Thoughts on [3ACV12] - The Route of all Evil

[Reply #40 on:]

 

Originally posted by Nixorbo:
 And yet here we are:

Well, sure! Let the good doctor have a drink! If it were for me, he would get his own show in which he could do all the things he always wanted to do!

Ooooh, and there could be a spinoff in which he can be whatever he wants as well. 

Incidentally, merely two good lines for Dr. Zoidberg weren't exactly helping my rating for this episode either. 

[Reply #41 on:]

::Blinks::
::Rereads your original post::
::Hits self::

[Reply #42 on:]

Dwight did the impossible! His teaming with Cubert made the latter good!   

Prelimanary opinion: good episode, some good jokes. Some minor quips about Leela and Farnsworth, but other wise great.

It's late (2.45 Am, work start in 4 hours, sleep now), I'll post a more in depth thingy tomorrow, but for now 8.5/10.

[Reply #43 on:]

I didn't really like it :/

Can't explain, just wasn't "good", but I guess just seeing any new episode makes me feel good.

[Reply #44 on:]

I thought it was average. The first half was funny, but the second was crappy.

Best quote:

Prof: Accusing honost Bender of a misdeed!?! That's the last straw!

[Reply #45 on:]

I think this was a mediocre episode. It wasn't as funny as most other Futurama episodes, but it wasn't boring either  The plot was a little bit experimental (at last); maybe too much with the kids now and then, but it was overall a strong 2 (average).

[Reply #46 on:]

Yes yes.. Zoidy want his own show! 

[Reply #47 on:]

Hey, I forgot to review this episode. I thought it was alright. It reminded me of A Leela Of Her Own, in the sense that I didn't have very high hopes for it, but it ended up being alright. Boring story, crappy kids, but it had some good gags. It's good to see that they've finally finished up the 3acv episodes.

[Reply #48 on:]

 

Originally posted by Bendo:
Did anyone catch the closing credits? Was Kath Soucie invovled in this episode at all? The reason that I ask is that the Fox website had labeled Dawnn Lewis as providing the voice for Cubert this time around and it did sound a little different during the episode it just didn't sound different enough. Anybody catch the closing credits to verify one way or another?
RM
PS, loved Dwight although I wish he had more of an accent like Hermes and LaBarbara. I think that would have been more fun. Anybody catch that the Conrad home looked alot like the Huxtables residence?

Bendo was right!!! when he quoted Dwight     we thought he was a lucky bastard   

[Reply #49 on:]

...so after 2 years and 2 months, the 3rd season finally comes to an end... 

Actually I thought it was a pretty funny episode, the best of "Season 5" to date.  I liked the bit where Cubert and Dwight's intergalactic spaceship turns out to be the equivalent of a pedal bike, not to mention the Professor's "cheek seeking" kiss. 

I thought the whole Bender/beer/pregnancy thing was less interesting, but it was worth it just for Leela's line "Beer is very, very bad for you... until you turn 21.  Then it becomes very, very good for you".

[Reply #50 on:]

The beer plot was the best bit! I loved this episode. All the jokes at the espense of both adults and children kept me chuckling.

[Reply #51 on:]

All the pregnancy gags were funny as hell.  The two kids were annoying (like two normal kids, really), but I thought the episode was a good one.

Jurassic Bark edges it out as the best of the Sky Episodes aired so far.

[Reply #52 on:]

*Bumped from down-unda*
It was good to see a partly Dwight oriented episode, even if it wasn't exceptional.
7/10
I'm going to bed...

[Reply #53 on:]

Yay another new ep in Australia....!
I thought it was cool, plenty of laughs and the plot and subplot were both funny....I must be the only person who likes Cubert (come on what is so annoying.. his voice....? no way)

Bender pregnant was hilarious, especially when he was knitting a beer bottle 

I've only watched it once, I'll edit my post after I've seen it a few more times....but I loved seeing where fellow PEELers got their avy's from, and Fry's funniest line ever, which I've seen posted here before had me laughing all the way into the ad break....

"No I'm....doesn't"            

[Reply #54 on:]

 

but I loved seeing where fellow PEELers got their avy's from

Really? 

[Reply #55 on:]

Not just you, Leela in the hat and short pants, I can't remember who has it....somebody should have pregnant Bender though....classic....!

[Reply #56 on:]

I just thought I'd mention that Route of All Evil will be shown on Cartoon Network tonight.   

[Reply #57 on:]

This episode was great!My favorite character Labarbara was in it!!!!!She is so cool.Dwight should have a accent like Labarbara and Hermes.The Conrad house is cool.

