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Aug 12, 2023

FUTURAMA Recap: Children of a Lesser Bog (Season 11 Episode 2)

Posted by Avery Kaplan | Jul 30, 2023 | Animation, Recaps & Reviews, Science Fiction, TV & Streaming | 0 Twenty years later, the Wong-Kroker kids return! Futurama Season 11 #pisode 2, “Children of a

Posted by Avery Kaplan | Jul 30, 2023 | Animation, Recaps & Reviews, Science Fiction, TV & Streaming | 0

Twenty years later, the Wong-Kroker kids return! Futurama Season 11 #pisode 2, “Children of a Lesser Bog,” was written by Eric Horsted and directed by Edmund Fong.

Philip J. Fry (Billy West) sighs as he looks out the Planet Express break room window. He sucks on the collar of his jacket. As he observes the New New York City skyline, he is observed. Amy Wong (Lauren Tom), Turanga Leela (Katey Sagal), Bender Bending Rodriguez (John DiMaggio), Hermes Conrad (Phil LaMarr) and Doctor John Zoidberg (West) crowd in the break room doorway and assess Fry’s behavior. Fry reveals a Clump o’ Honey candy got stuck on his jacket over a thousand years earlier, and he’s been sucking ever since.

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Zoidberg helps himself to the sticky spot. This eradicates the residue. Furthermore, Fry can’t replace the candy. It was discontinued after reclassification as an industrial adhesive. Bender offers to recreate the recipe. Soon Fry and Bender add honey, sugar, and just a touch of Cap’n Sappy Treacle to a bubbling cauldron. A sample puts Professor Hubert Farnsworth (West) into a diabetic coma.

FUTURAMA Season 11 Episode 2, “Children of a Lesser Bog.” Photo by: Matt Groening/Hulu

Soon the PlanEx crew samples Bender’s Clump o’ Honey. The flavor gets a positive review. Fry declares it “jacket-worthy.” But it’s incredibly sticky. Amy loses a couple of teeth. Zoidberg offers her an appointment. When she opens her calendar to check her schedule, she’s startled by an event reminder she set 20 years earlier, on January 12, 3003. This is one thousand years to the day after the original airdate of Season 4’s “Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch.” Sure enough, the event is the due date for Kif (Maurice LaMarche) and Amy’s babies.

Kif arrives at the PlanEx building. He recounts that 20 years earlier, he had given birth to a clutch of tadpoles. Amy was by his side when it took place. Amy offers to show a video of the event. Everyone declines, but Amy shares the footage from “Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch” anyway. The crew is disgusted. But Amy says it was beautiful; she just wasn’t ready to be a mother at the time. Kif asks if she’s ready now, and Amy replies that there’s nothing she wants more in the world than to have a family with him.

The Wong-Krokers watch a re-run. FUTURAMA Season 11 Episode 2, “Children of a Lesser Bog.” Photo by: Matt Groening/Hulu

The PlanEx ship and crew return to Amphibios 9. It parks beside a D.O.O.P. cruiser, and the crew meets with Kif and Zapp beside a swamp. Kif says the birth ceremony will begin momentarily. Bender removes his eyebulbs and throws them in the water. They’re joined by Amy’s parents, Inez Wong (Tom) and Leo Wong (Feodor Chin). Finally, the Grand Midwife (Tress MacNeille) arrives.

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Kif offers a redundant introduction for himself (she recognizes his head) and Amy, his Smizmar. The G.M. explains that she will guide them as they transition to parenthood. FYI, she accepts tips for this service. Soon, Amy and Kif’s tadpoles begin to arrive. Amy says she wants to look cute for their hundreds of kids. However, the sacred process known as the Winnowing has yet to occur. Four — well, three and a half of them make it to shore.

