He is not funny when he is WAAAAAY too evil.

Btw, I have seen all episodes.

Quote from Hell is Other Robots:
Bender: Don't worry guys, I'll never be to good or to evil again.

I thought it was interesting how the other episode the writer of this episode wrote (luck of the fryish) had similar themes.

Fry (in luck of the fryish): He vanished from the 20th century and was forgotten.  He thought that his brother stole his name and used it to become famous.

Bender: All of the sudden he cares about people forgetting who he was.

It would have been more consistant if Fry was worrying about death and people forgetting about him rather than Bender.  I couldn't help but think through the entire episode why would Bender even care?  I could understand him wanting to become a pharaoh, maybe steal money from the slaves, whatever.  I just don't get his wanting to become a pharaoh just so people would remember him.

The stand out episodes for me this season have been Roswell and Leela's homeworld.  The rest of the episodes so far I won't remember/care about in a few episodes.  (like season 1: space pilot 3000, hell is other robots, and fry and the slurm factory for me all stick out.  I not nearly as familiar with a big piece of garbage is as I am the three I said above).

From the reviews, it looks like I picked the right episode to miss.

It's otay. There are plenty of gags upon gags. Any parody that kicks the blind-faith aspect of religion is blessed in My book.  The whipping gag got funnier even as it got overused.

The major problem is the utterly predictable storyline on which the gags rest. Evil despot rises, abuses his power, and, on the verge of achieving his ultimately pointless dream of immortality is done in by his own subjects. Spoiler? Pfffrrrrt. You can't help being at LEAST two minutes ahead of this plot at all times once the crew gets shackled, and even that was no shocker. Add the inevitable "Raiders" escape to this tried-and-true hoo-hah and viola! You have...a mediocre plot.

Unfortunately, even this mediocre plot has to be explained fully--and thus swipes precious time from both gags and (this is important) characterization. As with "Buggalo," Fry and Leela don't get a lot to do, either with the plot or each other, except comment on Bender's actions. (Leela doesn't even have the air time to put up a fight against her captors or attempt one lousy escape; and even while chained together, Fry doesn't try to Get Busy with the captain of his heart. Leela gets to save everyone, again, but that's just handed to her. Yoda might as well have appeared to rescue them.)

Unlike "Buggalo," this one has no characters to fill in the void left by pushing Leela and Fry into the background. Bender is being Bender--I'm not sure why a robot who spent over a thousand years buried 'alive' without a problem is worried about his mortality, but whatever--and the rest of the cast in Acts II and III is all walk-ons. Maybe if the slave driver had changed expressions two or three times...

As it is, Leela and Fry give the impression that they know they're going to be free and on their way home in twenty minutes of air time. The setting gives us assorted aliens but nothing outside the Egyptian motif, which also limits the normally-wild imagination in this show. That's where "Pharaoh" falls apart; it's self-conscious about its own insignifigance. It knows it's fluff and it shows its fluff. (You can use that sentence to remember when to use an apostrophe in "its." Cool, hah? ...Shut up.)

Nice gags throughout, and Act I, with the rest of the gang--and Scruffy!--is comic gold with family and friends. But like "Buggalo" and "Homeworld," this could've been another masterpiece with just one or two more drafts and a bit of reorganization.   

I hope they're saving some serious Fry-Leela action for later to make up for the paucity of it now...

decent, not the best.
the best "bender" episode so far though.  I didn't think Bender was too mean.  He was really emotional, crying, sad, upset that he wouldn't be remembered.

The entire funeral was hilarious.  Poor Amy.  And Fry, what a nice guy.

The egypt idea seemed lame when I heard about it last year and it played out pretty lamely, but the episode was better than I had assumed. B-

No offensive to the Futurama staff, but that episode stunk. I give it a rating of 2 out of 5. I usually enjoy Futurama, but this one didn't keep my attention. It was okay up until they became slaves. When that guy that signed for the giant cinderblock said they were all slaves, Leela should've kicked his ass. Instead she just excepted it and didn't give a crap. Then I thought for sure, she'll make up an escape plan, but she never did. I'm surprised at that. There were some good scenes though like the Bender Licks Ass part. LOL. That was the best part of the episode. I also liked what Leela said to Bender in the end. It was something like, "You have established yourslef as a cruel, tyrannical dictator, and that will outlive any monument."

