Bendin' in the Wind
Encyclopedia
"Bendin' in the Wind" is the thirteenth episode in season three of Futurama
. It originally aired April 22, 2001. The title comes from the Bob Dylan
song "Blowin' in the Wind
". In South America
, this episode was #1 in "Bender's Best" top ten Bender-related Futurama episodes.
gets a free Volkswagen microbus
, excavated from the ruins of Old New York. He pushes it back to the Planet Express office, and has to fuel it with whale oil
, which replaced gasoline
. Bender lifts the barrel of whale oil to the can opener, and is caught by the opener's magnet and horribly damaged.
At the Cedars-Sinewave Robot Hospital, the doctor informs Bender that he will never move again. Bender falls into a state of depression, which is not helped by Patch Cord Adams
; but when he finds out that Beck
's disembodied head is occupying the bed next to him, his spirits are lifted. Beck loans Bender a set of neck-mounted robotic mini-arms. Using the arms to scrape across his mangled body, Bender earns the position of Beck's washboard
player.
Bender goes on tour with Beck, and Fry, Leela, Amy
, and Dr. Zoidberg pile into Fry's van to follow them. Unfortunately, their money is destroyed in the laundry, so they are unable to buy food to live on. Things are eventually solved, however, when Zoidberg coughs up some pretty pearls, which Leela and Amy string together as jewelry to sell. While on tour, Bender is insulted by the treatment of other broken robots. As the tour continues, Bender writes a song about broken robots. Together with Beck, he decides to put on a benefit concert
in San Francisco
to help all the broken robots.
Fry and the crew catch up with Bender, who is relaxing in a San Francisco hotel. To everyone's shock, they discover that Bender has miraculously been fixed. To keep his music career, Bender decides to fake still being broken. The concert goes on as planned, but when the time comes to perform Bender's song, he cannot restrain himself, and dances around the stage. Having been found out, Bender runs off with the oversized benefit check in Fry's Volkswagen.
Bender, being pursued by an irate Beck, drives the microbus into the San Francisco Bay
. Beck catches Bender, and recovers the check, but he forgives him since Bender has done so much for broken robots. The crew floats back to New New York in the microbus.
", "East West Virginia
", "'Ucky
", and "WyΩing
". Ohio
is called eHIO. California is split into "HighCal
" and "LoCal
" (which contains the San Andreas Gorge rather than a
fault line) and the state of Pennsylvania
has become the "Penn Republic" and "Sylvania"—a parody of Czechoslovakia
splitting into the Czech Republic
and Slovakia
. One state (coterminous with present-day Utah
) is named, in Alienese, "Human Farm". Conflicting issues involve the fact that despite this episode, Washington, D.C.
is referred to as such, rather than Washington A.C. and "New New Jersey" is often referred to as just "New Jersey
", although this is in line with today's common practice of referring to the state as "Jersey". Additionally, in the episode The 30% Iron Chef, Bender references Eugene
, "Oregon
", differing from "XORegon"; also, Idaho
is shown as "UserID:aho" and Washington as "Washingtron". Presumably these state parodies were only thought up for this episode as they are not used at any other point in the series.
Futurama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
. It originally aired April 22, 2001. The title comes from the Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
song "Blowin' in the Wind
Blowin' in the Wind
"Blowin' in the Wind" is a song written by Bob Dylan and released on his album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in 1963. Although it has been described as a protest song, it poses a series of questions about peace, war and freedom...
". In South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, this episode was #1 in "Bender's Best" top ten Bender-related Futurama episodes.
Plot
FryPhilip J. Fry
Philip J. Fry, known simply as Fry, is a fictional character, the main protagonist of the animated science fiction sitcom Futurama. He is voiced by Billy West using a version of his own voice as he sounded when he was 25.-Character overview:...
gets a free Volkswagen microbus
Volkswagen Type 2
The Volkswagen Type 2, officially known as the Transporter or Kombi informally as Bus or Camper , was a panel van introduced in 1950 by German automaker Volkswagen as its second car model – following and initially deriving from Volkswagen's first model, the Type 1 , it was given the factory...
, excavated from the ruins of Old New York. He pushes it back to the Planet Express office, and has to fuel it with whale oil
Whale oil
Whale oil is the oil obtained from the blubber of various species of whales, particularly the three species of right whale and the bowhead whale prior to the modern era, as well as several other species of baleen whale...
, which replaced gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
. Bender lifts the barrel of whale oil to the can opener, and is caught by the opener's magnet and horribly damaged.
At the Cedars-Sinewave Robot Hospital, the doctor informs Bender that he will never move again. Bender falls into a state of depression, which is not helped by Patch Cord Adams
Patch Adams
Hunter Doherty "Patch" Adams, M.D. is an American physician, social activist, citizen diplomat and author. He founded the Gesundheit! Institute in 1971...
; but when he finds out that Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
's disembodied head is occupying the bed next to him, his spirits are lifted. Beck loans Bender a set of neck-mounted robotic mini-arms. Using the arms to scrape across his mangled body, Bender earns the position of Beck's washboard
Washboard
A washboard is a tool designed for hand washing clothing. With mechanized cleaning of clothing becoming more common by the end of the 20th century, the washboard has become better known for its originally subsidiary use as a musical instrument....
player.
Bender goes on tour with Beck, and Fry, Leela, Amy
Amy Wong
Amy Wong, voiced by Lauren Tom, is a fictional character, one of the main characters from the Fox and Comedy Central television animated series Futurama. She works as an intern at Planet Express...