[Reply #58 on:]

I get it, you posted in a thread that hadn't been posted in for 2 years. nice one!

[Reply #59 on:]

yeah i love me too when bender is pregnant

[Reply #60 on:]

Bumping for the review project.

I like this episode quite a bit. The subplot with the trio is absolute gold. It's funny, it keeps all three wonderfully in character and playing off each other expertly ("I don't know how to tell you this, so I'm just going to let Fry blurt it out thoughtlessly"), and it's intelligent. I love the Professor's voice machine and the madness that ensues, particularly the scene where the crew returns ("Accusing innocent Bender of a misdeed?") which is unexpectedly hilarious.

I, like most, am not really a Cubert fan, nor am I much of a Dwight fan, but when the two are put together, it creates an interesting dynamic. I thought the premise of this one was good. Cubert had some great, great lines ("Maybe we should start a fire." "You've compressed our lunches to a singularity for the last time!" "...I'm 12." "My old friends, Stretch Pants, No Pants, and Idiot!")

And, of course, Fry's "No I'm... doesn't."

Only complaint about this is the last four minutes take a turn for the worse. It just gets boring after the trio's role wraps up.

9/10. I've always liked this one a lot.

[Reply #61 on:]

Also a fan of this episode. Not a big Cubert-Dwight fan either, but the combination of the two work really well in this one. I really enjoyed the main plot involving Awesome Express, and it was a concept that was explored in an entertaining way. Sure, the way it plays out might be a tad predictable, but I'm sure from the start you'd know that things are bound to go back to normal by the end of the episode.

I also liked the side-combination of Hermes and the Professor. Funny to see the two together, being the two Planet Express parents. Good use of cameos from other minor characters too (H.G. Blob, Scruffy and LaBarbara).

The subplot with Benderbrau was okay, and a good number of jokes came out of it. But for me, it was less interesting and entertaining as the main plot.

Overall, a fun little episode, with a lot of good humor that kept me entertained.

8.5/10

[Reply #62 on:]

Watched again last night, still a good solid ep. It has a different vibe to pretty much any other Futurama ep, quite unique and light-hearted. I guess perhaps due to the focus on Cubert and Dwight. Cubert had some great lines, but is toned down a little compared to his first appearance which is a shame...

Although I still enjoy this ep and get a kick out of it, I guess it's not the most amazing ep ever. Bender's pregnancy was great and all, as was the teaming up of the Professor and Hermes which worked well. Nice seeing a decent bit of the Blob family too. Sal was used well in this ep. Star Wars joke was good; I hadn't seen Star Wars when I first reviewed this ep. Right now I'm giving it an...

8/10

[Reply #63 on:]

I loved the Little Prince.

I think Dwight looks rather cute, like an ideal little brother.  

I also loved LeBarbera's line: "Now now, let's give the little vermin a chance to explain themselves!" 

[Reply #64 on:]

Oh yeah, the Little Prince reference! That was clever and amusing.

Too much would suck, but I do like the duo of Cubert and Dwight. They are not used frequently so it keeps episodes like this feeling fresh and a little different.

I like how this episode is focused in NNY and in Planet/Awesome Express. I love the crazy sci-fi and the new planets and such too, but it is nice every once in a while to just hang around NNY for the majority of an episode.

Cubert's character has changed a lot and I like it best in this episode, I think. His original role as a lampshader was nice and I wish that was still around, but he was suck a little dick in his first episode and he is more likable here.

[Reply #65 on:]

I love the Professor's voice machine and the madness that ensues, particularly the scene where the crew returns ("Accusing innocent Bender of a misdeed?") which is unexpectedly hilarious.

Lies! Lies and slander! The line was "Accusing GENTLE Bender of a misdeed", which is even more funny. If he had merely said "innocent", the joke would have been "yeah, Bender's the bad guy, so he's the exact opposite". With "gentle" however it's both absurd, soo not true and in effect, really, really funny.

I agree that this episode had a light-hearted feeling about it because of the focus on the two children and a storyline that focusses on parenting. On the other hand, that really kind of dragged the episode down a little. I wasn't too fond of the paper route scene and I must disagree with the other reviewers. The Little Prince reference was a good idea perhaps, but it wasn't executed very well. Especially when they deliver the papers a second time around and he is shot of his planet... I don't know, I felt like that was the most uninspired reference there is: One that doesn't add anything to the plot, isn't too funny and is just there for the sake of being there. Generally, the ending bored me more than a little. I liked Blop Jr. and his interaction with Dwight and Cubert, but I didn't like his dad at all. It was a nice idea to incorporate him into the story, but it kind of fell flat. "Hey, I'm going to eat/kill you guys!" "Hey, I'm suddenly sorry for eating you and need to act ouf-of-character so we can wrap this story up."

