Thoughts on 7ACV10 - Near-Death Wish - SPOILERS!

[Reply #40 on:]

I'm too tired to write a long post about this episode at the moment but I really liked it. It was funny, it had several moments that felt like classic Futurama and I was surprisingly moved by the ending.

9/10

[Reply #41 on:]

Okay listen up! Whoever thinks that this wasn't a good episode is not a true Futurama fan I'm sorry to say that but it's the truth. I can't stand to read all this post about how the new Futurama episodes are no where near the old ones. You people are so used to the magic we saw in the fourth season do obviously if you compare this season to that it may seem bad but look at the other three seasons! They all had their fair share of bad episodes that to this day I don't watch often! Given that this episode was in the original run, you people would have loved it. Overall, I thought it was a great episode and sure their we're some parts I didn't like but hey, there are some parts I don't like in every episode even great ones like Jurrasic Bark or The Sting! All I'm trying to say is for people to stop hating on Futurama because this is a great series and the more you people hate on it the less likely it will be to get renewed. Just appreciate the fact that we get to see our favourite show every week and enjoy it while it lasts!
Overall, I would give this episode 8.5/10

[Reply #42 on:]

I am going to take it upon myself to tackle all of Spacedal's points about this episode, mostly because I am bored:

1. Why are neither Leela or Bender at the Clippies?

Yeah, I wondered about that, too. I figured it was the sort of thing that you only get a limited number of tickets for or something, and Fry chose to invite Farnsworth along to watch him achieve something (and afterwards hug him) on account of that's his only biological family. It made sense enough to me, even though I guess it's strange that Fry chose not to invite Leela and/or Bender--the two people who probably would have wanted to attend the ceremony, being his best friends and all.

2. I thought people who went to the Near Death Star eventually died.

I haven't seen "A Clone of My Own" in at least a year, but isn't the worst part of the Near-Death Star that you don't die, but are rather hooked up to all these machines that prolong your boring, boring life?

Alternately: The place has made some improvements since last we saw it, perhaps prompted by that daring stunt the PE crew pulled to spring Farnsworth out of the joint.

3. That being said I'm having a hard time believing Farnsworth's parents are still alive.
   3.a. I'm even more surprised that they look younger than their son.

If they looked even more decrepit than Farnsworth, those would have been some ugly-ass character designs.

On a less shallow note: I think they probably look younger than him for a number of reasons. Like Fnord and Danny note, there's probably something about being hooked up to all those machines on the Near-Death Star that helps preserve their bodies. Additionally, I think part of the joke--part of the established dynamic between Farnsworth and his parents--is that he's always been this crotchety person (Shabadoo says as much), and his parents are actually much more laid-back and youthful and, you know, mentally stable.

Also, since the episode was playing off the Fry/elder Farnsworths relationship as a grandson/grandson thing, it made sense for them not to look too ancient. They acted, well, like your average sixty- or seventy-something grandparents act--and, I don't know, I found it kind of charming, even if it wasn't all that logical.

4. How is it that the plot between Fry and Farnsworth didn't get resolved?

I think Fry effectively forgives Farnsworth after hearing about how difficult his upbringing had been. I mean, Farnsworth's crummy life is no excuse for his behavior towards Fry--but I could totally believe that Fry would accept it as an excuse and be willing to let go of his anger. He's just that kind of guy.

Oh, and I think it's kind of neat that Farnsworth's neglect of Fry is implicitly the result of his own feelings of being neglected by his parents. It's a vicious cycle, it is! Also, there's something telling about how Farnsworth never felt like he fit in with his unscientifically-inclined parents, similar to how Fry never felt like he fit in in the twentieth century. I'm stretching here, I know, but there are plenty of parallels between Fry and Farnsworth that go beyond, you know, the fact that they're both redheads.

5. I don't understand how Farnsworth didn't know he had a brother.

Floyd was his younger brother, right? We are to assume that Farnsworth did not speak to his parents at any point after they locked him up in the mental institution, which means that he would have had no knowledge of Floyd's birth (or apparent sequestering on the farm in Brooklyn). 

6. Speaking of which, are we going to meet this character? It seemed like there was a point in bringing him up but the episode just forgot about it and opted for a sweet ending.
   6.a. I forgot about Bender's story. Although I'm not gonna lie I was wondering if he was just making it up or not.

It's a total cop-out, but I think we're supposed to accept Bender's semi-confession as proof that Floyd is dead...and that he was clearly far more messed-up then poor old Hubert.

7. Why was the professor crazy? He just was? And the issue doesn't resolve itself. I've come to accept that Farnsworth is crazy because he is really freaking old, not that he was always that way. I like to think that when he was younger he was a brilliant person but old age just got to him.

I didn't get any indication from this episode that Farnsworth was not brilliant as a young man--clearly, he was. But his brilliance, which his parents seemed mostly indifferent to, was not fostered; I think part of his mental breakdown has to be attributable to the fact that he felt unloved and misunderstood, and that his ridiculously high intellect was not stimulated at home.

