The Fourth Wall

[on:]

Never seen a thread like this, so here goes, how do we feel about Futurama breaking the fourth wall?

It happened A LOT in the game, the only other time I can think of it happening is in ITWGY and the comic issue 'Your Mother Wears Pilot Boots'.

[Reply #1 on:]

The show leaned on the fourth wall during the opening of Bender's Big Score.

"What does this mean for us and our many fans?"

[Reply #2 on:]

Yeah I forgot about that one too.

[Reply #3 on:]

Off the top of my head...

There was also the opening sequence in Rebirth, the oblique reference in TLOTE, and perhaps intentionally, perhaps not, the fourth wall was given a tiny prod in the pilot.

It's nothing new. Little jabs at the fourth wall are part of Futurama's established... um... the French have a name for it... a certain...

Oh, I really don't know what.

But I could probably find more if I sat down with my DVDs and made an effort. Which I'm not going to do, since I don't really think it's necessary. Futurama often uses the fourth wall to support part of the set, as it were. If it took until TSOTC for you to spot it, then you're obviously not part of the audience demographic to which those jokes were addressed (ie: people who read TV  tropes and have an appreciation for subtle pokes at the medium through which a story is being told).

[Reply #4 on:]

and perhaps intentionally, perhaps not, the fourth wall was given a tiny prod in the pilot.

What was that?

[Reply #5 on:]

and perhaps intentionally, perhaps not, the fourth wall was given a tiny prod in the pilot.

What was that?

Go watch it and figure it out. I'm done spoonfeeding the clueless. It's a thankless task and accomplishes nothing.

[Reply #6 on:]

Go watch it and figure it out. I'm done spoonfeeding the clueless. It's a thankless task and accomplishes nothing.

Grow up.

[Reply #7 on:]

Your maturity and wisdom have swayed my heart and changed my mind.

* tnuk repents of all his sins and becomes a nun.

[Reply #8 on:]

As an official Discordian Pope, I hereby canonize tnuk as a Saint, Second Class.

[Reply #9 on:]

As an official Discordian Pope, I hereby canonize tnuk as a Saint, Second Class.

Wrong decision.

[Reply #10 on:]

Enough of this nunsense! Seriously, tnuk, what moment in the pilot are you referring to? I can think of a few possibilities, but I'm probably wrong. (And I like being spoon-fed, but only because being fork-fed can be dangerous if the feeder has bad aim.)

[Reply #11 on:]

Wrong decision.

I now excommunicate and deexcommunicate you.

[Reply #12 on:]

The show leaned on the fourth wall during the opening of Bender's Big Score.

"What does this mean for us and our many fans?"

Also when Bender literally breaks the fourth Wall by looking into the camera "And I bet it's gonna get a lot more confusing."

[Reply #13 on:]

Enough of this nunsense! Seriously, tnuk, what moment in the pilot are you referring to?

The one I was thinking of was a freeze-frame joke...

Show spoiler

Futurama staff in the head museum - more of a case of the author stepping through the fourth wall than the show breaking it, which is why I called it a possibly-intentional "prod". I mean, I don't recall whether they specifically wrote that in as a gag, or the animation staff were having fun. I was going to watch the pilot with commentary to ascertain whether it was an intentional prod at the fourth wall, but the DVD player is currently in use. Parents and sister watching some film that doesn't finish for another hour. No, I don't have a DVD thingy in my netbook.

As an official Discordian Pope, I hereby canonize tnuk as a Saint, Second Class.

Don't you have to be dead to be canonized?

[Reply #14 on:]

Also when Bender literally breaks the fourth Wall by looking into the camera "And I bet it's gonna get a lot more confusing."

I don't recall, I just remember him saying it outloud.

[Reply #15 on:]

Ah, thanks for clearing that up, tnuk. (And yeah, I was right: None of the moments I was thinking of were the moment to which you were referring.)

And as far as breaking the fourth wall in general goes: I don't mind it if it's done subtly--but if the writers call too much attention to what they're doing, it kind of cheapens the episode (and, in a way, the series itself) by meddling with my ever-so-fragile suspension of disbelief.

[Reply #16 on:]

Don't you have to be dead to be canonized?

Not according to the Principa Discordia. Now stop questioning my retroactive infalliblity!

[Reply #17 on:]

Ah, thanks for clearing that up, tnuk. (And yeah, I was right: None of the moments I was thinking of were the moment to which you were referring.)

