Futurama: A Tale of Two Santas is the second of three Christmas episodes during its run. And just like Xmas Story (covered in Entertainment Advent Calendar #8) these are naturally off-beat Christma- sorry, Xmas offering. A Tale of Two Santas also marks the return of the psychotic Robot Santa, as the Planet Express crew incapacitate the homicidal automaton, leaving Bender to replace him.
Futurama S03 E03 – Tale of Two Santas
Tale of Two Santas is a comedy delight. The Elves’s Song is the absolute stand out moment, laden with Christmas/life state of mind gags that fit the characters perfectly with the current circumstances. The gang are trying to reinstate Christmas cheer under pressure, also knowing this rare moment of freedom might not last but at the same time has to.
"Robot Santa's Elves: [Singing] “We are free and fairly soberWith so many toys to buildThe machines are kind of trickyProbably someone will be killedBut we gladly work for nothing”Fry: “Which is good, because we don't intend to pay”.
This twisted Christmas tale betters Xmas Story in almost every way. The first half plays out like many a Christmas special; there’s something preventing Christmas joy and [insert gang here] want to make it right. From there, it becomes cynical take after cynical take, a trope that has become more frequent in recent times in Christmas specials. After all, cynicism done right becomes hilarious satire; something Futurama should always be remembered for even in its futuristic setting.