Also, the guy's a mad scientist; it makes sense to me that he's always been at least a little crazy. It's just that, for the most part, his insanity has been kept in check by his intelligence; the older he's gotten, though, the more senile he's become. Time makes fools of us all, you know.

8. I don't feel like that cutesy ending was deserved. If anything it should have involved Fry and the Professor reconciling. I was too thrown off by everything else that the ending didn't work for me. It was sweet but it can't replace the weirdness of the episode.

This is a fair point; it is a little weird that the two of them don't have a moment to make amends. But, to me, the end of the episode works really well on its own, and I can forgive the fact that some loose ends are not tied up between Fry and Farnsworth. (Then again, I have shamefully low standards when it comes to these things, as I am a sucker for those tearjerker endings.)

[Reply #43 on:]

I wish Gorky would reply to my post.

[Reply #44 on:]

Your post was not a list, damn it! I only respond to lists!

However, perhaps I can make an exception just this once...

I don't know.  This felt like an empty episode.  Like it had a façade with animations, voice acting and a plot, but it did not try to tell me anything.  Even those terrible episodes like The Holiday Spectacular had points.  Or at least there were evidence of points.

I don't know what this episode wanted to show me.  It's not that I did not laugh, but it all felt hollow. 

Are you saying that the emotional core of the episode just seemed nonexistent to you? Because whether or not the writers succeeded in telling this story compellingly--I personally think they did, but I can understand why others might have been unmoved--I do think they were honestly trying to tell a story that was true to the characters.

What I'm saying, I guess, is that the story itself did not seem cheap to me; it taught me more about who Farnsworth is, and why he is who he is, and I appreciated that (even if it kind of goes against what I might have already assumed about Farnsworth's youth, based on the glimpses we've gotten in episodes like "A Clone of My Own" and "Mother's Day" and the like. I don't think anything was retconned; rather, my assumptions were rendered somewhat invalid. But that's okay).

And particularly the attempts at breaking the fourth wall without doing so (The Matrix-references and "Of course I'm mad, that's been established") gave the episode more of a hollow feel.  That if you actually broke that wall, there was nothing there.

I agree that the Matrix stuff was cheap, awkwardly-written and -acted, and totally unnecessary. Fry's "That's been established" line didn't bug me, though, because it didn't feel terribly fourth-wall-break-y to me. I use the phrase "that's been established" in everyday conversation, and I'm certainly not being meta or whatever when I do such a thing. I am, however, being an asshole.

And the ending.  It just felt cheap, like trying to give the episode a heart where there was none.  It was like the cheapest trick in the book.

I can perhaps concede that this is the most contrived of the flashback episodes (with "The Tip of the Zoidberg" being a close second), in that it follows the typical Futurama formula of having a twist ending that puts everything else the characters ever thought about themselves and their familial relationships into question (see also: "The Luck of the Fryrish" and "Cold Warriors"). In retrospect, that cutesy ending was inevitable, predictable--but, again, I'm such a sucker for that sort of thing that I don't care if it's a little lame and formulaic.

I don't think it was horrible, I just think it was a bland episode.  An episode I cannot feel.  I am perfectly indifferent.

I disagree with you about this episode's blandness, and am sorry that it didn't resonate with you as strongly as it apparently has with other people--but, you know, I've been similarly underwhelmed by a number of episodes in the new run (not so much in season seven, but certainly in season six), so I totally understand where you're coming from with that indifference.

There's always next week, duck; perhaps "Viva Mars Vegas" will do it for you in a way that this episode hasn't.

[Reply #45 on:]

Okay listen up! Whoever thinks that this wasn't a good episode is not a true Futurama fan I'm sorry to say that but it's the truth. I can't stand to read all this post about how the new Futurama episodes are no where near the old ones. You people are so used to the magic we saw in the fourth season do obviously if you compare this season to that it may seem bad but look at the other three seasons! They all had their fair share of bad episodes that to this day I don't watch often! Given that this episode was in the original run, you people would have loved it. Overall, I thought it was a great episode and sure their we're some parts I didn't like but hey, there are some parts I don't like in every episode even great ones like Jurrasic Bark or The Sting! All I'm trying to say is for people to stop hating on Futurama because this is a great series and the more you people hate on it the less likely it will be to get renewed. Just appreciate the fact that we get to see our favourite show every week and enjoy it while it lasts!
Overall, I would give this episode 8.5/10

Amen, in my opinion Season 7 has been brilliant throughout (besides TBE, but even that had some good moments. Hey, every season has a bad ep or two), the creators have worked hard to please fan complaints about Season 6, and, despite breaking continuity a few times, most of the episodes have added something to the Futuramaverse.

[Reply #46 on:]

Exactly! I think this season has been great and I'm thoroughly enjoying it(aside from tbe) I really appreciate what the writers are giving us.

