Thoughts on [4ACV15] - The Farnsworth Parabox

[Reply #120 on:]

Bumping this topic slightly...did anyone else notice that Fry 1 looked like Fry's potential replacement from When Aliens Attack?

Har har theres only one TOTPD I can do at a time like this...the bump! :::cough:::

[Reply #121 on:]

I saw The Farnsworth Parabox on Sky 1 tonight, and I have to say that I loved every moment, it's a truely great episode. It makes you laugh (a lot), boggles the mind, and contains brilliant animation (the shot zooming into the box, through the universe, and down to the PE building was excellent).
I don't think i've ever laughed out loud much watching any other Futurama episode (and that's saying something, because I laugh very hard at most episodes). I couldn't stop laughing for 5 minutes after the moment when Hermes pauses and has to think if he should press the button or not. I loved the scene with the two Zoidbergs, as Zoidberg A bows down kissing the other feet!
Also, in the scene where Leela  shouts "I've got sweaty Boot rash!" Everyone in my family laughed, but I laughed realy hard. But then I realised i'd miss-heard, I thought she said "sweaty boob rash!"
Although either way it's still funny.
I know i've said this after each recent episode has aired but this is instantly one of my favourites ever! Season 4 of Futurama may be the last but it's also turning out to be the best!

[Reply #122 on:]

Symmetrical violence is cute! 

Except for "The Why of Fry" this is the best episode of McSeason 5! 

[Reply #123 on:]

I still prefer The Sting but this was a damn fine episode. Had to tape it cos of work.

[Reply #124 on:]

Just an afterthought after rewatching it a minute ago, do you think that the scene where Farnsworth holds the box infront of his chest and everyone jumps inside is a parody of the scene in The Matrix, were Neo jumps inside Agent Smith?

[Reply #125 on:]

Long overdue as an episode, and another example of how Futurama was going from strenght to strenght just beofre the cancellation.

[Reply #126 on:]

This was a good episode. But not as good as "Three Hundred Big Boys"

[Reply #127 on:]

First of all I just have to say how much it sucks that FOX screwed over all you guys by playing the eps in the wrong order....All these shippy eps and Bender eps in a row....

Anyway just saw this last night and god damn what a brilliant episode....! Amazingly hilarious, and so fast paced I missed a lot of things the first time I'm sure....
Is it just me or the first time you see an ep, it moves so fast that it's over before you know it....? 

The opening title was great "Better than a punch in the face" 

I knew Catindisguise got her original avy from this ep, and it was great to finally see it, along with a few other parallel avy's....

The 2 benders were great, I thought more than one would have been annoying but I was wrong...."Bite my glorious golden ass....!" 

Excellent ep, loved it loved it loved it 

Only 3 new ones left to air in Australia....nooooooooooo 

[Reply #128 on:]

You'll have to excuse me digging up this old thread but I've only just watched it for the first time ever, on DVD:

Brilliant ep! Definately one of Futurama's best. A brilliant start with the Professor desperately trying not to blow the Planet Express building up and everybody else completely ignoring it. Calling on Buddha, Zeus, and finally "Satan, you owe me!" Wonderful.

Great to see Leela fending off Fry's advances with any old excuse - and Fry dumb enough to believe her. Sweaty boot rash indeed! And a great Amy bitching joke - her sitting at the opposite end of the room even when Leela's blatently lying! It's only bettered by what I think is the best gag in the ep - Amy/Alternative Amy dissing on each other because one has pink toenails and the other has yellow - Amy is not only at bitching at herself here, and boy, is she obsessed with her own appearance, but she's also an idiot.

The whole parallel universe stuff was great too - great to see an alternative Leela and Fry - married! Boy do they make a cute couple! (and doesn't Leela look gorgeous?! *Sigh*)

Great gags (the Professor/alternate Professor's mindbending gag about destroying the universe: (if you're thinking that I'm thinking that then you must have thought of it first) Brilliant.

Good plot, story, and nice resolution. And maybe a slight shift in Leela's stance towards Fry. Maybe.

Cracking ep. Loved it. A+

[Reply #129 on:]

So like, why was the sky all rainbow-y? And their clothes colours different? Was 90% of stuff based on a coin flip? Even the laws of science?

(PS, not having a go, this is my 3rd favourite episode...)

