Thoughts on 7ACV24 - Murder on the Planet Express - SPOILERS

[Reply #160 on:]

I'm flattered that you're intimidated by my opinion to this extent.

I'm 23, have a full head of hair, I'm not even remotely angry when I talk about anything - especially Futurama (I'm very laid back), one night stands are almost never as good as "overall sex" standards because they're awkward and clunky compared to when you "click" with someone after a few times and get comfortable with each other's individualities and rhythms - something I'm sure you'd be aware of if you'd actually had sex, yourself - and I don't have pictures of windmills on my walls.

5/10 by Solid Gold Bender's post standards, 2/10 by overall internet standards

That was a bit harsh, but your reviews are rather harsh too

[Reply #161 on:]

Yeah, the picture is kind of Unnecessary.

Everybody has their agreements and disagreements.

[Reply #162 on:]

I'm not attacking an individual when I give a "harsh" review.

At worst, I might offend someone who worked on the show, but if I worked on Futurama, then fan-criticism wouldn't bother me at all because I'd be fucking awesome because I'd be someone that works on Futurama.

[Reply #163 on:]

This episode might be my favorite in 7B. I found it very funny. Meanwhile will be awesome.

[Reply #164 on:]

This episode might be my favorite in 7B. I found it very funny. Meanwhile will be awesome.

Definitely my favorite of this half-season.
I've loved this season so far. I've had to change my favorite of the season four times already!

[Reply #165 on:]

I found Murder on the Planet Express to be better. I like the path it took.

[Reply #166 on:]

I liked it. Not as much as some of the others this half-season. But that's not a bad thing when this half-season has been particularly strong.

[Reply #167 on:]

I'm not attacking an individual when I give a "harsh" review.

At worst, I might offend someone who worked on the show, but if I worked on Futurama, then fan-criticism wouldn't bother me at all because I'd be fucking awesome because I'd be someone that works on Futurama.

Mr. Turnip, you seem like a reasonably intelligent fellow, and while I don't often agree with you, I can at least respect the fact that you're able to articulate your disdain rather than just resorting to "BOOOO THIS SHIT SUCKS" like a lot of people have. Though having said that, the general consensus on these past few episodes has been extremely positive, and I can't help but garner the impression that you're being awfully cynical in some of your reviews - possibly going into the episodes with pre-existing negative connotations that then affect your perception of the quality. If you hated most of the season thus far, and there was a genuinely great episode that popped up - one that even you yourself would have enjoyed in the original run - your opinion of that could be deferred significantly merely by how you choose to go into it. If you're already in "cynical critic" mode when the episode begins, you're only going to focus on what you didn't like and what didn't work. I feel a lot of people here look at the Fox run through rose-coloured glasses and then judge the CC run far too harshly. Even at its best, the show is never completely perfect, and even at its worst, the show never reaches true awfulness. Don't get me wrong, you're entitled to your own opinion as much as 'm entitled to mine, but when an episode gets a near-unanimous positive reception from its fanbase and you're still shitting on it, do you not consider that your own disposition might be factoring in just a little?

And SGB's picture was pretty damn funny. If you can't laugh at yourself, what CAN you laugh at?

Anyway, whatever everyone else thought, I've enjoyed 7B for the most part despite a few mis-steps along the way, and feel it's definitely shaping up to be one of the strongest collection of episodes from the CC run (and possibly ever, if it can keep up this quality for the rest of the season). I'm incredibly grateful that Comedy Central was able to give me 52 more episodes of one of my favourite shows, even if they were a little more hit-or-miss than I'm used to (which I'll chalk up to the smaller budget and the inevitable shakiness that comes from rebooting a cancelled series several years after the fact). I look forward to the final two installments, and will most certainly miss the show when it ends. And nothing anyone posts on the internet can change that for me.

[Reply #168 on:]

I'm just not impressed on my first run-through of these episodes.

As I've repeatedly pointed out; I loved the movies and season 6, so I don't think there's any real issue with viewing the older episodes through rose-tinted glasses when it comes to my opinion.

