A Tale of Two Santas

Season 4, Episode 2, Aired
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Episode Summary

In this Xmas episode, Santa is not as we know him. In the future, Santa is not the bearer of gifts, but an evil robot, intent on bringing terror to the holiday. Unfortunately, the crew has the mission of delivering Santa's mail on Xmas eve. As the people on Earth lie in wait for Santa to arrive, the crew accidentally freezes Santa. This brings the opportunity for Fry to bring his "antiquated" notion of Christmas to the 21st century. To Bender falls the unenviable task of replacing Santa and discovering the wrath of yuletide cheer, until Santa returns and makes Bender his partner in Xmas crime.moreless
8.6
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Fan Episode Reviews (7)

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  • Christmas Review #44

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By tigerdude22, Dec 26, 2011 Report Abuse
    In this Xmas episode, Santa is not as we know him. In the future, Santa is not the bearer of gifts, but an evil robot, intent on bringing terror to the holiday. Unfortunately, the crew has the mission of delivering Santa's mail on Xmas eve. As the people on Earth lie in wait for Santa to arrive, the crew accidentally freezes Santa. This brings the opportunity for Fry to bring his "antiquated" notion of Christmas to the 21st century. To Bender falls the unenviable task of replacing Santa and discovering the wrath of yuletide cheer, until Santa returns and makes Bender his partner in Xmas crime. I thought that this was an excellent Christmas (X-Mas) episode of "Futurama". While this second Christmas episode wasn't as good as the first Christmas episode "X-Mas Story:", I still really liked it. I still think the robotic Santa Claus is pure genius and I'm glad he returned. I also enjoyed the introduction of Kwanzabot. The thing that did make my score a tiny bit was that a few parts did drag a little and a got a little boring. The parts that did make me laugh was Zoidberg dressed up as Jesus Christ, the very ending of the episode, Bender trying to deliver presents to family and that family thinking he is evil, and more. I also loved how Fry brought up that fear is bringing everyone together. Overall, an excellent Christmas (X-Mas) episode of "Futurama but it's not as good as the original Christmas episode "X-Mas Story". 9.5/10moreless

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  • The second Xmas episode.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By that70sguy92, Jul 22, 2009 Report Abuse
    A wonderful episode that caused a fair amount of controversy. What people need to realize that not every cartoon on television is for children to watch. Adults need cartoons too, people. And, this isn't Santa, it's a robot who thinks that he is Santa. Those are two totally different things. Overall, a very entertaining episode that will definitely get you in the holiday spirit. You'll love the song that the elves sing!

    Fry, Bender, and Leela have to make a delivery to Neptune... home of the horrible, murderous, diabolical, Robot Santa! What will happen? Will it affect Xmas forever? Of course it will! To make a long story short, Bender becomes Santa Claus!moreless

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  • hillarious episode

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Blind_Legend, Jun 24, 2008 Report Abuse
    This episode is a brilliant example of everything I watched Futurama for. From their skewering of not only Christmas, but other holidays ("What the Hell is Kwanza?", anyone?), to Bender's screwy dialogue, to the Robot Devil's cameo and the nutty courtroom scene, this is the sort of episode that keeps me laughing from the first frame to the last.

    Futurama's Christmas is so bizarre, so utterly removed from our own that watching these episodes is barely like watching a Christmas episode at all. And as much as I love Christmas and everything that comes along with it, I can't help but smile at the insanity that Groening and company managed to whip up.moreless

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  • Simply a hilarious episode that is a must see!!!

    9.4
    "Superb"
    By Iverson82094, Feb 19, 2008 Report Abuse
    In this Xmas episode, Santa is not as we know him. In the future, Santa is not the bearer of gifts, but an evil robot, intent on bringing terror to the holiday. Unfortunately, the crew has the mission of delivering Santa's mail on Xmas eve. As the people on Earth lie in wait for Santa to arrive, the crew accidentally freezes Santa. This brings the opportunity for Fry to bring his "antiquated" notion of Christmas to the 21st century. To Bender falls the unenviable task of replacing Santa and discovering the wrath of yuletide cheer, until Santa returns and makes Bender his partner in Xmas crime.moreless

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  • Bender plays Santa.

