Thoughts on Season 6 - SPOILERS

[#240 :]

Maybe it's just me (probably is), but I find that I like each episode more when I view it a 2nd or 3rd time.  Same thing happened when I first started watching the original series run. 

[#241 :]

So far I'm satisfied and I'm glad to see the show back. I'll admit that there are times when it feels a bit different and I feel sometimes like they're trying too hard to be risque but those are minor gripes. The show still has some heart and there have been plenty of moments that made my laugh out loud, something that most other shows can't do on a regular basis.

It'll take a while for these episodes to sink in so I'm just having fun watching them and I'm taking my time before coming to a conclusion. A lot of things have worked and a few things didn't but overall I'm happy with it so far.

[#242 :]

I watched all 3 of the new eps today and omfg!
They're awful! Just awful! I can't believe it. I just dont even know what to say...

Major disappointment in pretty much all areas. I wasn't even too bothered about watching them straight away like I used to. More interested in True Blood
But my bf got hold of them last night and we watched them today and I felt really sad.

Just very unremarkable episodes. Not a happy bunny 

[#243 :]

Maybe it's just me (probably is), but I find that I like each episode more when I view it a 2nd or 3rd time.  Same thing happened when I first started watching the original series run. 

You're not the only one. I've noticed this too.

[#244 :]

I watched all 3 of the new eps today and omfg!
They're awful! Just awful! I can't believe it. I just dont even know what to say...

Major disappointment in pretty much all areas. I wasn't even too bothered about watching them straight away like I used to. More interested in True Blood
But my bf got hold of them last night and we watched them today and I felt really sad.

Just very unremarkable episodes. Not a happy bunny 

Maybe it's just me (probably is), but I find that I like each episode more when I view it a 2nd or 3rd time.  Same thing happened when I first started watching the original series run. 

You're not the only one. I've noticed this too.

I'm the only one seeing the connection?

[#245 :]

Maybe it's just me (probably is), but I find that I like each episode more when I view it a 2nd or 3rd time.  Same thing happened when I first started watching the original series run. 

Oh, absolutely. I mean, I could probably even tolerate Beast with a Billion Backs if I saw it over and over again.

[#246 :]

kryten, are you trying to imply that anything, however horrible, becomes tolerable with repetition? 'cause I gotta say, does not compute.

[#247 :]

kryten, are you trying to imply that anything, however horrible, becomes tolerable with repetition? 'cause I gotta say, does not compute.

I'll just say this... I'm actually starting to not completely loathe Lady Gaga's music.

[#248 :]

that sounds like a reason to seek professional help to me.

[#249 :]

Ghoulishmoose, some have found watching them again seems to make them more likeable. And at least you didn't say you've given up on the series after 3 eps, like what others are doing.

[#250 :]

I don't think I've actually read a post from anyone claiming to have given up on the show after 3 episodes. All I've seen is people complaining about people claiming to have given up on the show after 3 episodes.

[#251 :]

You haven't been reading a lot of posts then.

[#252 :]

I don't think I've actually read a post from anyone claiming to have given up on the show after 3 episodes. All I've seen is people complaining about people claiming to have given up on the show after 3 episodes.

This season's really going downhill.

Episode 1: Very good, great mindfrack ending, classic Futurama.

Episode 2: Average, and Zapp wears out his welcome very quickly. The ending is really painful and stupid.

Episode 3: Family Guy-grade crap.

I'm really sorry I came back just to complain, but these are my thoughts.

I don't think Kryten's given up, but "this season's really going downhill" is about as close as you can come...

[#253 :]

I enjoy most things with repeated viewings/listens. It might just be because us humans love familiarity, patterns, predictable endings, whatever..... I mean, who doesn't listen to one album until the CD is scratched to bits, or watch the same movie until it no longer plays?

And Kryten - I actually LOVE Lady Gaga. I started listening to her as a joke, and now look what happened to me?

[#254 :]

Maybe it's just me (probably is), but I find that I like each episode more when I view it a 2nd or 3rd time.  Same thing happened when I first started watching the original series run. 

Oh, absolutely. I mean, I could probably even tolerate Beast with a Billion Backs if I saw it over and over again.