At first, the trio approach Leela, who asks if she can help them. Amy calls them over, and she and Kif embrace them. Inez is disgusted by them. The trios’ tails are snipped off into a bucket. Inez and Leo leave without hugging them. However, they do replace their “Ask Me About My Grandchildren” bumper sticker with a “Don’t Ask Me About My Grandchildren” bumper sticker before taking off.

Kif brings the kids to visit Amy during her break at PlanEx. Hermes asks why the three kids are different sizes. Kif explains that they grew at varying rates depending on the water temperature. Since one-eyed Newt was in a cold, deep area, he’s baby-sized. Newt calls Leela “Mama,” who responds, “Wrong again.” Because Mandy is from the temperate middle-depths, she’s child-sized. And since Axl is from the warm shallows, like Kif, he’s teen-sized.

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Leela asks why Newt has one eye and keeps calling her “mama.” Kif asks if she doesn’t remember impregnating him. Leela says she must have been super drunk. However, Farnsworth has a Yowzavision Educational Film to explain the situation: “Sex Across the Universe.” The video explains that Amphibiosans reproduce by “just barely touch[ing] hands.” Amy was Kif’s Smizmar, meaning her presence inspired his ability to get pregnant. But Leela gave Kif the DNA when she touched his hand in this state.

In a montage set to “Kooks” by David Bowie, Kif, Amy and the kids spend a day in NNYC’s Central Park. Meanwhile, they’re observed by the G.M. Back at their apartment, the kids continue to wreak havoc. Amy says it’s fortunate that there are two of them. But then Kif is contacted by Zapp and called to D.O.O.P. Duty.

The Nimbus. FUTURAMA Season 11 Episode 2, “Children of a Lesser Bog.” Photo by: Matt Groening/Hulu

Zapp says the D.O.O.P. has lost contact with an outpost in Ursa Major (which means “greater bear” in Latin). After the Nimbus takes off, Amy and the kids break down in tears. Later at the PlanEx building, Farnsworth calls the crew to attention. Amy is late because the babysitter didn’t show up. She’s contacted by Petunia (MacNeille), who thought the address was on Kepler-10b rather than Earth and will have to take the next generation ship back to Nutley. Axl, Mandy and Newt continue to be a handful.

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On the Nimbus, Kif tries to enjoy mineral water and Clump o’ Honey while alone in his bunk. However, he’s soon sobbing because he misses his family. Zapp arrives and says he understands. He samples the sticky candy and orders Kif to bring more to his quarters.

The Captain’s tub. FUTURAMA Season 11 Episode 2, “Children of a Lesser Bog.” Photo by: Matt Groening/Hulu

In the PlanEx break room, Amy hands the kids off to Leela. Amy needs some rest. The kids call her “Mommy Leela” and are eager to impress Leela, making Amy insecure. Meanwhile, Kif arrives in Zapp’s quarters with the candy. Zapp tells Kif to use them to remove his chest hair. On Earth, Leela uses the PlanEx ship’s conveyor belt as a treadmill to exhaust the kids. The G.M. observes her through the hanger window. Meanwhile, Amy sees her on the PlanEx security cameras (see Season 3’s “Bendless Love”).

The Nimbus arrives at Exobiology Station 38 but still can’t contact the outpost. Kif and Zapp travel to the surface in a D.O.O.P. shuttle. The outpost scientist greets them. First introduced in Season 4’s “300 Big Boys,” the former Whale Biologist and now Bear Biologist (David Herman) still hasn’t found an animal he likes.

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The Bear Biologist explains that they study tardigrades at this outpost. He calls them stupid and ugly. They’re responsible for breaking the outpost’s communication equipment. Kif fixes the transmitter and asks if he can return to his family. Zapp consents but first wishes to take a candy break. Unfortunately, the tardigrades go “bat-crackers” over the smell of human food. They drag a screaming Zapp into a cave.

