Futurama: Hermes is Out of Control

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Not the biggest fan of this episode. I mean, I guess it was a decent way to show how you could turn a person into a robot, effectively "cloning" in a way, but there wasn't too much else going on. We didn't even have a secondary storyline going on to try and draw the attention away from Hermes trying to perpetually upgrade himself into a bigger and better... being? The one redeeming factor in this episode was Zoidberg constantly believing that the things Hermes says to him are out of friendship, not out of hate. Even after being corrected multiple times, Zoidberg just would not stop believing that Hermes is really his secret bestie... ridiculous as it would seem, it was a cute touch. Agree?

Futurama "The Six Million Dollar Mon" (S07E07): After Hermes conducts the annual performance reviews, he fires himself, deeming the biggest waste of the company's assets is actually him doing those reviews. [who would've thought? ha!] A machine replaces him and Zoidberg takes it personally, even though Hermes hated him. [and we see an extremely long sequence designed to show how fiery the curried goat was.] Hermes and his wife are out for a walk when a robot wants her skin... luckily, the police come and apprehend the guy. [maybe I'm not a Futurama aficionado, but what would that robot want with someone's skin??] We then see Hermes ask Bender for a favor. [and we're supposed to believe that Fry cares more about overhearing this conversation then jumping in the shower with an inviting Leela AND Amy??!?] Hermes wants to be part machine!

The first step is having a harpoon added to Hermes' chest. He shows the Planet Express gang, then re-hires himself because his harpoon will reach boxes that the machine can't. [okay, so machines rule. got it.] Hermes then gets an extend-o-arm added because the machine threatened to do it. [competition, got it.] Eerily, Zoidberg takes the body parts that Hermes had removed and builds a garbage Hermes to talk to. [awww!] Hermes' next step is getting Cylon "eyes" put in because he's tired of his glasses. He then promises his wife (with crossed fingers) that he won't get any more upgrades, but before long he's totally robotic, except for his brain.

photo credit: Futurama TM and © 2012 Twentieth
Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

MegaHermes has no interest in insulting Zoidberg, so Zoidberg keeps using the "pieces," and soon has a ventriloquist's dummy that he takes to comedy clubs. [I found this to be out of nowhere...] MegaHermes is filled with regret that he's still human at all, so it's time to have his brain replaced. [I also had a difficult time following the train of thought to get there...] His regular "surgeon" won't do it, so the Professor steps in, and they exhume a robot body to find parts/circuits. Of course, they picked the brain of the robot who was executed for trying to mug Hermes and his wife for their skin. Hermes' wife and son protest the surgery, but Hermes still wants to go through with it, through the threat of divorce. [intense!] The Professor decides that he doesn't want to operate, but Zoidberg volunteers, though his claws will force the dummy to do the work. [LOVE that it was set to "Monster Mash"!!!] Little did everyone realize, but Zoidberg just plops the brain into the "dummy" and HumanHermes is whole once more. MegaHermes turns into Roberto and again wants to eat Hermes' skin, even using a peeler to get some of his arm! Luckily, the skin was so saturated with curried goat that it disintegrates the robot. [I thought this was a useless storyline, really.] Hermes thanks Zoidberg against his will, and we're done!