Which episode do you think is the most emotionally impacting?

[Reply #40 on:]

I get the sense of loss that Gorky's talking about with TLPJF, but it's resolved at the end. Not so much an emotional impact as a potential emotional outburst avoided, in that sense. I mean, if Fry and Leela had somehow lost each other forever, and that had been carried forwards... I don't know if the show would've been able to work so well anymore. They've got each other again by the end of the episode, so the emotional impact of that sense of loss and lonliness is greatly lessened for me.

I think knowing that, at least in one universe (and possibly two), Leela spends the majority of her life holding this grudge against her presumably dead boyfriend, dating a man who reminds her of Fry but falls painfully short of what Leela needs and wants, and acquiring financial success and security that is ultimately hollow because she can't share it with the one person she wants to share it with--is so goddamn brutal. That, to me, is what's both upsetting and thought-provoking. I agree that the ending of the episode is still mostly upbeat, and among my favorite in all of Futurama.

One nitpick with this:

There's only one universe. Cyclical Time.

[Reply #41 on:]

Is it?  There seems to be a LOT of debate about whether it is the exact same universe destroying and recreating itself in an eternal Big Bang/Big Crunch, or whether the Big Bang simply recreates a different universe that is simply exactly the same as the old one, but is not the same universe.  (So the new universe simply takes place billions of years in the future, the Leela we grew up with died miserable and alone, and Fry is simply hooking up with a different Leela in a different universe.)  The episode and a lot of websites say the latter, while some people think its the former.

Personally I believe that the universe destroys and recreates itself eternally, because the alternative is too depressing.  Hell the episode makes me feel depressed enough already (that New New York gets destroyed and there is eventually no trace that its civilization ever existed, the cute purple things get slaughtered, and at least in the first timeline, Leela died alone and miserable, after a lifetime of resenting Fry for something that wasn't his fault.)

I mean it feels strange in Rebirth, that Fry eventually dates a robotic clone but rejects her, and the real Leela saying "I can't believe I'll never see that particular Fry again".  I really hated the episode at first, because it seems to say that the Leela Fry loved is not only dead and gone, but she died lonely and miserable, and now he is dating her clone in a different universe.   The episode strongly implies that time is straight line, not cyclical, but I think I'll take the latter option, as the alternative doesn't make my sadness gland fill up with sadness. 

As Gorky says, there is a strong feeling of sadness throughout the episode.  Civilizations collapse, and are forever forgotten.  Species become extinct.  Couples are sundered.  Universes fade into nothingness.  I would say its easily a strong sense of the melancholy in this episode.  Call me a saddo, but the episode does make me feel pretty depressed at some points.   However I think the idea of time being cyclical fits in with the feeling of rebirth in this episode.

[Reply #42 on:]

Let me save you a bunch of time that you might not live long enough to see repeat: time is cyclic, and the universe Fry, Bender, and the Professor returned to was the exact same one they left. In essence, by going so far forward in time, they ended up back in time.

That guy who froze himself so that he could meet Shakespeare had the right idea.

[Reply #43 on:]

Let me save you a bunch of time that you might not live long enough to see repeat: time is cyclic, and the universe Fry, Bender, and the Professor returned to was the exact same one they left. In essence, by going so far forward in time, they ended up back in time.

That guy who froze himself so that he could meet Shakespeare had the right idea.

Sort of.  I don't think the cryogenics lab survived the destruction of New New York, and if it did, it certainly wouldn't have survived having no power for millions of years. And even then, I don't think it would have survived the universe being destroyed in the Big Crunch. 

So let's just say time is cyclical and Leela's years of loneliness was undone.  Maybe a future episode could involve the crew stopping the apes that would go on to overthrew humans?  : D

[Reply #44 on:]

One nitpick with this:

There's only one universe. Cyclical Time.

Out of curiosity, then, what's the appropriate word? Timeline? I'm not arguing against cyclical time, or saying that you're wrong; I'm just wondering what word I can use when reflecting on how shittily Leela's life turned out on the first two passes through the universe.

[Reply #45 on:]

One nitpick with this:

There's only one universe. Cyclical Time.

