The Bots and the Bees

Plot

Professor Farnsworth acquires a new robotic soda vending machine named Bev. Fry becomes addicted to the "Slurm Loco" drink she offers, and begins to glow bright green as a side effect. Bender comes to resent Bev since she does not dispense alcoholic beverages, and she soon comes to dislike him as well. The two eventually fight after Bev chases away a pair of fembots Bender tries making out with, though they end up having sex instead. To Bender's surprise, the Planet Express crew discover that Bev has given birth to a baby robot as a result of their intercourse the other night, since he didn't realize that robots in the 31st century are programmed to procreate to help robot manufacturers meet demand since factories could only do so much. Bender initially rejects his son and attempts to give Bev full custody, but Bev runs away and leaves their child in his care. Bender soon comes to appreciate his son after he takes delight in Bender's bending abilities, and names his son Ben.

Ben grows up under Bender's care and states that he wants to be a bending robot like his father. However, because arm-control software is inherited maternally and Bev has no arms, Ben is unable to bend objects. In addition, he only has one expansion slot, which houses his memory card. Despite this, Bender continues to raise Ben in the hopes that Ben will overcome his disability. During a ceremony celebrating Ben's passage into adulthood, Bev returns and takes custody of her son from Bender. Bender kidnaps Ben and tries to run, but the two are caught by the police when Ben tries to bend a grate at a dam as the police catch up to them. As Bender prepares to return Ben to Bev, she gives birth to another child conceived with Officer URL and decides to keep this child instead, leaving Bender and Ben alone. To fulfill Ben's dream of becoming a bending robot, a tearful Bender allows Farnsworth to replace Ben's memory card with a bending software card, erasing Ben's memories of his childhood and leaving him unaware of Bender's identity. The Planet Express crew fly Ben to a bending university on a foggy night, with the brightly glowing naked Fry strapped to the prow of the Planet Express ship to light the way. The glowing imitated the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Reception

The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B+" grade, stating, "It's mean-spirited—and, worse, lazy—to make Bev into the easiest stereotype of a crappy mom, and most of the jokes that come out of that characterization aren't great. Sykes makes the most of the part, but there isn't much to it. Thankfully, the episode is more about Bender and Ben bonding, and Bender turning out to be a doting, supportive father. It's a little sweeter than usual, and somehow, the attempts to undercut that sweetness just make the relationship even more adorable; a montage of father and son spending time together includes petty theft and bank robbery, and yet seems about as wholesome as the show ever gets. But it works, because it's fun to see Bender getting emotionally attached to anything".

Max Nicholson of IGN rated the episode an 8/10, writing, "Overall [...] this was a solid entry for Season 7. The writing is still sharp, and the animation has never looked better. It was also nice to see Bender's character treading a little more ground beyond the traditional backseat one-liners. While Ben would obviously disrupt the balance of the main ensemble, it was a fitting introduction for what could be a recurring character on the show (similar to Cubert or Dwight)."

The writer of the episode, Eric Horsted, was nominated for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Television Production, at the 40th Annie Awards, though he did not win.