[Reply #47 on:]

Okay listen up! Whoever thinks that this wasn't a good episode is not a true Futurama fan I'm sorry to say that but it's the truth. I can't stand to read all this post about how the new Futurama episodes are no where near the old ones. You people are so used to the magic we saw in the fourth season do obviously if you compare this season to that it may seem bad but look at the other three seasons! They all had their fair share of bad episodes that to this day I don't watch often! Given that this episode was in the original run, you people would have loved it. Overall, I thought it was a great episode and sure their we're some parts I didn't like but hey, there are some parts I don't like in every episode even great ones like Jurrasic Bark or The Sting! All I'm trying to say is for people to stop hating on Futurama because this is a great series and the more you people hate on it the less likely it will be to get renewed. Just appreciate the fact that we get to see our favourite show every week and enjoy it while it lasts!
Overall, I would give this episode 8.5/10

Amen, in my opinion Season 7 has been brilliant throughout (besides TBE, but even that had some good moments. Hey, every season has a bad ep or two), the creators have worked hard to please fan complaints about Season 6, and, despite breaking continuity a few times, most of the episodes have added something to the Futuramaverse.

Hell yeah!

I've just watched Near-Death Wish a 2nd time. And yes, definitely my favourite of 7A. It works very well for me.

[Reply #48 on:]

Yes it does! Now the real Futurama fans are letting their voices be heard!

[Reply #49 on:]

DannyJC13 and CaptainJack,

I definitely see where you're coming from with this. And don't get me wrong, I think this season has been very solid. Most of the episodes I've definitely enjoyed. (There have been a few average, clunky ones, but certainly not enough to suggest the show is declining in quality)

But criticism is healthy in appropriate amounts, it gives the writers and creators of the show room to improve on an already great show. Negative fan feedback can be extremely helpful to a show in some scenarios.

[Reply #50 on:]

But criticism is healthy in appropriate amounts, it gives the writers and creators of the show room to improve on an already great show. Negative fan feedback can be extremely helpful to a show in some scenarios.

Of course, but like 89% of the feedback on PEEL is usually negative.

[Reply #51 on:]

Thats very true I just don't like it when I see fans saying that their giving up on the show or that it should have never been renewed. When I read things like that it really breaks my heart. I have a thing that if you've watched a show since it stared then you should watch it until it ends no matter how good or bad it is(not saying Futurama's bad) because if you liked the show when it began there is no reason why you shouldnt like it now.

[Reply #52 on:]

He's right, it's like getting to the age of 25 and going "this sucks now" then killing yourself.

[Reply #53 on:]

Now this was a great episode. I'm going to have to do this in list form:

Things I loved:

• The opening scene in the club. Delivery Boy of the Year is a wonderfully silly yet simple idea that gave some good laughs. I liked how Fry was going up against three dead people and still didn't look like he thought he'd win. For those wondering why Bender and Leela weren't there with him, it seemed to be a family only thing, as shown by Dwight/Hermes/LaBarbara and the other young Delivery Boys.
• "Let's boldly go where we've gone before!"
• More Fry/Leela/Bender trio interaction. While the long Matrix reference was kinda dumb, it felt like the equivalent of elevator small talk, and I like moments between them that seem a bit real. Also, the shot of them falling into the virtual reality was badass. (and 'it's 40% safe!' might be my favourite use of that catchphrase yet.)
• Hermes and Bender are still friends! Hooray for consistency!
• Fry spending time with his 'grandparents' were sweet, and it was good to see Fry be a bit childish again after his serious first 5 minutes (as much as Leela approved.)
• I seem in the minority with this point, but I liked the idea that the Professor isn't actually senile, he was always insane. I don't know why, maybe it makes me more sympathetic towards him? The Brain-O poster made me nerd out a little bit as well.
• The ending was sweet, and I think was sort of done as a one-last-time sort of thing. Farnsworth's parents won't be coming back. At least I don't think so.

 
Screw it. 10/10.

Okay listen up! Whoever thinks that this wasn't a good episode is not a true Futurama fan I'm sorry to say that but it's the truth.

Don't do that. I agree with the rest of your post, but we're all fans here. We wouldn't be posting here if we weren't futurama fans.

^{yes, I'm aware of Freako, don't bother pointing that out.}

[Reply #54 on:]

I don't know.  This felt like an empty episode.  Like it had a façade with animations, voice acting and a plot, but it did not try to tell me anything.  Even those terrible episodes like The Holiday Spectacular had points.  Or at least there were evidence of points.

I don't know what this episode wanted to show me.  It's not that I did not laugh, but it all felt hollow.  

Are you saying that the emotional core of the episode just seemed nonexistent to you? Because whether or not the writers succeeded in telling this story compellingly--I personally think they did, but I can understand why others might have been unmoved--I do think they were honestly trying to tell a story that was true to the characters.

No, there clear was a plot, I won't deny that.  But it dwarfed in what it could have been.  Looking back, I honestly wish that the episode did not feel so forgettable compared to "A Clone of My Own" and other Farnsworth background-related episodes.

What I'm saying, I guess, is that the story itself did not seem cheap to me; it taught me more about who Farnsworth is, and why he is who he is, and I appreciated that (even if it kind of goes against what I might have already assumed about Farnsworth's youth, based on the glimpses we've gotten in episodes like "A Clone of My Own" and "Mother's Day" and the like. I don't think anything was retconned; rather, my assumptions were rendered somewhat invalid. But that's okay).