And as far as breaking the fourth wall in general goes: I don't mind it if it's done subtly--but if the writers call too much attention to what they're doing, it kind of cheapens the episode (and, in a way, the series itself) by meddling with my ever-so-fragile suspension of disbelief.

Agreed completely.  I think you totally understand the series.

[Reply #18 on:]

And I don't understand sarcasm, so thank you very much, winna! What a nice thing to say!

[Reply #19 on:]

Enough of this nunsense! Seriously, tnuk, what moment in the pilot are you referring to? I can think of a few possibilities, but I'm probably wrong. (And I like being spoon-fed, but only because being fork-fed can be dangerous if the feeder has bad aim.)

It's why I lost my job at the local nursery.  I mean jesus I brought the girl a pink eyepatch but nooo... some people are never satisfied. 

[Reply #20 on:]

As an official Discordian Pope, I hereby canonize tnuk as a Saint, Second Class.

Don't you have to be dead to be canonized?

Nope, you only need to have suffered a lot.

Hail Eris!

[Reply #21 on:]

And I don't understand sarcasm, so thank you very much, winna! What a nice thing to say!

I actually wasn't being sarcastic.  I read a lot of your opinions yesterday across various threads about how the show operates, and I agree with many of them. :blink:

[Reply #22 on:]

1. Groening's head in a jar in the Pilot and elsewhere, as pointed out by TNUK

2. The characters drawn to look like the writers in the internet scenes in A Bicyclops Built for Two (like the one drawn like Cohen when Fry zaps him in the video game). And also similarly kinda the fact that they spoofed Katey Sagal's character in Married..With Children with Leela in that episode.

3. The opening sequence of Bender's Big Score when they talk about the "incompetent morons" who cancelled them at the "BOX" network, and the B fades in and out to an F.

4. The ending of ITWGY when they don't know what is going to happen to them after this.

5. The opening sequence of Rebirth, and even the name of the episode itself.

It's been a while since I saw the older Futurama, I will have to have a look again to find other stuff as I am sure there is.

[Reply #23 on:]

Bender names Futurama as one of his favourite shows at the end of "Bender Should Not Be Allowed on TV".

[Reply #24 on:]

Yea, I saw that. I always hated when cartoons knew they were on a show. It bugs mah a lot.

[Reply #25 on:]

It's just fun.

[Reply #26 on:]

I like fourth wall!  It's very funny!  Even other shows like Boston Legal used to do it.

[Reply #27 on:]

4th wall is fun

[Reply #28 on:]

4th wall is fun

I'm not huge fan of breaking the fourth wall.

[Reply #29 on:]

I'm not huge fan of breaking the fourth wall.

Depends on the extent to which it's done, and how seriously the piece should be taken in the first place. I love subtle meta humour that still makes total sense in context, but outright destruction of the fourth wall generally grates me.

[Reply #30 on:]

I'm not huge fan of breaking the fourth wall.

Depends on the extent to which it's done, and how seriously the piece should be taken in the first place. I love subtle meta humour that still makes total sense in context, but outright destruction of the fourth wall generally grates me.

Same here. I mean, c'mon, would you like someone video-taping your life, and turning it into a t.v. show? I don't think characters would let it happen if they knew they were on a show, if that makes any sense.

[Reply #31 on:]

 The movie Scream took it too far.

[Reply #32 on:]

The movie Scream took it too far.

The virgin never dies!

Look behind you! Look behind you!

[Reply #33 on:]

Everything is about Scream with you two nowadays,  Enough! 

[Reply #34 on:]

We should buy them a time machine for Christmas so they can go back to a time when their Scream obsession would actually make them fit in.

[Reply #35 on:]

We should buy them a time machine for Christmas so they can go back to a time when their Scream obsession would actually make them fit in.

We should buy you a time machine to go back to when Hippie Toad avatars were cool.

[Reply #36 on:]

There was a time when Hippie Toad avatars were cool?

[Reply #37 on:]

 All I know is that a I'd really love a time machine, because 'this isn't a movie, it's real life.'

Show spoiler

Quote from Scream

[Reply #38 on:]

It's no fun if planet express can't afford the 4 wall, they're going out of business constantly anyway.

[Reply #39 on:]

I think a bit of prodding at the 4th wall can be a good thing every now and then. Futurama seems to be very "Carol Burnettish" in the way its done. (Burnett was constantly mugging  and staring at the camera, but never blatantly breaking the wall) It's not a common Futurama occurrence, but it can provide some good entertainment when it happens.

My personal favorite is in ITWGY when Bender says "No, Fry's crazy in this one."