"The Beast With a Billion Backs" was actually a lot more enjoyable to me the second time around. Because of how long we had to wait between movies, I think I put a lot of pressure on each new one to be positively brilliant; it had to lend itself to repeat viewings so that I had something fairly fresh (fresher than the original 72 episodes) to tide me over until the next movie came out. So TBWaBB initially disappointed me, because it seemed like such an illogical way to build off of "Bender's Big Score", and the characterization annoyed the piss out of me; I was too blinded by the fact that this was the only new Futurama I'd have for five months to appreciate it for what it was: a passable B-movie parody with some dodgy characterization but a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. Now I can enjoy it more in the context of the show as a whole: some of the pressure is taken off of it because it's not the newest offering from Futurama.

I don't know if that makes any sense, but my point is that the whole "rewatch it and you'll like it" thing applies more for "The Beast with a Billion Backs" for me than for any other episode or movie.

[#255 :]

^ I agree with Gorky.

I was disappointed with TBWABB when I watched it the first time but after re-watching it again last week, it's pretty entertaining. I finally watched Bender's Game and again and I still find that is the worst out of whole 4 movies.

[#256 :]

^ Morgan: Yeah, I don't think I even bothered to rewatch Bender's Game after the initial viewing. Now THAT is totally untypical of me.

[#257 :]

The preview for Proposition makes it look promising.

[#258 :]

The preview for Proposition makes it look promising.

I'm glad to see a Bender-centric episode make an appearance. Now that we've had several episodes about Fry and Leela it's a nice change of pace to see a story focused on one of the other characters. The show has always been good about keeping that balance and I'm psyched for tomorrow night.

[#259 :]

^ Morgan: Yeah, I don't think I even bothered to rewatch Bender's Game after the initial viewing. Now THAT is totally untypical of me.

Ha, same here!
I think I only watched Bender's Game 2 or 3 times, whereas I watched BBS, BWABB, and ITWGY many times.

[#260 :]

And Kryten - I actually LOVE Lady Gaga. I started listening to her as a joke, and now look what happened to me?

That's exactly how I became a Falco fan!

I suppose it is possible for the movies to get better with repeated viewings...but they are long, and so I don't find myself ever feeling the desire to watch them again.

[#261 :]

I was initially disappointed by BWABB and BG, but after I watched them multiple times, I realized that the parts that I really enjoyed compensated for the few parts I hated. I loved the parts involving Bender and the League of Robots; however, the horror movie parts I didn't like, because they weren't scary or funny.

Similar, I really enjoyed most of "Bender's Game"; it's only when they go to the fantasy world of Cornwood that movie goes off the rails. Some of it was funny, but the over-the-top violence, crude "humour", and the hardcore D&D jokes I didn't appreciate.

Regardless, I consider "Bender's Big Score" and "Into the Wild Green Yonder" to be the best of the Futurama movies. I thought that BBG was the perfect movie for Futurama fans. I didn't care about the continuity issues because they were all part of the joke about paradox-free time travel, and most of them were resolved by the end anyway.

I've seen the episode-versions of the movies, and while they're watchable, the movie versions are inarguably the way they should be watched. Obviously the only reason why they were converted into episodes was to pave the way for Comedy Central to order the new season of Futurama, so I can't be too critical of the movie-episodes.

[#262 :]

More interested in True Blood

I just wanted to say that True Blood is awful. Just awful.


As far as Season 6 is concerned, I have high hopes. I've enjoyed all three episodes so far, for different reasons and in varying amounts and I'm no Futurama newbie. While studying or just trolling the net I would have Futurama playing in the background, even now I watch an old episode going to sleep many nights. Yes yes, slightly tragic.

[#263 :]

I'm "listening" to Parasites Lost as I'm typing this

[#264 :]

Hmm, I think maybe I should give Beast With A Billion Backs and Bender's Game another chance. I didn't like them the first time around, but I probably should give it another go. They're the only episodes of the whole series I disliked so far, with Attack Of The Killer App the closest on the "dislike" boundaries with a dead-on 7.0 out of 10 score from me.

My Scores of Futurama movies as of 8th July 2010

Bender's Big Score - 8.5 out of 10
The Beast With A Billion Backs - 5.0 out of 10
Bender's Game - 5.0 out of 10
Into The Wild Green Yonder - 8.5 out of 10

My scores of Season 6 as of 8th July 2010

Rebirth - 8.5 out of 10
In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela - 8.0 out of 10
Attack Of The Killer App - 7.0 out of 10

Anyone else's overall ratings so far? I use the TV.com scoring system at the moment, which is .5 increments. I do most of my quick Futurama reviews there.