I wasn't disappointed or anything.  Because I never had huge expectations or ambitions for Farnsworth's backstory.  But it could have been more than 'running off from your parents'.  And then it turned out, it wasn't that.

And particularly the attempts at breaking the fourth wall without doing so (The Matrix-references and "Of course I'm mad, that's been established") gave the episode more of a hollow feel.  That if you actually broke that wall, there was nothing there.

I agree that the Matrix stuff was cheap, awkwardly-written and -acted, and totally unnecessary. Fry's "That's been established" line didn't bug me, though, because it didn't feel terribly fourth-wall-break-y to me. I use the phrase "that's been established" in everyday conversation, and I'm certainly not being meta or whatever when I do such a thing. I am, however, being an asshole.

Fry's line did not bother me, it added to the effect.  It made me feel that the writers were purposefully trying to make Fourth Wall-breaking lines throughout.  Had it not had all those other moments, then the line would have been fine, even funny!  But in context, I think it did more hurt than good.

And the ending.  It just felt cheap, like trying to give the episode a heart where there was none.  It was like the cheapest trick in the book.

I can perhaps concede that this is the most contrived of the flashback episodes (with "The Tip of the Zoidberg" being a close second), in that it follows the typical Futurama formula of having a twist ending that puts everything else the characters ever thought about themselves and their familial relationships into question (see also: "The Luck of the Fryrish" and "Cold Warriors"). In retrospect, that cutesy ending was inevitable, predictable--but, again, I'm such a sucker for that sort of thing that I don't care if it's a little lame and formulaic.

It was supposed to be a story about Farnsworth's parents and Farnsworth.  But it mostly felt that was explored at the end.  The whole reasoning for going to the Near-Death Star was weird.  Did Fry just realise he was alone in the future?

I think the episode would have been more interesting with a plot about Farnsworth needing some tissue or whatever from his parents, despite his dislike for them.  But committed to science, he ventures off with the crew.  However, Farnsworth is desperate not to wake them up, because then he would face them again.  But clumsy as he is, that is exactly what happens.  And when the robots attack, they flee and are forced to take his parents with him.

I was not a fan of it being Fry that was the plot device.

I don't think it was horrible, I just think it was a bland episode.  An episode I cannot feel.  I am perfectly indifferent.

I disagree with you about this episode's blandness, and am sorry that it didn't resonate with you as strongly as it apparently has with other people--but, you know, I've been similarly underwhelmed by a number of episodes in the new run (not so much in season seven, but certainly in season six), so I totally understand where you're coming from with that indifference.

Okay, maybe bland is too strong a word.  But this is not an episode I dislike.  It is an episode I will be able to watch again at some point.  But I will be unlikely to put this on purposefully, but neither will I think twice about putting it on if it is 'next in line', so to speak.

It just feels like 'just another episode', when it should have been something more, I feel.

[Reply #55 on:]

So, what actually are the Professor's parents to Fry? Nephew and niece minus a great?

[Reply #56 on:]

Whoever thinks that this wasn't a good episode is not a true Futurama fan

This was pretty bad. It has a couple of good moments. But overall - it's lame. It's riddled with continuity nitpicks, Fry's characterisation is rather off (Hermes, too), and once again, it's an episode that takes an established concept which was pretty cool then proceeds to shit all over it.

4/10. That's all it gets from me.

I did enjoy a couple of things. But the opening, the setup for the plot, the backstory, the majority of the jokes, were all terrible.

The animation was great. That's the only thing that they really got right, apart from the unusually spry Professor Farnsworth running and sneaking and slinking without any of his normal doddering about. That was a bit of a fail, animation-wise.

The actual plotline itself was also pretty bland. It's fine to have an episode told in flashbacks. But at least make them exciting. Have something actually happen in it.

This was a rehash, first and foremost. Old premises, dated jokes (The Matrix? Seriously?), and attempts to revisit places we've already been (literally and metaphorically). It was clumsy, it was (as has been said), rather empty, and it lacked the subtlety and finesse of the original run.

Okay, enough complaining. Things I actually liked:

• The animation was very well done.
• Zoidberg's holographic medical file.
• The weird colour scheme for VR making a return.
• Farnsworth's rat-frog thingy.
• Farnsworth slumping into his parent's tray when he entered the simulation.
• The other nominees for Fry's dumb award being deceased.
• Rent-a-cat. I've been saying that would be an awesome business idea for a while now. I'd pay whatever to play with a kitten for a few hours and then be able to give it back before it decided to yak up a hairball on something expensive. I'm sure other people would too.
• Farnsworth's "transformers" sheets, his favourite book (shouldn't it have been way thicker though? I know mine is). Oh, and his consistent nudity. That was kinda funny.
  
  

These are all background things, really. It shows that the level of detail is coming back, but I do think that the show's original overall brilliance is waning fast.

Thats very true I just don't like it when I see fans saying that their giving up on the show or that it should have never been renewed. When I read things like that it really breaks my heart. I have a thing that if you've watched a show since it stared then you should watch it until it ends no matter how good or bad it is(not saying Futurama's bad) because if you liked the show when it began there is no reason why you shouldnt like it now.

