Everything about When Aliens Attack totally explained
"
When Aliens Attack" is episode twelve in season one of
Futurama. It originally aired in
North America on
November 7,
1999. This episode was written by
Ken Keeler and directed by
Brian Sheesley. The episode features an attack by aliens from Omicron Persei 8 who are outraged when the final episode of Earth show
Single Female Lawyer (a spoof of
Ally McBeal) is interrupted by technical difficulties. Much of the episode, particularly the method in which the aliens attack, is a spoof of the
1996 film Independence Day.
Plot
The episode opens in the year
1999, with Fry making a
pizza delivery to the control booth of
WNYW, New York's real
Fox affiliate. While there, Fry spills beer on the console, interrupting the broadcast of
Single Female Lawyer (a spoof of
Ally McBeal). As the technician panics and tells Fry, "You just knocked FOX of the air!" Fry ominously states, "Like anyone on Earth cares." The camera pulls back from the broadcast tower, away from Earth, and through the depths of space, settling on Omicron Persei 8, a thousand
light-years away and a thousand years later. Incensed that they don't get to see the end of the episode, the Omicronians launch an invasion fleet. Back on Earth, the
Planet Express crew decides to take a trip to Monument Beach, where most of the world's monuments have stood since the 27th century.
Lrrr, ruler of Omicron Persei 8, demands that the Earth produce "the one called McNeal". President McNeal, fearing for his own safety, orders
Zapp Brannigan to lead an assault against the alien invaders. Instead, they only succeed in blowing up the
Hubble Space Telescope while suffering heavy casualties: the fleet stands no chance against the
actual alien mother ship.
After the attack predictably ends in disaster, Earth's government hands President McNeal. Lrrr announces that he's the wrong McNeal, and vaporizes the President. Lrrr shows the world a photo of the McNeal they want, and Fry recognizes her as Jenny McNeal, the title character of
Single Female Lawyer.
The Omicronians demand the broadcast of the television show, or that'll destroy the Earth. Unfortunately, most videotapes were destroyed in 2443, during the
second coming of
Jesus. The Planet Express crew decides to fake the show in order to save the world.
Fry's script comes up short, and Leela (as Jenny), is forced to improvise. She proposes marriage to the judge (played by
Professor Farnsworth). An aggravated Fry tells
Bender (the camera) to go to commercial. Fry tells Leela that people don't watch
TV for clever and unexpected situations because they scare them, and Lrrr makes a public statement backing up Fry's assertion.
Fry quickly writes an ending where the judge dies (even though the judge didn't know what was going on and tests his pulse), leaving Jenny McNeal as a single female lawyer. The Omicronians, satisfied with the ending, leave Earth to watch a one thousand year old
Jay Leno monologue, saying the show was good enough for them to spare the planet, though not good enough for them to give humans their secret to
immortality.
The episode ends with Fry stating that the secret to a successful television show is that everything ends up back to normal at the end of each episode. Ironically, the camera pans out to a view of New New York burning in ruins.
Future planets
Future planets which appeared in this episode:
- Omicron Persei 8 is the fictional home world of a race of aliens, known as the Omicronians, ruled by emperor Lrrr and his wife Ndnd. It is a habitable planet orbiting the star Omicron Persei, which is about 1000 light years from Earth; this convenient coincidence allows the Omicronians in the 31st century to view 21st century television broadcasts. The planet's design appears to be influenced heavily by Qo'noS, home planet of the Klingons on Star Trek.
Production notes
Though his coworker
Linda appears,
Morbo is absent from this episode. According to the audio commentary, the writers try to avoid putting Morbo into episodes that have a large focus on aliens. They also discuss the similarities of Morbo's voice to that of Lrrr, another possible reason for Morbo's absence.
In a deleted scene, Fry asks why the crew is going to a man-made beach in
Iowa; Amy and the Professor reply that the oceans are now over-populated with man-eating whales. Had this been in the episode, it would have negated Fry's line about the various monuments being in
New York and the episode "
The Deep South", in which the crew goes fishing in the middle of the
Atlantic Ocean.
Further Information
Get more info on 'When Aliens Attack'.
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