Them, Robot

General

References/Trivia

Appearances

Gags

Credits

Quotes

	Season 23 Episode
← 502 "How I Wet Your Mother"	503 "Them, Robot"	"Beware My Cheating Bart" 504 →

"Meet the future masters of the human race!"

―Mr. Burns

"Them, Robot" is the seventeenth episode of the season 23.

Synopsis

Mr. Burns replaces all of Springfield Power Plant's employees with robots but decides to keep Homer as the sole human worker. With unemployment at an all-time high and mechanical arms operating the workplace, Springfield becomes a dismal and humorless place. But when Homer's machine-programmed peers start to turn on the community and his former real-life employees come to the rescue, they all realize that robots can't replace human friends.

Plot

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Mr. Burns announces to his Springfield Power Plant employees that all of them will have to take a physical examination to be tested for narcotics. He reminds them that alcohol counts as a narcotic. Homer attempts to resist his urge to drink alcohol all weekend, in order to pass his examination on Monday. After Burns receives a large bill to pay for all of the employee's examinations, he decides to re-staff by hiring intelligent kangaroos instead. Waylon Smithers points out to him that the kangaroos stole stationary supplies and ran away. Smithers then suggests a "more high-tech solution." Burns unveils his new workers, A9000 Robots, to the Power Plant employees, whom he subsequently proceeds to fire.

Smithers informs Burns that they require to keep one human worker and he decides to keep Homer, to sign for packages etc. Burns also replaces Smithers with a A900 Robot. Meanwhile, Homer begins to dislike his new job as he has no one to talk to and the robots won't interact with him. Later, at Moe's Tavern, Homer learns that all the redundant Power Plant workers have still not found new jobs and are struggling to make ends meet. The next day, Homer, while messing around, accidentally breaks one of the robots. He reads up in the A9000 Repair and Maintenance Manual and discovers that he can make the robots interact with him. After several failed attempts at this (as seen by several destroyed robots), Homer manages to activate "conversation mode" on one of the bots.

Production

The episode was written by Michael Price and directed by Michael Polcino. Brent Spiner guest stars as the A9000 Robots.

Gallery

• Them, Robot 2.jpg

  Promotional image

← Season 22 Season 23 Episodes Season 24 →

The Falcon and the D'ohman • Bart Stops to Smell the Roosevelts • Treehouse of Horror XXII • Replaceable You • The Food Wife • The Book Job • The Man in the Blue Flannel Pants • The Ten-Per-Cent Solution • Holidays of Future Passed • Politically Inept, with Homer Simpson • The D'oh-cial Network • Moe Goes from Rags to Riches • The Daughter Also Rises • At Long Last Leave • Exit Through the Kwik-E-Mart‎ • How I Wet Your Mother • Them, Robot • Beware My Cheating Bart‎ • A Totally Fun Thing Bart Will Never Do Again • The Spy Who Learned Me • Ned 'n Edna's Blend Agenda • Lisa Goes Gaga