Hey, I just thought of something. Now Fry and Bender have both ruled a planet.

 

Originally posted by FishyJoe:
I'm as shippery as any other teenage girl

Shippery? I guess I should be glad you didn't say slippery. *shudder*

Lemme give an example of what I'm talking about. This would add less than two minutes to the ep's running time, and there's plenty of other stuff that could've been pruned to fit it in--and it adds kinky sexuality, eye candy, and a whole new depth to the chutzpah--and evil--that is Bender. Good for at least one point on the five-point system, I thinks.

After the Pharaoh's death, Bender makes a break for it--accompanied by Fry and Leela this time. Naturally, Leela is in charge--she thinks.

Bender: "Hold up! We're gonna need another distraction--like this!"

He grabs Fry and Leela by the throats.

Bender: "HEY! LOOK WHAT I FOUND! TWO SLAVES MAKIN' A BREAK FOR IT!!"

Fry: "Bender! No!"

Leela: "How could even YOU do this to us, you bastard?!"

The Slave Driver and two guards appear and the guards take them away.

Bender: "Whattaya gonna do with 'em?"

Slave Driver: "All slaves who attempt to escape must be put to death as an example. We will execute them tomorrow immediately after the choosing of our new Pharaoh."

Bender: (to self) "Perfect." (to Slave Driver) "Well, good night!"

Bender just walks away and takes care of the Wall of Prophecy. Meanwhile: Leela is chained spread-eagle against a wall. The camera pans up, then down, then up her sweaty body as she struggles fruitlessly against her bonds. She suddenly looks at the camera.

Leela: "Knock it off!"

Another angle shows Fry chained to the opposite wall. He is leering and drooling. The shot shows him from the waist up.

Fry: "Oh! Sorry..."

Leela: "And stop..." (her eye drops slightly and she grimaces) "...'saluting' me."

Fry: "What?" (looks at his groin) "I can't help it! It has a mind of its own!"

Leela growls. Her eye lowers just a little further.

LATER, as Bender is chosen Pharoah:

Slave Driver: "What is your first command, O great Pharaoh?"

Bender: (indicates Leela and Fry) "These two slaves will be spared!"

Leela: "Hooray!"

Fry: "Whoo-hoooo! Go Bender!"

Bender: "...and will be made my PERSONAL attendants! No, no--my personal SLAVES, I like that word better!"

Fry and Leela are less thrilled now. The Slave Driver brings them forth.

Bender: (whispering to Fry and Leela) "Isn't this great? Everything worked out just like I planned!"

Leela: "I hate you."

Bender: "Don't be that way! There are plenty of fringe benefits, y'know. For example, if you BOTH toil hard in my service, I let you take over Fry's whippings yourself, Leela."

Fry: "Hey!!" (suddenly likes the idea) "Hey..."

Leela rolls her eye.

 
Oh my god brainsluggo thats brilliant! i love it! You must now write a fic full of similar minded stuff.

The what........ooooohhhhhhh!

*me checks out the scene. Oh I also like the Elton John bit too.

I thought it was a very good episode.  First episode that got an audible laugh out of me in quite some time!

The best line has gotta be-
Professor: Someone can be killed!!!
Leela, Fry, Bender...
(and they end up going to the planet)

Well, I watched it again, and liked it even less this time around. The first time I was hoping Bender would do something to redeem himself  after being evil as in previous eps, but no such luck. He showed a little too much emotion compared to what we're used to, and didn't even need the chip this time!

