# Futurama: The Prisoner of Benda **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 20, 2010, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852 "2010-08-20T09:31:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852/1 "2010-08-20T09:31:12Z")
Best episode of the season. It had so many great moments. Fry’s and Leela’s gross out contest. Bender’s crown stealing attempts (I wonder what a reverse Turing test would actually be). The forbidden love between Scruffy and the Washbucket. Farnsworth’s daredevil stunts. It would have been cool if the actors had tried to imitate each other’s voices instead of the voice switching along with the mind swap, but maybe that would have been too confusing. Loved the episode. 9 out of 10. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e36b37/32.png) [@Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_A_Tame_Lion)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852/2 "2010-08-20T10:07:06Z")
Agreed. I found myself laughing a lot and loudly throughout the episode. I’ll need to watch it again to catch all the good stuff. Was it just me, or did anyone else watching this ep have his head turn into a wolf’s head and start howling and whistling when (Bender)Amy climbed onto the deck of the yacht in her bikini? Anyone? Anyone? That is one hot cartoon character. Just saying. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852/3 "2010-08-20T12:39:08Z")
Very weak episode. I didn’t see anything funny. The concept was a cliche in the 1930s, and they didn’t do anything other than the obvious with it. Especially bad compared to the previous week. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852/4 "2010-08-20T14:46:00Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Very weak episode. I didn’t see anything funny. The concept was a cliche in the 1930s, and they didn’t do anything other than the obvious with it. You are out of your mind. Please change your name to **InsanityChuck** post-haste. This episode was fantastic. I am assuming that David X. Cohen (or one of the other gigantic nerds who writes this show) has posted a proof of the body-switching theorem somewhere, or that it’s otherwise a well-known math-nerd problem. Anybody know where it can be found? ---
**Author:** ![Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cornelius_Tuggerson)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852/5 "2010-08-20T15:02:26Z")
Did anyone solve the puzzle of 2 people switch bodies and can’t switch them back? How many other people would it take to get everyone back into their own body? Does this even have a solution? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852/6 "2010-08-20T15:18:07Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > > [@RealityChuck](#): > > > > Very weak episode. I didn’t see anything funny. The concept was a cliche in the 1930s, and they didn’t do anything other than the obvious with it. > > You are out of your mind. Please change your name to **InsanityChuck** post-haste. Sorry, but I calls 'em as I sees 'em. I didn’t laugh once and barely cracked a smile. You had all the obvious situations and jokes that Thorne Smith used in 1931. And they seemed to think they could get big yucks by saying “Look! Leela is Farsworth! Leela’s body is now fat! Zoidberg is gross!!!” Third rate stuff without a single joke that wasn’t telegraphed from the beginning. This was jump-the-shark bad (though I expect they will recover). ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852/7 "2010-08-20T15:21:54Z")
> [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](#): > > Did anyone solve the puzzle of 2 people switch bodies and can’t switch them back? How many other people would it take to get everyone back into their own body? Does this even have a solution? Ethan Bubblegum Tate said that it could be done for any number of people with two extra folks to help out. But a formal proof was not forthcoming in the episode. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852/8 "2010-08-20T15:32:28Z")
I loved it. But the premise would have been much better in a 2 or 4 episode format. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852/9 "2010-08-20T15:39:36Z")
