Thoughts on 6ACV07 - The late Philip J. Fry - SPOILERS

[Reply #120 on:]

http://theinfosphere.org/Transcript:The_Late_Philip_J._Fry

I seriously need a life.

If I could just have a mini-rant about this review that I found on CGEF about this episode for a second because it really annoyed me:

I hate to rain on the parade of 5 star reviews, but I couldn't disagree more with people who are saying this is "classic" Futurama. What am I missing? I watch the old episodes constantly and I have seen NOTHING in this new season that even resembles the quick, fun humor we saw in "The Deep South", "The Problem with Popplers", "Amazon Women in the Mood", "Parasites Lost", etc. -- just to name a few which I consider to be the "classic" episodes off the top of my head. Futurama was not originally this emotionally manipulative (and pretty bad at it in my opinion)-- it was a hysterically funny and smart show with wild plot lines and characters. Now those fun characters have been replaced with whiny, emo versions who have become more annoying to watch each week as they find a new problem to complain about. I'm sorry guys, Futurama as I know it seems to be dead.


CeePea17 gave 1 point

Yeah, this guy's right, Futurama was never in any way emotional before the new season.

Now, I'm usually fine with people not liking episodes that I like as long as they don't dislike it for stupid reasons or start claiming the show is dead because they didn't like something about an episode, which is why this one really pissed me off.

That seemed rather unnecessary considering that the guy will probably never read this but, you know...

Haters gonna hate.  That's all.

[Reply #121 on:]

The hype on this episode was worth it. Wonderful in all aspects!

-What was the alien language on the book that Bender burns around 7:45?

-I laughed at the Eleanor Roosevelt joke, but thought it might've been funnier if it was the Professor that had shot JFK. Maybe that joke would've been in poor taste though (like shooting Eleanor isn't?  )

[Reply #122 on:]

-What was the alien language on the book that Bender burns around 7:45?

'Backwards time travel made easy'.

-I laughed at the Eleanor Roosevelt joke, but thought it might've been funnier if it was the Professor that had shot JFK. Maybe that joke would've been in poor taste though (like shooting Eleanor isn't?  )

It was important for it to be in the same time period, I guess.

Btw, am I the only one who noticed that Bender also burnt a Kindle on the fire?

[Reply #123 on:]

Older Leela was a bit much to take, and ewwww - why would she marry Cubert???

I think they did a decent job of expressing that Leela only went for Cubert because she missed Fry and he reminded her of Fry, and in that sense I wasn't grossed out as much as I was sorry for Leela. Like others have said, there is something really sad about Leela holding a grudge for 40 years, thinking that Fry had died because he cared more about throwing up on strippers than not throwing up on her; her discovery of that card was such a meaningful moment because she was finally able to let her anger go and just focus on the sad part (incidentally, I loved her kicking in the TV and breaking down a millisecond later).

As far as that song goes: I still have no idea who sings it, but my favorite verse has got to be the last one, about being enslaved by giraffes. The visual mixed with the earnest vocals strikes me as so very bizarre and hilarious.

[Reply #124 on:]

If I could just have a mini-rant about this review that I found on CGEF about this episode for a second because it really annoyed me:

I hate to rain on the parade of 5 star reviews, but I couldn't disagree more with people who are saying this is "classic" Futurama. What am I missing? I watch the old episodes constantly and I have seen NOTHING in this new season that even resembles the quick, fun humor we saw in "The Deep South", "The Problem with Popplers", "Amazon Women in the Mood", "Parasites Lost", etc. -- just to name a few which I consider to be the "classic" episodes off the top of my head. Futurama was not originally this emotionally manipulative (and pretty bad at it in my opinion)-- it was a hysterically funny and smart show with wild plot lines and characters. Now those fun characters have been replaced with whiny, emo versions who have become more annoying to watch each week as they find a new problem to complain about. I'm sorry guys, Futurama as I know it seems to be dead.


CeePea17 gave 1 point

To be fair, they weren't complaining about it being emotional, they were complaining about it being emotionally manipulative -but that's a completely bunk argument with Futurama as Jurassic Bark is one of the most emotionally manipulative things I've ever seen, as much as I adore it.

