Leela's Homeworld
Leela discovers her true origin as a mutant.
"Leela's Homeworld" is the 56th episode of the American animated series Futurama and the second episode of its fourth season. It originally aired on Fox on February 17, 2002, and was written by Kristin Gore and directed by Mark Ervin. The episode is notable for revealing Leela's true origin as a mutant abandoned by her parents so she could live on the surface.
Quick Facts
- Season
- 4
- Episode
- 2
- Director
- Mark Ervin
- Writer
- Kristin Gore
- Production
- 4ACV02
- Air date
- 17 February 2002
- Opening cartoon
- "Makin' 'Em Move" by Van Beuren Studios (1931)
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The Professor announces that Leela has been named orphan of the year by her old orphanarium, and that he has invented a machine that makes glow-in-the-dark noses. The machine produces large amounts of toxic waste, which Hermes orders disposed of. The Professor hires Bender, who dumps the waste into the sewer. At the award ceremony, the headmaster recounts Leela's arrival and Leela gives a speech that inspires the orphans. Back at Planet Express, Fry finds Leela crying; she admits she still longs for parents, unaware that two one-eyed individuals are watching from under a sewer grate. Bender expands his dumping into a full waste management service. Sewer mutants, angered by his methods, abduct Bender, Fry, and Leela. The mutants sentence them to be lowered into a lake of mutation-inducing chemicals and threaten to beat up Bender. Two hooded mutants break from the group and swing the crane, dropping the trio on the far side of the lake. The mob pursues them. Fry, Leela, and Bender take refuge in a mutant home, where they find photos and clippings of every major event in Leela's life. Leela is horrified at the thought of a mutant stalking her, allowing the mob to capture them. After a whispered word from the hooded mutants, the sentence is commuted to exile. They are flown by hot air balloon to a surface access ladder. Fry and Bender emerge, but Leela dives into the chemical lake and is unaffected. Fry gets the alien-language note left with Leela from the headmaster and takes it to the Professor for analysis.
Production
Leela and her backstory were created by Matt Groening and David X. Cohen before they pitched the series to Fox. As the episode's plot came together, the character designs were altered to appear less ordinary. In early concepts, Morris had a typical mouth, and Munda had normal human arms, with one visible in her earlier appearance in "I Second That Emotion". The team briefly considered keeping one human arm and one tentacle arm for Munda, but ultimately both arms became tentacles, with the explanation that she had been wearing a flesh-colored glove in her previous scene. The writers argued over whether the audience should learn Leela's true origin before she did or discover it alongside her. The final choice was made because it allowed for easier jokes if viewers were already in on the secret. The song in the ending montage is "Baby Love Child" by Pizzicato Five, and the scene was lengthened slightly to include more of the track. Producers have stated that the montage was inspired by the musical sequences on Homicide: Life on the Street.
Reception
This episode, alongside "Jurassic Bark" and "The Luck of the Fryrish," is a fan favorite and ranks among the series' most emotional installments. It earned a Nielsen rating of 3.4/5 for its initial broadcast, placing 71st among primetime shows for the week of February 11–17, 2002. Critic Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club awarded it an A, commending how a potentially forgettable story was executed, particularly praising the final sequence and its music.
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