[Reply #130 on:]

Wouldn't none of them exist, considering how even the outcome of Football games would be different?

Even though this was a great episode, I hate that goof...I hate it so much!

[Reply #131 on:]

I don't think the choice to have sex or not is based on a coin flip...

[Reply #132 on:]

But history would be changed by every little thing that involves a coin flip! To decide who gets the ball in American Football, they flip a coin. If one of Fry's ancestors were watching a game, it would have a different final outcome. That little thing could alter the chance of Fry being born and even making it to the future. That means the professor would never be born too...

And that's just one little thing.

[Reply #133 on:]

I agree with SGB.

We're talking about a universe, here. The entire world would be shaped by such happenings. Imagine the changes springing forth exponentially from one little difference.

[Reply #134 on:]

In other words, Doc's explanation of the different 1985 in Back To The Future...

[Reply #135 on:]

I'm not convinced that the only differences in the universes were due to coin-flips.

Zoidberg being different colours between universes isn't really explainable through coin-flips, for instance. Farnsworth only says that the coin-flip thing is the "principal difference" between their worlds, or something similar.

Although you could ass-pull an explanation for the multiple colours of Zoidberg due to coin-flips with, you know. A coinflip somewhere down the line causing his conception to occur seconds later and this to have the impact on his genetics that influence his colour... or something of that nature.

In other words, Doc's explanation of the different 1985 in Back To The Future...

Minus the time-travel, yes.

[Reply #136 on:]

The odds are still incredibly low, and the odds of it happening for every little aspect? Ugh...

[Reply #137 on:]

If I remember right, at some point in one of the DVD commentaries (probably for this episode), DXC explains that coin flips are the "standard" for random chances in the field of statistics. So perhaps coin flips in this episode are a much broader concept that explicitly stated...? Just a thought...

Also, this episode rules.

[Reply #138 on:]

BUMP for the PEEL Weekly Episode Club - My review will be up very soon...

[Reply #139 on:]

For a long time, this was my favourite episode. It's just great seeing the characters interact with each other, especially the Professor.

Man, I love that funny old guy. Almost everything he says in this episode is pure gold.

[Reply #140 on:]

"The Farnsworth Parabox"


The crew along with their parallel counterparts


We continue the weekly episode club with another classic. While this isn't up to last weeks standards this is still a really great episode. I don't know anyone who doesn't like this episode - It's Universally (and parallel Universally) loved. The plot is very original, and while the parallel Universe plot has been used to death in other shows, this manages to stay fresh and exciting. All the characters had their moment to shine and the highlight of the episode involved the two counterparts interacting.

While the first act is rather slow it does set the story well and provides some fun gags. It really picks up in the second act and the countdown at the end with Hermes was awesome...

• The Professor calling for help was hilarious
• "Crazy ass experiment"
• The narrations my Billy West were great
• "We didn't see anything - Ever!"
• The ending was really funny, one of my favourite gag endings ever
  
  
  This is defiantly one of the best in season four and a definite contender for my top 15. 
  
  
  17/20 (A-)  

[Reply #141 on:]

I forgot to make this post on Sunday. As Boxy said not as good a Parasites lost but still worthy of the top ten. The episode was hilarious!

8/10

[Reply #142 on:]

This is probably my favorite episode. It perfectly balances the usage of the crew members (the two versions of them that is).
It has everything that makes me watch Futurama, it builds from a sci-fi plot, with the science being fairly credible while simultaneously making fun of its absurdness.
It has some of the show's greatest one-liners, Fry sitting on the universe and Hermes asking Leela to "shoot those guys"
I find this episode to be one I always return to when I haven't seen Futurama in a while.
I'm not one for grading episodes, it always depends on what you compare them to. Instead, I end this review with a simple truth.

Show spoiler

perfectly symmetrical violence never solved anything

[Reply #143 on:]

9/10

I really enjoyed this episode. I'd been watching Futurama before, but this was the one that really got me hooked to the show.

[Reply #144 on:]

My friend Sal freaking loves this episode. And I really can't blame him. This was a really great episode. Executed Brilliantly, great jokes, awesome story, this episode had almost everything that defines a perfect Futurama episode.

9.5/10

[Reply #145 on:]

I think this one is slightly overrated.  I really like it, but it's not my very favorite like some people on this site.  The alternate universes are really cool, and it's a pretty funny episode all-throughout. 8.5/10