Also, they think The Deep South qualifies as 'classic' Futurama, so there you go.

[Reply #125 on:]

Yeah, Futurama sucks at being emotional. It's a new fad of the sixth season.

...

WHAT?

[Reply #126 on:]

If you want to compare TLPJF with any episode of the original run (and I mentioned this in my brief CGEF review), I think it should be "The Sting." Neither episode is emotionally manipulative, in my opinion; they both explore that sense of loss (and maybe guilt) that comes from unfinished business, and at no point do we have Fry and Leela actively mourning one another while cheesy music plays in the background (I won't count those contemplative walks in TLPJF, because I didn't feel as if they were manipulative). And both episodes are a bit trippy and a visual marvel, but I suppose that's secondary to the theme and the similar emotional responses they evoke without much manipulation of the audience.

I actually thought TLPJF did an excellent job with the emotional stuff (I will grant that Leela's line about remembering their time together, though sweet and in-keeping with the theme of the episode, was a bit corny) because it was so understated. I loved the mirror dejected walks to the Cavern on the Green, and (like I mentioned before) Fry's satisfaction in knowing that Leela valued her time with him as much as he valued his time with her, and that final scene on the bridge (while Bender buries the evidence), which was sweet and beautifully-scored. There were no grandiose displays of romance, no Fry bemoaning his fate (with the exception of things like "Leela is waiting for me", which kind of kept the emotional core of the episode alive without seeming too whiny or soap opera-y); the writers took the inherent tragedy that comes from two people being separated and allowed it to play out naturally. In that sense, it's one of the more mature shippy/emotional episodes of the series (at the very least, the flashbacks to Leela's life without Fry are nowhere near as cloying as the flashbacks to Fry's life without Leela in "Bender's Big Score", and I actually could have done with one or two more of them).

[Reply #127 on:]

I should add that this is, in my opinion, the greatest episode premise in Futurama's history -finally knocking Roswell that Ends Well from its throne.

[Reply #128 on:]

I think I agree.

[Reply #129 on:]

Easily one of the best episodes of Futurama ever! The episode was very funny, but what made it stand out for me was the time-travel storyline. I liked catching all the past Futurama references, as well as the changes of history throughout time travel, plus I loved that song they used for it. The animation was beautiful, and the whole thing was well written and Emmy worthy indeed.

Not only was the episode exciting and full of good jokes, but the emotional aspect of Leela missing Fry was also very touching. The message that she leaves for him is tearjerker worthy, as Fry realises he has to move on and accept that he had a great life with her, was kind of a happy-sad moment. Despite realising that the whole universe was in a repeated time-loop, it was nice to end the episode with Fry reaching on-time for the date with Leela. Overall, I'm going to give this one a 10/10, and it's by far the best episode of this season so far!

[Reply #130 on:]

Review.

Amidst a series of new episodes, many which are blamed to have "lost the charm" of Futurama, comes "The Late Philip J. Fry", and everyone immediately calls it not only an extremely great episode, but the greatest episode of all time.

This has everything. Not only does it carry a great plot (though semi-parody of "The Time Machine"), it also carries an extremely emotional core with Fry and Leela, it is well character-driven with many emotional moments in the midst of action-packed adventure, and both the animation and music is stunning, leading to an experience that forever change ones view on not only Futurama or comics but on television, on entertainment, on life itself. Similar to "Godfellas" it carries a metaphysical, philosophical ideology that leaves a searing mark never to be forgotten, but it is so much more. It carries through not only through the history of the show with numerous callbacks, but the history of history itself, as we experience the entire world change into a vast desert, before the universe itself collapse upon us destroying all that ever has been. One cannot help but feel a chill as the Professor declares life extinct in the world of, in his words, the end of all things. I couldn't help weeping when Leela finally found Fry's card or when Fry, relieved of Leela's message decides to take a beer with his friends and watch the universe collaps around them.

[Reply #131 on:]

"even really old and stupid males are prized." - wow, what a time!

"give me the keys magoo". great 'under the radar' joke.

after my second watch, i contend that it is quite possibly their best episode yet.