It's just that there's always been a lot of little things that have bugged me with Futurama - mostly since it's come back - and prior to season 7, the good has always vastly outweighed the bad. It just feels like now, the bad is starting to overpower the good stuff.

Anyway, I wouldn't say I've given the last couple of episodes particularly bad reviews. I said that they were fairly average episodes of the show in the grand scheme of things but very good TV overall. I had to focus on the negatives in my review because every other review is nothing but singing their praise, so I sort of feel like I need to justify not being blown away by them. "Game of Tones" left me rather cold and it's possible that I've gone into it with a negative headspace, but if that's true, it's only because the first batch of season 7B episodes were bad enough to put me there. Even 7A's first selection of terrible episodes weren't enough to sour me for "Fun on a Bun" and "Viva Mars Vegas".

I've just started re-watched 7B, so I'll see how I feel after a second go around.

[Reply #169 on:]

I found Murder on the Planet Express to be better. I like the path it took.

Definently.

[Reply #170 on:]

I had to focus on the negatives in my review because every other review is nothing but singing their praise, so I sort of feel like I need to justify not being blown away by them.

cyber_turnip, of course there's nothing wrong with disliking/feeling indifferent towards an episode that almost everyone else loved. I mean, natch. But, the sentiment echoed in your remark I quoted above strikes me as off kilter. I'd ask my favorite critic, Roger Ebert, but he's dead. However, I think that man would agree that interspersing positive highlights with the awful gives the critique more credibility. And makes it more consumeable towards those who might completely disagree with you. Anyway, that remark makes me wonder if the sheer volume of PEELers here loving it made you turn the other way.

Sorry, I'm not trying to psychoanalyze you. Like you, I've also found this season a HUGE disappointment. But, the last two episodes have pleasantly exceeded my expectations. The doorway in my heart for a good episode is always open, no matter how much the show breaks my heart, like a misbehaving teenaged son.

[Reply #171 on:]

I'll try and put more emphasis on what I actually did like for the remaining two episodes.

Well, hopefully, I won't have to because I'll just love them loads.

[Reply #172 on:]

7/10

Not bad... it had a very "futuramish" (yes i know i use this term a lot in episodes i like) and enjoyed the create and the chase in classic space-ship alien theme..

Tought what i found confusing was why show the rest of the characters demises? were they part of the game? were they told too they had won at trusting? because Fry and Bender the "only survivors" were told that they won by trusting each other... but the rest "died" by trusting or being fooled... not much point there
also at least the "redshirt" survived... i wasnt expecting that

[Reply #173 on:]

This was an interesting one (interesting good, I'd say). The plot twists were pretty funny and outrageous, totally caught me off guard with the first Professor coming back. I really liked the whole Fry in Bender thing, perhaps a little too much, but he definitely could be the next comic book hero of the futuramaverse lol. I loved all their mashup names, those were good. The ending was...horrible yet...amusing. I should feel bad they killed McMasters, but it was too McFunny!

Great episode, very entertaining, overall I'd give it a nice 9/10.

[Reply #174 on:]

The magic of Futurama. It can get so dark to where you cry, despise the episode, or plain out laugh at it.

I just feel like re-stating that I thought this was a Great episode. Funny, witty, clever, the good ol' futurama I remember. One of the best since it's return in my opinion.

It's at a high 9/10 for me. So close to a 10/10, but a couple parts were gross/disturbing. But it was a mighty fine episode.

[Reply #175 on:]

This was pretty damn enjoyable. I can't find much to complain at. It was silly, sci-fi, strange, and pretty dark at the end. There were a few references to classic sci-fi, some background jokes, and a couple of laugh-out-loud moments.

I expected to hate this one, and went into it thinking that it'd be just awful. But it was a pleasant surprise.

7/10. A solidly entertaining episode, even if it's not one of the all-time greats. Definitely one of the better offerings of season seven, and up there with the better episodes of the new run.