Out of curiosity, then, what's the appropriate word? Timeline? I'm not arguing against cyclical time, or saying that you're wrong; I'm just wondering what word I can use when reflecting on how shittily Leela's life turned out on the first two passes through the universe.

Its still depressing, even if the cyclical timeline means it does get undone (it's a very confusing concept, I have to admit.)

[Reply #46 on:]

Oh, I'm not denying that it's depressing; I'm just trying not to anger tnuk by making my ignorance of all things time travel-related too apparent.

[Reply #47 on:]

Edit: A total of six new replies and one edit to one of them were made whilst I was putting this post together, so it may appear slightly disjointed. Apologies if that's the case.

The episode and a lot of websites say the latter, while some people think its the former.

The episode portrays CT rather than CU, if you follow it logically through a timeline across more than one "playback" of the universe.



The writers essentially state on the DVD that they basically have no idea what they ended up showing, but are amused by the endless arguments about it on the internet.

CU (a series of universes created, decaying, and then beginning again, with everything following the same path) doesn't work within the context of the series as a whole. CT (the universe begins, plays through, ends and then begins again... same universe, same events, but influences from other "playbacks" - ie the timeship crew - are able to alter portions of the sequence by either being there or not, so that some events are not always the same) unifies time travel events within the entire continuity of Futurama, and therefore I firmly believe that it's the definitive model for time within the Futuramaverse.

Let me save you a bunch of time that you might not live long enough to see repeat: time is cyclic, and the universe Fry, Bender, and the Professor returned to was the exact same one they left. In essence, by going so far forward in time, they ended up back in time.

That guy who froze himself so that he could meet Shakespeare had the right idea.

Except he didn't have a time machine with which to cross the join where the beginning and ending of the universe meet up. He'd also have needed to stay frozen after his cryotube was disconnected from the electricity supply. Right idea, massively wrong execution.

The episode strongly implies that time is straight line, not cyclical, but I think I'll take the latter option, as the alternative doesn't make my sadness gland fill up with sadness.  

Nah, the episode itself is pretty ambiguous. You could argue a case for either alternative based soleley on TLPJF (though I agree that the CU case wouldn't have as many holes in it this way). It's when you take other episodes into account that CU starts to fall apart, as the way in which time (and travelling through time)works in the Futuramaverse is pretty clearly demonstrated over the course of the series' run.

I mean, I originally wanted to believe in CU. I really did. I felt that it was a much better concept. But analysing it within the context of established canon put the kibosh on that pretty quickly. A unified model is only possible with CT. If it helps your "sadness gland" to not overflow, that's a bonus. But the original reason to construct the model was in order to unify the various forms of time travel that are shown, and put them all together in a way that makes sense internally.

The thread I linked to (and I think there's a goofs thread with a little more) contains a few more diagrams I made to explain another concept integral to the model, that of "temporal inertia", without which time travel as displayed in the shows doesn't work at all. Take CT and Temporal Inertia into consideration together and hopefully it'll start to make a hell of a lot more sense.

Edit: The events in BBS, in particular, don't flow properly in the absence of temporal inertia.

I know it seems complex, but it's really very simple. I'd go into further detail, but I've already spent several thousand words in various places around PEEL explaining this. I don't want to end up repeating myself too much for no reason.

It would quickly become...



... and I don't want to do that.

One nitpick with this:

There's only one universe. Cyclical Time.

Out of curiosity, then, what's the appropriate word? Timeline? I'm not arguing against cyclical time, or saying that you're wrong; I'm just wondering what word I can use when reflecting on how shittily Leela's life turned out on the first two passes through the universe.

Its still depressing, even if the cyclical timeline means it does get undone (it's a very confusing concept, I have to admit.)

I would say timeline is appropriate. I tried to get people to refer to it as an "event spiral across mutliple timelines" in another thread, but that's just because I liked the sound of the phrase - it seemed appropriately Star-Trek type technobabbly.

Oh, I'm not denying that it's depressing; I'm just trying not to anger tnuk by making my ignorance of all things time travel-related too apparent.