Firstly, please learn the difference between "their" and "they're". Secondly, if a show stares at you, you're probably watching Hypnotoad or living in a Stephen King novel. I'll assume you meant "started". If you've watched a show since it started, why do you have to watch it until it ends? I've given up on more than one TV show that I'd watched since the beginning because at some point it no longer appealed to me. Tastes can change. Shows change. You don't owe anything to the producers of the show because you liked it in the beginning. That's just preposterous. There are plenty of reasons to grow to dislike a TV show, and disliking it is a valid reason not to subject yourself to it.

Your impassioned defense of New Run Futurama is hereby noted and rejected. Some of it is just plain bad, and being able to see that doesn't make somebody any less of a fan. :rolleyes:

...the creators have worked hard to please fan complaints about Season 6, and, despite breaking continuity a few times, most of the episodes have added something to the Futuramaverse.

The thing is, by breaking continuity they're taking something away from the Futuramaverse as well. I'd rather that instead of concentrating on fanservice, the writers had decided to concentrate on staying true to the show's origins, the ideas that they had in the beginning. The continuity, the internal logic, the depth of detail (which I'll admit seems to be coming back), and the nerd bonus content. Nudity, sexual innuendo and comically exaggerated violence are no substitute for a good, well-executed science joke or classic sci-fi reference.

I'm not saying that I hate Futurama now. Far from it. I enjoy Futurama, but these new episodes are very hit-and-miss as to whether they actually feel like Futurama. If they're not breaking continuity or straining the suspension of disbelief with cartoon violence and mutilations (or even hot sauce melting metal), they're making obvious and crude scatological or sexual references rather than making them obliquely using the periodic table or mathematical formulae.

Polonium oxide smelling just like arsenic sulfide, for example, would be a joke based on the empirical formula of the compounds. That's the sort of thing that they'd have slipped into past episodes. Now, they're more likely to simply say "poo" or "ass" for the cheap laugh.

[Reply #57 on:]

Had a flashback to that Simpsons episode where Homer bowls a perfect game when I read your last sentence 

[Reply #58 on:]

I love jokes like the mathematical formula on the Professor's blackboard turning out to be a dog poop joke, but in every season those types of jokes were still the exception, not the norm. Most sexual, scatological, etc jokes in the old seasons weren't terribly difficult to get. Obscurity doesn't inherently make something more clever or funny, anyway. Personally, I like a good sex joke or Professor nudity followed by some kind of more highbrow joke, which is pretty much what the show delivers.


Regarding the Matrix joke again, I wonder if people realize that even the datedness of it was sort of on purpose? The thing is, the writers were probably kind of stuck in a corner on that one. The plot more or less necessaitated a reference to it and it was mostly sort of a lose/lose situation; do a reference and they'll be criticized for it being dated and trite, but don't do one and everyone will howl about how they missed an obvious opportunity for a Matrix joke (or assume they did one anyway even if they didn't). So they get around it by just making that the joke and getting it out of the way. It was one of my favorite moments this season. It's not just a pop culture reference, it's a joke about the actual art of creating a joke (this is something Futurama does from time to time and it's usually pretty funny) and in this case a pop-culture reference specifically, and apparently it's proving that the writers still have difficult-to-understand jokes up their sleeves considering how few people seem to have gotten it.


And man, on a storytelling level (as well as humor) this episode was so spot on. Really well-paced and logical (within the show's universe), and I actually cared about what was going on. That they pulled off something like this with the Professor is pretty amazing. I never thought I'd care much about him as a character, but the ending was genuinely sweet and I wanted to see him reconcile with his parents.

[Reply #59 on:]

I gotta say I'm with Svip on this one.  It felt a bit empty to me, I think because I was expected to care about this whole backstory with Hubert's parents after only introducing them in the second act.  There wasn't nearly enough time to establish that sort of connection (for me) in one episode.  It would have been better, I think, to introduce that his parents are still alive and that there is bad blood between them in the episode as a secondary plot, and then resolve that in a later episode.  Attempting to introduce the parents, establish their backstory (and why we haven't heard of them until now), establish that they are estranged, then resolve all of that estrangement, and have Fry and Hubert estranged all in one episode is too much.  Sometimes less is more.  I put this down to "we might not get renewed" syndrome, where the writers feel they have to fully resolve everything at the end of the ep in case they don't get a chance to revisit it later.

[Reply #60 on:]

Ouch - running out of things to do with the main characters already ?

The professor was always special within the futurama world because he was so old -real old like in 'only in the future' old - and a lot of jokes (and even episodes) have been based on that funny premise.

And now he suddenly gets parents which ruin the whole established character. And for what ? Because they ran out of ideas for stories for the existing crew, so they just needed to draw up new ones apparently from thin air.

The near-death star has been turned from a forbidding mystical no-one-ever-returned dreadful *cruel* place in space into a virtual old-folks-home.

The establishing of the strain of madness that runs through Farnsworth was nice though. As is the fact that he has a brother, "a homeless rodeo clown named Floyd".

Futurama's still funny enough, but the current season has mostly been carried by the background jokes and one-liners.

