The Silence of the Clamps

Last updated
"The Silence of the Clamps"
Futurama episode
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 14
Directed byFrank Marino
Written byEric Rogers
Production code6ACV14
Original air dateJuly 14, 2011 (2011-07-14)
Episode features
Opening caption No refunds
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Futurama Holiday Spectacular"		Next →
"Möbius Dick"
Futurama season 6
List of episodes

"The Silence of the Clamps" is the fourteenth episode in the sixth season of the American animated television series Futurama , and the 102nd episode of the series overall. It originally aired July 14, 2011 on Comedy Central. The episode was written by Eric Rogers and directed by Frank Marino. In the episode, Bender witnesses a brutal "clamping" committed by the Robot Mafia and is forced into witness protection after his identity is accidentally revealed. Meanwhile, Clamps, a member of the Robot Mafia, takes Bender's old job at Planet Express in an attempt to get information as to Bender's whereabouts.

Contents

From May 22 to May 23, and again on June 17, as part of its "Countdown to Futurama" event, Comedy Central Insider, Comedy Central's news outlet, released various preview materials for the episode, including storyboards, concept art and a preview video clip of the episode. "The Silence of the Clamps" received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the use of Dr. Zoidberg's character, but criticized the choice of Clamps as its main focus.

Plot

While delivering an item for The Donbot's eldest daughter's wedding, Bender sneaks onto the mansion grounds to take part in the festivities. He secretly makes out with the Donbot's younger daughter Bella when he witnesses the Robot Mafia viciously beating Calculon for welching. Being the only witness of the attack, Bender is forced to testify in open court where he is recognized by Bella, who blurts out her decision to marry him, while Calculon is threatened by the Robot Mafia into testifying in favor of the Donbot's innocence.

Now targeted by the Robot Mafia for ratting out the Donbot and for his affair with Bella, Bender is forced to go into witness relocation, leaving Planet Express to begin hiring for his replacement. Determined to hunt down Bender, the Donbot sends Robot Mafia member Clamps to apply for Planet Express under his real name, Francis, in order to befriend Fry and make him reveal Bender's location. However, he is unsuccessful and earns the resentment of Zoidberg, who fears that Clamps's masterful use of his clamp-like hands will overshadow the use of his own pincers, the only part of Zoidberg's job that he is tolerated for.

The Planet Express crew makes a delivery to the Moon where they find a robot they believe to be Bender, who claims his name is Billy West and does not seem to remember any of them, his memory seemingly erased as part of the witness relocation program. This does not stop Clamps from attempting to kill Billy, but he is stopped by Zoidberg, who uses his pincers to cut off his clamps. However, Bella arrives and shoots Billy to death, accusing him of cheating on her since he is shown to be married to the Crushinator. The crew returns to Earth to mourn Bender's apparent death at a pizzeria near the Planet Express building. There they find Bender working as a waiter, revealing himself to still be under witness protection there, and realize that Billy was a different robot. With the Robot Mafia believing Bender to be dead, Bender is free to continue working at Planet Express.

Production

The episode was written by Eric Rogers, and directed by Frank Marino. The episode serves as Rogers' first solo writing credit for the series; Rogers had previously co-written the season two episode "Anthology of Interest", and is also a frequent writer for the series' accompanying comic book series. [1]

As a part of its "Countdown to Futurama" event, Comedy Central Insider, Comedy Central's news outlet, released various preview materials for the episode. On May 22, concept art of the Crushinator, a returning character that originally debuted in the season one episode "The Series Has Landed", was released; [2] the next day, storyboards of a courtroom scene in the episode were released. [3] On June 17, a preview clip from the episode was released. [4]

Cultural references

The title is a reference to the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs . The wedding scenes in the episode's first act were inspired by the 1972 crime film The Godfather ; the Donbot's mansion is modelled after the mansion from the film's 1974 sequel, The Godfather Part II . [5] The 1979 song "Clampdown" by English punk rock band The Clash is played over a montage of Clamps and Fry spending time together. [6] The robot that the Planet Express crew meet on the Moon, Billy West, is named after the voice actor of the same name, Billy West, who voices various Futurama characters, including primary characters Fry, Dr. Zoidberg and The Professor. The Futurama staff were amused by this reference. One of the villains, say "In space, no one can hear you clamp." A reference to the tagline of Alien, "In space, no one can hear you scream. [5]