[Reply #176 on:]

Interesting, I thought it would have garnered at least an 8 from you since you gave a 7 to Game of Tones as well, and you seemed to enjoy that one a lot less.

[Reply #177 on:]

Interesting, I thought it would have garnered at least an 8 from you since you gave a 7 to Game of Tones as well, and you seemed to enjoy that one a lot less.

I tend to put a lot of distance between a 7 and an 8, and an immense gap between 8 and 9. A 10/10 is nigh impossible for an episode to garner from me, since it means that it was damn near perfect. Besides which, I did say that I was being generous to GoT.

[Reply #178 on:]

Just out of curiosity, what were you expecting to hate about this one tnuk? I thought this sounded great on paper.

[Reply #179 on:]

Nothing specific. It was just that feeling that it would suck. An initial impression based on absolutely nothing, and I'm glad that I turned out to be wrong.

[Reply #180 on:]

48.429329956132988


Story
Murder on the Planet Express offered us a unique serving within the Futurama-verse. There was plenty of science fiction with good horror elements while staying faithful to the feel and formula familiar to Futurama fans. The visuals, audio, and voice acting were all well-done and added to the suspense and tension. It was nice to see Futurama take on a creepy and suspenseful tone, rather than a goofy tone over an eerie backdrop.

On top of that, there were really no issues to be had here. This episode had good pacing; Act 1 was a bit slow, but once the action got rolling in Act 2, it was non-stop fun-fun. There were no plotholes. While some of the plot twists were a little predictable, there were plenty of other twists that were genuinely surprising -- especially when you were trying to guess what would happen next and you turned out to be wrong!


Plot
This episode was truly engaging. It kept me interested the whole way through and managed to surprise me on several occasions. I especially loved the adventurous feel of the pairs' exploits. Bender's gyroscope melting was a unique twist that was both a factor and product of the characters' natural interactions. I also like that Zoidy's ink finally gets used as a plot device rather than a mere joke!

The ending was pretty dark and it was expertly pulled off. I thought throughout Acts 1 and 2 that the deaths would be either fake or reversable, as in almost all of the other deaths we have seen in this series. It is, perhaps strangely, refreshing to see that Dan McMasters' death was real, permanent, canon, true, irreversable, etc. How many semi-important characters (ones that have at least played a role in a story arc) have been killed off? Billy West and Dan McMasters?

But most importantly, it managed to keep the crew alive (even Jackie Jr.!) without any use of deus ex machina.


Funny
This episode was funny pretty consistently throughout the episode. There were a couple of jokes that didn't really work for me, but nearly all of them were spot on. The Professor repeating the Professor Monster's speech in Act 3 was quite humorous. Fry stretching out into Bender was creepy and weird and gross. I especially appreciate how Dan McMasters was overly confident and upbeat. His characterizations both satirized real-life motivational professionals and led to his downfall and demise.

All in all, the humor was fresh and consistent, with very few missteps.

My favorite line from this episode: I've always had ears. / No, you haven't. / Alright, fine, you got me. I can't keep track of every detail! (Eats Amy)


Characters
All of the characters were in-character and appropriately used. This episode even pitted characters against each other in duos. I think it would have been more interesting to see the characters feuding and paired off in other combinations, however. We see Fry and Bender interact constantly. We see Leela and Amy insulting each other often. Hermes' hatred towards Zoidberg has been explored since early in Season 1. I really enjoyed the Friender, Lamy, and Hermberg interactions and the jokes they offered, but I think this may have been a missed opportunity to further develop lesser-seen character interactions.


Classic
Despite trekking new territory and tropes, Murder on the Planet Express seemed pretty classic to me. Granted, the classic episodes would have probably taken a much more light-hearted approach to the story, but the characters all seemed true to themselves and true to their original era roots.

Leela beating up the monster was a good showing of classic, fearless, excessively violent Leela. Fry and Bender being incapable of testing each other for authenticity was a nice touch and spoke to their foolishness while also exhibiting the closeness of their friendship. I personally especially enjoyed Scruffy in this episode. He was hilariously down on himself in his quips regarding the insect he killed. He was also especially mysterious, having hired an apprentice with no explanation or plausible necessity. I am very happy to see him once again unable to recognize or name someone on the Planet Express crew.


