My Three Suns

"My Three Suns" is the seventh episode of production Season 1 and the seventh broadcast episode of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on May 2, 1999.

Opening Sequence[]

Futurama logo with subtitle, Alienese and (often), cartoon.

Plot[]

Bender is watching a cooking show with Neptunian TV chef Elzar, when Leela and Fry walk in on him. Quickly, he tries to turn it off but Leela turns it back on again. Bender then admits that he likes to cook but was too embarrassed to tell it to anyone.

Hermes threatens to cut Bender's salary, since Bender has no official duties at Planet Express except sitting on the couch watching the cooking shows all day, something he wanted to keep to himself.

Inspired by the Neptunian TV chef Elzar, Bender decides to take on the job as the ship's cook. He, Fry and Leela go to shop for ingredients in Little Neptune. While Bender is buying a Neptunian Slug, Fry tries to get his lungs replaced with gills by an organ seller. Just as the seller was about to do unsafe surgery, Leela interrupts the transaction, knocking out the dealer and his crony. She berates Fry afterward for his reckless behaviour. Professor Farnsworth then sends the crew off on a delivery to the planet Trisol, a mysterious world in the depths of the Forbidden Zone in the Galaxy of Terror. Leela claims that the scary names are a false conception of the galaxy. Bender serves the crew a meal of salty Neptune slug and salted water.

After the ship lands, Fry is assigned the task of making the delivery trek across the desert under the planet's three blazing suns. When he arrives at his destination, the Trisolian palace, he finds it empty. Stricken with thirst, he grabs a bottle of blue liquid that is sitting on the throne and drinks it. Armed Trisolians, who are revealed to be liquid-based organisms, storm the throne room, revealing that the bottle Fry drank actually contained the emperor Bont the Viscous. Rather than being punished, Fry is declared the new emperor. Shortly afterward, he opens the package that he was delivering, to reveal a "Please don't drink the Emperor" sign. Ironically, Fry declares that the package arrived just in time.

After being found by the crew, Fry chooses Bender as his new prime minister. The high priest Merg informs Fry that as part of the coronation, Fry will have to recite the royal oath which consists mainly of a very, very long list of emperors, in the order that they killed each other from memory, on pain of death if he makes a mistake. During the pre-coronation party, Leela informs Fry that the average reign of a Trisolian emperor is only one week, as whoever "drinks" the old emperor is declared the new one. When Fry refuses to listen to her warning, Leela returns to the ship, vowing not to help Fry again. Fry, apparently aware he cannot be drunk because he is solid, ignores this.

At the coronation, Fry recites the oath properly and is sworn in as Fry the Solid. As the suns set, the Trisolians begin to glow - including the alive-and-well emperor Bont from inside Fry's stomach. Bont demands that Fry be cut open and drained.

The crew takes refuge in the throne room and tries to work out a way to extract the emperor without killing Fry. Bender calls Leela on Fry's behalf, but gets an inconclusive response. She has to fight her way past Trisolian forces in order to reach the palace. Bender sees what is happening and decides to exploit the situation: He lies to Fry by saying that Leela is dead. This prevarication saddens Fry so profoundly that he begins sobbing, though slowly. After Leela arrives, she begins beating Fry, causing him to weep in pain, extracting the emperor. Once he is out, the emperor beats Fry up, taking turns with the other crew members, as well as thanks him. With the emperor safely outside Fry's body, the crew is allowed to leave.

Alienese[]

• At 3:15 signs on the Head Shop - "Ring" and "Open".
• At 3:33 sign on the shop across the street from Yuri - "Market".
• At 8:05 one of the signs behind the throne - "Do Not Drink the Emperor".

Ongoing Themes[]

In this episode it is revealed that Bender enjoys cooking, a theme that is revisited in future episodes and featured in "The 30% Iron Chef". Also, this is the first episode in which Professor Farnsworth starts his delivery pitch with, "Good news, everyone."

Fry & Leela[]

• When Bender disparages Leela's lime-green tank top, Fry seemingly agrees with him, much to Leela's annoyance.
• Leela is very eager to buy a spice from the Neptunian merchant which, apparently, would make her irresistible to men. Evidently, she is looking for love.
  • That, following her purchase of this aphrodisiac, she is concerned about Fry's whereabouts, might suggest that the purchase was made - partly - for Fry's benefit.
• Leela saves Fry, twice, from an organ merchant while they are in Little Neptune.
  • Fry resents this.
• When Leela tries to help him, Fry responds by patronizing her. The outcome of this is a falling out between them, and Leela promising never to help Fry again.
• Back on the ship, Leela can be seen working out her frustration with Fry on a punching-bag with a picture of Fry attached to it.
• Leela is initially unwilling to help Fry after his rudeness, She relents, much to her own risk.

• Overall, the Fry and Leela relationship is explored extensively in this episode. It's shown that Fry does deeply care for Leela as he starts to cry when he thinks that Leela died trying to help him, especially after how badly he treated her.

• After Fry accepts Leela's help, the two share a meaningful look.

• Fry describes his feelings for Leela, Bender, Amy, and Zoidberg, as 'love'. Though clearly this isn't romantic love, it shows that Fry feels affection for his colleagues, Leela amongst them

• Leela does nothing to stop the continued abuse of Fry, following his successful crying out of the emperor.

Gadgets & Inventions[]

• Robot Wash
• Genetically enhanced eggplant with yolks
• Fish gill implants