After testifying against the Donbot in court, Bender is forced to enter the Witness Protection Program. To find Bender, Donbot has Clamps join Planet Express, expecting Bender and Fry to make contact.
Tropes
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: According to Bella, the only thing the Donbot hates more than welchers are witnesses (Bender witnessed Donbot assaulting Calculon), guys who fool around with his daughters (Bender was making out with Bella!), and those who try to duplicate his meatball recipe! (Guess what Bender has in his chest compartment?)
- At Arm's Length: Joey Mousepad does this to Clamps at one point.
- Beat Without a "But": Bender bids a tearful farewell to Planet Express to go into witness protection. He says to Zoidberg, "I know it seems like I can't stand you..." but never actually counters that before moving on to say goodbye to Leela.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Zoidberg is already jealous of Clamps for all the attention he gets from the others, so when Clamps is revealed as The Mole, he goes full berserker on him.
- Big "NO!": Bender, when he realizes that he will only get the $50 reward if he testifies against Donbot in court.
- Bowdlerization: In American syndicated broadcasts, the last three censor bleeps were elongated to cover up the "-ing" at the end of the F-word. After the second and third bleeps, the "-ing" was merely muted, and the first bleep already covers up a full word.
- Comically Missing the Point: Donbot implies he's going to kill Bender by telling Bella that if she wants to marry him, she'd better get a black dress. Her response? "That'll look hot!"
- Comically Small Bribe: A terrified Bender fully intends to take the secret of the crime he witnessed to his grave, but spills the entire story upon finding out that there's a $50 reward.
- Continuity Nod: While gatecrashing the wedding of the Donbot's older daughter, Bender runs into Fanny, the Donbot's wife that Bender had an affair with in Into The Wild Green Yonder.
- The Moon farmer and his robot daughters from "The Series Has Landed" make an appearance.
- A Day in the Limelight: Clamps serves as the episode's main antagonist and gets the most characterization he's ever received in the series from this episode.
- Death by Woman Scorned: Bella wasn't particularly pleased that Bender ran off and didn't marry her.
- Dude, Where's My Reward?: Bender decided to testify against the Donbot on the belief he would be given a reward for it. Not only does he not get a cent, but he has to go into Witness Protection.
- Embarrassing First Name: Clamps' full name is actually Francis X. Clampazzo.Joey Mousepad: Your name is Francis?
- Faking the Dead: While Bender didn't fake his death, with the Robot Mafia thinking the farmbot was him, he doesn't need to hide in Witness Protection anymore.
- Feedback Rule: The microphone at the wedding gives off a harsh feedback when Calculon is announced.
- Horrible Judge of Character: Fry fails to see how crazy "Francis" can be even after his fight with Zoidberg.
- Identical Stranger: The farmbot who looked exactly like Bender.
- If I Can't Have You…: Line said by Bella before shooting the poor farmbot on the moon.
- Insult Backfire: The moon farmer invites the crew to dinner remarking "your probably hungry from all that pre-marital sex and flag burning". Amy responds "My boyfriend and I were gonna have sex on a burning flag but I could have a bite".
- Jury and Witness Tampering: First, Joey Mousepad is seen tampering with the wiring inside the (robot) juries heads. Then the Robot Mafia is clearly manipulating Calculon into making false testimony about the wounds being self-inflicted. Despite this, the Judge dismisses the case anyway. Admittedly, Judge 724 says "I'm prepared to tolerate several, if not all, forms of intimidation during this trial".
- Killed Mid-Sentence: Judge 723.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: Zoidberg actually becomes a badass when he takes on Clamps and wins.
- Mistaken Identity: The farmbot who looks like Bender is mistaken as Bender by everyone else until the Planet Express crew learns he really was just a lookalike once the real Bender shows up at the pizzeria. With the Robot Mafia believing they killed Bender, Bender no longer needs to stay in hiding.
- My Name Is Inigo Montoya: Zoidberg announces his name with a Precision F-Strike in between when he's about to attack Clamps.Zoidberg: My name isn't slick. It's Zoidberg! John F***ing Zoidberg!
- Not Now, We're Too Busy Crying Over You: While at the pizza parlor, the Planet Express crew mourns over who they think is Bender, until they realize that their waiter is actually Bender.
- Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title: The Silence of the Clamps.
- Precision F-Strike: From Zoidberg, of all people.Zoidberg: My name isn't slick. It's Zoidberg! John F***ing Zoidberg!
- Protagonist-Centered Morality: Upon learning that the robot killed by the Mafia wasn't actually Bender, the Planet Express crew actually cheers because now Bender doesn't need to be in Witness Protection anymore.
- Recognition Failure: The crew fails to recognize Clamps in spite of having just delivered new clamps to him.
- Religious Robot: The Robot Mafia wedding is conducted by the Space Pope, an organic Lizard Folk alien. This implies that some robots follow Space Catholicism, which has human and alien followers as well.
- Roll in the Hay: Bender and Bella make out in a barn.
- Self-Deprecation: When "Bender" on the Moon tells his friends that his name is Billy West, Fry Note says that name sounds stupid and made-up.
- Shout-Out:Clamps: Don't worry. We're in space...where no-one can hear you clamp.
- Showdown at High Noon: Clamps and Zoidberg's showdown parodies this trope.
- Status Quo Is God: Bender can return to his friends by the end of the episode because the mob thinks he is dead.
- Took a Level in Badass: Zoidberg defeats Clamps in single combat after discovering his murder attempt of Billy West.
- Tuckerization: The farmbot's name is Billy West.Fry: (laughs) Billy West? What a stupid, phony, made-up name.
- Un-person: Subverted. Upon seeing the farmbot's memory drive, Farnsworth believed that the Witness Protection Program completely erased Bender's mind and reprogrammed him with a new personality, when in actuality, that was how the farmbot really was.
- Witness Protection: Bender goes into protective custody after testifying against Donbot.
