Ever try to amuse a group of small children? Sucks, doesn’t it.
Clearly Leela, the captain of the delivery crew who are the main characters of this science fiction cartoon piece of comedy genius, was never told his. She goes to the ophanarium where she grew up, the outcast “alien” child with only one eye, in order to volunteer for “Public Domain Story Time” only to discover that the kids had to recently eat any books in the facility. She’s told to make up a story.
”Once upon a time there was uh. . . a one eyed princess in a long flowing tank top. And she lived in a magical one room . . . [castle] . . . if you believe the listing agent. Anyhow, one day the princess . . . went off to . . . uh, tell a story! And then that’s exactly what she did do that. And they all lived happily ever after the end.”
The children immediately express how awful her story was. “That story was bad.” Therefore, Leela is determined to make up a better story and come back. She goes to another planet in order to concentrate (and hopefully find a pen, because she apparently she didn’t have on). When Leela returns to the Orphaniarium, the executives from a children’s TV network is there using the kids as free focus groups and they see her new story.
The children are introduced the magical, musical Rumbledy-Humplings, a group of silly creatures who give morals and lessons in friendship. When her story is a big hit with the kids, Leela is offered a job as a writer for the children’s channel and turns the Rumdbley-Hump into a show. At first, Leela is a little uncertain about the idea as she 1) doesn’t have a degree to write for toddlers and 2) doesn’t really trust the network executive. When Leela says she has to go to her quiet place to write, the exec responds with, “You writers make me sick. Nice job on the script though.
Still, signs on and is given a small budget where the rest of the Planet Express crew she works with play the main characters. The show because a basic cable success and Leela grows into the writing star of toddler universe. At first, Leela uses her fame to donate items to the Orphanrium, but as the sit-com gods do declare the fame goes to her head. The show describes her new personality as a “Lady Gaga-esque fame hag”.
When Leela is told that she still needs to be writing the show’s daily scripts, her response is, “You can’t expect me to write it here with everyone talking so loudly about how great I am. I’m taking the ship to my quiet place. You non-creatives can catch a bus home.”
Then her sometimes boyfriend Fry points out with pain in his voice, “Non-creative! Hat! I’ll have you know I bedazzle my own underwear!” Let that joke sit with you for a moment.
SPOILER ALERT!!!! SPOILER ALERT!!!!
I mean, this episode aired in 2011, but you’ve been warned!
Bender, the crew’s drunken thieving lovable robot, falls asleep on the Planet Express ship and accidentally joins Leela in her quiet place - which is to revealed to be the REAL PLANET OF RUMBLEDY-HUMP! GASP! Leela comes clean to Bender that all of the stories are really just her writing down everything the creatures on the planet say. Although proud of her hypocrisy, Bender blackmails Leela. She fine with paying him the money as long as the orphans don’t find out that she’s a fraud.
When one of the orphans shows Leela her own story idea, the “great writer” confesses to stealing her show and takes the orphans to Rumbledy-Hump. The TV exec decides to move the show to the planet and hires the orphans to be the film crew. And Leela objects to how everything works out because she isn’t being punished for her actions.
Is this episode really about advice or experience as a writer? Not really. Was it just an excuse to re-watch Futurama for the billionth time? Maybe.
But as Hedonism Bot would say “I apologize for nothing!”
