The Bots and the Bees

"The Bots and the Bees" is the first episode in the seventh season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 115th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central on June 20, 2012, along with "A Farewell to Arms" as part of an hour long season premiere. The episode was written by Eric Horsted and directed by Stephen Sandoval. Wanda Sykes guest stars as Bev. Bender fathers a child with the office soda machine. 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. Bev soon gives birth to a baby robot while dispensing a drink for Fry, to Bender's surprise as he had not known about 31st-century robots' ability to procreate. 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 the child 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 and fails to bend a grate at a dam as an escape route. 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.