As far as im concerned Leela did try to escape....off camera, and Fry did try to "Get Bizzay" with her....off camera. So there. They just didn't bother to animate the really interesting stuff is all. Dosn't mean it didn't happen!That statue wasn't built in a day leaving plenty of time for..stuff 

Yes, I know, again I'm a little behind schedule (and I'll probably be repeating what others already said, but bear with me).

Okay, first look through: Unnnghh, they didn't mean to do this, did they? Bender's behaviour at the funeral, yeech. Best jokes: the grafitti, the bouquet, "Elton John" and Benders Egyptian dance. Soemthing more substantial after another looksy.

Oh, I did enjoy Leela in the slavegirl garb.   

Edit: Well, it did improve marginal on rewatch, but I'll still label this as the weakest of season 4 so far.

Bender was way out of character. Sure he's been a jerk before, he's been insensitive before, but where did this sudden need to be remembered come from? It's never been hinted at, or seen before, and bam! out of the blue it came. It's all very human and all, but Bender has never let something as minor as a legacy come between him and loot. He is willing to go to jail for a public bath heist for 15 minutes of fame? Well why didn't he just squeal on the Robot Mafia after "Bender Gets Made" then, that ought to ensure his legacy. Well, I guess in itself it's a minor point, but it forms the entire basis for the story and it would be nice if they'd hinted at it before. This sort of stuff would get by on Simpsons, but I set the standards a little higher for Futurama, mainly becuase they've shown that they are capable of long term character development (just look at "Leelas Homeworld" and the Aussie in this ep).

And the funeral thing, that just had me cringing. Benders parts of it didn't improve at all on repeated viewing. His last remarks did make up for it somewhat: "I hope your all happy! You succed in convincing me life is worth living, by showing me how bad my funeral would suck!" Again, I think it was out of character for Bender, but ehh.. we're all allowed a few slips.

The stuff on Osiris IV was somewhat better. One major flaw was that Leela and Fry didn't attempt to flee, even once. Leela should have kicked the crap out of the 3 Osirians that "greeted" them. She has taken on bigger packs than that (I miss the buttkicking Leela we saw in season 1 and 2  )

Otherwise it was pretty good on Osiris IV. Good gags, nice visuals and nice cameo of the Aussie (boy that guy just can't catch a break  ) 

Okay, time for some of the things I liked. Zoidys singing was golden. That warbling voice of his is perfect, I wish we'll hear more of this. I've already mentioned the Aussie, and Benders graffiti was great: "Bender licks ass"  I didn't see it coming at all, nice. It was hysterical Bender opened his chestdoor and revealed what he'd stolen, and when he used the kickboard to leave afterward. Bender using a ball to distract the guards, hillarious.

Average episode, and the flaws I've mentioned just detracts from it. Don't get me wrong, this is still better than 90% of all the other crap that gets by as TV entertainment nowadays, but as a Futurama episode it's below par. First disappointment of season 4.

Not even Leela in slavegirl garb  , can save this episode. I'll give it 4/10.

Thanks to everyone for the kind words. Believe me, I'm working on a variety of fics right now that range from "script treatments" to, um, "harder" stuff. (cough)

If any of you artists want to do a pic of Leela as depicted in my "edit" above, I will certainly 'salute' it.     Don't forget the persperation!! Mmmmm, glisteny!

You mean the emcee who does the Robin Williams impersonation ("Pharoah commanded I tell that joke&quot , or the Elton John parody?

Just saw the (whole) episode, and I give it a 2/5.
3/5 up to the point where Bender had outplayed his role, and 1/5 after.
I think the rapid changes in the storyline is what I like most about Futurama along with the characters' quick lines. Sadly, this episode was predictable and Bender's funeral wasn't funny except for the thing with Farnsworth at the end.
I think this episode was a big disappointment 

 

Originally posted by Nixorbo:
The irony is, you spelled "Pharoah" wrong in your sig

Oh, the irony! You also spelled it wrong!     "Pharaoh"

 

Originally posted by cellery:
 Oh, the irony! You also spelled it wrong!      "Pharaoh"

The ironing is delicious indeed.