12 non-Christmas episodes for the rest of us
By Sundi Rose
Futurama: “A Tale of Two Santas”
All you need to know about this episode is that there is a Kwanzaabot and it’s voiced by Coolio.
Although this isn’t technically a Kwanzaa episode, it’s not dripping with the saccharine residue of a traditional Christmas special. In fact, this is the most anti-Christmas Christmas episode, and that’s kind of what I like about it. It’s got an evil Santa, the threat of total domination, a destructive rampage, and well, Coolio as a Kwanzaabot.
It takes a turn when Fry, Leela and Bender have to deliver to Neptune, and they cross the robot Santa Claus. Bender is forced to take his place, but the old Santa’s reputation makes his job more difficult than it has to be.
This episode is sometimes considered a “lost” episode, since FOX didn’t air it the year it was produced. They felt it wasn’t appropriate to air at the early time slot, so they bumped it, only to air it the next year at a later time. It’s not really all that bad, but there are some references to the ugliness of humanity and what not, but what’s Christmas without being grossed out by human nature?
“A Tale Of Two Santas” is the first episode of the fourth season, and you can watch it on Netflix.