Visuals
The horror setting gave this episode a new light to explore visually. The Futurama crew and the folks at Rough Draft Korea again excelled in Murder on the Planet Express, which is especially noteable because this episode was inherently different and limiting based on its concept -- the bulk of the episode was in outer space and in the Planet Express ship.

Highlights of the visuals in this episode were both artistic and technological in nature. I really enjoyed seeing the 3D-rendered stars at the start of Act 2 as the Planet Express ship is flying through space and Dan McMasters is starting his schpeal. I also loved seeing new parts of the interior of the ship. (I wonder how big the ship would actually have to be to include everything we've seen in it since 1ACV01...) The art style in the dark basement where Leela and Amy are walking by flashlight was especially inspired.


Gripes
There's not much to complain about with this episode, especially considering that a considerable amount of episodes from the new run have suffered from poor pacing, plot holes, apparent shock value humor, and deus ex machina.

As a very minor complaint, I would say that the mystery trope elements were laid on a little thick in the first act. Suspenseful music, half-closed eyes, evil laughs, accusations, misleads, etc., were a bit overused. I also did not particularly enjoy seeing Leela eat Fry's kidney or Amy's jockstrap/thong line. Ew. Gross. They could have cut that line, for all I care.


Highlights
 • Number Nine's overuse of all four appendages was delightful and fun.
 • The Eye of Providence poster in Number Nine's Discount Spy Store.
 • Remote 15" floppy disk. Fuuutuuure…
 • Who said that!?
 • Alright people... and other things!
 • Yet still I feel empty inside.
 • Yep. And yet what did it solve? What did the violence solve?
 • No wonder my urine smells like a meal!
 • A Wreck-It Ralph! cameo! Yay! I love this movie, which was directed by Futurama's own Rich Moore.
 • (Visibly annoyed) I hope you're happy!
 • Ooor, we could not do that!
 • The name of the game is Candy Land.
 • The monster/character keeps a cool, nonchalant expression after obviously "eating" another person.
 • Friender. Lamy. Hermberg.
 • You fend off the creature with kicks and farts.
 • Zoidberg and Monster Zoidberg's exchange. Is it me, maybe? (Reveal that it's the other one.) Aww...
 • "McMasters McMissing"
 • Friender, Friender, Friender! Friender, Friender, Friender! (Callback to Bender, Bender, Bender! Bender, Bender, Bender! from Benderama.)
 • I also liked that Fry and Bender spoke (and sang) in perfect synchronicity while donned as Friender.
 • Bender somersaulting directly to the monster.


Overall
Murder on the Planet Express treads new territory and does not disappoint.
9/10

Addendum.

[Reply #181 on:]

I think this one starts off ok, but the ending doesn't really work for me. The kidney thing was gross and the constant devouring scenes were more scary looking than funny.


The whole trust building exercise thing ends up not making a lot of sense after the twist.

I don't think you need McMasters and the hitchhiker. Just have McMasters be a "corporate shape shifter" or whatever that the Professor hired for the trust building exercise. The exercise begins onboard the ship when the "monster" seemingly devours the Professor. Instead of having the crew being picked off one by one (which makes no sense when you are trying to build trust) have the Professor's intent be that they should work together to overcome the Thing. Of course, things go terribly wrong and all of the crew turn on one another instantly due to their mistrust.  In the end the Professor's plan fails spectacularly and he reappears, along with McMasters, to bemoan the failure of his plan. However, he snatches victory from the jaws of defeat when the crew simultaneously blast McMasters because they are still terrified and deeply paranoid. Ironically, the trust building exercise inadvertently worked; they have to trust each other now, because they are all guilty of the same crime and  can't rat each other out without exposing themselves.


Yeah, that version sucks too. Oh, well. You read it and you can't unread it.