The Honking

Did You Know?

• Calculon's claim that he was all of history's greatest acting robots is a subtle reference to the immortal Mr. Flint from the Star Trek: The Original Series episode Requiem for Methuselah.
• The visual design for Bender as a were-car directly references the titular antagonist from The Car.

Plot

Bender inherits his late uncle Vladimir's castle near Thermostadt, the capital of the Robo-Hungarian Empire, but only if he spends the night inside. Holographic robot ghosts in the castle scare him into the night, where a mysterious car without hover capability runs him over. Back in New New York, Bender suffers nightmares and blackouts, convinced the car followed him. Tire tracks appear wherever he goes. He consults a coin-operated Gypsy Bot, which reveals he was hit by a werecar, a robotic werewolf equivalent, and has become one. The curse makes him run over people and eventually kill his best friend, curable only by destroying the original werecar. That night, Bender transforms into a sedan and targets Leela. Fry is upset, interpreting this as Bender not considering him a best friend. The crew returns to the village near the castle, follows a trail of strange werecars, and locates the original: Project Satan, a demonic car assembled a thousand years ago from the parts of history's most evil vehicles. Bender transforms again, this time pursuing Fry, which delights Fry as proof of their friendship. Project Satan accidentally drives into a large furnace, destroying itself and ending the curse. Bender mourns Fry, but Fry emerges alive from Bender's compartment, grateful for their bond. Bender then chokes Fry for stealing his last beer.

Reception

Doug Pratt's DVD Pratt noted that this episode had an extremely witty plot turn. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B+, stating there were plenty of nifty ideas in the episode, particularly the ultimate source of the were-car problem, a murderous vehicle built by scientists for Project Satan. Handlen noted that Project Satan does not become relevant until the last five minutes, and while the cleverness keeps things moving, the end result is no more than the sum of its various parts.