Shipping Even Higher into the Sun...

[Reply #400 on:]

I really hope something happens in tonight's episode, or I'm gonna be pretty pissed off.

Fry: "I said I waited a thousand years...I said I could wait a little longer...so I can also wait much longer..."

[Reply #401 on:]

Well something regarding their relationship will obviously happen in tonight's episode. Yesterday I read and article that said something about Bender will be able to see the future, so therefore he will be able to see the future of their relationship.

[Reply #402 on:]

I knew he could see future events, but I didn't read anything about him looking at the future of Fry and Leela. Plus, from the preview clip, he doesn't seem to be worried about his friends anymore.

[Reply #403 on:]

The article is an interview with David X Cohen.
Quoting from said article:

Fry and Leila will analyse their relationship over the next couple of years, and Bender will only complicate matters when he is over-clocked to run as a super-computer, allowing him to see into the future. "It's tricky because we didn't think at first that the fans would get so interested in that relationship. But they have."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/television/news/article.cfm?c_id=339&objectid=10748605

Ya I know..they spelled Leela wrong. .so maybe I shouldn't take this article seriously, but whatever.
Anywho, what I gathered from this quote is that Bender will be able to see into the future of Fry and Leela's relationship....well that's what I got out of it anyway. :S

[Reply #404 on:]

"It's tricky because we didn't think at first that the fans would get so interested in that relationship. But they have."

Hehe...I must admit that this is a rather sad excuse.
After all, they reserved the Fry/Leela subplot for the really important, well written Episodes. Sending a message to the audience: "We're gonna make a real big story out of that." And now Cohen claims to be surprised that the audience does in fact REALLY expect to be shown a big story....? Not really...

[Reply #405 on:]

I'm pretty pissed, because I can't watch the new episode tonight. Canada sucks. I'll definitely be checking up on The Infosphere though. As a shipper, this episode is extremely important to me.

[Reply #406 on:]

5 hours, 16 minutes till it begins.

[Reply #407 on:]

Ya I know..they spelled Leela wrong. .so maybe I shouldn't take this article seriously, but whatever.

Eh. I don't know what a foreign website would have to gain by lying about interviewing the executive producer of a mildly popular sci fi cartoon from the United States. And most of the quotes seemed authentic, and continuous with what DXC has been saying about the show all season.

At any rate, I'm quite excited for this episode. Here's hoping it's a good'n.

[Reply #408 on:]

I'm pretty pissed, because I can't watch the new episode tonight. Canada sucks. I'll definitely be checking up on The Infosphere though. As a shipper, this episode is extremely important to me.

You can watch it here for example http://tvpc.tv/Channel.php?ChannelID=3179

[Reply #409 on:]

Ya I know..they spelled Leela wrong. .so maybe I shouldn't take this article seriously, but whatever.

Which is odd, because at the beginning they spell her name correctly:

David Cohen has known Bender, Leela and Fry longer than he has known most of his good friends in Los Angeles.

So I am going to let this one slip on typo grounds.

[Reply #410 on:]

Hah, that "most of his good friends in Los Angeles" thing reminds me of Harold Zoid or something, and makes me more suspicious of the article's veracity truthiness.

[Reply #411 on:]

So, how shall we dissect this into the ground.

[Reply #412 on:]

Oh, how I loved the Fry/Leela stuff in this episode. That first scene between them, outside, was so well-acted and sweet and genuine (and thank god someone acknowledged how damn confusing Fry and Leela's relationship has been this season). And it makes sense that Fry doesn't have any grand plans for his future with Leela--all he knows is that he wants to spend his life with her. Which, in turn, makes Leela's feelings of confusion and dissatisfaction totally understandable. The writers squeezed a whole lot of exposition into one scene, and damn if I didn't love it.

And that final scene was...kind of predictable, but also kind of awesome. (And I loved the double-slap thing. Just sayin'.) I don't know if this means the writers are going to commit to Fry and Leela as a couple next season (based on their reactions to what Bender wrote, there will be some ups and downs--which might be excuses for the writers to be wishy-washy yet again), but I think there's hope. So that's a good thing.

[Reply #413 on:]

Oh my various gods. That was so excellent. I loved how direct it was. And the final scene was so sappy (my sister, who's seen like four episodes ever maybe, did a total eye-roll and left the room) but I'm rather emotionally invested in these characters and it was just so nice.

I felt like everyone was in-character and everyone was non-ambiguous and it just worked out. I hope to hell that there's no reset button. Oh my god, that would suck. I think they can mine a lot out of their relationship if they keep it serious.