Hahaha. I get angry when people refuse to logically think things through. That's not a fault you've demonstrated. I like discussing things with you. You smoke, and you seem pretty on the ball. Uh, I mean... I can have an intelligent discussion with you and not get sidetracked into petty squabbling. Which is nice.

[Reply #48 on:]

Hahaha. I get angry when people refuse to logically think things through. That's not a fault you've demonstrated. I like discussing things with you. You smoke, and you seem pretty on the ball. Uh, I mean... I can have an intelligent discussion with you and not get sidetracked into petty squabbling. Which is nice.

Aw, shucks. We ought to smoke the ol' peace pipe sometime. Just don't cough at the offer, all right?

And what you're saying makes total sense. I guess I just never gave the issue of CT vs. CU (I love adding new abbreviations to my lexicon!) much thought. I'm a bad Futurama fan in that respect--I'm pretty much an idiot when it comes to math and science. I mostly just watch the show for the bright colors and the swearing.

[Reply #49 on:]

I mostly just watch the show for the bright colors and the swearing.

[Reply #50 on:]

I think a lot of the funniest episodes can end on really sad, touching notes.  A good example is Time Keeps on Slipping.   Others are I dated a Robot and Flight to Remember.


Another episode that I found extremely emotionally impacting.  Was the ending of A Bicyclops Built for Two.  The way the camera panned out, the music and Leela's melancholic but hopeful "How many planets can there be?" was really touching.  It even made my sister give one of her rare, non sarcastic "Awwws"

[Reply #51 on:]

I love the music at the end of "A Bicyclops Built for Two," and I totally agree with you about the emotional impact. On a similar note, I also think "Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch" is strangely touching; once again, the music is great, and I love seeing that one-eyed offspring swim to the foreground of the closing shot right before the credits. For some reason, I always get a little choked up at that.

[Reply #52 on:]

 

[Reply #53 on:]

Me too Gorky, I would say the ending of Bicyclops is easily one of the most memorable moments in the series.  Its touching.

Yeah I can't really watch Jurassic Bark, because its just too... sad for me. It also needed more comic relief too, but there are times when it is too maudlin as you say.   Its an episode I hardly ever want to watch.

[Reply #54 on:]

I always cry at JB or LH or TLOTF. Everytime, I say dammit, not this time!I will not cry! Then I bawl like a baby

[Reply #55 on:]

I voted Jurassic Bark, though the nitpicker in me thinks Time Keeps On Slipping and TLPJF should be included among the choices. I'd still vote for JB no matter what though, it rips my heart out every time.

[Reply #56 on:]

I was the lone voter for "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings". When I watched the episode way back, it felt so emotional for me, mostly for its "This is it" factor. Throughout the episode, I was constantly shifting from laughing at the solid humor, and also feeling sad that this would be the end of the show. But without a doubt, the most emotionally impacting part of the episode was its ending. It was a beautiful ending to the original run, seeing Fry play his holophonor piece to Leela, just the two of them. And I absolutely loved the real final moments of the episode, with Fry's depiction of him and Leela running into the sunset, his music playing in the background. I was really, really touched.

Though that's also a reason why I tend to avoid TDHAIP now. I don't think it'll have the same emotional impact it had on me when I first watched it, knowing that the series has now been revived. Not that I'm complaining, because the new season is good as well.


The closest runner-up would be "Time Keeps on Slippin'". Touching ending as well.

[Reply #57 on:]

I get what your saying. For the same reason (or for opposite reasons I guess) I love Rebirth even though its not a great episode, but I've never anticipated an episode of anything that much before and watching it on TV the 1st time added a natural high to the other one. Devil's Hands is so bittersweet because of the opposite of all that...if any of that rambling makes sense

[Reply #58 on:]

Though that's also a reason why I tend to avoid TDHAIP now.

I'm the same way. It may be futile and not really necessary, but I see it as trying to preserve in some small way the conditions of what made the episode so impactful.

See, Danny, I'm not the only one!

[Reply #59 on:]

Time keeps on Slipping for me... none of the other eps approach it in terms of a gut-wrenching.

[Reply #60 on:]

Actually, LH has a gigantic effect on me. I don't see my dad often and the last clip of Leela in bed and her dad stroking her hair always puts tears in my eyes.