Thoughts on 6ACV21 - Yo Leela Leela - SPOILERS!

[on:]

Hopefully it's okay to start a thread to discuss "Yo Leela Leela" once it's aired. If it's not okay, uh...ban away, mods.*

*By which I mean ban everyone but me, of course. That'll teach me a lesson!

[Reply #1 on:]

Wow. I like how the community really takes the initiative here on PEEL.

[Reply #2 on:]

Um........................... ...........................

[Reply #3 on:]

Probably the weakest so far this season, but in no way bad. The ending saved the episode from being completely mediocre.

7.5 rounds to 8

[Reply #4 on:]

I guess it's worth noting that I write these reviews, like, in real-time (as in, during the act breaks). That probably explains why this one starts out so enthusiastically and with such promise, and ends on kind of a lackluster note. It's a lot like this episode itself. So, here goes:

Finally, a first act that's well-paced and funny and oh-so-reminiscent of the original run. I loved everything about act one, seriously. The entire crew making a ruckus while Leela is trying to concentrate ends on kind of a lame note (Bender's "How rude!" thing is, you know, one of the oldest, least humorously ironic lines in the comedy writer's handbook), but each discrete annoyance is hilarious (Fry and his trombone, Zoidberg inadvertently learning to tap dance, Farnsworth's foot woes). I loved the Orphanarium stuff, and Leela's song was just...weird, but hysterical. Katey Sagal did a great job with that. And the Doubledeal callback wasn't dwelled upon; it felt perfectly natural. So, yeah. Really great first act.

Act two was...mostly okay. I thought everything was solid (that licking song was...so wrong. But also right), up to and including Leela's jerkiness and arrogance. And I liked that she did remain true to some of her ideals, buying the kids a library (and anonymously naming it after herself) and becoming their self-proclaimed hero. The pop culture stuff (Spongebob Squarepants, Dora the Explorer, and what I can only assume was Hannah Montana) were well-placed and...well, obvious, but not hit-you-over-the-head-ish. Ditto with the jabs at cable TV, and shows getting canceled two or three times. Everything with Doubledeal was a highlight for me.

But things just took a turn with the reveal that the Rumbledy Hump characters were real. It's like the reveal in "The Duh-Vinci Code," only a lot cheaper. The third act redeems the episode a little bit (I like that there's an emotional aspect to the episode, and that the moral of the story, as it were, winds up so muddled by the end), but things end so abruptly. The entire PE crew is pissed off at Leela, and the orphans are all adopted by a heartless man (though the line about most kids being without a full-time job and a father made me laugh). Gah. This episode started out so full of potential, but it wound up being...well, average. Better than last week's episode, for sure, but nowhere near as great as it probably could have been. It gets a 7/10, if only because it had a lot of great gags to redeem the missteps in the story itself. And it's not an awful Leela episode, all things considered; it was nice to see her trying to help the orphans, even if she didn't succeed in the way she had intended.

Wow. I like how the community really takes the initiative here on PEEL.

Is that your way of saying that I shouldn't do it again?

[Reply #5 on:]

It was funny in spots, but not particularly memorable. 6/10

[Reply #6 on:]

My feelings about this episode are mixed. Also, Gorky just said everything I had in mind.

[Reply #7 on:]

I could see the reviews being pretty split on this one. Personally I enjoyed it.

I'd like to point out that Extreme Toddler Wrestling pretty much already exists in Thailand...

It was a different story that nailed how children's cartoons are, particularly Yo Gabba Gabba. I think there was a missed Tom Kenny voice op in not having him do something with Spongebob Squarebolts. Or was that supposed to be a joke in itself? Maybe there's some legality there but it would have been a nice touch. Didn't think the Lady Gaga joke was bad either, it worked. Enjoyed seeing Leela's "motherly" side. 7/10

[Reply #8 on:]

Agree with Gorky's assessment for the most part. There were lots of things I liked and some things I didn't like, but I particularly enjoyed the way they had a "muddled" moral, as Gorky put it, by the end. It was very Futurama-ish.

Mostly I liked Leela's character in this episode. A lot of the other characters (especially Fry) seem somewhat changed from the classic run, and it's especially noticeable in episodes devoted to their character, but Leela in this episode seemed like the Leela we've always known.

Also, boy are they making a lot of Hermes pot jokes this season. "Mostly natural high" was far too obvious...but I loved the 4:21 daquiri.