I’m greatly assuming the end montage of everyone in the brain machine means the math nerds figured it out and animated it. Also…do I even need to say it was written by Ken Keeler? The episode was ok. I guess it was a bit predicable but it wasn’t horrible. My favorite moment was the “Leela?” “Hermes…Professor?” “Amy”. Something to that effect where they called out the person who’s body it was and they answered with who’s mind it was. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852/10 "2010-08-20T16:02:42Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > > [@friedo](#): > > > > You are out of your mind. Please change your name to **InsanityChuck** post-haste. > > Sorry, but I calls 'em as I sees 'em. I didn’t laugh once and barely cracked a smile. You had all the obvious situations and jokes that Thorne Smith used in 1931. And they seemed to think they could get big yucks by saying “Look! Leela is Farsworth! Leela’s body is now fat! Zoidberg is gross!!!” Third rate stuff without a single joke that wasn’t telegraphed from the beginning. This was jump-the-shark bad (though I expect they will recover). This is why I avoid history. To keep current things funny. 😛 It was an entertaining episode and I laughed but it’s not as good as the last couple of episodes. I did love it when in the beginning Bender was coming up with his plan to steal the crown and he was calling out his plan and describing the different types of people he would need which just happened to correspond with the characters of the show. And again at the end of the episode after everyone gets back in their bodies and the credits start and he starts describing his plan again and it’s the same as in the beginning. Also the bit with the Emporer in the mop bucket and Zoidberg in Fry’s body had me cracking up. Zoidberg finally has a friend. About the switching bodies theory Wiki says Ken Keeler did have a solution. > **[The Prisoner of Benda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prisoner_of_Benda)** > > "The Prisoner of Benda" is the tenth episode in the sixth season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 98th episode of the series overall. It aired on Comedy Central on August 19, 2010. In the episode, Professor Farnsworth and Amy build a machine that allows them to switch minds so that they may each pursue their lifelong dreams. However, they learn that the machine cannot be used twice on the same pairing of bodies. To try to return to their correct bodies, they invol... > [@](#): > > The episode was written by Ken Keeler and directed by Stephen Sandoval. The issue of how each crew member can be restored to their correct body given the limitation of the switching device is solved in the episode by a mathematical theorem penned and proven by Keeler, a PhD mathematician, that was based on group theory. ---
**Author:** ![Henrichek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5daacb/32.png) [@Henrichek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Henrichek)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852/11 "2010-08-20T16:07:51Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > > [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](#): > > > > Did anyone solve the puzzle of 2 people switch bodies and can’t switch them back? How many other people would it take to get everyone back into their own body? Does this even have a solution? > > Ethan Bubblegum Tate said that it could be done for any number of people with two extra folks to help out. But a formal proof was not forthcoming in the episode. Wasn’t the proof written on the blackboard? ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852/12 "2010-08-20T16:21:23Z")
You can swap two people back with two outsiders in five moves: A B C D _1 2 3 4 2 1 3 4 (AxB)_ 2 1 4 3 (CxD) 4 1 2 3 (AxC) 4 3 2 1 (BxD) 1 3 2 4 (AxD) 1 2 3 4 (BxC) This also proves that, at worst, you can swap 2x people back with 2x outsiders in 5x moves. If anyone wants to provide a better solution for larger groups, go ahead. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852/13 "2010-08-20T16:31:03Z")
I greatly enjoyed this episode. My favorite part was easily the janitor and the wash bucket. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852/14 "2010-08-20T17:20:23Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > I greatly enjoyed this episode. My favorite part was easily the janitor and the wash bucket. \ _Scruffy is lying down in his ole bastment cot, reading porno mags…He sees a silhouette at the door…_ **Scruffy** : “…Miss Wong?” **Amy/Washbucket** : “NO SCRUFFY. IT IS WASHBUCKET. I LOVE YOU. WASHBUCKET HAS ALWAYS LOVED YOU.” _Amy/Washbucket forcfully kisses Scruffy. Scruffy resists, at first, then gives in…but comes to his senses!_ **Scruffy** : “It’s wrong washbucket. Oh…it’d be sweet for awhile. But in the back of our minds we’d know that I’m a man and you’re… janitorial equipment.” _With a hint of desperation in her mechanical voice, Amy/Washbucket pleads._ **Amy/Washbucket** : “IN ANOTHER CITY; WE COULD BE ANYONE WE WANT.” _Scruffy puts a sole, gentle, finger on Amy/Washbucket’s mouth._ **Scruffy** : “Go. Go now…before I beg you to stay.” _Scruffy now looks away and physically rejects Amy/Washbucket. Amy/Washbucket slinks away. Scruffy crumples onto his cot, crying._ \ ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852/15 "2010-08-20T17:25:19Z")
