Bender's "Neck"

[on:]

In 'I, Room Mate', on the DVD commentary, DXC explains how they had to "break the rules" with Bender's "neck" when he's slouching on the sofa after staying up all night not drinking. DXC says something like "it looked so sorry we had to break the rules" or something to that extent.

In 'Godfellas', on the dvd commentary someone explains how hard it was to make Bender look onto his chest plate because he has no neck, and they cheat by showing Bender from just abover wherever any neck might have been (or in this case, not been)

HOWEVER

In 'Insane In The Mainframe', when Roberto has the crew tied up at the end, he goes to stab Bender, but Bender dodges the knife by using, what looks like, a very long neck-type contraption killermajig?!?!   

Sorry if this has been posted before!

[Reply #1 on:]

I get what you're saying, though I think it'd look a bit daft if Bender used that skinny neck to look down at his own body for a long period of time. 

[Reply #2 on:]

Sure it looks silly, i agree. I was just confused over the "no neck" at all thing 

[Reply #3 on:]

The makers of Futurama didn't really care about concistancy.

[Reply #4 on:]

A wizard gave him a neck in Godfellas and then took it back. Or something.

[Reply #5 on:]

God dammit!! Enough with the wizard jokes!

[Reply #6 on:]

yeah, wizards are nothing but pure weapons grade belonium.

isn't it obvious the blame lies squarely on fairies and their fairy wand waving ways...

[Reply #7 on:]

 

Originally posted by mazaite:
The makers of Futurama didn't really care about concistancy.

I beg your pardon, please tell me you're joking....?!
Futurama is one of the most consistent shows I've ever seen....do I have to give examples....?

[Reply #8 on:]

It's simple. His neck is INSIDE the top of his chest. So, basically - it allows him to bend his head, yet we never get to see it.

That's the best I can come up with anyway.

[Reply #9 on:]

 

Originally posted by Gleno:
 
I beg your pardon, please tell me you're joking....?!
Futurama is one of the most consistent shows I've ever seen....do I have to give examples....?

Well, let's be honest about the consistancy of Bender, shall we? Bender's abilities and features are constantly changing, which is why he's such a funny and consistant character. I mean, for one episode his chest cabinet is an EZ-bake oven, for another it contains oxygen masks and for another he stores a miniture piano in it. His mouth can open to swallow beer bottles, produce flaming belches, function as a tape recorder and read credit cards. His eyeballs extend, produce bright lights and function as cameras.

 So the fact that Bender has a neck in one episode to dodge Roberto's stabbing but is never seen again is just one of Bender's many one off tricks. If anything, it's consistent for Bender's body to be inconsistent. 

[Reply #10 on:]

 

Originally posted by Gleno:
 
I beg your pardon, please tell me you're joking....?!
Futurama is one of the most consistent shows I've ever seen....do I have to give examples....?

Man you must really watch some shit to think Futurama is very consistent. I can give examples, Barring Bender's neck there's, the layout of the PE ship and Building, constant undermining of character development by the writers, all of Mouse On Venus' statememts. The  entire universe was maleable to suit a single joke on that show.

[Reply #11 on:]

Maybe I was drunk....
Certain aspects of characters are inconsistent ok I agree....I was just reffering to things like plot lines and how they went back to them later on....

[Reply #12 on:]

No... they are usualy pretty bad on those too. Maby you see background refrences or the occasional derivitave re-use of a gag. But no, Plot lines seem to have some of the worst problems. Leela & Fry, Bender's goals, the level of decrepidation of the professor, the list goes on. Sure it's more coherent then the simpsons is these days (or ever?) but ya know, it's not Babylon 5 consistant either.

[Reply #13 on:]

So what're you implying? Laziness?

[Reply #14 on:]

No just the higher focus on a laugh then concistancy

[Reply #15 on:]

 

Originally posted by mazaite:
No... they are usualy pretty bad on those too. Maby you see background refrences or the occasional derivitave re-use of a gag. But no, Plot lines seem to have some of the worst problems. Leela & Fry, Bender's goals, the level of decrepidation of the professor, the list goes on. Sure it's more coherent then the simpsons is these days (or ever?) but ya know, it's not Babylon 5 consistant either.

I guess you have a point, after seeing TMLH and seeing Bender become younger I agree with you....(Brilliant ep though)
At least they try though....

[Reply #16 on:]

I reckon they've achieved a pretty good balance really- things like Bender's chest cavity are deliberately inconsistent for the good of the show, and maybe some minor details are forgotten, but IMO the writers do a good job with major character and plot development.

[Reply #17 on:]

 

Originally posted by Gleno:
 I guess you have a point, after seeing TMLH and seeing Bender become younger I agree with you....(Brilliant ep though)
At least they try though....

Well you know what, whilst the Bender getting younger thing is a continuity error, I would say that it's for the better because if Bender just stayed in the same form throughout whilst all the other PE members were changing form, it just wouldn't have been as funny or memorable.

[Reply #18 on:]

Yeah you're right, baby Bender is so darn cute  heh-heh

[Reply #19 on:]

Part of the point of Bender's chest cabinet is that it's inconsistent.

(Commentary from 1ACV13)
Matt Groening: "I love Bender's chest cabinet.  It's like Felix's bag of tricks - we can do anything we want."

[Reply #20 on:]

i have to say they arent lazy, you know the planet Omicron Persei 8, that is 1000 light years away, they researched that, there is a star 1000 light year away called omicron persei, with something like 12 planet revolving around it called omicron persei 1-12, thats not really lazy, if you listen to the comentaries on the DVD, they reasearch into alot of things, things you dont really pay attention to its pretty cool when you do see these things.