[Reply #9 on:]

Mostly I liked Leela's character in this episode. A lot of the other characters (especially Fry) seem somewhat changed from the classic run, and it's especially noticeable in episodes devoted to their character, but Leela in this episode seemed like the Leela we've always known.

I totally agree. Leela was arrogant and self-congratulatory, and what she did was wrong--but she showed genuine remorse for it, and it was made clear that she was doing everything for the orphans' sake. (Plus, she was damn hilarious throughout the episode.) It's always been kind of a mission of hers to prove to the orphans that they're worth something (I'm reminded of the speech she gives in "Leela's Homeworld," but it's also touched on in "The Cyber House Rules" and "The Why of Fry"), so that felt like a subtle callback in itself. I still think the reveal at the end of act two is cheap (but I do like that Bender attempts to blackmail Leela; I was diggin' the return of the pimp jacket), but it's dealt with semi-gracefully in act three. It wasn't the worst possible direction in which the writers could have chosen to take the story, but it probably wouldn't have been my first choice.

[Reply #10 on:]

5. Solid 5. Nothing more or less. I did miss the first 5 minutes, so I will have to watch it when it comes back on later tonight, maybe that will help. But I was VERY underwhelmed by this episode. It just felt like filler. I dunno. Maybe I'm just placing the bar too high. I dunno. I'm sadded by this episode.

[Reply #11 on:]

Can't wait until tomorrow morning, when I shall watch this episode on a dubious and virusy website, with a stuffed crust pizza and enough dr pepper to make my blood carbonated and refreshing.

Good night everyone!  

[Reply #12 on:]

That's a very odd breakfast.

[Reply #13 on:]

That's a very odd breakfast.

If you want to get technical its a brunch, since I will probably get up at 12, go to the shop and be ready for nom noms half an hour later.  Though pizza and chinese are two of my favorite breakfasts so your point still stands.

[Reply #14 on:]

It was an alright episode, I was waiting for a twist about the other planet but it never came.

7/10

[Reply #15 on:]

It was mildly entertaining, but most certainly wasn't Futurama.

Pop culture all over the floor, stupid names all over the ceiling, and a bunch of crap about explotiation and nobody learning a lesson. Plus, it breaks Fry's Rule of TV. Breaks it hard.

Ugh. 3/10 - about what I'd give an episode of The Simpsons. Which, I admit, this would've been fine as.

[Reply #16 on:]

I was pleasantly surprised by this episode. The first act was non-stop laughs, and the second and third were also rather amusing. I'd say this was on par with classic Futurama.
Also, I loved Leela's line of "We all know that any half-decent show will always get cancelled."  

Also, no Scruffy? I was hoping we'd see if he was a woman or not. I guess we'll need to wait for the next episode then.
EDIT: Wait, it looks like Scruffy was in it:

http://pool.theinfosphere.org/images/thumb/6/6a/Scruffy_6ACV21.png/800px-Scruffy_6ACV21.png

[Reply #17 on:]

This episode was better than I was expecting it to be. Not excellent, but slightly above my expectations for it. Once again it had quite a few laugh-out-loud moments and a rather "original run" feel to it at points.

Overall a 6.5 rounded to a 7/10 for the poll.

[Reply #18 on:]

Also, no Scruffy?

No, but Nibbler was there.

I'm not a fan of the title --- I prefer my music with melody lines, thank you --- but it wasn't as bad as what I consider "Worst Title Ever" (TDK).

Did anybody not see it coming that Leela was only writing down what was happening on another planet?

Like Gorky said, the episode crashed to a halt rather abruptly and seems incomplete.

YLL comes closest to being in the "bad" pile so far (as opposed to the "good" pile and the "great pile" --- that's how I rate episodes), but maybe another watching will improve my opinion of it.

[Reply #19 on:]

I think that there should have been at least one more scene back at planet express where Leela is reflecting on everything that just happened. I think it ended way too fast!

[Reply #20 on:]

Giving credit where credit is due, I liked this episode just for the sake of it being original. It wasn't "Bender faces mortality" or "Fry is stupid but redeems himself by doing something smart" or something like that. I agree on almost every point with Gorky so I don't have much to add (though I felt it was pretty obvious that Leela was getting her ideas from something on another planet from her evasions and constant needing to go to another planet).

