Episode Recap: Bendless Love

After the Planet Express spaceship crashes, the crew performs a top-to-bottom inspection. Leela concludes the rocket was sabotaged. She produces a straightened L-unit to prove her claim. Normally, the unit is bent in an L-shape. But the beam is now completely straight. Soon after, the crew finds evidence of other mysterious bending, including the Professor, whose body has been bent forward in a right angle. Bender sets about straightening the Professor, but then continues until he’s been bent backwards at a right angle. A review of some surveillance videotapes proves that Bender has been bending things in his sleep. Concerned, the Professor banishes Bender from the company, and tells him not to return until his bend-lust has been sated. Later, Bender discovers a bending plant where robots have gone on strike. Bender sneaks inside, where he is welcomed by Sal, a gangster-like robot. Sal introduces Bender to his fellow scabs, Flexo and Angleyne. Upon laying eyes on Angleyne, Bender is instantly smitten. Bender gathers the courage to ask Angleyne out on a date. Later, inside the plant’s break room, Bender tells Flexo about his feelings for Angleyne. Flexo congratulates him and wishes him the best. Meanwhile, the still-bent-backwards Professor enjoys a walk through New New York with Fry. Fry comments upon his cheery disposition. The Professor believes his new posture is causing blood to form in the back of his skull, producing delirium. Meanwhile, the relationship between Bender and Angleyne blossoms, and the two kiss. Bender tells the Planet Express staff that he has fallen in love, and wishes to take them all out to Elzar’s restaurant for a celebration. But as Bender toasts his happiness, he spies Angleyne and Flexo sitting at another table, looking into each others eyes and giggling. Bender angrily grabs a baguette and bends it. Bender storms up to the robots’ table. Angleyne explains that she and Flexo are divorced but go out to dinner because they want to remain friends. Later, Bender laments that the love of his life has fallen for another robot. He hatches a scheme to call Angleyne while pretending to be Flexo, arrange a date, and then show up disguised as Flexo. By doing so, he hopes to catch Angleyne in the act of two-timing him. Later that night, Bender, disguised as Flexo and sporting a wad of cash, flirts with Angleyne at a dance club. Gangsters Donbot, Clamps and Joey Mousepad notice Bender waving around all the cash and place him as one of the scabs working at the factory. As the night wears on, Angleyne expresses satisfaction with “Flexo’s” dance moves and generally loosened-up attitude. Angleyne begins to remember why she fell in love with Flexo in the first place. During a hovercraft ride home, Angleyne gives Bender a passionate kiss …causing his fake beard to come off. Bender concludes that since Angleyne is now drawn to “Flexo”, he must kill the real Flexo. The two robots square off at the factory, and a fight ensues. Meanwhile, the gangsters initiate a plot to eliminate scab Flexo by crushing him with an unbendable girder. Eventually, Flexo is squashed by the unbendable girder and ends up two feet tall. Using all his might, Bender manages to bend the unbendable girder ten degrees —enough for the trapped Flexo to free himself. Angleyne kisses Bender on the cheek and thanks him.