[Reply #132 on:]

Ontopic is strange...

Anyway, really liked this episode. Favorite so far, also the only one that i'm going to rewatch right away.

EDIT: Also, Meat-loaf is on the table already in Timeline 1.

[Reply #133 on:]

I totally forgot about the music that went along with they're time travel until I read some of the posts above... that was hilarious.  There have been a couple awesome examples of music in this new season

[Reply #134 on:]

-I laughed at the Eleanor Roosevelt joke, but thought it might've been funnier if it was the Professor that had shot JFK. Maybe that joke would've been in poor taste though (like shooting Eleanor isn't?  )

I thought the same thing! The idea of firing a second too late and having the gun go off in 1963 seems funny to me, plus it would avoid any alternate history shenanigans. But yeah, maybe it was too dark to have the Professor assassinate a beloved historical figure who actually was assassinated.

Btw, am I the only one who noticed that Bender also burnt a Kindle on the fire?

Haha! No, I didn't notice that. I love little gags like that. I love whoever came up with that one.

[Reply #135 on:]

I just realised that from now on they can time travel whenever they want. If something happens, no matter, just travel until the end and then onwards until one hour earlier!

Wasn't that why they made Roswell That Ends Well to be a very rare happening?

[Reply #136 on:]

I think what makes this episode very different from the other "shippy" episodes is that Fry is redeemed and validated by Leela and not just redeemed by the viewers. In the other shippy episodes we're meant to feel Fry's suffering, in this one we're more sad for Leela having spent her life without him. In the end Fry's feelings are validated, its enough for him to know she missed him.

It also establishes that they ARE dating. Its just not usually thrown to the foreground. In this shipper's opinion everything is exactly as it should be.

[Reply #137 on:]

"I'll shoot Hitler out the window"
I loved that episode, my favourite so far.

[Reply #138 on:]

Also this line is wrong in the transcript

In the year twenty-five twenty-five twenty-five
The backwards time machine still won't have arrived
In all the world, there's only one technology
A rusty sword for practicing bacteriology

The rusty sword is for practicing "PROCTology" Hence why Bender got poked in the butt.

[Reply #139 on:]

Bit odd how Leela can destroy the company in the last episode, and expand it tenfold in this one though.

Leela had Hermes' assistance in this ep, so it's possible the two of them could pull off making PE an huge success.

Watching a sad, lonely, decrepit Leela was a mournful sight.

After reading her message to Fry and their conversation on the bridge (while Bender was beneath them, burying the evidence), I think it's clear that Fry and Leela have progressed their relationship to being beyond "just friends".

[Reply #140 on:]

Agreed. Not to mention Leela being mad at Fry for always being late seemed extremely girlfriend-ish. I really want them to stay like this now, and we have after all been promised a few episodes this season focusing on their relationship (this and Rebirth being two of them).

[Reply #141 on:]

Shippity doo dah shippity ayyyy
My oh my what a wonderful dayyy!

[Reply #142 on:]

Hitler says (I think, the last word is hard to make out) "Look at my mustache" in somewhat awkward German (google-translated?): "Betrachten Sie meinen Schnurrbart."

That's definitely what he says. Kinda surprising that in a room full of math/science PhDs, nobody knows basic German. It's the form you'd use when formally addressing a single person, not a crowd.

It also is used for "formal plural."

A few people have asked about the time travel song; to recap, it's based on "In the Year 2525" by Zager and Evans. I'm pretty sure it's not them, since Evans retired from the music business soon after that song, and Zager now runs a business in Lincoln that specializes in audio equipment. The backing track is different as well; the original song has more of an acoustic feel.

More information can be found at Wikipedia, of course. (The Wikipedia article also mentions its use in TLPJF.)

[Reply #143 on:]

We all loooove.... SHIPPIIIING! Shipping! Shipping all day long, just SHIIIIPPIIIIING!

[Reply #144 on:]

Also this line is wrong in the transcript

In the year twenty-five twenty-five twenty-five
The backwards time machine still won't have arrived
In all the world, there's only one technology
A rusty sword for practicing bacteriology

The rusty sword is for practicing "PROCTology" Hence why Bender got poked in the butt.

