YMMV / Futurama S 1 E 9 "Hell Is Other Robots"

• Genius Bonus: If one has any knowledge of electronic schematics, one would notice that the symbol of Robotology is a resistor.
• Growing the Beard: According to the DVD commentary, this was the episode where the creators felt the show was beginning to find its voice and follow its own path, rather than just parodying existing shows. Noteworthy as this is Word of God, not the fans.
• Harsher in Hindsight: The joke about the Beastie Boys only releasing seven albums in over a thousand years is a lot less funny after the death of MCA shortly after their eighth album was released.
• Signature Scene: The Robot Devil's song is a very popular moment in the series as a whole, and definitely the part people remember most in this episode. It was (and still is) also a popular choice for AMVs in the earlier days of internet memes.
• Unintentionally Sympathetic: Bender finds a religion that helps him to sincerely become a better person and overcome an addiction that nearly got him and his friends killed. He Took a Level in Kindness and he didn't try to force his friends into his religion (merely inviting them to join). For this, he is harassed by his co-workers, his friends avoid him then go out of their way to pressure him into giving it up, and his employment is called into question— all because Bender becomes religious. In fact, the closest Bender comes to doing anything obnoxious or wrong is making the crew sit through an excruciatingly long and tedious robot Grace before they eat dinner... that HE invited them to and likely paid for.
• Values Dissonance: For many Christians and other religious people (a Christian member of the show's team walked off the set due to disapproval of the episode), the episode mocks organized religion and seems to imply a person is better off without it or leaving if they are part of one. Even among non-religious viewers, Bender never embodies the worst traits associated with organized religion (like being too preachy, judgmental, hypocritical, or pressuring everyone to convert), but becomes a little over-friendly, which is far from the worst thing someone can be (especially him). In fact, given the rise of religious extremism in recent decades, it can feel like the show is criticizing organized religion for all the wrong reasons.
• Values Resonance: Depending on how you view it, the strict rules of the religion and Bender immediately getting sentenced to Robot Hell for his crimes without any hope of retribution could also be a Take That! at super fundamentalist sects. Simultaneously, the religion does make Bender a better person for a while and he isn't super fundamentalist himself, and just Status Quo Is God ensues.

---