unhappy with her long-distance relationship with Kif and wants to see him in person again. The crew is sent to deliver a giant pill to a planet near where Kif is stationed, Amy stows away on board the Planet Express Ship. While the crew is asleep, Amy changes course to meet with Kif. When Zapp Brannigan sees the ship, the Planet Express crew joins him on the Nimbus . On the Nimbus, Kif implores Amy to move in with him and shows her the HoloShed to illustrate what life would be like with him. Soon, however, the shed malfunctions and the holograms that invade become real. When the holograms reach the rest of the crew, Zapp Brannigan accidentally blasts a hole in the ship, which sucks out the holograms. Everyone else on the ship is also sucked towards the hole, but they hang on to each other's hands until the moon from the Holoshed plugs the hole. Later, at the sickbay, the doctor reports that everyone survived with only minor injuries, and also reveals that Kif is pregnant.

Kif explains to the crew that his race reproduces through touch, their skin being a semi-permeable membrane which can absorb genetic material. They become sexually fertile whenever they experience strong positive emotions for another being, as Kif did with Amy on the HoloShed. Fry points out that everyone on the ship touched Kif while he was trying to hang onto them to prevent being sucked through the hole and it is unclear who the mother is. Professor Farnsworth uses an invention of his, the Maternifuge, to determine the real mother. The machine filters out its occupants based on a DNA sample, revealing that the mother is Leela. Amy is instead only the "smizmar" of Kif's children, but Kif reveals that she is still considered the true parent by his species' culture. Amy is dismayed at being cast in the role of a mother, however, her parents are surprisingly happy about having a grandchild and demand Amy and Kif call Amy's mom "Grandma" all the time, however, at Fry and Bender's apartment for the pre-birth celebrations, Amy runs away.

With Kif's pregnancy nearing its end, the crew takes Kif to Amphibios 9, his homeworld. Kif encounters the Grand Midwife, who oversees the birthing ceremony, which traditionally involves the participation of the smizmar, further underscoring Kif's sadness at Amy's abandonment. Just as Kif is about to give birth, Amy arrives saying she wants to be with him despite not being ready for motherhood. After Kif gives birth, the babies, in a tadpole-like state, make it to the swampy water and are left to swim about until they are able to live out of water, which Kif reveals will not happen for twenty years, thus relieving Amy of any maternal duties until then.

Production

At the beginning of the episode, when Professor Farnsworth retreats to the angry dome, there was a debate amongst the writers about whether the viewers should be able to hear him or not. They envisioned the angry dome as being similar to the Cone of Silence from Get Smart , but ultimately it was decided that hearing the professor was funnier. [1] The writers also had a debate about who the second parent of Kif's children should be. [1] Writer Bill Odenkirk notes that they felt making Amy the true parent would make her character unlikable after she did not accept the children. [2]

In the scene in Kif's room, Bender is seen in Kif's closet with his head and body separated. No explanation for this is ever given in the episode. However, on the DVD commentary, it is revealed that it was originally going to be explained that the room was much too small to have everybody fit inside, and that Bender was in the closet out of necessity. The original script also contained a much longer series of events once the characters arrived at Kif's planet. The material that was eventually cut focused on the journey and a series of tasks Kif needed to complete before giving birth. The material was supposedly as long as an entire episode. [2]

Cultural references

Reception

Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B+, saying: "At the very least, it makes an effort to deal with Kif and Amy in a way that’s unexpected, surprisingly heartwarming, and more than a little disgusting. But it’s hampered by a structural choice which, while allowing for a big surprise in the final act, takes focus away from [Amy,] the one character who has anything resembling an arc in the story." [4]

Related Research Articles

Leela (<i>Futurama</i>) Main character in the television show Futurama

Turanga Leela is a fictional character from the animated television series Futurama. Leela is spaceship captain, pilot, and head of all aviation services on board the Planet Express Ship. Throughout the series, she has an on-again, off-again relationship with and got engaged to Philip J. Fry, the central character in the series. The character, voiced by Katey Sagal, is named after the Turangalîla-Symphonie by Olivier Messiaen. She is one of the few characters in the cast to routinely display competence and the ability to command, and routinely saves the rest of the cast from disaster. However, she suffers extreme self-doubt because she has only one eye and grew up as a bullied orphan. She first believes herself an alien, but later finds out she is the least-mutated sewer mutant in the history of 31st-century Earth. Her family parodies aspects of pollution and undesirability associated with industrial New Jersey when compared with New York City.

"Where No Fan Has Gone Before" is the eleventh episode in the fourth season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 65th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 21, 2002. Set in a retro-futuristic 31st century, the series follows the adventures of the employees of Planet Express, an interplanetary delivery company. In this episode, the Planet Express team and most of the main cast of Star Trek: The Original Series face a court-martial after visiting the forbidden planet Omega 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space Pilot 3000</span> 1st episode of Futurama Season 1

"Space Pilot 3000" is the pilot episode of the American animated television series Futurama. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 28, 1999. The episode focuses on the cryogenic freezing of the series protagonist, Philip J. Fry, and the events when he awakens 1,000 years in the future and is the first episode to be set in the 30th century. Series regulars are introduced and the futuristic setting, inspired by a variety of classic science fiction series from The Jetsons to Star Trek, is revealed. It also sets the stage for many of the events to follow in the series, foreshadowing plot points from the third and fourth seasons.

