That Darn Katz!
Encyclopedia
"That Darn Katz!" is the eighth episode of the sixth season
of the animated comedy
show, Futurama
. It first aired on Comedy Central
on August 5, 2010. In the episode, Amy's rejected doctoral dissertation—a device to harness the Earth's rotational energy
—is used by evil invading space cats to fix their own slowing planet. Since the invention will cause the Earth to stop turning, Amy and Nibbler must team up to stop them while their co-workers have fallen under the thrall of the cats' cuteness.
The episode was written by Josh Weinstein
and directed by Frank Marino. This was the first episode since "Rebirth
" to use the full intro sequence, and as a result, includes a classic cartoon before the opening credits. "That Darn Katz!" was generally well received by critics, who enjoyed another unexpected pairing, this time between Amy and Nibbler, and the character development for both that arose from it.
is ready to defend her doctoral dissertation in applied physics
: a machine capable of harnessing the Earth's rotation and natural magnetic field to produce energy. Meanwhile, Nibbler
confronts Leela, displeased with her treatment of him as a pet and desiring to be treated as a full-fledged member of the crew.
The next day, at Amy's defense at Mars University, her proposal is rejected, mostly due to Professor Katz' pet cat
, which distracts her and stimulates her cat allergy. Disheartened, the crew return to Planet Express, unknowingly accompanied by the cat. The crew—with the exception of Amy, who remains resentful, and Nibbler, who finds himself jealous of Leela's affection for it—find the cat endearing and lavish it with affection. Amy and Nibbler become suspicious, rationalizing that no creature could behave so cute without an ulterior motive. They soon find that Professor Katz was merely a puppet controlled by his pet cat, Katz, the entire time, who is actually part of an alien race of highly intelligent talking space cats that invaded Earth during 3500 BC in ancient Egypt
. The space cats' home planet, Thuban
9, began to lose its rotation, and they discovered that only Earth had the correct orientation and magnetic field with which to harness its rotational energy. They built the Great Pyramid of Giza
—really an energy transfer antenna—and planned to send Earth's rotational energy to Thuban
9, but became distracted by their reverential treatment by the Egyptians
, eventually forgetting their technology over the centuries and into the present day. Amy's thesis provided the space cats with their lost technology, allowing them to begin once again. Katz and its other colleagues place the crew under their influence with hypnotic "hyper-cuteness" and force them to build Amy's proposed invention.
Imprisoned by the space cats, Amy and Nibbler watch helplessly as the device stops the Earth, causing destruction as objects on its surface adhere to the first law of motion. Katz transfers the stored rotational energy to Thuban 9 and departs, leaving the Earth in disarray and freeing the crew of their hypnosis. Because it has stopped, Earth begins to burn on its sun-exposed face while the opposite face freezes in the darkness of space. The crew attempt to reverse the machine and restore Earth's natural rotation, but find that it can only turn in one direction. While lamenting that her invention has doomed Earth, Amy realizes that by continuing to turn it in the same direction, they can restart the Earth's rotation, albeit in the opposite direction. Professor Farnsworth assembles the Applied Physics Department faculty of Mars University and Amy explains her idea, demonstrating that the reverse rotation will not be deleterious to Earth. The plan works and the machine reclaims Earth's rotational energy from Thuban 9, now spinning in the opposite direction. In recognition of her achievement, Amy receives her doctorate in applied physics, now "Doctor Wong". However, she remains with Planet Express because the job market is poor while Nibbler reconciles with Leela, appreciating that she cares for him.
The episode was written by The Simpsons
veteran Josh Weinstein
and directed by Frank Marino. Weinstein had previously worked as a show runner
for The Simpsons along with his writing partner Bill Oakley
during seasons seven and eight. "That Darn Katz!" marks the first episode written by Weinstein, who had previously served as a consulting producer for Futurama since 2001.
phenomenon, imitating posters and phrases such as "I Can Has Cheezburger?
".
The Jetsons are the inspiration for "The Hip Joint", the place Amy goes to unwind before her PhD examination. A soundtrack on the radio is the tune of the music played in the television infomercial Meow Mix
.
and was viewed by an estimated 1.950 million viewers receiving a 1.3 rating/2% share in the Nielsen ratings
and 1.0 rating/3% share in the 18-49 demographic, going down slightly from the previous week's episode
.
The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club
enjoyed the episode, rating it an A-, stating that the jokes were strong throughout the episode. Handlen felt the episode was "a return to pure wackiness" and found it a nice change of pace from the more emotional issues of the season. He particularly praised the season's continuation of unlikely pair-ups in Nibbler and Amy, feeling that both received good character development from the episode. Danny Gallagher of TV Squad gave the episode a positive review, also praising the focus on Amy away from her relationship with Kif and the exploration of Nibbler's relationship with Leela. Alex Zalben of UGO.com likewise enjoyed the use of both characters, feeling that "it paid in such great character dividends. Amy manages to prove she’s not just a bunch of eye candy, and Nibbler finds out it’s not so bad to be cared for by Leela after all." He concluded that "['That Darn Katz!'] may not have pulled on the heart strings like the last two episodes, but this one was firing on all cylinders – and we need episodes like this, just silly larks about cats taking over the world, to give us breathing time between the crying jags." Though he was disappointed with the episode's plot similarities to season three
's "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid
", IGN
critic Robert Canning rated the episode 8/10. He felt that the episode's cuteness and funny moments allowed him to "forgive this small weakness." Sean Gandert of Paste
rated the episode 9.3/10 and called it an "instant classic", particularly praising the character development for Amy and Nibbler.
