and throws it into a burning fireplace. Leela has retained just enough of her intelligence to remember the Nibblonians' message. Fry seeks the leader of the brains at the New New York Public Library, reasoning that a leader of big brains would be a big nerd and would go to a library. Fry discovers that thinking hurts the brains, but the brain leader traps Fry and Leela in a mental realm based on Moby-Dick. Fry and Leela pursue the giant brain through The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and gain help from Captain Ahab, Queequeg, and Tom Sawyer, and into Pride and Prejudice. Fry breaks free of the illusion, and quickly writes a story in which he is crushed to death by a bookcase, one riddled with "plot holes and spelling errors". In accordance with the story, the giant brain announces it is leaving Earth "for no raisin" (Fry's misspelling of "reason"), and the people of Earth regain their intelligence. The remaining brains are devoured by the Nibblonians. Other than the Nibblonians, Fry is the only other one to have any recollection of the event, and no one believes his story. Nibbler returns to his undercover position observing Earth as Leela's adorable pet. Production Fry's immunity to the Brainspawn's attacks is due to his lack of the Delta brainwave which is revealed in this episode and referred to again in "The Why of Fry". This deficiency is caused by the events of the episode "Roswell That Ends Well" when Fry becomes his own grandfather after having sex with the woman who turns out to be his grandmother. In the DVD commentary for "The Why of Fry", executive producers Matt Groening and David X. Cohen point out that they had intended to give Fry a larger purpose for coming to the future since the pilot episode, but had held off on developing that idea until the fourth season. This is the first episode featuring the Hypnotoad, whom Matt Groening identifies as his favorite character. Broadcast and reception The episode aired on the same day as the death of Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500. In its original airing this episode was in a three way tie for 78th for the week with a 4.9 rating/9 share. In 2006, IGN.com ranked the episode as number eighteen in their list of the top 25 episodes of Futurama. References External links The Day the