It's not terrible (yet), but it's sloppy. Sloppy sloppy sloppy! And sloppy shows are a dime a dozen (and apparently very popular, which is why there are so many of them). It bodes well for the generic sitcom fans, in regard to it not being cancelled and a myriad of  known-good plots being already waiting for rehash, but it distracts from the uniqueness of the show, which was its main forte.

If this keeps up we'll all be watching a "Fry and Leela encounter their kids through throw-away timetravelling." episode, which undoubtedly will have a very touching ending.

[Reply #61 on:]

It's not terrible (yet), but it's sloppy. Sloppy sloppy sloppy! And sloppy shows are a dime a dozen (and apparently very popular, which is why there are so many of them). It bodes well for the generic sitcom fans, in regard to it not being cancelled and a myriad of  known-good plots being already waiting for rehash, but it distracts from the uniqueness of the show, which was its main forte.

I couldn't agree more with this. Well done on articulating that which I was still trying to find just the right words for.

[Reply #62 on:]

Ugh. Season 7... is just... I didn't have much of a problem with the plot, lazy as it was at times and I didn't find any of the episode particularly cringey, but nothing about the story really worked for me. It worked, but not to the degree that the show should be working and certainly not to justify a "new relatives" plot. Worse though, was that it just wasn't very funny to me. I think that's my biggest problem with the show, now. Spare for three moments I remember finding amusing, it was something of a comedy wasteland (the weird aliens kissing their son at the start, the doorbell and the drawn out discussion about how The Matrix was right despite being stupid - I liked it, bite me).

And this is one of my favourite episodes of season 7 so far. Fuck season 7.

One of the biggest problems I'm having with the show now is their constant re-use of material. I love a bit of continuity and I don't mind delving back into past episodes for a "sequel" of sorts, but you need to write new gags. So much of this season's humour seems to be a case of "Hey guys, Leela says 'Oh Lord' a lot, right?" or "Hey guys, Bender's 40% everything, remember?" or "Hey guys, remember this character from an old episode? Well here they are again saying a line that isn't funny, but it's funny because we brought this character back, right?" - it's just lazy. The robotic elders saying "silence" repeatedly last week for instance. I don't feel like we're exploring these old locations further and I don't feel like they're bringing anything new to the table whilst being there. They should be being expanded upon, but instead, these new episodes seem to just want to re-hash old gags that fans like.

Anyway... I mean, it's not terrible yet. It's still watchable. It's just insanely below Futurama's past standards. I've only been truly happy with 2 episodes this season and this wasn't one of them.

3/10 by Futurama's standards.
7/10 by overall TV standards.

It's like painting a cowboy hat on every angel in the sistine chapel.  Or giving the Venus Di Milo oversized frankfurters for arms.

The problem with your analogy is that doing those things would make those pieces of art hilariously awesome, thus improving them. And, you know, they'd be funny, unlike this episode.

I essentially agree with you word-for-word, though, except that it was only my 2nd most anticipated episode of 7A and therefore I was only the 2nd most disappointed by it.

Okay listen up! Whoever thinks that this wasn't a good episode is not a true Futurama fan I'm sorry to say that but it's the truth.

It's not the truth; it's absolute horse shit.

You people are so used to the magic we saw in the fourth season do obviously if you compare this season to that it may seem bad but look at the other three seasons!

This might be a valid argument if I didn't adore seasons 5 and 6.

[Reply #63 on:]

Thank you for your insight Gorky, it has helped me gain a better understanding of the episode. However I am more in agreement with TNUK and Deely. I do think the episode was funny but the plot was poorly handled.

[Reply #64 on:]

also, I take offence at the offense taken by Leela and Amy ...

Has having  primitive notions of modesty suddenly become fashionable again?
Phoo to that I say! And phoo to fashion! They can put their blankets over my dead body!

Ah, brisk.

[Reply #65 on:]

And this is one of my favourite episodes of season 7 so far. Fuck season 7.

Oddly enough, this was my least favorite of the season thus far. Yes, even less enjoyed than The Butterjunk Effect.

So much of this season's humour seems to be a case of "Hey guys, Leela says 'Oh Lord' a lot, right?" or "Hey guys, Bender's 40% everything, remember?" or "Hey guys, remember this character from an old episode? Well here they are again saying a line that isn't funny, but it's funny because we brought this character back, right?" - it's just lazy.

I think this episode is the prime example of all of these things you find wrong with Futurama this season. There were so many jokes that were put in there with the "Hey, if you didn't notice, this was a call back! It's funny!" disclaimer, it felt like. Between that, the wonky canonicity, and the lack of consistency even within itself, this episode tried way too hard and suffered massively for it.

[Reply #66 on:]

Let’s hover-roll...

First lol: Frys formal shorts! ~<3



Now for the rant-y bit.
 

Dwight is born in 2989, making him 23 in the current period of the show. However, he still looks exactly as he looked in 3002. He only turned 13 in "Bender Should Not Be Allowed on Television" as did Cubert and hasn't shown any variation since.

He looks so much younger than I can remember seeing him before!


Some consistency plz people! (also, WhereTF is Cubert?)

