In the episode of the first
season of the animated comedy Futurama,
title “Hell is Other Robots, Bender, a robotic character, enters into robot
hell. His journey to this robot hell is initially caused by a robot drug
induced “trip,” similar in nature to what a human being would experience on LSD,
known as “jacking on,” in which the robot abuses electricity. Bender, now
clearly reliant on abusing electricity (he steers their space ship directly
into an electrical storm for the sake of getting “high” on electricity). His
addiction to electricity is a satirical play on Dante’s line in which he states
that he has strayed from the straight path.
Bender, recognizing his
problem decides to attend a meeting at the Temple of Robotology, which is a
church-like organization for robots where the “robot devil” is discussed. Robots
can potentially be downloaded straight to hell. Soon afterwards, Bender is
quickly converted to a religious and pure lifestyle. Within three minutes he
gives into his temptations and again starts living irresponsibly, lustfully,
avariciously, etc. The robot devil comes for him soon afterward and downloads
him to robot hell. The gateway to this robot hell is found at an abandoned
carnival on a ride titled “Inferno.”
Upon entering into this
robot hell, the robot devil informs Bender that “We know all your sins Bender
and for each one we’ve prepared an agonizing and ironic punishment!” Level one
consists of depriving Bender of all of the things that made him happy on earth.
For instance, he loved cigars; now in Robot hell, Bender takes the place of the
tobacco and is rolled up into a cigar leaf and then he is smoked by other
robots. Level two consists of leaving Bender’s punishment up to fate. He is
placed on a spinning board and spun around a wheel on which different
punishments are describe; wherever he lands, once he is done spinning, will
determine his punishment—he gets deep fried. Level three and four are skipped.
Level five consists of Bender having his hard drive “scratched” by the
preserved head’s of the members of the Beasty Boys…
There is no real description
of any of the other levels passed level 5. Only after challenging the devil in
a fiddling contest, the prize being a golden fiddle,—what’s up Charlie Daniel’s
band—as a divergence, do Bender and his friends escape.
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