My main guff with the third act is that the whole "I feel so bad for what I did" thing from Leela was drawn-out so much that I was thinking to myself, "How much longer are they going to beat this horse?" And then the episode ended. Actually, until then, I thought the pacing of this episode was very good.

It's kind of a 5/10 for me, +1 for good pacing, +1 for an original story. 7/10

[Reply #21 on:]

Meh. 5/10. Weakest episode yet. EXTREME TODDLER WRESTLING saved this episode from total crap.

[Reply #22 on:]

hmmm..not a great episode in my opinion. It started out ok..I actually laughed out loud at some parts but I didn't like the ending. I'm giving it 6/10.

[Reply #23 on:]

ehh 7/10 I think this may be the worst to broadcast so far and things are NOT looking good for next week either (the new futurama ad on tv they were all drunk and having a big beer fest or something like that). It was going so good until today. Now today marks the day of 2 weeks of SHIT. Highly disappointed, Back then I thought the cubert and dwight episodes were bad, look at the shit were watching now!

[Reply #24 on:]

Meh. Some funny Jokes, but that's about it. They tried to convey a good message but I just didn't feel it.

Also, I feel the ending just...stopped. There was no resolution. It was very, very weird.

Overall I didn't like it much, and I had high hopes for it. Definitely one I will try to forget :/

[Reply #25 on:]

My opinion of this episode could be summed up with one long Kif-sigh.

I thought this was a totally unfunny, uninteresting episode that I couldn't wait to be over. I'm uncertain if this episode was genuinely awful, or if the subject matter was just so uninteresting to me that I think it's awful. Regardless, I didn't like it and there were very few funny parts.

This could be a contender for the worst episode of Futurama ever. It probably is, because I DO NOT want to watch this episode again to confirm my initial impression of it.

I rated this 2/10.

[Reply #26 on:]

It was mildly entertaining, but most certainly wasn't Futurama.

Pop culture all over the floor, stupid names all over the ceiling, and a bunch of crap about explotiation and nobody learning a lesson. Plus, it breaks Fry's Rule of TV. Breaks it hard.

Ugh. 3/10 - about what I'd give an episode of The Simpsons. Which, I admit, this would've been fine as.

this sums up my thoughts, except i'd give it a 1/10.

My opinion of this episode could be summed up with one long Kif-sigh.

I thought this was a totally unfunny, uninteresting episode that I couldn't wait to be over. I'm uncertain if this episode was genuinely awful, or if the subject matter was just so uninteresting to me that I think it's awful. Regardless, I didn't like it and there were very few funny parts.

This could be a contender for the worst episode of Futurama ever. It probably is, because I DO NOT want to watch this episode again to confirm my initial impression of it.

I rated this 2/10.

it certainly gets my vote. the only parts i even enjoyed were bender macking it to the robo-woman, bender 'blinged out' as they say, and bender stepping on the fat kid. besides that, it was god-awful. i couldn't even believe how bad it was at times. it felt like 'the simpsons'.

i'll say this. if futurama keeps writing episodes like this, it will get cancelled for good.

[Reply #27 on:]

I really like this episode. It has great writing and songs and great voice acting from everyone. The first act was especially hilarious. The cacophony from the entire gang while Leela was trying to write was side-splitting. Plus the Wrestling Toddler announcer voice from John Dimaggio was hysterical. Keep 'em comin' y'all!

P.S. I've always wondered who does the voices for the orphan kids?

[Reply #28 on:]

This was Leela's "Marge" moment, and I've been dreading that as long as I've been watching Futurama.

I'm thinking twice about actually buying volume 6B. With all these cringe-worthy episodes that I couldn't possibly bare viewing twice, I'm better off watching the episodes I consider gems online. And so far the only episodes I love are Benderama and Ghost in the Machines.

[Reply #29 on:]

I reckon I'll remind people that are saying this could be the worst episode ever, that this was NOT worse than the holiday spectacular.

[Reply #30 on:]

My first and biggest beef with this episode was the really weird-ass song they made Katey sing. I cringed at it despite how well she did vocally. I felt like it was a slap in the face for her talents. I enjoyed the cheap gags they threw in for Bender. I laughed every time Bender blew his whistle and his skull popped open to let a puff of steam out. The noise bit seemed comical but yet didn't feel like Futurama entirely to me. That isn't to say I didn't like that bit. The story itself? Meehhhhhh... For me the gags cannot save it from being average or below average.

@lil fatso: A couple of them are voiced by Kath Soucie, AKA Lil and Phil from Rugrats and Cubert.

