Them, Robot/References

General

References/Trivia

Appearances

Gags

Credits

Quotes

	Season 23 Episode References
← 502 "How I Wet Your Mother"	503 "Them, Robot"

Cultural references

• The title is a clear reference to I, Robot.
  • A similar reference was made in season 15 with "I, D'oh-Bot".
• Other I, Robot references:
  • Until Homer tampers with their programming, the robots appear to be operating according to the Three Laws of Robotics.
  • The robots' eyes turn red when they abandon the Three Laws, similar to the robots in the movie having red lights on their chests when they've been taken over by the central artificial intelligence.
• Mr. Burns is seen reading a copy of Bossypants, Tina Fey's real-life autobiography.
• Apps on Mr. Burns' MyPad:
  • Angry Burns, a parody of Angry Birds.
  • Ukulele Hero, a parody of Guitar Hero.
  • Google Naps, a parody of Google Maps.
  • Captain Billy's Whiz-Bang, a real-life magazine formerly published in the United States and Canada.
• When Homer takes one of the robots on a fishing trip:
  • The robot says that he is not a Transformer and cannot transform into an outboard motor.
  • Homer says he is granting the robot's wish to be a real boy, a reference to Pinocchio.
• The robots smash through the glass room and surround Mr. Burns and Homer in similar fashion to the Cybermen in the Doctor Who episode "Rise of the Cybermen".
  • It is also similar to a scene near the end of the I, Robot movie, where Det. Spooner and Dr. Calvin are in a glass-walled building and the robots smash in and surround them.
• The robots vaguely resemble the robot ASIMO. They are also said to be able to climb stairs with great difficulty, which could again be a reference to ASIMO.
• Mr. Burns says that he "didn't say Monty Says", which is a reference to the game "Simon says".
• Mr. Burns says "you are so not the heartless automatons I was looking for", a reference to Obi-Wan Kenobi's line "These aren't the droids you're looking for" from the Star Wars movie Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

Trivia

• Gil is crushed by the wall, though things like that are more likely to happen to Hans Moleman.
• Mr. Burns states that his real age has 4 digits.
• Characters from past episodes appearing in odd-numbered years during the Couch gag include the following:
  • Leon Kompowsky in 1991
  • Stampy in 1993
  • Poochie in 1995
  • The Leprechaun in 1997
  • Maude's ghost in 1999
  • Goose Gladwell in 2003
  • Plopper in 2007
  • Princess Penelope in 2009

Goofs

• Homer leaves Mr. Burns' office, then a few seconds later, Burns turns around to the CCTV monitor and sees Homer in Sector 7-G putting his stuff back on his desk. This would be impossible - unless Homer's sector was only a few seconds away from Burns' office, which it isn't.
• Lisa says the robots can only run 3mph, though later in the episode, they run about as fast as the hounds.

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