Reception

In its original U.S. broadcast, "The Silence of the Clamps" scored a 0.7 share among adults 18-49 and 1.406 million viewers, down about 150,000 viewers from the previous week's episode "Law and Oracle". [7]

The episode received mixed reviews from critics. Zach Handlen of The A.V. Club wrote: "...this is more like everybody goofing off, and I enjoy watching that a lot more." He described the episode as "weirdly put together, [...] messy and occasionally half-assed", but that he nonetheless laughed throughout, praising scenes such as Zoidberg and Clamps' showdown. He noted that he felt the episode was an improvement over the week's previous episode "Law and Oracle", giving the episode an overall B+ rating. [8]

Robert Canning of IGN was more critical of the episode, describing it as the "first clunker of the summer" and writing: "...there were still a few laugh-out-loud bits in the half hour, but as Futurama episodes go, [it] was just a little too straightforwardly bland." He criticized the episode for what he felt was a rehash of plot elements, such as a character leaving Planet Express, similarly explored in the episode "Ghost in the Machines" by Fry, as well as not having much "hilariously memorable moments." Praise was given, however, to Zoidberg's character. Giving the episode a 7/10 rating, he concluded his review of the episode by describing it as "simply too unremarkable." [6] Sean Gandert of Paste described the episode as "forgettable", writing: "I think the main problem I ended up having with this episode is that aside from locations being on the moon and characters being robots, which have no real effect, this is a story that could have been done in any sit-com." He also criticized the episode for focusing on Clamps, who he describes as "probably the least interesting character in its universe" and a "one-joke character". He did praise some elements of the episode, such as its individual jokes, Bender's performance, and references to older elements of the show such as the Space Pope and the Family Bros. pizza parlor. In spite of these, however, Gandert, giving the episode a 6.6/10 rating, felt that "the foundation was weak, making for the first forgettable episode this season." [9]

Maurice LaMarche, who regularly voices Kif Kroker, Clamps, Donbot, Calculon, Morbo, The Hyperchicken, Hedonismbot and The Crushinator, won his second consecutive Emmy for outstanding voice-over performance for this episode. [10]

Eric Rogers was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Writing in Animation at the 64th Writers Guild of America Awards for his script to this episode. [11]

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 and is the series' comic relief. 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.

<i>Futurama</i> 1999 American animated sci-fi sitcom

Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company and later revived by Comedy Central, and then Hulu. The series follows Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1,000 years and revived on December 31, 2999. Fry finds work at the interplanetary delivery company Planet Express, working alongside the one-eyed mutant Leela and the robot Bender. The series was envisioned by Groening in the mid-1990s while working on The Simpsons; he brought David X. Cohen aboard to develop storylines and characters to pitch the show to Fox.

Bender (<i>Futurama</i>) Futurama character

Bender Bending Rodríguez is one of the main characters in the animated television series Futurama. He was conceived by the series' creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen, and is voiced by John DiMaggio. He fulfills a comic, antihero-type role in the show, and is described by fellow character Leela as an "alcoholic, whore-mongering, chain-smoking gambler".

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.

"Bender Gets Made" is the thirteenth episode in the second season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 26th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 30, 2000.

"That's Lobstertainment!" is the eighth episode in the third season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 40th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 25, 2001.

<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".

The animated science fiction show Futurama presents a satirical look at politics and current affairs in a number of its episodes. Series creator Matt Groening intended from the outset that Futurama would lampoon not only the conventions of science fiction, but elements of present-day life, serving as a form of political and social satire.

"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.

"The Late Philip J. Fry" is the seventh episode in the sixth season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 95th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central on July 29, 2010. In the episode, Fry attempts to make it on time to a birthday dinner date for Leela. He is sidetracked by Professor Farnsworth and Bender, who force him to test out the Professor's time machine, which only goes forward in time. After overshooting and thus going forward to the year 10,000 AD, they must keep traveling forward in time until a backwards time machine has been invented.