[Reply #414 on:]

As I just posted in the episode discussion, they now need to keep it going. No need for it to be in our face, but no more BS lines like "platonic friend" or "sex with the mayors wife" every few episodes. They need to rise to the challenge of a working relationship on the show. I really, really, really liked this episode. I hope they don't screw it up next season.

[Reply #415 on:]

I loved how direct it was.

Good word. Obviously every episode can't be like that, but it was so nice to see their relationship treated with a degree of seriousness. It was compelling, because for once I wasn't wondering whether or not Fry and Leela were dating--I was wondering whether or not they could make things work regardless of that uncertainty. This episode shifted the focus from ambiguity about the state of Fry and Leela's relationship to ambiguity about the relationship's future--which is definitely something that can fuel episodes next season. The question no longer has to be "Are they dating? What the hell is going on?" It can be "Okay, they love each other and have committed to each other. But can they still make it work?" And the latter question has waaay more story potential and is infinitely more interesting to me.  

[Reply #416 on:]

Fuck. I am watching it again, and when Fry ask Bender about Leela, and Bender looked a little sad and told him it was getting late, I wonder if the notes he had at the end were made up? I wonder if they will use that as a reset? Dammit, you tricky writer bastards!

[Reply #417 on:]

Fuck. I am watching it again, and when Fry ask Bender about Leela, and Bender looked a little sad and told him it was getting late, I wonder if the notes he had at the end were made up? I wonder if they will use that as a reset? Dammit, you tricky writer bastards!

But Fry and Leela think that's what will happen, so it could have a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy quality to it. And even if it wasn't the factual truth, it was obviously the emotional truth. Bender said something to the effect of "Not all decisions can be made with your brain", didn't he? It's possible he made up Fry and Leela's story, but he knew in his heart-of-a-human that it was what should (and, consequently, would) happen.

[Reply #418 on:]

If the notes are made up, that's going to have to be another serious plot twist with a good reason. I don't see the writers being all "ha, ha, IN YOUR FACE SHIPPERS -reset-" and using that as a lame excuse. But it is possible that this fact will come up if their relationship as a serious couple meets some serious pitfalls.

[Reply #419 on:]

Ooh, tell me what happened, I didn't see it!

[Reply #420 on:]

I don't know about a reset, but when Bender gave it to them, he said it was "by Bender". I could see it coming out next season that Bender made up the note, especially if next season things in the note are not happening. I don't know that it will be "in your face", but it could be something they are keeping in the back just in case they have a story they want to tell, but it has to be with Fry or Leela single. Ugh. I just hope they don't try to pull that.


Edit: I have to say though, if Bender did make it up so Fry and Leela will be happy, he gained some serious Awwwwwww points with this 31 year old trucker

[Reply #421 on:]

I don't know that it will be "in your face", but it could be something they are keeping in the back just in case they have a story they want to tell, but it has to be with Fry or Leela single. Ugh. I just hope they don't try to pull that.

But what kind of story would actually require Fry and Leela to be apart? It would be easy enough to write a story that makes no overt (or even subtle) reference to their relationship, and it wouldn't be necessary to break them up to make it work. There's no need to break them up to make a story work unless the story in question is about Fry or Leela dating another person. And, at this point, I think stories like that are not only tired but really insulting. I mean, you can only jerk an audience around so much--and hopefully the writers are smart enough to know that. There needs to be some consistency with characterization, after all.

Ooh, tell me what happened, I didn't see it!

It's really something you have to see for yourself to appreciate. I promise it's really great, though.

[Reply #422 on:]

That is what I am saying Gorky. I do not want them to screw around with this. But, I didn't think they could reset after Green Yonder, and damned if they didn't.

[Reply #423 on:]

Eh, at least the writers kind of covered their asses with that on-again/off-again comment; it almost makes all this wishy-washiness with their relationship these past two seasons seem...intentional. And, in a way, I guess an on-again/off-again romantic relationship wasn't a reset of Wild Green Yonder: Fry and Leela started that movie as friends only, and ended it (and progressed through seasons 6A and 6B) as friends-sometimes, lovers-other-times. So that's progress, right? Kind of? Maybe?

I guess that, like you, I'm just hoping that the writers aren't afraid to take the next step, which would be a full-blown, honest-to-god committed relationship.

[Reply #424 on:]

It's really something you have to see for yourself to appreciate. I promise it's really great, though.
[/quote]
 
(sigh) okkk.....I guess I can wait.....

[Reply #425 on:]

Trust me, it is worth the wait.

[Reply #426 on:]

It is not something that can readily be explained. It must been seen to be believed.

