That Darn Katz!
| "That Darn Katz!" | |
|---|---|
| Futurama episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 6 Episode 8 |
| Directed by | Frank Marino |
| Written by | Josh Weinstein |
| Production code | 6ACV08 |
| Original air date | August 5, 2010 |
| Opening caption | "(Or similar product)" |
| Opening cartoon | "Scotty Finds a Home" (1935) |
"That Darn Katz!" is the eighth episode of the sixth season of the animated comedy show, Futurama. It first aired on Comedy Central on August 5, 2010. In the episode, Amy's rejected doctoral dissertation—a device to harness the Earth's rotational energy—is used by evil invading space cats to fix their own slowing planet. Since the invention will cause the Earth to stop turning, Amy and Nibbler must team up to stop them while their co-workers have fallen under the thrall of the cats' cuteness.
The episode was written by Josh Weinstein and directed by Frank Marino. This was the first episode since "Rebirth" to use the full intro sequence, and as a result, includes a classic cartoon before the opening credits. "That Darn Katz!" was generally well received by critics, who enjoyed another unexpected pairing, this time between Amy and Nibbler, and the character development for both that arose from it.
Amy is ready to defend her doctoral dissertation in applied physics: a machine capable of harnessing the Earth's rotation and natural magnetic field to produce energy. Meanwhile, Nibbler confronts Leela, displeased with her treatment of him as a pet and desiring to be treated as a full-fledged member of the crew.
The next day, at Amy's defense at Mars University, her proposal is rejected, mostly due to Professor Katz' pet cat, who distracts her and stimulates her allergy to cats. Disheartened, the crew return to Planet Express, unknowingly accompanied by the cat. The crew—with the exception of Amy, who remains resentful, and Nibbler, who finds himself jealous of Leela's affection for the cat—finds the cat endearing and lavish him with affection. Amy and Nibbler become suspicious, rationalizing that no creature could behave so cute without an ulterior motive. They soon find that Professor Katz was merely a puppet controlled by his pet cat, Katz, the entire time, who is actually part of an alien race of highly intelligent talking space cats that invaded Earth during 3500 BC in ancient Egypt. The space cats' home planet, Thuban 9, began to lose its rotation, and they discovered that only Earth had the correct orientation and magnetic field with which to harness its rotational energy. They built the Great Pyramid of Giza—really an energy transfer antenna—and planned to send Earth's rotational energy to Thuban 9, but became distracted by their reverential treatment by the Egyptians, eventually forgetting their technology over the centuries and into the present day. Amy's thesis provided the space cats with their lost technology, allowing them to begin once again. Katz and his other colleagues place the crew under their influence with hypnotic "hyper-cuteness" and force them to build Amy's proposed invention.
...
Wikipedia