[7.3/10] Definitely a yuletide classic. The “Elves Are Back to Work” song and Zoidberg’s cameo as Jesus alone are enough to make this one great. Still, it suffered a little bit from the memory of the episode I had built up in my mind. It’s hard to put my finger on why. There’s little, if anything, that’s bad in the episode. It’s more that more of the gags are chuckles instead of belly laughs. But Futurama’s second Xmas outing is still enjoyable from wire to wire.
Fry and Leela resolving to finally do something about a murderous Santa Bot is a good plot motivator. The details of the elves living a companion-filled but grim existence on the North Pole of Neptune and Santa’s workshop are fun. Bender’s escapades as Santa are a little tired, but his trial and inadvertent rescue by Santa are all enjoyable. And the capper of the episode -- a moral that Xmas has “brought people together rather than blowing them apart” through fear, is an appropriately cynical-but-sweet one for the show.
Overall, there’s still plenty of memorable bits and details in this one, and it’s a fun episode to put on around the holiday season.
Shout by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2019-01-01T00:10:37Z
[7.3/10] Definitely a yuletide classic. The “Elves Are Back to Work” song and Zoidberg’s cameo as Jesus alone are enough to make this one great. Still, it suffered a little bit from the memory of the episode I had built up in my mind. It’s hard to put my finger on why. There’s little, if anything, that’s bad in the episode. It’s more that more of the gags are chuckles instead of belly laughs. But Futurama’s second Xmas outing is still enjoyable from wire to wire.
Fry and Leela resolving to finally do something about a murderous Santa Bot is a good plot motivator. The details of the elves living a companion-filled but grim existence on the North Pole of Neptune and Santa’s workshop are fun. Bender’s escapades as Santa are a little tired, but his trial and inadvertent rescue by Santa are all enjoyable. And the capper of the episode -- a moral that Xmas has “brought people together rather than blowing them apart” through fear, is an appropriately cynical-but-sweet one for the show.
Overall, there’s still plenty of memorable bits and details in this one, and it’s a fun episode to put on around the holiday season.