[Reply #31 on:]

Compared to my expectations, this was a really good episode. Compared to the rest of Futurama, it felt below average, but I don't get all the complains. If there were too many pop references, I didn't get them. The only annoying one I caught was the Lady Gaga one. I've never seen most kids programming that this was a reference to (but I get the concept), so to me it worked whether you got it or not.

I liked the whole idea of Leela feeling remorse for the kids throughout the episode, and how she really did it for them, not for herself. If she'd done it for herself I would have hated her a lot more in the end. Still, it was pretty predictable (I for one had already assumed she took the ideas straight from creatures on the "inspiration planet"), but it was still enjoyable. As Gorky said, first act was rock solid, and the episode had some good gags throughout.

Short in short, I think most people are overreacting, but maybe I'm the one underreacting because of my low expectations. I'll rewatch it a few times and see if my opinion changes.

[Reply #32 on:]

I think that there should have been at least one more scene back at planet express where Leela is reflecting on everything that just happened. I think it ended way too fast!

Yeah, that's my main gripe about the ending. Leela spent too much time saying, "I need to be punished; I need to learn my lesson" and stuff like that, when really I would have been okay with her seeing what had happened to the creatures and the orphans, being disgusted with what had transpired but unable to do anything about it, then going back to Planet Express and trying to reconcile with her co-workers. I guess I just didn't like that the episode ended without any closure on that front...but, then again, episodes like "The Cryonic Woman" and "The Beast With a Billion Backs" end on a hostile note between the crewmembers, too, and it's disregarded in future episodes. In that respect, at least, tnuk, this episode will probably follow Fry's rule about TV.

[Reply #33 on:]

I didn't take much notice, I loved the creature that couldn't talk.  He was the best.  Particularly when portrayed by Bender.

I don't know, he sort of made the episode for me.  And I am a victim of the cute stuff.

Also, whenever I see Sally talk now, I think of Maz.

[Reply #34 on:]

Hopefully it's okay to start a thread to discuss "Yo Leela Leela" once it's aired. If it's not okay, uh...ban away, mods.*

*By which I mean ban everyone but me, of course. That'll teach me a lesson!

It's interesting that you seem to mimic Leela in wanting lessons to be taught to you even before the episode aired!

I thought this episode was funny... I laughed a decent amount with this one.

[Reply #35 on:]

winna has spoken!

[Reply #36 on:]

I agree with you Svip... Maz appears to be the real life counterpart to Sally!

[Reply #37 on:]

I don't really get the harsh words this episode is getting.  I thought it was a fun exploration of Leela.  I think in reality, this issue boils down to the fact that most of you watch these episodes with another intend than just being entertained.  That's why I watch them, and I was entertained.  I don't have my notebook out to get down what I hate.

Well, I can't really force you to take off your goggles, but it just means I am enjoying this season far more than the rest of you; and what does that make you?  Like a wise man once said; 'no one can enjoy anything these days; it's either crap or overrated'.

[Reply #38 on:]

This episode was pretty good, and was surprisingly much better than I expected, especially since this was the one I was most worried about for the new batch of episodes.

There were a good number of laughs in this episode, and I did like the appearances of Doubledeal and even Calculon's short appearance. I'll agree with Aki that it was good that there were very few annoying modern-day pop culture jokes (For me, the Lady Gaga joke, and the Hannah Montana joke was a bit off as well). I did also have some minor problems with the songs, though seeing as how Leela's story/show is trying to appeal to little children, it's certainly forgivable. Overall, the first two acts were entertaining and enjoyable, though the crew's conflict with Leela's inflated ego could have been explored more.

I'll agree with most of Gorky's review, though personally I didn't really see much problems with the third act, and the ending was still a fine one, though like I mentioned before, it could have also provided some closure on the conflict between Leela and her co-workers.

The episode gets somewhere between a 6.5 to 7.5 (I gave it a 7 in the poll) from me. Overall, while the episode does have its cons, I definitely don't think it's complete shit like some people are putting it, nor is it 'worst episode' material.

[Reply #39 on:]

Woah, only 42% on gotfuturama reviews?? While I didn't think it was one of the strongest episodes, I did however think it was ok. The highlight for me was the scene where everybody was making noise whilst Leela was trying to write, I had to watch that bit 3 or 4 times and laughed out loud every time!

So not the best episode, but it seems pretty underrated so far