Other than that little hiccup, I love this scene with the Clippy awards and Fry thanking his robot. xD
To all those wondering why Bender and Leela weren’t there: The Clippy awards seems to be a ‘family only’ affair.
Also Hermes and Zoidberg laughing together? What happened to ‘stay away from me you windy barnacle!’ ? But lol at Zoidbergs abrupt “No.”

Frys celebrity status xD


Leela was holding flowers – where did they go?
(If visitors are forbidden why is there a usb port that is labelled ‘visitor entrance’?)
Also, I agree with Leela, Fry’s rather attractive when he’s being all leader-like ((edit: He appears more mature, that’s why!)). Rofl at Leela checking out Fry xD, especially this split second:



Though Leela needs to learn, you can’t deviate Fry from something he’s so firmly focused on. Or perhaps she just needs to find a new strategy.
Random thought: Whenever Fry tried to pick up Leela in the past (like way back in the original run), Leela let him down gently ((except at the end of Parasites Lost and the ‘With you and me in here together, baby, time will stand still’ rejection in Time Keeps On Slipping)), apparently not wanting to hurt Frys feelings. But when Fry’s not in the mood for snuggles or snoo-snoo he just tells it like it is, ‘Not now, Leela.’ Methinks it’s the honesty in him.
... was going to go on a bit more, but perhaps I’ll save it for the shippy thread x]
Doorbell = win



The whole Matrix talk was perhaps a bit long, but I liked the whole matrix themed entry – especially since they go through a usb port. xD My fave part was the camera swing, but then I am rather fond of the first Matrix (sequels were crap). We’ve had worse pop-culture references ><

[this is where the internet failed me last night, thank goodness it's working again this morning!]




Rofl xD
Fun how Frys going about his business and Bender and Leela are just chilling/doing random things in the background when they’re not really needed for a scene, but this moment is rather cute ~ <3

‘It won’t start, the batteries are dead!’
(What I was expecting:) Fix it, fix it, fix it, fix it!



This action scene ended too quickly for me. I liked the escape in the old episode.
Why doesn’t Fry realise that all he has to do is bend at the hip and he wouldn’t be hit xD

... has Bender ever high-fived Fry? I know he’s bumped chest with Leela, and this is rather awesome with Hermes, but I can’t seem to recall a celebratory movement with Fry  

Holophoner! ~ <3 Nice to see he can play to some quality (to an extent) music.

Sneaky music is awesome! Particularly since the prof is drawing Leela and Amys attention as opposed to him having just walked through xD



Wind through their hair does not match background speed xD Spose there might have been a breeze... yes I skipped a fair bit, but I got drawn in to just watching and enjoying it.

Lmao at Bender making it so Fry would be flung xD


Now hang on, which generation did the Fry and Farnsworth families meet? I know it’s a trivial thing but this little cowlic has got me thinking – was perhaps Frys mum a Farnsworth? She’s the one with the cowlic! Not Frys dad (despite Fry being his dads father), and all the Farnsworths have the little flic and orange hair.


This scene reminded me of how Fry and Leela watched as Kifs (and Amys/Leela) children went out into the pond. Perhaps because I feel like they missed a moment where they could be holding hands.
Lol at how they Bender dealt with that loose end (I’m assuming Flydo got killed), but otherwise this is all very sweet, I’m glad we got to know a bit of Farnsworths past.



Beautiful ending. Although I do agree with you that Fry and the Professors relationship really wasn’t resolved, but maybe it distracted from the flow, and I suspect that from Frys expression in the prev framegrab that he’d already forgiven the Professor/ realised that the prof had his own issues.

... o...k...? The credits had a South Park promo over the top of it, was kinda hoping for a ‘next week’ promo, or more sneaky music. ~ <3

Lots of lol moments in this, and some sweet. Just tripping over a few plot holes and a bit cross at the lack of progression with Dwight and Cubert, but not enough to vanquish the enjoyment. 7/10

Sorry if this seemed a bit rushed, need to get onto an assignment that’s due later today.

edit: hold up for a second... revisit in December? We going back to the Near Death Star for a christmas episode?

[Reply #67 on:]

Sorry if this seemed a bit rushed, need to get onto an assignment that’s due later today.

Inexcusable.

edit: hold up for a second... revisit in December? We going back to the Near Death Star for a christmas episode?

There aren't any episodes scheduled for Christmastime this year. I'm guessing it's just a throwaway line.

[Reply #68 on:]

... has Bender ever high-fived Fry? I know he’s bumped chest with Leela, and this is rather awesome with Hermes, but I can’t seem to recall a celebratory movement with Fry  

The episodes I remember Fry high-fiving Bender are Leela's Homeworld, Brannigan Begin Again, The Series Has Landed and Law and Oracle. There could be more, but I'm very tired.

[Reply #69 on:]

It's awkward how on CGEF, this episode is rated higher than "Fun on a Bun". 

[Reply #70 on:]

I think there were a few holes in the whole "parents now accept Farnsworth as their son" thing but I'm in a generous mood.

There's a MAJOR plot hole. In "Space Pilot 3000", Leela says:

Your DNA test shows one living relative.