Zapp’s Star Trek: Discovery experience. FUTURAMA Season 11 Episode 2, “Children of a Lesser Bog.” Photo by: Matt Groening/Hulu

In Central Park, the kids demand Leela play the part of their “horsie” and buy them ice cream. Mandy declares that rum raisin tastes like caterpillars as they arrive back at the PlanEx break room. Amy enters and confronts Leela, declaring she’s not their mom. Leela says she’s just a beaten-down horse. Amy says she’s not their mom. Leela says she sort of is, but Amy says, “Go on, git!”

A sobbing Amy contacts Kif on his eyephone and says the kids prefer Leela. She says she’s the worst mom ever (except her own mom). Kif offers her comfort over Zapp’s screams. However, that’s when the G.M. arrives at the PlanEx break room and says a challenge to Amy’s motherhood has been issued. And the connection on the call with Kif breaks.

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Kif tells Zapp he has to return to Earth. But Zapp needs rescue. Kif cocks his rifle and says, “All right, bears, I’m coming to tuck you in … to your graves.”

Amy says she’s no one’s taking her babies. The G.M. says she must intervene whenever parenthood is called into question. Leela arrives, sucking the jelly out of a jelly donut with a straw. Amy accuses her of calling the G.M. The G.M. explains the test is automatic when the children have no directly inherited DNA. Displaying a report from “23 and Who?,” the G.M. explains the Wong-Kroker offspring have DNA provided by Leela and Scruffy the Janitor (Herman). The G.M. says the test will determine who shall raise the children and will take place tomorrow.

Kif’s zap. FUTURAMA Season 11 Episode 2, “Children of a Lesser Bog.” Photo by: Matt Groening/Hulu

In Ursa Major, Kif locates Zapp inside the tardigrade cave. His weapon transforms several tardigrades into cave paintings. Kif intentionally activates his camouflage and removes his uniform. In the PlanEx break room, Leela comforts Amy. Amy apologizes for getting jealous. “It’s okay. The bond parents feel with their kids is intense… so I hear,” says Leela. She says she’s glad she helped Amy become a mom. Leela says she’s sure it’ll work out tomorrow. Amy sobs that she’s sure Leela will take care of them if it doesn’t. At the break room table, Mandy sucks jelly out of a donut with a straw while reading Go, Ladybuggle, Go! (see Season 8’s “Yo Leela Leela”).

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Kif rescues a pathetic Zapp. He’s about to dispatch two tardigrades when he realizes they’re protecting a trio of offspring. Kif cocks his weapon. As Zapp escapes the cave, he hears the sound of Kif’s blaster.

On Amphibios 9, the G.M. re-introduces herself as the Inquisitor for the Challenge of Amy Wong. The G.M. asks about the location of Amy’s Smiz-male. That’s when Kif arrives in the D.O.O.P. cruiser. Axl asks if he did war stuff. Kif says he “did what a daddy had to do.” He flashes back to the tardigrade cave. It’s revealed that Kif fired his weapon at supports for the catwalk that allowed the Bear Biologist to lord it over the tardigrades. They summarily devoured him.

FUTURAMA Season 11 Episode 2, “Children of a Lesser Bog.” Photo by: Matt Groening/Hulu

The G.M. explains the challenge will play out over weeks or months in the Inquis-dome, which some call a “Tiki Hut.” Amy tells the kids Leela will watch them during the challenge. She says whatever happens, they’ll be okay. Axl says she will be, too.

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The G.M. says it’s a “challenging challenge” which will “incorporate a battery of genetic tests and a full neuropsychological obstacle course.” However, it begins with the question, “Amy Wong, do you or do you not love those children?” Amy says she loves them more than she knew she could love anything. The G.M. says that’s all that truly matters. The challenge is over.

The G.M. pulls a string that causes the wall to fall away (“That’s not supposed to happen”). As the Wong-Krokers embrace, the rest of the PlanEx crew and Zapp enjoy champagne flutes of treacle.

New episodes of Futurama are available for streaming Mondays on Hulu.

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