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"Cut to the chase, Smokey! How do I get outta Limbo?"
Bender's ghost
"That's the laughy part! You can't! You're stuck in an infinite loop."
Robot Devil
"An infinite loop? I don't have time for that. Man, this is all Fry's fault!"
Bender's ghost
"Fry? I hate that guy. We once traded hands. They still stink of candy corn!"
Robot Devil
"Get this: That jerk said Human life was more valuable than Robot life!"
Bender's ghost
"What?! After all you've done for him, Fry must die."
Robot Devil

Ghost in the Machines is the 19th episode of the 6th Season of Futurama, and the 106th episode overall.

Synopsis[]

When Bender dies, his disembodied software begins haunting the Planet Express Building.

Plot[]

The episode opens out with the Planet Express siting quietly in the conference room for 15 minutes so their insurance is reinstated. During this time Amy screams 'A Giant Sausage!' and points to a floating sausage outside the window and the rest of the crew become terrified. But Leela realizes that it was part of the parade that was happening today and all the crew calm down except Fry, who starts to scream again. So the crew all go outside to watch the parade and Fry is surprised to discover that this is the Parade Day parade. Since every group on Earth demanded a parade, it became prohibitive to have a parade every single day. So they were all combined into Parade Day, where different cultures have a single float and specified section to march in.

The Jamaican Float travels too fast bumping into the back of the Dorito float, and causing a giant Dorito to cut the heads off some lampposts and the model Earth on Zapp Brannigan's float which rolls down towards two nerds who are talking inconspicuously and unaware of what is happening. Fry then charges forward and lunges towards the nerds saving the human one and leaving the robot to die. Fry is thanked by the survivor's wife, and the mayor declares that this Saturday should be declared Fryday in honor of Fry's actions as well as giving him the keys to the city.

Ghost in the Machines - Official Promo 1

Promo image for this episode.

After the celebrations they arrived back to Planet Express to discover Bender glowering at Fry and accusing him of thinking that a human's life is worth more than a robot's. Bender then decides to kill himself, which the crew doesn't take seriously, as for Bender this is a common empty threat--in fact, Hermes notes that the last time Bender went to a suicide booth, he ending up dating said booth for six months. Bender arrives to the suicide booth to discover the booth is Lynn, the ex-girlfriend mentioned previously by the crew. Still bitter about the break-up, Lynn says that Bender's death won't be suicide; it will be murder. At Planet Express, his dead body is returned via DeadEx; all the crew mourn after Hermes proves that he is dead by waving a $1 at his face.

Bender rises from his body as a ghost, and finds that no one can hear him any more except the robot devil, who takes him down to his office for a chat. They agree that if Bender kills Fry then he will get his life back but if he fails he spends the rest of eternity in robot hell. Bender tries to scare Fry to death but as Fry cannot hear him it doesn't work. After trying to kill him with soap Bender discovers that he can control electronics and begins to torment Fry with electrical devices. Fry attempts to buy a pineapple from a vending machine, Bender's ghost promptly possesses the device and pelts Fry with fruit, burying him. The crew laughs at Fry when he claims to be haunted by a ghost but after more mishaps he holds a seance and the medium tells him he is being haunted by a robot ghost and he wonders what robot it could be. He then calls the Preacherbot to help him, and who gives him a sacred firewall which prevents robot ghosts from getting within 20 feet of him.

Ghost in the Machines - Official Promo 3

Another promo image for this episode.

However, Bender manages to possess the firewall and cause an image of Fry's melting head, which causes him to have a heart attack. Believing the heart attack to be fatal Bender goes down to hell to claim his prize but the robot devil informs him that Fry survived his heart attack. Back on the surface, Bender overhears that one more sudden shock will kill Fry but changes his mind about murdering his best friend when Fry says that he misses Bender and that he realizes how valuable a robot life can be when it belongs to his best friend.

Fry goes to live on the Amish Homeworld where no machines are allowed. Bender follows, vowing to help his friend and assisting him with everything even though Fry is unaware. On the day the Planet Express crew visit, the Robot Devil appears, dressed in Granny Hester's clothes. The Robot Devil says that it is Bender's fate to kill Fry and causes him to unintentionally spook the ox into making a barn (in the shape of a geodesic dome) roll towards Fry. Bender possess the Robot devil and warns everyone to run away from the runaway barn, pushing Fry out the way but killing the robot devil in the process. Fry then decides to return to New New York.

Both Bender's ghost and the Robot Devil's ghost return to Robot Hell. However the robot devil has a closet full of spare bodies and ridicules Bender for trying to kill him. But, because of his good deed, Bender is taken up to Robot Heaven where he meets the Robot God. Bender possesses him, arguing that he wants to return to Earth, and is ejected. His old dead body reassembles and he is once again alive. Fry says he is glad that Bender is alive again and that he missed him but then asks suspiciously if Bender was the one haunting him, to which Bender doesn't reply.

Ongoing Themes[]

Fry & Leela[]

  • When Fry is celebrated as a hero, Leela is amongst the first to congratulate him.
  • Fry sleeps with the Mayor's wife. Leela exhibits no sign of jealousy.
  • Leela is the first to comfort Fry after Bender's death.
  • Leela mocks Fry, along with the rest of the crew, when he first suggests that he is being haunted. She later slaps him for the same reason, although she only meant to do so twice.
  • After Fry suffers a heart-attack, and is recovering in hospital, Leela can be seen leaning over him. Of all his visitors, she seems to be the most concerned about him.
  • When Fry mourns Bender, while he is in the hospital, Leela is the first to comfort him.
  • Though Fry is sad to be leaving for the Amish home-world, and the Planet Express crew are sad to see him go, Leela is no sadder than any of the others when Fry leaves, and Fry's sadness seems general.
  • When the Planet Express crew visit Fry on the Amish home-world, Fry, and Leela, share a quick embrace. Of the crew, Leela seems to be the most interested in how Fry is doing.
  • After Bender, in the Robot Devil's body, saves Fry, Leela is the most concerned about him.
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