Okay, maybe Farnsworth's parents weren't "really" living, but what about Floyd? Was he in a cryogenic tube or something? (Of course, Cubert hadn't been born/created yet.)

Now, Fry has at least five living relatives.

The machine used to find Fry's relative seems to be a database, it's obvious that Ned and Velma weren't registered in it due to them being in virtual retirement.

What about Igner then? (I forgot about him in my list above.)

• "Let's boldly go where we've gone before!"

That could be the slogan for this season's episodes ...

[Reply #71 on:]

It's 9:30 pm Hawaii time, but 2:30 am Texas time, so maybe this won 't make a whole lotta  sense. But I didn't see anything wrong with Fry's/professor's conflict being unresoved because their estrangement and alienation from each other was approriate to the overall theme--to be abandoned by family is one of the most painful wounds, affecting both Fry and Professor. And that the prof only showed the callousness and cruelty at the hands of his own family (from his own perspective).  These two have never really seemed to be simpatico with each other; I can hear the Professor's  annoyed indifference to Fry's "Professor my Fry fro is all frizzy", in rebirth. Also the recent "you there what do they call you boy?" line in FoaB. I dunno, it would have seemed too contrived if they had some kind of tender moment together.

Also, though not canon, in Reincarnation we see the Professor's recollections of a pretty lonely life all in the name of science, and that seemed in keeping with his being committed to an institution.

Sorry for typos but need to scamper off to bed.

[Reply #72 on:]

Regarding floyd and igner not showing up on the DNA test... let's just say the machine was crap lol

It's awkward how on CGEF, this episode is rated higher than "Fun on a Bun". 

I like fun on a bun, but I think this episode is even better

[Reply #73 on:]

I kind of liked The Six Million Dollar Mon and Free Will Hunting more than Fun on a Bun...

Two things that have been bugging me about this episode:

The old farmhouse where the Professor and his parents used to live looks wwaaaayy to old for the year 3012. Insanely old. I mean, I can imagine them building retro-style homes for people to live in, but there was like barely any technology in there in the past either. (The past being when the Professor was a teen.)

When they go to look for the Professor, why do they take those hoverbike thingies when the ship is right next to them? It would take less than a second to get to the farmhouse in the ship, I mean they got to the moon in less than a second (or around that), so why the hoverbikes? It'd be so easy for Ned and Velma to go in the ship with the others.

[Reply #74 on:]

When they go to look for the Professor, why do they take those hoverbike thingies when the ship is right next to them? It would take less than a second to get to the farmhouse in the ship, I mean they got to the moon in less than a second (or around that), so why the hoverbikes? It'd be so easy for Ned and Velma to go in the ship with the others.

That's the joke: they could be using the mighty spaceship, but they choose to use those funky scooters (which makes for a pretty funny visual). It's like the gag in "The Birdbot of Ice-Catraz, when Bender uses Leela as a toboggan instead of the other way around. Expectations: subverted; laughs: had.

[Reply #75 on:]

I just saw it and I liked it.

[Reply #76 on:]

I felt this episode ruined (well, pretty much) one of the Professor's best lines in the series:

I too once spent a nightmare-ish time in a robot insane aslyum, but now it's nearly over. So long!

The episode felt all over the place. The ending was sweet, but it felt tacked-on like pinned tail on a donkey.

[Reply #77 on:]

I felt this episode ruined (well, pretty much) one of the Professor's best lines in the series:

I too once spent a nightmare-ish time in a robot insane aslyum, but now it's nearly over. So long!

That refers to the Professor visiting Fry and Bender in "Insane in the Membrane", not this episode; the visit was the nightmare.

[Reply #78 on:]

I noticed more consistent characterization in this episode. Specifically, Bender and Hermes have been friends since Lethal Inspection, Hermes even notably hates Zoidberg less, the fact that it was Zoidberg that knew the Professor's parents were still alive, Leela's affinity for movies (Nick Cage, Tron: Legacy, now the Matrix), Scruffy got a nice line, and Fry showed his delivery-boy-ness, determination, and "not-a-complete-dipstick" side. It even gave a cogent explanation for the Professor's mad scientist side. I loved the "futurism" in the episode, especially in virtual retirement. I found the whole idea to be rather cheery. In the future, nobody dies of old age, they just live until they become too old to enjoy reality, then get to enjoy virtual reality for eternity. The fact that Fry and the Professor never actually resolved the initial conflict didn't bother me, because missing an event that someone wants you and expected you to be at isn't the kind of thing that gets resolved in a 22 minute episode; it implies deeper relationship problems, which can and were explored in a 22 minute episode. A few of Leela's lines seemed a bit forced or unnecessary, but there wasn't anything too jagged. Even the pacing was pretty solid too. Most of all, though, was that it told a story worth telling, exploring the trials of a family burdened by illness, that the strength of two parents' love for their children ultimately triumphs.

[Reply #79 on:]

It's awkward how on CGEF, this episode is rated higher than "Fun on a Bun". 

Well, you'll be happy to hear the rating's plummeted to 77%, but I think there may be a 1 spammer at work...