Merrill Barr of Film School Rejects gave the episode a more mixed review, calling it "[a] very well structured episode of Futurama despite it not being that funny." He stated that the episode lacked the laughs of previous episodes, but felt that overall it was better than the first five episodes of the season.
Futurama (season 6)
Futurama sixth production season originally aired on Comedy Central from June 24, 2010 to September 8, 2011 and consisted of 26 episodes. The season marks the change of networks from Fox to Comedy Central.David X...
of the animated comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
show, Futurama
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 first aired on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
on August 5, 2010. In the episode, Amy's rejected doctoral dissertation—a device to harness the Earth's rotational energy
Rotational energy
The rotational energy or angular kinetic energy is the kinetic energy due to the rotation of an object and is part of its total kinetic energy...
—is used by evil invading space cats to fix their own slowing planet. Since the invention will cause the Earth to stop turning, Amy and Nibbler must team up to stop them while their co-workers have fallen under the thrall of the cats' cuteness.
The episode was written by Josh Weinstein
Josh Weinstein
Josh Weinstein is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Weinstein and Bill Oakley became best friends and writing partners at St. Albans High School; Weinstein then attended Stanford University and was editor-in-chief of the...
and directed by Frank Marino. This was the first episode since "Rebirth
Rebirth (Futurama)
"Rebirth" is the premiere of Futuramas sixth season, and the revival of the series. It originally aired in North America on June 24, 2010, on Comedy Central. The episode was written by David X...
" to use the full intro sequence, and as a result, includes a classic cartoon before the opening credits. "That Darn Katz!" was generally well received by critics, who enjoyed another unexpected pairing, this time between Amy and Nibbler, and the character development for both that arose from it.
Plot
AmyAmy 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...
is ready to defend her doctoral dissertation in applied physics
Applied physics
Applied physics is a general term for physics which is intended for a particular technological or practical use.It is usually considered as a bridge or a connection between "pure" physics and engineering....
: a machine capable of harnessing the Earth's rotation and natural magnetic field to produce energy. Meanwhile, Nibbler
Nibbler (Futurama)
Lord Nibbler is a fictional character from the animated television series Futurama. He is voiced by Frank Welker, who provides not only his speaking lines but also the various noises he makes when not speaking English....
confronts Leela, displeased with her treatment of him as a pet and desiring to be treated as a full-fledged member of the crew.
The next day, at Amy's defense at Mars University, her proposal is rejected, mostly due to Professor Katz' pet cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
, which distracts her and stimulates her cat allergy. Disheartened, the crew return to Planet Express, unknowingly accompanied by the cat. The crew—with the exception of Amy, who remains resentful, and Nibbler, who finds himself jealous of Leela's affection for it—find the cat endearing and lavish it with affection. Amy and Nibbler become suspicious, rationalizing that no creature could behave so cute without an ulterior motive. They soon find that Professor Katz was merely a puppet controlled by his pet cat, Katz, the entire time, who is actually part of an alien race of highly intelligent talking space cats that invaded Earth during 3500 BC in ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
. The space cats' home planet, Thuban
Thuban
Thuban also known by its Bayer designation Alpha Draconis is a star in the constellation of Draco. A relatively inconspicuous star in the night sky of the Northern Hemisphere, it is historically significant as having been the north pole star in ancient times...
9, began to lose its rotation, and they discovered that only Earth had the correct orientation and magnetic field with which to harness its rotational energy. They built the Great Pyramid of Giza
Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact...
—really an energy transfer antenna—and planned to send Earth's rotational energy to Thuban
Thuban
Thuban also known by its Bayer designation Alpha Draconis is a star in the constellation of Draco. A relatively inconspicuous star in the night sky of the Northern Hemisphere, it is historically significant as having been the north pole star in ancient times...
9, but became distracted by their reverential treatment by the Egyptians
Cats in ancient Egypt
Cats , known in Ancient Egypt as mau, were important in ancient Egyptian society. Beginning as a wild, untamed species, cats were useful for limiting vermin in Egyptian crops and harvests; through exposure, cats became domesticated and learned to coexist with humans...
, eventually forgetting their technology over the centuries and into the present day. Amy's thesis provided the space cats with their lost technology, allowing them to begin once again. Katz and its other colleagues place the crew under their influence with hypnotic "hyper-cuteness" and force them to build Amy's proposed invention.