The side story... it was funny, but uninspired. I really dislike "oh-so-funny" male pregnancy stories. The worst one ever was done by the Cleveland Show, but that abomination of a show really doesn't deserve any mention at all. That Futurama one was okay, but I still don't like it when they adjust reality so they can fit in their pregnancy jokes. Bender worrying about his looks was not like him at all and I also didn't like the "birth scene". Why would sucking out some liquid out of your body induce any pain at all? That said, it had a lot of funny moments. I absolutely loved the Bendërbrau label, for example. Generally, I like more everydaylike plots that focus on Fry, Leela and Bender. The "So I'll let Fry blurt it out thoughtlessly" line you mentioned was hilarious and as you said made good use of the characters. I just didn't like the (very, very forced) concept of Bender "getting pregnant" and the main story was funny at times, but ultimately not that interesting.

7/10

[Reply #66 on:]

I'M SORRY I'M SORRY don't hit me

Yeah, I see where you're coming from. Perhaps I found the sideplot too funny so I overlooked those errors. Actually, I think that's exactly what I did. Admittedly, Bender was perhaps a bit out of character, but that didn't glare at me.

[Reply #67 on:]

If I had super powers, I would reach into the past, and swap every idea for the Cleveland Show with an abandoned chinese baby girl.  Unlike baby orientals, the Cleveland show does deserve to die on a hillside.

[Reply #68 on:]

I thought Bender's pregnancy tied in nicely with the overarching theme of fatherhood and nurturing one's offspring. I mean, a lot of it was silly, like the birth scene, but it made the episode "of a piece," as my college creative writing professor would say. Like, the side plot felt unified with the main plot.

With that said, while I liked this ep, it doesn't blow me away like "Bicyclops" does. For those of you old enough to have watched The Brady Bunch, Dwight and Cubert seemed to be Futurama's version of "Cousin Oliver" (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Brady_Bunch_characters#Cousin_Oliver if you really want to know). I like them as secondary characters, but they just aren't compelling enough to be the central characters of an entire episode.

I did love the Little Prince reference, and I really dug the montage with the "old timey" music. Oh, and Cubert's frantic dodging of Farnsworth blown kisses--very precious.

6.5/10

[Reply #69 on:]

I have mixed feelings about this episode. On the one hand, the subplot is absolutely brilliant and hilarious and easily one of my favorite, just-for-laughs stories the show has ever done. I love the dynamic between Fry, Leela, and Bender, and it's great to see it explored in such a lighthearted way. The beer-brewing stuff inspires some of my favorite one-liners ever ("We can all fight when we're drunk" (and, actually, the entire first scene); "No I'm...doesn't"; "Alcohol is very, very bad--for children. But once you turn twenty-one, it becomes very, very good"; "I hope it's a lager, so I can take it to a ball game!"), and I just really enjoy that part of the episode.

The Dwight/Cubert-Hermes/Farnsworth A-story is a bit more hit-or-miss. On the one hand, it's nice to see some of the secondary characters being utilized (I've never really had a problem with Dwight or Cubert, and season six has given me an even greater appreciation for the latter)--but, on the other hand, some of the father-knows-best stuff seems too trite and sitcom-y to me. I know that a lot of the usual life lessons you might get in, say, The Brady Bunch are subverted here (apologizing with cheap words; secretly being thrilled to see your children fail; getting your ass kicked by another father; imparting a life lesson and seeing that your children haven't absorbed a word of it)--but still. I can't get past some of the cutesy stuff.

That said, there are some funny moments in the main story. Dwight and Cubert have a very realistic and childish rapport, and to a certain extent I enjoy watching them interact. And Hermes and Farnsworth's dual parenting is cool to see. I'd say that watching the crew member's reactions to Dwight and Cubert's scheming is much more entertaining than watching the hijinks themselves (in particular, I love Leela's run about the two boys getting a talking to...from their father...when he got home from the Senate).

But, yeah--criticisms aside, I still like this one quite a bit. It's a solid 7.5/10, and easily one of the series' most underrated episodes.

Also--and this is neither here nor there--when Cubert was asking Leela to help him attach a flame decal to the ship to make it go faster, all I could think was that in thirty-odd years, the two of them would be married. It disturbed me just a smidge.

