Thoughts on 7ACV04 - Thief of Baghead - SPOILERS!

[Reply #120 on:]

I think that scene's character is rather an "embarrassing pie in the face punishment", instead of "finishing off the boss monster". (The "Langdon getting hit" moment, not the exploding mushroom, of course).
So, permanent damange seems unfitting.

[Reply #121 on:]

What I like is the documentary on Langdon Cobb, and Zoidberg rewinding it because Bender was talking over it.

[Reply #122 on:]

I dunno, this one just felt very "Attack of the Killer App" to me with all of the pop-culture references. It just came off too forced to me, especially the alien/moss plotline. I give it a solid 6/10.

[Reply #123 on:]

Even the alien language joke wasn't funny.

[Reply #124 on:]

Rewatched it.   First half was great, but started to fall apart down the middle.  The central lichen man idea was just... odd.  In a bad way.  The idea had potential but felt like a first draft, which wasn't helped by the kitchen sink approach to him: Oh let's make him a fungus man!  Who feeds on attention!  Who has a giant mushroom dog creature that absorbs the attention that is the other half of his being!  Oh and his face causes living things to shrivel up! Oh and he's good but then he's evil.

7/10.  The aquarium segment was probably the high point of the episode, especially the t-rex.  Needed more of that please.

[Reply #125 on:]

Man, even complaining about cool sci-fi concepts now? PEEL just hates Futurama for the sake of it now.

[Reply #126 on:]

There's a difference between a "cool sci-fi concept" and something that's just a mess.  It could have been a "cool sci fi concept" if they actually attempted to make the different elements gel together.  As for being "sci fi" how is it sci fi when the explanation for it is basically "its magic"?

[Reply #127 on:]

But you believe that talking nylon people could exist?

[Reply #128 on:]

Not really, but they were in a one second joke and were never mentioned again outside of extremely brief cameos, rather then being the total focus of an episode.  I always thought they were pushing the "weird alien" thing a bit too far, but I've never really had to wrap my head around them.

[Reply #129 on:]

Alright, does anyone agree me about the "puppy stomping" thing?! I hated it in FATEM and I loathe it now. It's SO out of character for Leela! Ugh, it was bad enough once, but TWICE?

[Reply #130 on:]

It's not that OOC for her.  She loves animals, but puppies are pretty far down the line.  I mean, she feeds them to Nibbler.

[Reply #131 on:]

But what did puppies ever do to Leela?!

[Reply #132 on:]

Who knows, but she hates them.

[Reply #133 on:]

Maybe she had a bad experience back at the... Orphanarium.

[Reply #134 on:]

Again with the Orphinarium.

[Reply #135 on:]

Alright, does anyone agree me about the "puppy stomping" thing?! I hated it in FATEM and I loathe it now. It's SO out of character for Leela! Ugh, it was bad enough once, but TWICE?

Yeah, I agree with you 100%. That line is very jarring and really annoys me.

[Reply #136 on:]

I know this is a cop-out, in a way, but that line doesn't bug me because Leela has always been kind of a hypocrite, criticizing other people for doing things that she herself is guilty of doing as well. So, like, even though she's ostensibly very involved with animal rights and the environment and whatnot, I could buy that she would derive some kind of enjoyment from stomping a puppy every now and again.

Anyway: I rewatched this episode today, and enjoyed it a bit more this time around. Bender's sudden, plot-required stupidity still bothers me, and Calculon's death is still jarring--but I laughed a lot more on this second pass (Zoidberg in particular had some great lines), and I really do like the sci-fi angle of the whole story. In fact, I almost appreciate the somewhat lame explanation for who Cobb is and how the lichens function even more, precisely because it's kind of corny. Like, almost in a campy, original Star Trek kind of way. And that appeals to me, for some reason; it's kind of charming.

[Reply #137 on:]

Man, even complaining about cool sci-fi concepts now? PEEL just hates Futurama for the sake of it now.

Danny, there's no need to be so... accusatory in your posts.

I just realized I never posted my review. I thought it was a pretty good episode. Langdon Cobb was hilariously assholish, and I thoroughly enjoyed Calculon's spiteful (and ultimately pointless) suicide. Heh. However, I get the feeling that I will probably forget most of this episode pretty quickly. It wasn't particularly memorable.

A solid 7/10.

[Reply #138 on:]

Hang on, rewatching the episode again, and correct me if I'm wrong, but is the song during Calculon's death scene from Black Swan?

[Reply #139 on:]

I get the feeling that I will probably forget most of this episode pretty quickly. It wasn't particularly memorable.

Yeah. It was a decent filler episode, and there's nothing wrong with that. They can't all be classics.

[Reply #140 on:]

I stand up for the good side of the argument and I still get accused of doing the wrong thing. Makes sense.

[Reply #141 on:]

CoffeeBot didn't accuse you of anything so awful, Danny; she's just pointing out how you seem to be implying that people who aren't one hundred percent satisfied with the new episodes are somehow wrong, or that they're shitty fans or something. Which is pretty ridiculous, especially when season seven (thus far) has generally been much more well-received than season six was. You're pretty much railing at no one, dude.

Also: It's not like this whole relentlessly-nitpicking-episodes-that-are-still-mostly-good thing is anything new. Go back and read some of the episode review threads from the original run; back then, even in regards to episodes that we now (rightly) consider classics, I'm sure people were still bitching about little, seemingly insignificant errors. It's what PEELers do, man!

[Reply #142 on:]

But you believe that talking nylon people could exist?

Some of us... like to dream...

[Reply #143 on:]

I swear, from season 2 onwards, look at any episode review on CGEF and they'll be at least a couple of comments saying it's not as good as it used to be. That's why I pay little notice to comments completely slamming the new seasons these days.