[Reply #427 on:]

Dear God are you right, I just saw it, that ending, I go to sleep an estatic shipper   

[Reply #428 on:]

Although I'd like to believe they're a couple now, I feel the need to point out that the ending is somewhat ambiguous in that nothing was said and it's possible they'll be on-again off-again for a while before they finally do get together.

I hope that's not the way they play it, but the Futurama writers do love to tease.

[Reply #429 on:]

This is true. However, I hope they have the guts to move forward with this, finally. I think there's so much more they can mine out of an actual relationship than out of this weird on/off thing we've been dealing with for a long time.

It's not really so much teasing as it is being incredibly frustrating.

Also, Gorky's right, them being a couple doesn't change everything. Any episode that doesn't focus on F/L hardly needs to mention it at all. It just provides some interesting opportunities for those episodes that do focus on Fry or Leela or both.

[Reply #430 on:]

Indeed, spira. For example, "Proposition Infinity" makes absolutely no mention of Fry and Leela's relationship--because, why would it have to? The episode doesn't concern the two of them. And, by not including dumb throwaway lines about wanting to bone other people, the writers haven't destroyed any consistency in Fry and Leela's relationship--they've just chosen not to focus on it, because there's no need to. I don't love "Proposition Infinity" for various reasons, but one thing you can say about it is that it's a post-ItWGY episode that's not about Fry and Leela (because, you know, not every episode has to be; that would get old quick) but that still lends itself to a they're-dating/it's-smooth-sailin' interpretation. "Benderama" and "The Silence of the Clamps" and "The Tip of the Zoidberg" are also non-shippy episodes that don't hurt the ship in any way, and are not made better or worse by the fact that Fry and Leela can be interpreted as dating.

Also, because this was mentioned in the "Overclockwise" review thread: Did anyone else love that when Fry was bummin' over Leela, he went to that same bridge from TLPJF? Because that was a bit of an "awww" moment for me.

[Reply #431 on:]

This is true. However, I hope they have the guts to move forward with this, finally. I think there's so much more they can mine out of an actual relationship than out of this weird on/off thing we've been dealing with for a long time.

Totally agree with your here: The "endless chase" scenarios served well, but now they are mined out. The on/off thing didn't really work too well IMHO...

I do not wish to be a spoilsport: BUT "Overclockwise" (the whole season 6A and 6B) COULD also have been done to undo the movies:
- In 6A, Fry and Leela (mostly) together.
- In 6B (expect Overclockwise), they are not
- In Overclockwise, they are given the prospect to get together in the Future, which could re-establish the pre-movies-status-quo in future seasons.
(Fells kinda regressive when you look at it that way)

(I do not hope so, for the couple wise interpretation worked storywise best in the new season...keeping them apart usually isolated Leela storywise from the protagonists trio).

[Reply #432 on:]

I was really hoping this episode would give closure to the Fry/Leela relationship, but it just raises further questions!

Episode Review
Omigawd, this episode has driven me crazier than "Bender's Big Score", but in a good way. But first, let me provide a few of my thoughts on the episode. First off, there was a lot going on. This would have made a great movie- then they could've done a lot with the plotline. Though it was just an episode, it could have been a lot more "epic" in a sense (but then it would need the time of a movie). Mom was a great inclusion and I really like how they incorporated one of the series's antagonists into the episode. Also, the action that went on the the episode wasn't really "epic"- just a courtroom scene- but that's probably as much as they could fit for the time limit. Even then the scenes felt rushed- they were just cramming too much (and it would have been awesome to have had a lot more) into a short time frame. But there's nothing they can really do about that- it would have worked perfect in a four-episode format, but the crew really couldn't pick-and-choose and knowing how many times Futurama has been threatened and slammed down with cancellations, it was worth using that plotline now. I loved the recurring ceiling fan joke with Zoidberg, and Cubert finally becomes a character worth screentime solely for this episode.