"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 sixth 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.

"Cold Warriors" is the twenty-fourth episode in the sixth season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 112th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on August 25, 2011 on Comedy Central. American actor Tom Kenny guest stars in the episode, voicing recurring character Yancy Fry, Jr., as well as astronaut Buzz Aldrin, voicing himself.

"Overclockwise" is the twenty-fifth and penultimate episode of 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.

"Law and Oracle" is the sixteenth episode in the sixth season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 104th episode of the series overall. It was originally broadcast on July 7, 2011, on Comedy Central. In the episode, Fry leaves his job as a delivery boy at Planet Express and applies for a new job as a police officer. He is eventually promoted to the Future Crimes division, where he is foretold of a crime committed by his best friend Bender that places him in a dilemma that puts his friends' lives in danger.

"Ghost in the Machines" is the nineteenth episode in the sixth season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 107th episode of the series overall. It originally aired June 30, 2011, on Comedy Central. The episode was written by Patric M. Verrone and directed by Ray Claffey. American actor Dan Castellaneta guest stars in the episode, voicing the Robot Devil. In the episode Bender, angry at Fry for valuing human life over robot life, kills himself in a suicide booth. Afterwards, he becomes a ghost, and learns from the Robot Devil that he is in limbo, and he cannot leave. Sharing a mutual dislike towards Fry, the Robot Devil offers to return Bender to his old body in exchange for using his new ghostly powers to scare Fry to death.

"Möbius Dick" is the fifteenth episode in the sixth season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 103rd episode of the series overall. It originally aired August 4, 2011 on Comedy Central. The episode was written by Dan Vebber and directed by Dwayne Carey-Hill. In the episode, the Planet Express crew pass through an area in space known as the Bermuda Tetrahedron, where many other ships passing through the area have mysteriously disappeared, including that of the first Planet Express crew. While exploring the area, a mysterious four-dimensional space whale devours the ship's engine, leaving them stranded in the area. The ship's captain, Leela, becomes obsessed with hunting down the whale.

"Viva Mars Vegas" is the twelfth episode in the seventh season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 126th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central on August 22, 2012. The episode was written by Josh Weinstein and directed by Frank Marino. Its opening sequence is constructed from plastic, cardboard, and model ships that "fly" on wires and rods.

References

  1. ↑ Meagan Engle (July 8, 2011). "Futurama episode written by Miami, Edgewood grad". The Oxford Press. Archived from the original on April 30, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  2. ↑ Tobey, Matt (May 22, 2011). "Countdown to Futurama: Crushinator Design". Comedy Central . Comedy Partners. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  3. ↑ Tobey, Matt (May 23, 2011). "Countdown to Futurama: Robot Mistrial". Comedy Central . Comedy Partners. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  4. ↑ Tobey, Matt (June 17, 2011). "Countdown to Futurama: Magnificent Squeezers". Comedy Central . Comedy Partners. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  5. 1 2 Commentary for "The Silence of the Clamps", in Futurama: Volume 6 [DVD]. 20th Century Fox (2011).
  6. 1 2 "Futurama: "The Silence of the Clamps" Review". IGN . July 15, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  7. ↑ Seidman, Robert (July 15, 2011). "Thursday Cable Ratings: 'Burn Notice,' Rises, Defeats 'Swamp People' + 'Suits,' 'Wilfred,' 'Futurama,' 'Louie' & More". TVbytheNumbers.com. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  8. ↑ Handlen, Zack (July 14, 2011). "The Silence of the Clamps". The A.V. Club . Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  9. ↑ Gandert, Sean (July 15, 2011). "Futurama Review: "The Silence of the Clamps" (6.18)". Paste . Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  10. ↑ THR Staff (September 15, 2012). "Creative Arts Emmys: The Winners". Paste . Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  11. ↑ Fernandez, Jay A. (February 19, 2012). "Writers Guild Awards: Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
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.