Bender: I'll miss you, Leela. [Leela is in a circus animal cage.] I know you're just a carbon-based life form but I'll always think of you as a big pile of titanium.

[He sobs. Fry puts his arm around him.]

Fry: What Bender means is, you're really brave, and smart, and beautiful, and a great friend.

Bender: (crying) Just like titanium!

[thanks to TLZ and CGEF]

just throwing back in the shippyness. although bender seemed to be more emotional over leela than fry.

 

an example would be how in ISTE he didn't seem to care a bit that her pet had been flushed down the toilet

To his credit, I thought he looked pretty pissed off at Bender when they were restraining him:



And he looks like he's making some effort to comfort her here.

I agree with your general sentiment, but I'd chalk it up to a combination of "the writers were still trying to get a feel for Fry" and "Fry hadn't realized just how special Leela was to him at the time."  It doesn't excuse his behavior, but it makes it a little more understandable, at least for me.

When I act disinterested toward women, it's usually because I'm trying to appear cool. I really do want them, but I don't want to appear like I want them.

Ah, but Fry did risk his safety by going into the sewers to look for Bender without her asking.  He threw himself between the mutants and Leela with fire.

 

Originally posted by km73:
Oh, absolutely, I agree with those two statements, but I just meant that there are just as many examples of him acting kind of disinterested towards her as there of him being sweet, but these tend to get ignored in the comments of shippers.

...Yeah, I admit I'm guilty of this.

 

Originally posted by fryandlemon:
But I remember feeling a little bothered by Fry in The Cyber House Rules. Okay, first he showed a little bit of jealousy, but then when Leela was thinking of having kids with Adlai, he just stood there looking uninterested..

I think at that point he was just at a complete loss.  Leela was pretty happy with Adlai, and although he was horribly boring, he wasn't hurting her to the extent that Zapp and Al had (in fact, up until the jail scene, I thought he seemed like one of the more decent guys she'd hooked up with).  They were practically engaged at that point, and I think Fry had decided that as long as Leela was happy, he shouldn't force the issue more than he already had.

He kind of did the same thing with Chaz: initially he reacted with jealousy, and though it was pretty obvious that Chaz was pushy (to everyone but his date) and pompous, once Leela was actually with him, he didn't try to object to the relationship.  He even (arguably) helped prolong the date by agreeing to watch Nibbler that night.

I saw those as attempts on his part to allow Leela to be happy, his own emotions notwithstanding, rather than him simply throwing his arms up and saying "*pfft* I give up."

Plus... Leela's stubborn enough that I think she would had to see for herself that the guys she was dating were jerks, and no amount of convincing from Fry would be enough to sway her opinion.

 

Originally posted by Officer 1BDI:
  To his credit, I thought he looked pretty pissed off at Bender when they were restraining him:

Yeah but so does Hermes and Zoidberg. And you're not suggesting anything between them and Leela, are you?

In relation to absolutely nothing, I just found an old thread called 'Relationships' in which SpaceCase refers to Leela and Fry as being "on an asymptotal trajectory." God that's great. I wish i would have thought of that.

It means they get closer and closer to each other without touching. That is, without actually getting together.

 

Originally posted by km73:
In relation to absolutely nothing, I just found an old thread called 'Relationships' in which SpaceCase refers to Leela and Fry as being "on an asymptotal trajectory." God that's great. I wish i would have thought of that.

I'm glad you liked it. 
It’s actually “asymptotic.”

Originally posted by SonicPanther:
I, um... I have no idea what that means. *hangs head in shame*

I'm sorry. 

It seems that every time Fry & Leela get close, something always gets in the way - which stands to reason.
WHEN Fry & Leela finally forge a loving, comitted relationship, that ends a compelling plot-line for the show.
Many people would call that a "Jump-the-Shark" point.

Rather than launch into an explanation of asymptotes that’ll cure your insomnia, I refer you to my original posts.
If anyone cares, I said “asymptotic trajectory,” here, and linked to an explanation of asymptotes, here.

[*Crickets chirp*]

[*Ahem*]

I, uh... I’m... I’ll just... ooze back out under the lab door now... 

I don't know why they can't just be like every other non-comitted workplace 'couple' who are attracted to each other but restrained in that attraction, and just fuck each other every year after getting drunk at the office X-Mas party, and then pretend not to remember it afterwards.

...Because in the end, isn't that the most fulfilling relationship?

No YOU would!

 

Originally posted by km73:
In relation to absolutely nothing, I just found an old thread called 'Relationships' in which SpaceCase refers to Leela and Fry as being "on an asymptotal trajectory." God that's great. I wish i would have thought of that.

This is an absolutely fabulous analogy for the Fry/ Leela situation. In fact I think it is the only way this type of plot can work, they have to appear to be getting closer all the time, but if they do 'BANG' the whole thing collapses, the magic is in the potential for something to happen, Never never in the happening...and if it must happen please DONT let it be a chance encounter in the Planet express office supplies cupboard, as gwynhwyfar said this would just make it like every other crappy soap opera, and a bit to close to the shitty gritty real life, that hopefully Futurama soars way above!

 

Originally posted by Sine Wave:
Well, Fry isn't restrained in his attraction, only Leela is. Having a one night stand with someone who's dying to love you is a little, well, wrong, don't you think?

What about on Freedom Day?

 

Originally posted by coldangel_1:

...Because in the end, isn't that the most fulfilling relationship?

Boring, more like.

 

Originally posted by Sine Wave:
Well, Fry isn't restrained in his attraction, only Leela is. Having a one night stand with someone who's dying to love you is a little, well, wrong, don't you think?

Yes.... Everyone would like you to define this "wrong" you speak of...   

Didn't Coldangel write about that, actually?  Kind of?  Sorta...?

Oh, wow. I hadn't seen that; I very rarely read fanfics. coldangel, that was beautiful. Interesting to have it be from Leela's point of view. I liked "extratemporal anachronism." I had seen some of your artwork before; i didn't know you wrote also.

 

Originally posted by gwynhwyfar:




Bender: I'll miss you, Leela. [Leela is in a circus animal cage.] I know you're just a carbon-based life form but I'll always think of you as a big pile of titanium.

[He sobs. Fry puts his arm around him.]

Fry: What Bender means is, you're really brave, and smart, and beautiful, and a great friend.

Bender: (crying) Just like titanium!

And then Leela starts yellng at them which they deserve.

I heard another joke about engineers... let's see if I can remember....


An engineering student was walking across campus when another engineer rides up on a shiny new motorcycle.

"Where did you get such a rockin' bike?" asked the first.

The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes and said "Take what you want."

The second engineer nodded approvingly "Good choice, the clothes probably wouldn't have fit."


Heh heh. True.

Instead of "Claus" he writes "Claws"! Now that's humorous. Today's comedians could learn from this card.

 

Originally posted by SpaceCase:
It seems that every time Fry & Leela get close, something always gets in the way - which stands to reason.
WHEN Fry & Leela finally forge a loving, comitted relationship, that ends a compelling plot-line for the show.
Many people would call that a "Jump-the-Shark" point.

I always hate when people say that Fry and Leela getting togther would be "jumping the shark". Yes, it would end a major plot line but it would also create a new one. There could be just as many hilarious situations with them as a couple as when Fry is chasing after her.