[Reply #144 on:]

Is there a parallel between Muslims not being allowed to depict Mohammed and the bag over Langdon Cobb's head?

Morbo: DISCUSS OR BE DESTROYED!!!

[Reply #145 on:]

That's silly. You're silly, Fnord.

[Reply #146 on:]

Is there a parallel between Muslims not being allowed to depict Mohammed and the bag over Langdon Cobb's head?

No. [/discussion]

[Reply #147 on:]

Is there a parallel between Muslims not being allowed to depict Mohammed and the bag over Langdon Cobb's head?

Morbo: DISCUSS OR BE DESTROYED!!!

How on earth did you come up with that one?  One has to stretch reaaaaaally far to even imagine that.  The two have nothing to do with each other in any way at all.

[Reply #148 on:]

I'd rather be destroyed then, thank you very much. 

Other than that I was not too happy about this episode. After truly enjoying episode one and two of this season this one seemed not quite up to speed especially when watching 1 to 4 back to back. Somehow I just didn't laugh as much and the deflation - just silly really.

Also I have to admit that I don't really need those kind of ridiculously big, ugly monsters to enjoy Futurama (again this tends to strike me as silly not funny). So I'd give it maybe a 5 or 6 out of 10. But then that is mostly a question of taste.

[Reply #149 on:]

"The Thief of Baghead"


Bender taking a photograph of himself and his co-workers...


Not every episode has to have a huge plot or an emotional core to be a good episode and this is one of them. It's defiantly not a contender for the best episode ever and I doubt it will be remembered once the season is over but it is a fun episode. The plot was interesting and the characters interacted well together (I did like the use of Leela, Bender, the Professor and Zoidberg together as a combination) I'm not sure what I expected it to be like so I enjoyed it for what it was.

The dialogue is probably where the episode excels as it really nails the little, minor comments that the characters say. There are no real 'big' jokes but the little sight gags and other things were the episodes strong point. Here are a few things I found great about the episode...


* The opening 'All My Circuits' was hilarious
* "Calculon really Shatnered the hell out of that scene!"
* Zoidberg having to rewind the documentary as Bender was talking over it
* "Shut up Zoidberg! How I wish you were a husk"

Professor: "They prey on the adoration of others..."
Leela: "Just like the noble buffalo"
Professor: "Nothing like a buffalo!"

* The Professor complaining that they never go where he wants to go


As I already mentioned, I doubt this episode would ever be considered a classic and it will probably become one of those episode that no one really remembers much about besides one main element (probably the fungus monster) but for what it's worth I think it's a fun episode with a solid plot and good jokes.


14/20 (B)   

[Reply #150 on:]

it will probably become one of those episode that no one really remembers much about besides one main element (probably the fungus monster)

Just like "Bendin' in the Wind"!

[Reply #151 on:]

It seems, according wikipedia, that Calculon is going to come back by back up system in episode "Calculon 2.0"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futurama_%28season_7%29

[Reply #152 on:]

That isn't exacty a surprise looking at the name.

And while they're at it, bring Roberto back as well! We all miss him dearly.

[Reply #153 on:]

It seems, according wikipedia, that Calculon is going to come back by back up system in episode "Calculon 2.0"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futurama_%28season_7%29

The description for "Calculon 2.0" and the title for 7ACV25 have no sources... However, "Amarutuf" is a pretty good idea, considering the plot of that episode...

[Reply #154 on:]

I'm actually excited for "Amarutuf". That sounds like an old episode idea, that just might be one of the greatest episodes!

Too bad I gotta wait 10 months to see it. 

[Reply #155 on:]

*bump*

Rewatched a few of the new ones on my DVD,  and this one stood out because I enjoyed it much more than on my first viewing. I'm particularly fond of the All My Circuits clip at the beginning, as well as the montage of Bender taking photos.

One thing that bugs me still is how it's resolved. The mushroom blows up... from doing exactly what it's meant to do. It feels a little anti-climatic.

I still love Cobb, and Calculon's ultimately pointless suicide is funnier than it should be.

This one gets promoted to 7/10

[Reply #156 on:]

*bump*

Bit of info behind the episode for anyone that cares:

On the commentary for this episode, David X. Cohen discusses how they originally planned to have it so that Langdon Cobb lived in a really hard to find/reach place. There was a lengthy scene that involved Bender following him to find out where he lived, which then involved Cobb getting into a limousine which fractured into several other identical limousines, which all travelled into separate dimensions. They even discussed Cobb's mansion being in its own isolated dimension, but in the end, they got too wrapped up in the Id/Ego plot and scrapped the idea.

[Reply #157 on:]

Thanks Danny, that is interesting -- and particularly well-timed, too, since I've been doing a full viewing of the entire series in order and I just got to Thief of the Baghead last night.

Knowing that, I'm really curious how the original story for finding Langdon Cobb could have turned out. It sounds interesting, at least. And, as UnrealLegend mentioned above, the ending feels very poorly thought-out and anti-climactic. Now, what if they had kept the original concepts you mentioned but instead revised the Ego/Id aspect and therefore included a different ending? I wonder…

With all of the excessive praise and Langdon Cobb's self-confidence at Kanye West levels, they could have easily incorporated hubris into the story. They could have introduced a mortal threat to Langdon in Act 1. This could be a weather storm, an allergy, a deadly arch nemesis -- anything! In Act 3, when Langdon is basking in the audience's admiration and absorbing their souls life forces, he could succumb to hubris and either forget about the looming danger or assume himself invulnerable.

[Reply #158 on:]

a deadly arch nemesis

Isn't that Calculon? I wouldn't really call him deadly though.

There is also a deleted scene that shows Bender spying on Cobb throughout his mansion, waiting for him to take the bag off, but even during activites like eating and applying wrinkle cream he leaves the bag on, much to Bender's frustration.