[Reply #70 on:]

Also--and this is neither here nor there--when Cubert was asking Leela to help him attach a flame decal to the ship to make it go faster, all I could think was that in thirty-odd years, the two of them would be married. It disturbed me just a smidge.

But they won't, that was in the timeline where Fry, Bender and the Professor went missing.

[Reply #71 on:]

I know tnuk explained all the timeline nonsense from "The Late Philip J. Fry" in another thread, but I can't be bothered to find it right now. At any rate, I'm nearly positive that the entirety of "The Route of All Evil" is part of the timeline that exists at the start of TLPJF (where Fry, Bender, and the Professor are ostensibly killed and Leela winds up marrying Cubert out of desperation). But I am dumb, so I might be wrong there.

[Reply #72 on:]

Also--and this is neither here nor there--when Cubert was asking Leela to help him attach a flame decal to the ship to make it go faster, all I could think was that in thirty-odd years, the two of them would be married. It disturbed me just a smidge.

But they won't, that was in the timeline where Fry, Bender and the Professor went missing.

But this is the timeline where they go missing, yes?

I have that thought ALL THE TIME when I see them together in the original run. I remember one of the first things I did after watching TLPJF the first time was rewatch the scene (from this ep, I think) where Leela's like "if you were my kids, you'd get a talking-to. From your father. When he came home from the Senate." Which was just a funny line before, but now it's like AUGH NO you're going to get MARRIED to this twerp and there's no way in hell he'll be coming home from the Senate. It's kind of saddening.

[Reply #73 on:]

In the context of TLPJF, though, I think it's so telling (but, yes, really sad) that Leela winds up with Cubert. It speaks so beautifully to how emotionally wrecked she is without Fry.

Then again, I didn't have the nasty, they're-gonna-get-married thought during that run about getting a talking-to from your father (which is easily one of my favorite bits of dialogue in the episode); it only really struck me when I saw Cubert specifically calling Leela out to help him with something. But, yeah, I agree that it's a disturbing thought. It's not anything that ruins the episode for me, though; it was more just a funny little look-how-far-the-show-has-come thought I had while watching it this time around. And, I don't know, I think moments like that are sort of neat.

[Reply #74 on:]

I also wondered how Leela could take over planet express, with Cubert inheriting it from the professor. Cubert is not stupid..with Leela doing a good job, he might pick her as CEO.
But remaining the owner, leaning back and collecting the annual revenue is just an too logical decision that he would not make it.

(Yep, sorry Ladies, you talk about emotional stuff, and then an economist comes rushing in and looks for the money... )

[Reply #75 on:]

Well, that depends how the aging thing really works... if Cubert is still twelve at the time of TLPJF, then yeah I guess he'd inherit the company but Leela, with Hermes' help, would pretty easily be able to take it over. It's not like the company isn't already run pretty much entirely by Hermes and Leela.

None of the TLPJF implications ruin this episode for me, either. It's just a bit weird looking back.

[Reply #76 on:]

It's not like the company isn't already run pretty much entirely by Hermes and Leela.

Hermes yes, but I am a  bit sceptical about Leela.
I always got the impression the professor only shared insider informations with Hermes because he absolutely HAD to. Hermes, despite of looking like the friendly, jovial, little fat man, usually acts like a scumbag towards the employees. I cannot really imagine him sharing essential business information with anyone else.
In "Lethal inspection", it always seemed to me he DELIBERATELY choose Leela for this task, knowing she could not complete it.. To have the most competent character fail, just to point out his own importance/competence.
(Might be an overinterpretation on my side, but IRL business, that strategy is far from being unknown or uncommon).
Okay..and this just drifted rather into OT...

[Reply #77 on:]

Leela could have easily have seized control as we have seen she is extremely ruthless when she wants something.

There is the part that Cubert could have decided he doesn't want to inherit his father's failing company and jumped the sinking ship.  Or he resumed his dreams of being a cartoonist rather then an inventor.  Plus it's shown that there were very tough times, and Leela was only able to turn the company around and make it profitable on the skin of her teeth.  The Cubert we saw in TLPJF was a lazy deadbeat, so he probably was happy to let Leela take over the company he couldn't be bothered to save.

[Reply #78 on:]

Well...there is a difference between "seizing control" and "being offered control".
"Seizing control" has -at least for me- some "hostile takeover" aspect.
But I also might just overinterpret Hermes words.

Btw...another thing regarding the "Futurama Aging process":
Leela in 3050 is about 75, and -in that scene- she looks like a 75 year woman, not younger.

[Reply #79 on:]

She must have become depressed and let herself go after Cubert left her