As far as the theme of Fry and Leela's relationship, I think it could've used more work, and again, would've worked out much better if it had the amount of time as a movie. The entire premises of Leela questioning her relationship with Fry just came out of nowhere; in a movie they could've at least had some sort of reasoning (I still don't think Leela has come to accept Fry, but only because that issue has never been hit on the head). And Leela's absence could've been expanded on more- but that, once again, requires time to build, and that time, my friends, only comes in the form of a movie. It would have also been nice to see Fry actually re-considering his relationship with Leela. And, to be honest, for a while I was really expecting this episode to be the episode where Fry proposes marriage. It made sense in my head and I really think it would've worked out very well with a well-structured emotional roller coaster. First off, the audience, us, wouldn't have seen it coming... at all. It would be sudden, and there have been no mentions of it. Second, it would have been the perfect emotional way to get Leela to say "yes". It could have been saved to the end, just as Leela came upon her epiphany that Fry is the man she loves and she wants to spend the rest of her life with. That way, when Fry gets down on one knee and asks her, it would be sweet and romantic without being over-the-top like past romantic gestures, Leela wouldn't have expected it, and Leela will see it as a way to ensure her decision to her heart. Ah... such wishful, sentimental thinking. And third, in "All of the President's Heads", I actually thought that Fry took the night job at the head museum to be able to purchase a diamond scrunchie/ring (they did pretty much drop the idea of a diamond-studded engagement scrunchie in "Bender's Big Score" when they didn't continue with that idea in that engagement), and that would explain why Fry just suddenly dropped the conversation about his night job just after he told (in my case, claimed to) Leela that he needs the money to buy coffee to stay up for his night job. Oh, and a fourth- I thought the future episode pitch about Zapp wooing Leela's mother would be because Leela's engaged to Fry. That would have certainly allowed for some jealousy!

Don't take this the wrong way- the episode just failed to meet my expectations. I was expecting at least there to be previews of future events in their lives through Bender's newly-acquired oracle-like abilities. Namely, I wanted to see Fry and Leela's offspring. I feel really uneasy about Fry and Leela knowing their future- and the audience not. I want to see pregnant Leela, dammit! And one-eyed redheads! More about that... next.

Fry and Leela's Ultimate Fate
Of course, the one part of the episode that really drove me up the wall was the ending where Fry and Leela got to read their future together. Shippers, it is now our duty to interpret Fry and Leela's facial expressions to determine what was in Bender's note on their ultimate fate! I keep trying to apply my own fangirl dreams to each expression, but it simply doesn't add up. I bet you ten to one that Ken Keeler will reveal that there is actually no plotline behind the expressions and Keeler just chose a bunch of emotions/slaps for comedic affect (but it would sure be nice if there was, and that it was explained on the commentary or there was an Easter Egg on the DVD featuring the notes Bender had written [that would make for the ultimate fanwank opportunity of only posting the first page of the notes]).

Then we have to consider all the past scenes in the episode, and things become a million more complex, perplexing, confusing, etc. We don't know how accurate Bender's powers were- he could predict the near future very well, but I do have some slight doubt that Bender would be able to predict the future well in advanced much like Pickles (and Pickles's oracles were erroneous). Then we also must consider consider what Bender just may not have taken into consideration- something outside of the universe may come and totally change the future he predicted; his processor only encompassed Universe A/Gamma. I'd like to think free will may easily change the outcome of the future, but "Futurama" seems to debunk this theory, even in the case where Bender kills a fish on land and the Professor kills Hitler in "The Late Philip J. Fry"- still putting that out there as a changing factor. And the most likely scenario as many members have thought of is the idea that Bender did see their future, didn't want to tell how abysmal it would be, and lied to Fry and Leela. My head- it's spinning round from all of the possibilities! What can I believe? How can I survive without the commentary, or if they fail to mention it in the commentary, the new season?

One Sentence Left Unaddressed...
This really needs to be addressed, and I didn't think the episode addressed the issue... at all. Neither have any episodes since its first mention. Whatever happened to the concept of "the Other"? I mean, I haven't been expecting it to pop up since the movies neglected that key aspect, but maybe the inclusion of Nibbler in this third series finale is a way to hint at the greater future. The writers have pretty much acknowledged that the quick, brief one-liner by Nibbler was just a little "hook", but now the entire fanbase expects something and it really needs a proper explanation. There's just one thing that scares me about that. Many years ago, somebody on this forum said that it would be really demeaning for a character like Leela to have her purpose in the prophecy just be a baby-maker. While I would love for Fry and Leela's offspring to have some sort of extended role in the prophecy, it really is unfair for Leela to only be a baby-making machine (though I'm sure it would be the role she is most proud of).

Fry and Leela and Offspring
In fact, I wonder if the crew actually is purposing avoiding any mention of reproduction between Fry and Leela. I mean, there has been a few possible hints dropped throughout the original run about the prospect of offspring (Zoidberg's medical theory that Leela's lovelife problems is that she just needs to lay her eggs in "Love's Labours Lost in Space", the scene in "Time Keeps on Slippin'" that they may have deleted for the reason that they didn't want to have Fry and Leela portrayed as a couple to have children, the brief remarks Leela makes to Fry about Kif and Amy's offspring), but I thought that "Yo Leela Leela" and "Fry Am the Egg-Man" could have been ample opportunities to drop a comment about how Leela is with children or how paternal Fry could be. Maybe offspring of Fry and Leela... just aren't... meant to be? Maybe the creators want to make a statement that not every couple should have kids (almost like they are deliberately trying to avoid another "Simpsons," even though Futurama will always be much different from its sister show). It's a shame that such a marvelous couple may not have children, and those are the couples that would oftentimes (not always) make the best parents... wait, what am I saying, this is a television show!

