T.: The Terrestrial

"T.: The Terrestrial" is the one hundred and thirtieth episode of Futurama, the sixteenth of the seventh production season and the third of the tenth broadcast season. It aired on 26 June, 2013, on Comedy Central. After being marooned on a distant planet, Fry is befriended by a young monster.

Story
An invasion of Earth by Lrrr, and his son Jrrr, of Omicron Persei 8 ends with the Headless Clone of Agnew's death. A furious Richard Nixon imposes an embargo on their planet in retaliation, forbidding trade and communications with other planets. Due to the embargo, the Planet Express crew is sent to Omicron Persei 8 to harvest the "sacred weed of Omicron" for Professor Farnsworth's arthritis medication. Bender's electric field activates the herb's bioluminescence. The crew are nearly caught by the Omicronians and quickly escape, however Fry is stranded on the planet after being abandoned by Bender.

Jrrr discovers and befriends Fry, concealing him in his bedroom, and feeds him on his feces, which resemble Skittles. Due to the embargo, Fry is unable to communicate with Earth, but Jrrr helps him create a distress signal. Bender, feeling guilty for his actions, deceives Leela and the rest of the Planet Express crew into thinking Fry is still around using an answer machine recording of Fry. As his scheme becomes successful, it becomes increasingly elaborate. One night, Bender notices Fry's distress signal and steals the Planet Express ship so he can travel to Omicron Persei 8 to rescue him.

Lrrr discovers an extremely ill Fry in Jrrr's room, and commands his son to kill his friend. Jrrr escapes with Fry on a bicycle powered by love and takes him to a veterinarian, Drrr, where he reveals that he has also been drinking Fry's blood. Drrr prescribes sacred weed to Fry, but suggests euthanizing Fry. Lrrr manages to track down Jrrr and Fry, and repeats his order for Jrrr to kill him. Jrrr stands up to his father, winning Lrrr's approval. Fry seemingly dies from his injuries, overwhelming Jrrr and Lrrr with sadness. Bender arrives, and his electric field causes the ingested herbs to glow and inexplicably revive Fry. Drrr explains that the electromagnetic intensity of Bender and Fry's friendship caused the herbs in Fry's bowel to luminesce with love. After saying goodbye, Fry and Bender return to Earth, where a romantic Leela unknowingly reveals just how far Bender went to cover up Fry's disappearance.

Trivia

 * This episode has a new shortened opening sequence that is unlike any other episodes to date. Unlike the usual abridged version found in Season 6, this sequence shows only one shot of the Planet Express ship flying and also has an opening cartoon.
 * The protagonist of The Finder Outer is a detective named Klaus Mandela, and "Klaus" is a German name. One of the protagonists of the American TV series , which premiered exactly two weeks after the episode aired, is a detective played by German actress.
 * When Professor Farnsworth is under the influence of the herbal supplement, he is wearing purple glasses. The hippie parallel version of him in "The Farnsworth Parabox", Professor Freaksworth, wore purple glasses.

Allusions

 * The episode's title is a reference to the 1982 science-fiction film , directed by . There is also a skull in Jrrr's toy closet that resembles the title character.
 * The Rational Archives are a reference to of the United States' . The word "rational" refers to s.
 * The Jeffersons Memorial is a reference to the, dedicated to the third president of the United States &mdash; Thomas Jefferson &mdash;, and the sitcom .
 * When the crew is on Omicron Persei 8, Fry asks Bender if he will let him know if they have to "cheese it", and Bender replies that that is the first law of robotics. The first law of robotics, one of created by American science-fiction author, says that "a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm".
 * To cover up Fry's location, Bender says that he saw him in the kitchen with Dinah. This is a reference to the American folk song "", which contains the lyric "Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah".
 * The scene where Jrrr throws a ball into the shed in his densely tree-lined backyard and has it unexpectedly thrown back to him (by Fry) is a reference to "Those Terrible Toy Breakers", a children's book by David M. McPhail.
 * When Jrrr tells Fry that he is eating his "turds", Fry responds by saying "Feces pieces? Blech!". This is a reference to, candy which look like coloured pellets, similar to Jrrr's poop, also featured in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
 * In Jrrr's room, there is a bowl containing Blinky the fish, from The Simpsons, a doll that looks like, from the Star Wars franchise, a , from the Star Trek franchise, and a toy/model of an Omicronian saucer.
 * The image of Bender knocking out Fry mimics the famous photo of knocking out.

Continuity

 * The crew get past the blockade surrounding Omicron Persei 8 by spray painting "Omicronian Express" on the side of the ship. Ironically, the ship was at one point converted into an Omicronian Express ship in "Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences".
 * Jrrr is the last surviving poppler, a larval Omicronian, from "The Problem with Popplers". He returns in this episode as a grown Omicronian child.
 * Bender previously read a Cigar Jerk publication in "Fry Am the Egg Man".

Goofs

 * Lrrr watches Earth TV live, but in "When Aliens Attack", it's stated that it takes a thousand years for signals to get to Omicron Persei 8.
 * Only transmissions from before 2208 travel at the old speed of light, live transmissions are near-instant. Both sets of transmissions are presumably stopped at the blockade.
 * Fry does not recognise Lrrr's palace, even though he's been there before.
 * He may have forgotten since then.

Characters

 * 20th-century kid
 * Amy
 * Bender
 * Blinky
 * Debut: Dinah
 * Debut: Drrr
 * Professor Farnsworth
 * Fry
 * Debut: Gabriel
 * Headless clone of Agnew
 * Hermes
 * Jrrr
 * Kif
 * Debut: Detective Klaus Mandela
 * Leela
 * Linda
 * Lrrr
 * Morbo
 * Ndnd
 * Richard Nixon's head
 * Rose Mary
 * Scruffy
 * Slurms MacKenzie
 * Zapp
 * Zoidberg

Places

 * Apartment 00100100
 * Debut: Gary, Indiana
 * Debut: Jeffersons Memorial
 * Debut: Ocracoke
 * Omicron Persei 8
 * Debut: Omicron Vet Clinic
 * Planet Express balcony
 * Planet Express conference room
 * Planet Express employee lounge
 * Planet Express headquarters
 * Debut: Rational Archives
 * Robot Arms Apartments
 * White House