Dr. Zoidberg. Naughty or Nice?

[on:]

Welcome to the world of tomorrow!

(Had to do it... it's my first topic.)

In "X-Mas Story"; (Those who know me will understand my penchant for the underdog episodes); Robot Santa is dead set on killing everyone, yet he gives Zoidberg a pogo stick as an X-Mas gift.

Are there any other instances in which Zoidberg has shown himself deserving of being one of the only 'people' not to be considered naughty? Any to the contrary? I postulate that despite his shortcomings, Zoidberg is in essence a pure and benevolent character, who actually deserves this gift from Robot Santa.

Agree or disagree; state your reasoning and I'll welcome your input!

Post on, ya mooching Crawdads.

[Reply #1 on:]

So now you want to talk about Zoidberg, why not?

Hum, this is tough if only because we see little of Zoidberg past him being the pathetic decapod that he is. I agree with your analysis that he is mostly pure, however I think that the writers gave him the pogo stick as a gag.

[Reply #2 on:]

In "300 big boys", he boys homeless people turkey dogs, but in "Why must I Be a Crustacean in Love" he eats his former bully

[Reply #3 on:]

Zoidberg also ate a live raccoon inside his shell, attacked Fry, and is an incompetent doctor. But i believe he is pure because that comes naturally after all the abuse he receives from the Planet Express crew.

[Reply #4 on:]

I'm glad to see some response to this query. Zoidberg is a pretty tough character to suss out because of his transient nature. However, I think we can all agree that he has his fair share of inadequacy issues. Zoidberg never gets a chance to do anything, so when he's presented with a opportunity, (pretty much any opportunity), he participates. His poor impulse control shows clearly in some of his snap judgements and decisions. (Like eating Vinnie the bully and trading controlling stock of Planet Express for a sandwich). Most times, however, he reflects on his decisions, shows genuine remorse and tries to make up for his wrongdoings. His behavioral learning curve is painfully slow due to the fact that the crew of Planet Express generally ignores and ridicules him. This leaves him no recourse but to figure out his mistakes on his own. Zoidberg has a strong, pervasive desire to lead and to be indispensable, so he gets a little wacky in those rare moments when he's given the chance.

One last thought; in "The Cryonic Woman", Zoidberg goes to Fantasy Planet and gets a chance to choose a fantasy he'd like fulfilled. He chooses to be a grandmother. "Subjugated, yet honored." A clear sign if any that Dr. John Zoidberg is capable of keeping his dark side in check, and that his desires are not so grandiose.

[Reply #5 on:]

See, now, some folks would say Zoidberg got the pogo stick just so Robot Santa could be defeated.  Bubkus!  Bubkus, I say.

Robot Santa invariably judges every Earthling naughty, be they as clever as Leela or as dumb as Fry.  (Am not!)

However, Zoidberg is not a human.  Robot Santa's tolerances are set to human standards, by which no human is nice.  But Zoidberg?  He's a Decapodian.  And a schmuck.  No wonder Robot Santa can't process him as naughty in the human way.  So his programming probably faltered and judged Zoidberg pogo-worthy.

In fact, were the question ever to come up, I bet Nibbler (the Nibblonian) would be judged nice as well.  After all, Nibblonians are so, so, sooooo cute.  Though not, of course, if you ask the Brain Spawn.

[Reply #6 on:]

Zoidberg's always nice to people because he craves attention, but seems to talk behind people's backs

[Reply #7 on:]

Hmmm, I don't know. This is actually quite interesting. I've never really thought about it before. He's nice in some episodes but in others he's mean.

[Reply #8 on:]

Zoidberg is rather nice and friendly for the most part.  However, he can be tough, mean, and backstabbing when he wants to be.

[Reply #9 on:]

He does warn the PE crew not to cross him

[Reply #10 on:]

What confuses me is that earlier in the very same episode Zoidberg did something naughty: pushed Hermes down the bobsled run and laughed about it.

I guess Robot Santa doesn't catch EVERYthing on that viewer of his.... 

[Reply #11 on:]

Also in "A taste of Freedom" and "The Farnsworth Parabox" he plans on taking over the world, I think if given the choice between power and acceptance, he'd chose power

[Reply #12 on:]

You doubt Santa's ability to tell naughty from nice?  You're all going on the naughty list for that.

[Reply #13 on:]

I can't be arsed to read through all that and see if this has already been mentioned, but in the 30% Iron cheff, he frames fry, then he trys to frame him again at the end so he's pretty bad-ass

[Reply #14 on:]

In "A Taste of Freedom", Zoidberg gets that attitude because he tought he was free on Earth, but apparently he isn't as much as he tough, that explains why he is so pissed of. Then after realising he his more free than on his own planet, he return normal, like he was after.

In "The Farnsworth Parabox", when he found his double, he has little more chances of getting respected considering the fact that two are better that ones. That's why he attempt to take control.

[Reply #15 on:]

 

Originally posted by Shiny:
What confuses me is that earlier in the very same episode Zoidberg did something naughty: pushed Hermes down the bobsled run and laughed about it.   

Yeah... Zoidberg does a lot of mean stuff like that. But in this case, Hermes had been asking for it for a while.    He's always picking on Zoidberg. (And his paycheck).

 

Originally posted by TomAllen:

Robot Santa invariably judges every Earthling naughty, be they as clever as Leela or as dumb as Fry.  (Am not!)