Imprisoned by the space cats, Amy and Nibbler watch helplessly as the device stops the Earth, causing destruction as objects on its surface adhere to the first law of motion. Katz transfers the stored rotational energy to Thuban 9 and departs, leaving the Earth in disarray and freeing the crew of their hypnosis. Because it has stopped, Earth begins to burn on its sun-exposed face while the opposite face freezes in the darkness of space. The crew attempt to reverse the machine and restore Earth's natural rotation, but find that it can only turn in one direction. While lamenting that her invention has doomed Earth, Amy realizes that by continuing to turn it in the same direction, they can restart the Earth's rotation, albeit in the opposite direction. Professor Farnsworth assembles the Applied Physics Department faculty of Mars University and Amy explains her idea, demonstrating that the reverse rotation will not be deleterious to Earth. The plan works and the machine reclaims Earth's rotational energy from Thuban 9, now spinning in the opposite direction. In recognition of her achievement, Amy receives her doctorate in applied physics, now "Doctor Wong". However, she remains with Planet Express because the job market is poor while Nibbler reconciles with Leela, appreciating that she cares for him.
Production
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
veteran Josh Weinstein
Josh Weinstein
Josh Weinstein is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Weinstein and Bill Oakley became best friends and writing partners at St. Albans High School; Weinstein then attended Stanford University and was editor-in-chief of the...
and directed by Frank Marino. Weinstein had previously worked as a show runner
Show runner
Showrunner is a term of art originating in the United States and Canadian television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television seriesalthough such persons generally are credited as an executive producer...
for The Simpsons along with his writing partner Bill Oakley
Bill Oakley
Bill Oakley is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Oakley and Josh Weinstein became best friends and writing partners at high school; Oakley then attended Harvard University and was Vice President of the Harvard Lampoon...
during seasons seven and eight. "That Darn Katz!" marks the first episode written by Weinstein, who had previously served as a consulting producer for Futurama since 2001.
Cultural references
The episode largely references the LolcatLolcat
A lolcat is an image combining a photograph of a cat with text intended to contribute humour. The text is often idiosyncratic and grammatically incorrect, and its use in this way is known as "lolspeak" or "kitty pidgin"....
phenomenon, imitating posters and phrases such as "I Can Has Cheezburger?
I Can Has Cheezburger?
I Can Has Cheezburger? is the name of a weblog featuring lolcats, which are pictures of cats or other animals with captions, paired for humor value. It was created in 2007 by Eric Nakagawa , a blogger from Hawaii and his girlfriend, Kari Unebasami...
".
The Jetsons are the inspiration for "The Hip Joint", the place Amy goes to unwind before her PhD examination. A soundtrack on the radio is the tune of the music played in the television infomercial Meow Mix
Meow Mix
Meow Mix is a variety of dry and wet cat food known for its advertising jingle. It is a product of Del Monte Foods.-Company background:The Meow Mix Company operates from a facility in Decatur, Alabama, and also produces Alley Cat brand cat food products. Originally a product of Ralston Purina,...
.
Broadcast and reception
"That Darn Katz!" originally aired on August 5, 2010 on Comedy CentralComedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
and was viewed by an estimated 1.950 million viewers receiving a 1.3 rating/2% share in the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
and 1.0 rating/3% share in the 18-49 demographic, going down slightly from the previous week's episode
The Late Philip J. Fry
"The Late Philip J. Fry" is the seventh episode of the sixth season of the animated series Futurama. 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,...
.
The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
enjoyed the episode, rating it an A-, stating that the jokes were strong throughout the episode. Handlen felt the episode was "a return to pure wackiness" and found it a nice change of pace from the more emotional issues of the season. He particularly praised the season's continuation of unlikely pair-ups in Nibbler and Amy, feeling that both received good character development from the episode. Danny Gallagher of TV Squad gave the episode a positive review, also praising the focus on Amy away from her relationship with Kif and the exploration of Nibbler's relationship with Leela. Alex Zalben of UGO.com likewise enjoyed the use of both characters, feeling that "it paid in such great character dividends. Amy manages to prove she’s not just a bunch of eye candy, and Nibbler finds out it’s not so bad to be cared for by Leela after all." He concluded that "['That Darn Katz!'] may not have pulled on the heart strings like the last two episodes, but this one was firing on all cylinders – and we need episodes like this, just silly larks about cats taking over the world, to give us breathing time between the crying jags." Though he was disappointed with the episode's plot similarities to season three
Futurama (season 3)
Futurama third season began airing in 2000 and concluded after 22 episodes in 2001. The entire season is included within the Volume Three DVD box set, which was released on March 9, 2004.- Episodes :-Nielsen ratings:...
's "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid
The Day the Earth Stood Stupid
"The Day the Earth Stood Stupid" is the seventh episode in season three of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on February 18, 2001...
", IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
critic Robert Canning rated the episode 8/10. He felt that the episode's cuteness and funny moments allowed him to "forgive this small weakness." Sean Gandert of Paste
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
rated the episode 9.3/10 and called it an "instant classic", particularly praising the character development for Amy and Nibbler.
Merrill Barr of Film School Rejects gave the episode a more mixed review, calling it "[a] very well structured episode of Futurama despite it not being that funny." He stated that the episode lacked the laughs of previous episodes, but felt that overall it was better than the first five episodes of the season.
External links
- "That Darn Katz!" at MSNMSNMSN is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system.The range of services offered by MSN has changed since its...