Real quick (you know this is going to be long), I'd like to mention that I really hope the series keeps up with references to future episodes. From what I can best recall, the new run seems to only acknowledge the movies, and rarely, if ever, the original broadcast. Throughout the original broadcast, they would put in little easter eggs that predict future events, such as the idea of the Professor created atomic supermen. I'd like to see the idea that Fry will one day be Leela's fiance to come true as she once told Zapp Brannigan to get him off of her, but at this rate- just not going to happen.

I still got it! *twang*

[Reply #433 on:]

Wow, I thought I was a major shipper. Great observations though, us fangirls must keep Fry/Leela alive!

[Reply #434 on:]

Am I the only person who has no desire to see Fry and Leela make babies? Adding a kid to the show--or even having Fry and Leela seriously contemplate having children--would just be...weird, to me. It seems that, over time, the show has evolved from this somewhat formulaic visit-other-planets/teach-alien-women-to-love space romp to a workplace comedy with a lot of sci fi elements. And that evolution doesn't bother me in the slightest--but the show, in its current format, is sooo not conducive to any serious baby-related storylines. And, aside from "The Cyber House Rules," we have been given no indication that Fry or Leela want kids. I think it's possible to be in a full-blown, loving, committed relationship without wanting to shoot DNA at each other and make babies. And, I don't know, Fry and Leela just don't strike me as the parenting types, and Futurama doesn't strike me as a(n occasional) domestic sitcom.

And as far as the Other goes: I never thought the prophecy required Fry and Leela to have a kid. I kind of assumed that Leela serves as the Other because her presence in Fry's life inspires him to do great and selfless things (like freeze himself in "The Why of Fry"), and allows Leela to protect him from potentially deadly situations (like having his bones crushed in "My Three Suns"). And, to be honest, if that's all Leela's being the Other entailed, I'd be fine with it. I guess at this point I just seek clarification, and want to see how Fry and Leela react to this news of them being a Power Couple of sorts. It would sure as hell make for one epic sci fi story.

[Reply #435 on:]

I am not enthusiastic about babies except perhaps maybe possibly as part of an Anthology of Interest, if it is done exceptionally well. Otherwise, no, I just don't see them as that type. Their relationship needs to evolve a lot further before they can get to that point, and that's not really an evolution that the show has the capacity or should have the desire to cover. There are other characters, y'know.

I don't know what they are saving The Other for, but it better be absolutely amazing.

[Reply #436 on:]

It's funny, because I just redrew my concept of what their child would look like earlier today.

But if they were to have kids, I wouldn't want to actually see them. I feel like that would really bog down the show. Plus they'd probably have to get married, and I don't even think that I want to see that. Like spira said, their relationship hasn't really evolved, or really even started yet. Leave the children for the mediocre fan fiction.

And anyways, the kid I drew was from another dimension, so he doesn't count.

[Reply #437 on:]

And as far as the Other goes: I never thought the prophecy required Fry and Leela to have a kid. I kind of assumed that Leela serves as the Other because her presence in Fry's life inspires him to do great and selfless things (like freeze himself in "The Why of Fry"), and allows Leela to protect him from potentially deadly situations (like having his bones crushed in "My Three Suns"). And, to be honest, if that's all Leela's being the Other entailed, I'd be fine with it. I guess at this point I just seek clarification, and want to see how Fry and Leela react to this news of them being a Power Couple of sorts. It would sure as hell make for one epic sci fi story.

Ugh, I just hope to God that what I read once about Fry and Leela possibly being brother and sister is completely false. Once on an Infosphere chat.  Something about a Star Wars reference and Luke and Leia. Apparently, something was mentioned about Leia being "The Other". I shudder at the thought of my favorite cartoon couple being siblings. Ughhhhhh

[Reply #438 on:]

They would never do that.

Also it's impossible.

Fry was born in the 20th century. Leela was born in the 30th. We've seen both of their births. I can't see how that's even a plausible story line for even speculation.

[Reply #439 on:]

I don't see how Fry and Leela being siblings would be an obstacle, considering that Fry had no qualms about sleeping with his grandmother. Incest? No biggie!

Seriously, though, I'm sure they're not related. That would be waaay too messed up.