Them, Robot/References

Episode	References	Gags	Appearances	Gallery	Quotes	Credits

◄ How I Wet Your Mother

Them, Robot

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Cultural references

• The title is a reference to I, Robot.
  • The title was also referenced in "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot."
• Other references from I, Robot:
  • When Smithers raises the curtain on the robots, they are in formation as when Detective Del Spooner is searching through them in the film.
  • Until Homer tampers with their programming, the robots appear to be operating according to Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics.
  • The robots' eyes turn red when they abandon the Three Laws, similar to the robots in the film having red lights on their chests when they've been taken over by the central artificial intelligence.
• The robots vaguely resemble the robot ASIMO. They are also said to be able to climb stairs with great difficulty, which could again be a reference to ASIMO.
• Brent Spiner, who guest voiced the robots, played the android Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
• Mr. Burns is seen reading a copy of Bossypants, Tina Fey's real-life autobiography.
• Apps on Mr. Burns's MyPad:
  • Angry Burns, a parody of Angry Birds.
  • Ukulele Hero, a parody of Guitar Hero.
  • Google Naps, a parody of Google Maps.
  • Captain Billy's Whiz-Bang, a real-life magazine published in the United States and in Canada.
• The music clip playing when Mr. Burns announces "the future masters of the human race" is from Modest Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain" featuring the demon Chernabog.
• When Homer takes one of his robots on a fishing trip:
  • The robot says that he is not a Transformer and cannot transform into an outboard motor.
  • Homer says he is granting the robot's wish to be a real boy, a reference to the Disney film Pinocchio.
• The robots smash through the glass room and surround Mr. Burns and Homer in similar fashion to the Cybermen in the Doctor Who episode "Rise of the Cybermen."
  • It is also similar to a scene near the end of the I, Robot film, where Detective Del Spooner and Dr. Susan Calvin are in a glass-walled building and the robots smash in and surround them.
• Mr. Burns says that he "didn't say Monty Says," which is a reference to the game "Simon says."
• Mr. Burns says "you are so not the heartless automatons I was looking for," a reference to Obi-Wan Kenobi's line "These aren't the droids you're looking for" from the Star Wars movie Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
• The robots saying "Eliminate!" is a reference to the Daleks in Doctor Who saying "Exterminate!."
• The robot who saves Homer's life by pushing him out of the path of an oncoming truck (and being himself hit as a result) is similar to the self-sacrificing robot in the 100th episode of The Twilight Zone, "I Sing the Body Electric."
• When Smithers is throwing books at the robots he says "to servos with love," a reference to the movie To Sir with Love.
• Smithers throws the books Merv and Death in Venice.
• The song playing in the closing credits is "Robot Parade" by They Might Be Giants.
• The jersey on one robot says "Nomad J25," which may be a reference to the main character in the 1956 novel The Stars My Destination.
• Lenny playing the "world's smallest violin" is a possible reference to the SpongeBob SquarePants episode: "Squilliam Returns" or the movie Reservoir Dogs (1992) quote of Mr. Pink.
• When Barney becomes a stripper he says that The Full Monty gave him the inspiration.
• The summary of the episode is a reference to the Mexican animated film, Top Cat: The Movie, as they both involve robots taking over almost everyone's jobs.

Trivia

• The couch gag of this episode shows a time lapse shot (spanning 1989-2012) of the Simpson family sitting in front of a banner reading "America, Most powerful country in the world." The banner slowly degrades over time as characters from past episodes appear. Things and characters depicted include:
  • 1989: Homer and Maggie hold American flags.
  • 1991: Leon Kompowsky moon walking (from "Stark Raving Dad").
  • 1993: Stampy the elephant with Ralph in his mouth (from "Bart Gets an Elephant").
  • 1995: Poochie the Dog (from "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show")
  • 1997: O'Reilly the Leprechaun (first appeared in "This Little Wiggy").
  • 1999: The ghost of Maude Flanders from Alone Again, Natura-Diddily
  • 2001: Baron Von Kiss-A-Lot (from "Half-Decent Proposal").
  • 2003: Goose Gladwell (from "Fat Man and Little Boy").
  • 2005: Chazz Busby (from "Smoke on the Daughter").
  • 2007: Homer holds Spiderpig/Harry Plopper (from The Simpsons Movie) and the television changes to the flat screen HDTV (first appeared "Take My Life, Please").
  • 2009: Princess Penelope (from "Once Upon a Time in Springfield").
  • 2010: Homer and Bart change the banner to "Too big to fail, we hope."
  • 2012: Maggie holds the Chinese flag.
• The last time robots worked at the Springfield Power Plant while Homer still worked there was in "Lisa's Wedding." Or rather, this is the first time, and that is the second time, given the idea that that is set in the future.
• Mr. Burns states that his real age has four digits.
• Although Mr. Burns has a MyPad, he writes with a quill pen and inkwell.
• In "The Falcon and the D'ohman," Homer predicts on robots taking away jobs and in this episode, that happens.
• This is the second episode where a Simpson accidentally said a haiku. The first was "The Great Wife Hope".
• This is the second episode where Smithers searches for a new job after becoming redundant. The first was "Homer the Smithers".
• This is the second episode where Homer makes a trail out of yellow paint. The first was "Homer the Great".
• This is the second episode where a robot commits suicide due to discomfort around a human. The first was "Treehouse of Horror XII".
• This is the second episode where lots of Springfield Nuclear Power Plant employees get fired. The first was "HOMЯ".
• This is the second episode where Homer says "D'oh" extremely loud. The first was "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson".

Goofs

• Homer leaves Mr. Burns's office, then a few seconds later, Burns turns around to the CCTV monitor and sees Homer in Sector 7-G putting his stuff back on his desk. 
• Lisa says the robots can only run three mph, though later in the episode, they run about as fast as the hounds. The hounds could easily run at three mph.
• In this episode it was revealed that Mr. Burns was once nice while in adulthood. However, in "Rosebud" he turned evil as a child. He could have repented and then become the heartless villain he is now. Not clear if he was nice. The flashback involves Burns (who has just opened the Springfield Power Plant) organizing a parade and trying to win over the locals. It seems to have been a public relations campaign.