    9.1
    "Superb"
    By mataletea, Feb 04, 2007 Report Abuse
    In this episode we se the return of the Robot Santa. The Planet Express crew are sent tp deliver mail to the Robot Santa's death fortress.

    While fleeing from Robot Santa the crew accidentally freeze him in ice and Fry seizes the opportunity to bring back Christmas as it was in the 20th Century. They re-open the factories and Bender is sent to make the delievries.

    Each time Bender delivers a present he is attacked by the inhabitants of each house believing him to mean them harm.

    Robot Santa escapes because the toy factory increased the temerature and all returns to normal by the end of the episode.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • Why did the Neptunians paint Bender red, and why did he agree anyway? All this would do would make him look more like Robot Santa, and people would hate him and not listen to him. But even still, how could so many people have not realised that Bender wasn't nearly as fat as Robot Santa, or any other obvious differences? Edit
    • In Xmas Story it was shown that nobody would be outside or working on Christmas Eve after 4pm, for fear of Santa killing them. So why are there so many people outside here? Edit
    • Bender refers to the robot Reindeer as Trasher and Smasher, however, in Xmas Story, the original Christmas special, Amy stated that one of them was Rudolph when it's nose began flashing red, about to explode. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • Coolio is credited as a "Special Appearance". Edit
    • If you have season 3 DVD set you can listen to the table reading of this episode. Go to the "Tale of Two Santas" menu and press right from 'play episode' this will hightlight the episode picture. Press 'enter' to start. Edit
    • Some of the names on Santa's list are members of the Futurama staff. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • The Elves' Song

      Elves:
      We are free and fairly sober
      With so many toys to build!
      The machines are kind of tricky,
      Prob'ly someone will be killed.
      But we gladly work for nothing...

      Fry:
      Which is good because we don't intend to pay.

      Elves:
      The Elves are back to work today!
      Hooray!

      We have just a couple hours
      To make several billion gifts
      And the labor isn't easy.

      Leela:
      Then you'll all work triple shifts.
      You can make the job go quicker
      If you turn up the controls to super-speed.

      (The controls switch to Lucy and the Elves' work and the song accelerate in the tempo.)

      Fry, Leela, Bender and Elves:
      It's back to work on X-Mas Eve!

      Elves:
      (tired) Hooray.

      Leela:
      And tho' you're cold and sore and ugly,
      Your pride will mask the pain.

      Fry:
      Let my happy smile warm your heart.

      Solo Elf:
      There's a toy lodged in my brain.

      Elves:
      We are getting awf'lly tired
      And we can't work any faster
      And we're very, very sorry.

      Bender:
      Why, you selfish little bastards!
      Do you want the kids to think that Santa's
      Just a crummy empty-handed jerk?

      Elf:
      Ow!

      Bender:
      Then shut your yaps and back to work!

      Elves:
      Now it's very nearly X-Mas
      And we've done the best we could.

      Fry:
      These toy soldiers are poorly painted...

      Leela:
      And they're made from inferior wood.

      Bender:
      I should give you all a beating
      But I really have to fly.

      Robot Santa:
      If I weren't stuck here frozen,
      I'd harpoon you in the eye!

      Elves:
      Now it's back into our tenements
      To drown ourselves in rye.

      Leela:
      You did the best you could, I guess
      And some of these gorillas are okay.

      Various Elves:
      Hooray!
      We're adequate!

      All:
      The elves have rescued X-Mas Day!
      HOORAY! Edit
    • Bender: On, Trasher! On, Smasher! Hey, Kwanzaabot, where you off to? Kwanzaabot: Ah, you didn't hear about it? Chanukah Zombie's having a luau at the B'nai B'rith! You comin'? Bender: Word! Edit
    • Fry: Wait a second! Maybe your futuristic Xmas isn't so rotten after all. Leela: What are you talking about, you crouton? You said it yourself: Xmas should be about bringing people together, not blowing them apart. Fry: But don't you see? Fear has brought us together. That's the magic of Xmas! Farnsworth: That's a big crock of- (There is an explosion outside) Hold me! Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • The blinking warhead is an homage to Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer. Edit
    • Santa's Workshop is using non-union workers. This is just one of many links between the Neptunians and Mexicans. Edit
    • Star Trek Kirk is famous for defeating artificial lifeforms by telling stories containing logical paradoxes. Edit

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