futurefreak
salutatory committee member
Moderator
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I think Zapp is great to watch from all angles. You know that once he's good (like being a gentleman in In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela) he's bound to be bad again. We saw this as early as Love's Labors Lost in Space when he cried to Leela about his loneliness, she showed compassion and then BAM out came Zapp again haha. There is no character I really hate in the show which is why this poll makes me mad!!
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Tachyon
DOOP Secretary
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Nixon can grate on my nerves a bit, as can LaBarbara Conrad but I don't really hate any of the characters. And I'm glad that Zapp became a little less one dimensional this season.
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Gorky
DOOP Secretary
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I don't hate any of the characters, either, but some of the minor characters can be annoying in their predictability. Clamps comes to mind.
Word on Clamps. I could take or leave the entire Robot Mafia, really (though the Donbot does have his moments). You know that once he's good (like being a gentleman in In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela) he's bound to be bad again. True, but I thought his whimpering about being so lonely in "Love's Labours Lost in Space" was more obviously desperate than his goody-guy act in "In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela"--and thus more funny. I don't hate him in I-A-D-L, I just thought that he was too bland in the second act (regardless of his ulterior motives).
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futurefreak
salutatory committee member
Moderator
DOOP Secretary
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I guess I just like watching Zapp any time After the first viewing of IAGDL you know what's coming, which makes his nonchalant way about him all the more funny to me. In LLLIS I don't remember if I knew right away that he was playing her (I think I was 14 too when it first aired). I don't think I thought about it. When he's on screen I'm just entertained and my brain goes to hypersleep mode hehe.
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Tachyon
DOOP Secretary
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And I love Santa robot, though!
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Gorky
DOOP Secretary
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I voted for Robot Santa--both because he is in fact my least favorite of those listed above, and because I just wanted to see the results of the damn poll already. I love "Xmas Story" and "A Tale of Two Santas", but Robot Santa's presence--beyond the novelty of his back story (he judges everyone to be naughty, and punishes them with TOW missiles? That's good stuff)--isn't what makes those episodes so memorable for me. (What I love about "Xmas Story" is that it is one of the first truly emotionally-grounded episodes of the series, sort of a precursor for the more dramatic fare that would characterize seasons three and four; and "A Tale of Two Santas" is just out-and-out hilarious (and I love the song).)
But I digress. My point is that Robot Santa is easily the least-developed character on this list (probably because he's more a tertiary character than a secondary one); he's too one-note for my liking. I suppose the same could be said for Nixon, though I find him more consistently amusing (and Billy West's portrayal of him is inspired).
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futurefreak
salutatory committee member
Moderator
DOOP Secretary
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Now I wanna see the results! I voted for santabot too.
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TheMadCapper
Fluffy
UberMod
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I don't like Zapp as a person. But I enjoy him as a character on the show. I would hate having to put up with him in person, but he has a lot of funny lines and serves to advance the plot as needed with his hamfisted military strategies.
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Gorky
DOOP Secretary
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Zapp's probably got a significant edge on Fry in terms of low cunning and dirty tactics. Not to mention how much Zapp out weighs Fry; if he loses the girdle, he could bitch slap Fry with his flabby belly and conceivably knock the poor guy out.
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TheMadCapper
Fluffy
UberMod
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Gorky - Fry's got a bit of a belly to throw around himself. Zapp might have a lil brawling experience, but has he ever scrapped it out one on one with a determined opponent? Methinks the answer is no.
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futurefreak
salutatory committee member
Moderator
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Zapp is a bit of a coward, but yeah, the belly could definitely knock Fry out cold, especially after all that fattening hobo cuisine.
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Inquisitor Hein
Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #60 on: 07-02-2012 13:51 »
« Last Edit on: 07-08-2012 09:34 »
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Leaving the reset button aside, Fry had training as soldier and cop. That would count for some combat experience. (Cannot resist the comment: Should I ever need an ally in a brawl, and I was offered the choice between a female Junior Kung-Fu Championship aspirer, and a male former soldier/cop, I KNOW whom I would definitely choose Okay...but enough of the Leela-bashing for now ) That coward thing can be REALLY important in a fist fight. Cowards tend to turn their face away quickly from a punch. Which is not a bad thing, should they keep EYE CONTACT. But cowards mostly also turn their gaze away from their opponent, and therefore cannot see what he is up to. This may not sound too special to a non martial artist, but believe me: That eye contact is the most IMPORTANT thing. When you see a punch coming, you hat at least a chance to avoid it. When you do not see it coming, it will ALWAYS hit you. When I started martial arts training, I (85kg+) managed to chase sparring partners (105kg+)through our training hall, who did outweight me about the same way Zapp outweights Fry. Just because they did turn their gaze away... As Zapp is the coward usually backing away, and Fry can be stubborn when it really counts, I would bet on Fry counting on the present shown characteristics.
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Xanfor
DOOP Secretary
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In a fight to the death, Fry is quite likely to lose unless he gets some help, cheats, or is incredibly lucky.
Fry has watched enough Star Trek to know how to enter Ripped-Shirt Cheat Mode.
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DannyJC13
DOOP Secretary
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I love Zapp, it's only occasionally that I get really pissed off with him for being a dick.
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Inquisitor Hein
Liquid Emperor
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That's probably the major achievement about Zapp Branigan:
His status is often ambiguous, switching between "Harmless, clumsy, incompetent fool" and "psychopathic mass murderer". Not being able to label that character accordingly adds a sense of "uneasyness" around him, even among the viewers. He does not only get on the in-universe characters nerves, but also to a certain degree on the audiences nerves.
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Svip
Administrator
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He does not get on my nerves. And I don't know of any whose nerves he gets on. It is actually for the other characters' uncomfortable situation that Brannigan's character excels for the audience.
Perhaps it is the show itself that ensures me that he does get on my nerves, because I know the limitations to what can happen in a Futurama episode. But if Zapp Brannigan was in a more serious show, then surely we would all be terrified whenever he appeared on screen.
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Otis P Jivefunk
DOOP Secretary
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Thought I'd have a look at this thread as I don't remember seeing it before, but I wish I hadn't. What a shit premise for a thread, anyway Zapp rules. Sure he's a bit of a dick, but he's a lovable dick and Futurama wouldn't be as great without his presence...
It's also important to note that Zapp is often enhanced by Kif. They are best together, although Kif lacks more without Zapp than Zapp does without Kif...
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FutureTeen
Crustacean
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ZAP BRANAGAN IS THE WORST KART TOON EVER! HES SO STUPID!
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TheMadCapper
Fluffy
UberMod
DOOP Secretary
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I don't like Zapp. I wouldn't want him as a friend, or try to be more like him. But I do enjoy him as a character on that show I watch. Rarely does Zapp fail to entertain, while perpetrating his buffoonery.
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