However, Zoidberg is not a human.  Robot Santa's tolerances are set to human standards, by which no human is nice.  But Zoidberg?  He's a Decapodian.  And a schmuck. 

I think you are so right, Dude.   

[Reply #16 on:]

But isn't Leela technically not human ?

[Reply #17 on:]

Well, she's a mutated human, so she is still human

[Reply #18 on:]

Ok. But I based my tought on her comments in Fear of a Bot Planet, when she's assuming that she is not human. but it could only be a way to avoid being killed.

[Reply #19 on:]

Silence!  I don't think the robots on that planet were too keen on any humanoid lifeform.  Yes, Leela protested, but to robots -- human or humanoid or Decapodian, hey, what's the difference?

Silence!  I mean, recall Bender's reaction in "Crustacean in Love."

Bender: Please, he's no different from the rest of you organisms; shooting DNA at each other make babies. I find it offensive.  (From Neutral Planet script.)

Silence!  Oh, nothing.  I just wanted to say "Silence!"  Like, you know, an alien, or a robot, or an alien robot.

Yet Robot Santa never said, "Silence!"  Makes you think, doesn't it?  It does?  Hurrah!

[Reply #20 on:]

You got a point.

[Reply #21 on:]

 

Originally posted by tyraniak:
Also in "A taste of Freedom" and "The Farnsworth Parabox" he plans on taking over the world, I think if given the choice between power and acceptance, he'd chose power

That was to teach the people of earth a lesson about freedom. Once it ended up going too far Zoidberg begged for the decapodians to stop and ended up saving the earth from alien occupation.

[Reply #22 on:]

 

Originally posted by Sk8PrO:
...I based my tought on [Leela's] comments in Fear of a Bot Planet, when she's assuming that she is not human. but it could only be a way to avoid being killed.

At the time of that episode, she still believed herself to be an alien, abandoned by non-Earthling parents of an unknown galaxy.  The episode where she found her parents and discovered she was really a mutant was much, MUCH later in the show.

[Reply #23 on:]

Shiny : I know that.

[Reply #24 on:]

I think zoidberg is essentialy innocent, not nessacarly "nice" in a sense but I think he does not understand the workings of some people and thus treats everyone as if they are doing the right thing.

As a pose to ROBOT SANTA giving him a pogostick I think it was partly for a laugh but also to highlight Zoidbergs innocence in that he sees everything as "cherpy" with no misery.

But.......yeah, also Sk8PrO how come you posted what you did in the first place if you knew what Shiny is saying.....

[Reply #25 on:]

Because Alien or Mutant, both are not "technically" human.

[Reply #26 on:]

Except mutant is, think of the mutant ninja turtles, I mean after all, they're still turtles

[Reply #27 on:]

 

Originally posted by Sk8PrO:
Because Alien or Mutant, both are not "technically" human.

But if you knew what Shiny was saying (That at that point Leela didn't think she was human and instead abandoned by aliens from another planet) then why did you write that you didn't understand why she was saying she wasn't human in "fear of a bot planet" and that you thought it might be to avoid being killed, but, never mind eh?   

[Reply #28 on:]

I never said that I didn't understand why she was saying this ?

Anyway, doesn't matter   

[Reply #29 on:]

Naughty. Playing with a pogo-stick indoors! How idiotic

[Reply #30 on:]

Zoidberg did use the pogo stick to save the day, even though he can kind of be a bastard sometimes, he usually makes up for it in the end

[Reply #31 on:]

So he's now a bad guy for Robot Santa  No second chances for him.

[Reply #32 on:]

He did try to kill Fry Once but that was to have sex...

[Reply #33 on:]

... with Edna.  Feh.  That's only because Fry helped Zoidberg, and even then, it was not fated to be.

I mean, the successful maters died during the Decapodian orgy.  Zoidberg, like Fry, lives because he has so much difficulty mating.  Kind of like us Shippers, eh?

Yes, you read me.  Deny it if you can!

[Reply #34 on:]

Ummm...are you implying that sex is inevitably fatal?

Or just that if we had sex lives, we wouldn't bother with those of fictional characters?

Because that's true for me, but my three roommates have had lots of sex and were STILL fans before, during, and after said relationships (both long and short term, and no, they didn't end because of fandom!  )

[Reply #35 on:]

I'm not implying anything.  I'm pointing out that if I had a boyfriend -- or any sex life whatsoever at the moment -- I doubt I'd be so Shippy.

Nah, just kidding.  I'm sure I'd still be a Futurama fan even if I found a receptacle for my male jelly.  Apparently you and your roommates must "GRAWW!" better than I do.  Or rather, being female, you must have your pick of the Decapodians.

So why do you go for the guys who "look like giant claws with bodies attached"?  They must have strong stink glands, is all I'm saying.

[Reply #36 on:]

naughty zoidberg, blaming fry for the destruction of the proffesers bottle, and then master what's his name's sword???? Very naughty. That's so naughty, i'm going to add it to my list right now!

[Reply #37 on:]

@shinyass: Framing.-I-N-G. an...
 

[Reply #38 on:]

personally I think the reason Zoidberg did naughty thigs but still got the pogo stick is because all the naughty things he did were purly instinctive and impulsive so he can't be blamed for them.

[Reply #39 on:]

yah, but it IS still naughty. if santa judged scruffy as naughty cuz he scratched his nose, he would DEFINATELY mark Dr.Z as naughty when he shouted at Fry to get out of his office in ep. 2 TSHL. Excuse: He could have said it nicely, therefore shouting was naughty.