EDIT UPDATE - If only I had Seasons 2 and 3 of Futurama on DVD. Damn my older brother for taking them away! All I've got left is Season 1 and 4, Bender's Big Score, and Into The Wild Green Yonder. Are the Blu-Rays worth getting by any chance?

[#265 :]

I have a blu ray of Bender's Big Score. The dvd is better, on the blu ray the colors like in the opening seen look washed out. I don't know why this is. I have a copy of Toy Story on blu ray and dvd and this isn't the case because the blu ray was better.

[#266 :]

I have Bender's Game and Into the Wild Green Yonder on blu ray and they look pretty awesome (especially the space scenes in Into the Wild Green Yonder).

[#267 :]

I've been watching the space scenes in ITWGY again recently. I wanna see them on an IMAX. In fact, some of the space scenes (and definitely deathball) from BWABB should probably be IMAXed.

Even when an episode (or movie) is subpar, the animation quality and the richly detailed visual universe Futurama inhabits is still top notch.

Even AOTKA has some brilliant animation moments, notably when Fry does his dive, and when the zombies converge on the Mom Store at the end. Wonderfully done.

Not that they're perfect, but the animators are damn good.

[#268 :]

I have a blu ray of Bender's Big Score. The dvd is better, on the blu ray the colors like in the opening seen look washed out. I don't know why this is. I have a copy of Toy Story on blu ray and dvd and this isn't the case because the blu ray was better.

Wait.  When was BBS released on Blu-Ray?

[#269 :]

I mean Bender's Game! My bad!

[#270 :]

Thought so.  BBS and TBwaBB hasn't been released on Blu-Ray yet.  Trust me, as an Infospheroid, I am keeping my taps on things.

[#271 :]

I watched the HD version of App a day or two after it aired. I have to say that it looked stunning. It could be because I was watching it on a laptop screen rather than a stretched out television, but the picture quality was amazing.

[#272 :]

Indeed, we already established a policy with the films, that we would prefer screen caps uploaded in HD rather than SD.

Say, this isn't really acceptable:  http://pool.theinfosphere.org/File:Sal%27s_friend.png

[#273 :]

* i_c_weiner clicks the link.

* My reaction:

If I still had the HD file of App on my computer I'd screen cap right now. Let me check CGEF if they have a good cap...

EDIT: Okay, here are the two best I found on CGEF. Problem is both have the eyePhone screen obstructing his face:

[#274 :]

This upcoming quote from this review should be mandatory reading for anyone watching the new episodes (especially all those people seriously underrating the new ones on CGEF).

I should mention that I’m probably going to enjoy Futurama no matter how much I nitpick here. Other critics seem so focused on whether these episodes will be As Good or Not As Good, as if the first four seasons are an impenetrable fortress of excellence. I’ve always viewed the series as somewhat inconsistent. The writers are capable of making brilliant, transcendent, twenty-two minute stories one week, but are just as likely to come back the next week and leave you with a half-assed let down. Still, somehow they always make me laugh, and disillusion with Futurama comes nowhere near, say, disillusion with Family Guy.

[#275 :]

Why are Groening's signature in both images?  I thought they were just screencaps.

Also, those screencaps aren't HD either.  The best images of that character are only available in BG.  Where an eyePhone is NOT obstructing his face.

Oh and, weiner, we do also have a French version: http://fr.theinfosphere.org/Accueil

[#276 :]

They are JPGs, so I wouldn't think they'd be in HD quality. They were screencapped from the HD versions though. I have no idea wht the signature are on them, they're on all screencaps for the new season. Perhaps some policy handed down from 20CF to CGEF? And "BG"?


Et merde, je ne pense pas que je peux bien écrire des articles, mais j'essaye probablement.

[#277 :]

Interesting.

Maybe.

[#278 :]

And "BG"?

Bender's Game.

[#279 :]

That clip is hilarious. "We can't compete with that much stock footage of clouds!"

As far as how nice these episodes look in HD: I've been watching them on the ol' plasma screen TV, and they really are stunning.