The Cyber House Rules Totally Explained

Everything about The Cyber House Rules totally explained

"The Cyber House Rules" is the ninth episode in season three of Futurama. It originally aired April 1, 2001. The title comes from the John Irving novel The Cider House Rules.

Plot

Leela is invited to a reunion at her old orphanarium. She initially dreads seeing the people who made fun of her eye as a kid, but she decides rubbing her success in their faces would be very satisfying. Leela attempts to wave her impressive lifestyle in the other orphans' faces, but they quickly resume making fun of her eye. But Adlai Atkins (voiced by guest star Tom Kenny), the only other success story from the orphanarium, shoos them away. Adlai, now a phaser eye surgeon, offers to rework Leela's face to make her look normal, and she jumps at the chance, in spite of Fry's objections. Meanwhile, Bender adopts twelve orphans for the $100/week/child government stipend.
The operation is a success, and Leela adapts to her new, normal-looking life. Adlai asks the two-eyed Leela out, which causes Fry to exhibit signs of jealousy. In short order, Adlai tells Leela that he's ready to settle down and have kids. A receptive Leela suggests that they should adopt, and Adlai agrees. They go to Bender, who is finding that government stipends aren't a good get-rich-quick scheme (as it costs him more to look after the children every week than the $1200 the government pays every week and the stipend was merely to help raise the children) and is now selling the twelve children. Leela wants to adopt Sally, a girl with an ear on her forehead. Adlai objects, and then suggests that the child have an operation to remove the ear and make her "acceptable". Leela, horribly offended, demands that Adlai undo the surgery he performed and make her a cyclops again.
Bender, having been arrested by child services for crimes too numerous to list, returns the orphans to the orphanarium (which is subsequently named after him, though later episodes don't reflect this), and the one-eyed Leela goes back to her old oddball life.

Continuity

When the Professor mentions Fry having "that brain thing," it may refer to the unusual brain circuitry Fry received when he had sex with the woman who turned out to be his grandmother and became his own grandfather first mentioned in "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid," and later in "The Why of Fry".

Cultural references

The title is a reference to the novel and 1999 movie The Cider House Rules. Bender also paraphrases one of the most famous speeches from the film, originally said by Michael Caine: "Goodnight, you princes of Maine, you kings of New England.", except he changes "New England" to "New New England".

The shop "Eye Robot" is a reference to I, Robot.

Adlai's profession as a Phaser eye surgeon is both a spoof on laser eye surgery and the phasers used in Star Trek.

Morbo and Linda appear on the show Good Morning Earth, a parody of Good Morning America.

The scene in which Adlai removes the bandages on someone he thinks is Leela, revealing instead a blond woman, is a reference to an episode of The Twilight Zone entitled "The Eye of the Beholder". The gag has been reused in the season eleven Simpsons episode Pygmoelian when Moe goes in for plastic surgery.

When Leela comes out of Eye Robot, the song "Oh, Pretty Woman" is playing.

Censorship

In Australia, the scene in the beginning where Bender stomps on the baby basket thinking it's garbage was cut when shown on television, but is shown on the volume three DVD set. This scene isn't edited when shown on American TV.

Further Information

Get more info on 'The Cyber House Rules'.

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