"A Flight to Remember" is the tenth episode in the first season of the American animated television series Futurama. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 26, 1999. The title is a reference to Walter Lord's non-fiction book about the Titanic disaster A Night to Remember. This episode was written by Eric Horsted and directed by Peter Avanzino. Dawnn Lewis guest-stars in this episode as LaBarbara Conrad. The episode is a direct parody of the 1997 film Titanic.

"Brannigan, Begin Again" is the second episode in the second season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 15th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 28, 1999. The episode was written by Lewis Morton and directed by Jeffrey Lynch.

"The Problem with Popplers" is the fifteenth episode in the second season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 28th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 7, 2000. The title is a reference to the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Trouble with Tribbles". The episode focuses on the Planet Express crew discovering what they think is fast food they call "Popplers," but they turn out to be the young of the Omicron aliens, and the Omicronian leader Lrrr seeks revenge.

"War Is the H-Word" is the seventeenth episode in the second season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 30th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 26, 2000. The episode parodies several war films and shows, including Starship Troopers, Star Wars and M*A*S*H.

"Leela's Homeworld" is the second episode in the fourth season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 56th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 17, 2002. "Leela's Homeworld" was written by Kristin Gore and directed by Mark Ervin. The episode reveals Leela's true origin as a mutant who was abandoned by her parents so she could have a better life. Her parents fabricated her prior background as an alien, as it is illegal for mutants to live on the surface.

"Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles" is the ninth episode in the fourth season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 63rd episode of the series overall. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 30, 2003. The episode was directed by Bret Haaland and written by Jeff Westbrook. In the episode, the Planet Express crew take Professor Farnsworth to a clinic to make him younger though the use of tar. A freak accident occurs and the entire crew are covered in the tar, thus reverting them to their younger selves. They seek to reverse the effect and return to their proper ages.

"Three Hundred Big Boys" is the sixteenth episode in the fourth season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 70th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on June 15, 2003. Set in a retro-futuristic 31st century, the series follows the adventures of the employees of Planet Express, an interplanetary delivery company.

"Concerning Flight" is the 79th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the 11th episode of season four. Set in the 24th century of the Star Trek science fiction universe, the series follows a Federation spaceship on its way home after being flung to the other side of the Galaxy. In this installment, the crew must retrieve stolen goods.

"Spirit Folk" is the 137th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager airing on the UPN network. It is the 17th episode of the sixth season. The titular USS Voyager spacecraft is stranded on the other side of the Galaxy as Earth and the United Federation of Planets.

"Flesh and Blood" is a two-part episode from the seventh season of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. The crew of USS Voyager must contend with violent Delta Quadrant aliens the Hirogen, who use the holodeck technology with a horrific amoral twist.

<i>Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs</i> 2008 American film

Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs is a 2008 American direct-to-video adult animated science-fiction comedy-adventure film based on the animated series Futurama, and the second of four straight-to-DVD films that make up the show's fifth season. The film was released in the United States and Canada on June 24, 2008, followed by a UK release on June 30, 2008 and an Australian release on August 6, 2008. The title refers to a euphemism for sexual intercourse—"the beast with two backs". Comedy Central aired the film as a "four-part epic" on October 19, 2008. The movie won an Annie Award for "Best Animated Home Entertainment Production".

<i>Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder</i> 2009 American film

Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder is a 2009 American direct-to-video adult animated science fiction comedy-adventure film based on the animated series Futurama, and the fourth and final of the direct-to-DVD films that make up the show's fifth season. The film was written by Ken Keeler, based on a story by Keeler and David X. Cohen, and directed by Peter Avanzino. Guest stars include Phil Hendrie, Penn Jillette, Snoop Dogg, and Seth MacFarlane, who sings the theme song. In the movie, Leela becomes an outlaw when she and a group of ecologically-minded feminists attempt to save an asteroid of primitive life forms and the Violet Dwarf star from being destroyed, while Fry joins a secret society and attempts to stop a mysterious species known as the "Dark Ones" from destroying all life in the universe. The title itself is a reference to the U.S. Air Force Song, the main chorus of which describes reaching "Into the wild blue yonder".

"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.

"The Butterjunk Effect" is the sixth episode in the seventh season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 120th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central on July 18, 2012. The episode was written by Michael Rowe and directed by Crystal Chesney-Thompson.

"Naturama" is the thirteenth episode in the seventh season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 127th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central on August 29, 2012. The episode was written by Eric Rogers, Michael Saikin and Neil Mukhopadhyay, and directed by Crystal Chesney-Thompson.

"Love's Labours Lost in Space" is the fourth 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 13, 1999. The episode was written by Brian Kelley and directed by Brian Sheesley. This episode introduces the recurring character Zapp Brannigan when he attempts to prevent the Planet Express crew from completing their mission. It also introduces the characters of Kif Kroker, Brannigan's aide, and Nibbler, whom Leela adopts as a pet.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Cohen, David X. (2003). Futurama season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  2. 1 2 Odenkirk, Bill (2003). Futurama season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  3. ↑ Archer, Wes (2003). Futurama season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  4. ↑ Handlen, Zack (June 11, 2015). "Futurama: "Kif Gets Knocked Up A Notch"/"Leela's Homeworld"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved April 10, 2016.
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.