, and Dr. Zoidberg pile into Fry's van to follow them. Unfortunately, their money is destroyed in the laundry, so they are unable to buy food to live on. Things are eventually solved, however, when Zoidberg coughs up some pretty pearls, which Leela and Amy string together as jewelry to sell. While on tour, Bender is insulted by the treatment of other broken robots. As the tour continues, Bender writes a song about broken robots. Together with Beck, he decides to put on a benefit concert
Benefit concert
A benefit concert or charity concert is a concert, show or gala featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate humanitarian crisis. Such events raise both funds and public awareness to address the cause at...
in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
to help all the broken robots.
Fry and the crew catch up with Bender, who is relaxing in a San Francisco hotel. To everyone's shock, they discover that Bender has miraculously been fixed. To keep his music career, Bender decides to fake still being broken. The concert goes on as planned, but when the time comes to perform Bender's song, he cannot restrain himself, and dances around the stage. Having been found out, Bender runs off with the oversized benefit check in Fry's Volkswagen.
Bender, being pursued by an irate Beck, drives the microbus into the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
. Beck catches Bender, and recovers the check, but he forgives him since Bender has done so much for broken robots. The crew floats back to New New York in the microbus.
Broadcast and reception
In its initial airing, the episode received a Nielsen rating of 3.6/7, placing it 79th among primetime shows for the week of April 16–22, 2001.The United States in 3000
In the shot of the United States map it is shown that some states have been renamed in the future including "NukevadaNevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
", "East West Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
", "'Ucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
", and "WyΩing
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
". Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
is called eHIO. California is split into "HighCal
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
" and "LoCal
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
" (which contains the San Andreas Gorge rather than a
San Andreas Fault
The San Andreas Fault is a continental strike-slip fault that runs a length of roughly through California in the United States. The fault's motion is right-lateral strike-slip...
fault line) and the state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
has become the "Penn Republic" and "Sylvania"—a parody of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
splitting into the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. One state (coterminous with present-day Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
) is named, in Alienese, "Human Farm". Conflicting issues involve the fact that despite this episode, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
is referred to as such, rather than Washington A.C. and "New New Jersey" is often referred to as just "New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
", although this is in line with today's common practice of referring to the state as "Jersey". Additionally, in the episode The 30% Iron Chef, Bender references Eugene
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
, "Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
", differing from "XORegon"; also, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
is shown as "UserID:aho" and Washington as "Washingtron". Presumably these state parodies were only thought up for this episode as they are not used at any other point in the series.
Music
- The song "My Broken Friend", performed by Beck and Bender, was written by Christopher Tyng, Eric Horsted and Ken Keeler.
- The song "Scarborough FairScarborough Fair"Scarborough Fair" is a traditional ballad of the United Kingdom.The song tells the tale of a young man, who tells the listener to ask his former lover to perform for him a series of impossible tasks, such as making him a shirt without a seam and then washing it in a dry well, adding that if she...
" is traditional, famously performed by Simon & Garfunkel. Simon is replaced by a Cylon, forming the new duo, 'Cylon and Garfunkel'. - Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's song "Girl from the North CountryGirl from the North Country"Girl from the North Country" is a song written by Bob Dylan. It was first released in 1963 as the second track on Dylan's second studio album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Dylan re-recorded the song as a duet with Johnny Cash in 1969. That recording became the first track on Nashville Skyline,...
" is interpolated at the end of "Scarborough Fair". - At one point the score of Bender's song is shown. It is actually the theme from Beethoven's 5th Symphony in C minor (although it is shown in the key of D minor).
- The two other songs played during the episode are "Where It's AtWhere It's At"Where It's At" is the first single from Beck's 1996 album, Odelay. Beck wrote the song in 1995. He premiered it at Lollapalooza 1995, in a version very similar to its incarnation on Odelay...
" from the album OdelayOdelayOdelay is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock artist Beck, originally released on June 18, 1996, by DGC Records.After the mainstream success of "Loser", Odelay featured several hit singles, including "Where It's At", "Devils Haircut", and "The New Pollution"...
and "Sexx LawsSexx Laws"Sexx Laws" is a song by Beck, from the 1999 album Midnite Vultures. It was released as the lead single from the album in October 1999. Musically, the song is an unusual combination of brassy funk with bluegrass-styled banjo and pedal steel guitar on the choruses and instrumental break, as well as...
" from Midnite VulturesMidnite VulturesMidnite Vultures is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock artist Beck, released in November 1999 by Geffen Records...
, both by BeckBeckBeck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
. - While playing "Where It's At", Bender sings a mock-up of the line "I got two turntables and a microphone" by singing "Got a washboard stomach and a microphone." Also, instead of singing "That was a good drum break", Beck sings the line, "That was a washboard break."
- While telling Bender to write a song about broken robots to express his feelings Beck mentions that's what he did when he wrote "Devil's Haircut," although he couldn't quite remember what the song was about. "When I'm upset I write a song about it. Like when I wrote 'Devil's Haircut,' I was feeling really...what is that song about again?".
- Beck's album OdelayOdelayOdelay is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock artist Beck, originally released on June 18, 1996, by DGC Records.After the mainstream success of "Loser", Odelay featured several hit singles, including "Where It's At", "Devils Haircut", and "The New Pollution"...
is mentioned in this episode when Bender says that he will use real words to write a song, "Not phony ones like 'Odelay'!" to which Beck responds "Odelay is a word! Just look it up in the "Becktionary'!".
External links
- Bendin' in the Wind at The Infosphere.