It seems like I’ve been the polar opposite of the SDMB consensus for all the enw episodes. I thought this was the worst new one so far. I’m also concerned that they’re going to lessen Lrrr somehow next week. I really hope I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852/16 "2010-08-20T18:42:32Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Ethan Bubblegum Tate said that it could be done for any number of people with two extra folks to help out. But a formal proof was not forthcoming in the episode. The formal proof was in the episode, [on the chalkboard](http://theinfosphere.org/File:Prisoner_of_Benda_Theorem_on_Chalkboard.png). The solution works for any number of individuals. Great episode, although I kind of got physically ill seeing Zoidberg get it on with the Professor. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852/17 "2010-08-20T18:52:18Z")
I09 has a recap of it here: > **[Futurama's mind-switching mayhem gives us the most depraved sex scene ever](https://gizmodo.com/futuramas-mind-switching-mayhem-gives-us-the-most-depra-5617481)** > > Yesterday's beautifully insane Futurama saw the characters swap bodies and lose all their inhibitions. The Professor joined the circus as Bender, Amy gorged multiple people to obesity, and Fry and Leela finally had sex...but in the wrongest bodies... ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852/18 "2010-08-20T20:19:08Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > I09 has a recap of it here: > > [http://io9.com/5617481/futuramas-mind+switching-mayhem-gives-us-the-most-depraved-sex-scene-ever?skyline=true&s=i](http://io9.com/5617481/futuramas-mind+switching-mayhem-gives-us-the-most-depraved-sex-scene-ever?skyline=true&s=i) Screw that… [link removed]Go here and watch it. The link itself is for episode one of this season…but every episode is on there, good picture/sound…and best of all IT’S FREE!!! ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852/19 "2010-08-20T21:02:02Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > > [@RandMcnally](#): > > > > I greatly enjoyed this episode. My favorite part was easily the janitor and the wash bucket. > > \ > _Scruffy is lying down in his ole bastment cot, reading porno mags…He sees a silhouette at the door…_ > > **Scruffy** : “…Miss Wong?” > **Amy/Washbucket** : “NO SCRUFFY. IT IS WASHBUCKET. I LOVE YOU. WASHBUCKET HAS ALWAYS LOVED YOU.” > > _Amy/Washbucket forcfully kisses Scruffy. Scruffy resists, at first, then gives in…but comes to his senses!_ > > **Scruffy** : “It’s wrong washbucket. Oh…it’d be sweet for awhile. But in the back of our minds we’d know that I’m a man and you’re… janitorial equipment.” > > _With a hint of desperation in her mechanical voice, Amy/Washbucket pleads._ > **Amy/Washbucket** : “IN ANOTHER CITY; WE COULD BE ANYONE WE WANT.” > > _Scruffy puts a sole, gentle, finger on Amy/Washbucket’s mouth._ > **Scruffy** : “Go. Go now…before I beg you to stay.” > > _Scruffy now looks away and physically rejects Amy/Washbucket. Amy/Washbucket slinks away. Scruffy crumples onto his cot, crying._ > \ Wahhhh. . . wahhhh. . . huh-huh-huh…Yep. The Bender plot of him stealing the crown was weak, I thought, but everything else was gold. The washbucket’s love for Scruffy was laugh-out-loud funny, and that bit was perfectly ended with his crying, then saying “Yep.” Best of the season. Sure, the body switching stuff has been done to death by others, but I thought they did a good job putting the characters in that situation and having the results play out according to personality. Along those lines, I think they’re doing great with the characters this season. Amy’s finally getting something of a personality instead of just being there for Kiff to play off of, and an excuse to bring in the Wongs. Hermes seems more than a Jamaican/bureaucratic joke now. And Leela (in the Professor’s body) asking Fry if her penis turned him off was a hoot. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852/20 "2010-08-20T22:57:43Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > > [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > > > I09 has a recap of it here: > > > > [http://io9.com/5617481/futuramas-mind+switching-mayhem-gives-us-the-most-depraved-sex-scene-ever?skyline=true&s=i](http://io9.com/5617481/futuramas-mind+switching-mayhem-gives-us-the-most-depraved-sex-scene-ever?skyline=true&s=i) > > Screw that… > > [link removed]Go here and watch it. > > The link itself is for episode one of this season…but every episode is on there, good picture/sound…and best of all IT’S FREE!!! We have a strong preference hereabouts that people’s copyrights be honored, so I broke that link. **twickster** , Cafe Society moderator [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-the-prisoner-of-benda/550852.md?page=2)