And some spell-checking could probably be used here. Hermes's line

Old Hermes: Sometimes I can't believe how successful Planet Express became once the professor was killed and you ceased control.

should be

Old Hermes: Sometimes I can't believe how successful Planet Express became once the professor was killed and you seized control.

"Ceasing control" and "seizing control" mean, well, opposite things from each other.

EDIT: And "bankwidth" should be "banquet".

EDIT EDIT: And Bender says "Yabba Dabba Doo", not "Jabba Dabba Doo". Durn kids haven't seen The Flintstones.

[Reply #145 on:]

It also establishes that they ARE dating. Its just not usually thrown to the foreground. In this shipper's opinion everything is exactly as it should be.

And it also shows that couples can have rough times and do things to irk the other partner.  Fry's chronic tardiness irks Leela.  I'm sure that Leela may have a habit or two that will irk Fry in the future.

I, for one, am glad that DXC has managed to not utilize the much overused RESET button for this run of Futurama.

And my opinion of this ep?

10/10

It sits neatly with Luck Of the Fryish, Jurrassic Back & The Sting as epic tear-jerkers.  I burned a copy off my DVR and took it to the Nursing Home Kelly is living at this morning.  She liked it so much she wanted to watch it a second time and wanted me to stay with her while it played the second time.

I think it's safe to say that Kelly gives it a 10/10, also.

[Reply #146 on:]

Also this line is wrong in the transcript

In the year twenty-five twenty-five twenty-five
The backwards time machine still won't have arrived
In all the world, there's only one technology
A rusty sword for practicing bacteriology

The rusty sword is for practicing "PROCTology" Hence why Bender got poked in the butt.

And some spell-checking could probably be used here.

What would a spell checker help in this case?  'Bacteriology' is in the spell checker, but not 'proctology'.  In addition, both 'ceasing' and 'seizing' are in the spell checker.

Hermes's line

Old Hermes: Sometimes I can't believe how successful Planet Express became once the professor was killed and you ceased control.

should be

Old Hermes: Sometimes I can't believe how successful Planet Express became once the professor was killed and you seized control.

"Ceasing control" and "seizing control" mean, well, opposite things from each other.

EDIT: And "bankwidth" should be "banquet".

EDIT EDIT: And Bender says "Yabba Dabba Doo", not "Jabba Dabba Doo". Durn kids haven't seen The Flintstones.

I saw The Flintstones in Danish, don't sue me!

[Reply #147 on:]

One of my favorite bits in the episode is early on when Elzar is singing the birthday song to Leela and she just keeps telling him to stop. I found it funny because you could hear both of them perfectly and it seems like in shows like this (if you consider Futurama to be a 'sitcom' I do but very roughly) the dialogue never overlaps like that. You hear one person speak then the next, here was an exception and I really liked it.

[Reply #148 on:]

I need to rewatch this episode.

[Reply #149 on:]

"We'll have to bring her around again..."

Is, when comparing the flippancy of a line with the scale of the implications, the most outrageous and awesome line ever uttered.

This is one of those episodes that takes a little while to set in, but was definitely one of my favorites ever.  I'm still caught up thinking about how this 'alternate history' that we saw was the real history and we're now simply in a different universe altogether.  Interesting stuff!

10/10  

[Reply #150 on:]

The transcript is a horrible world filled with spelling errors and plot holes!

WE GET IT!

[Reply #151 on:]

Ahh well that is just so much better. The season has been alright so far but this episode showed that they can still create a fantastic episode.

I found it nice that no one seemed completely out of character as they have in some of the more recent episodes, Fry certainly seems like the sort of person who would be late all the time and I can see Leela being the type to hold the grudge.

Absoloutly loved the song and the score for the episode was just spot on.

If I one problem with the episode it would be Elzar or more the fact he just did not sound right to me but this is something I can easily ignor.

10/10

[Reply #152 on:]

Awesome episode.

I loved it when Bender told the floozie to "back it up". BEEP BEEP

[Reply #153 on:]

So, since this episode basically states that each regeneration of the universe is exactly the same (unless altered by another force), does that make a statement that everything that has and will happen is fated to be?

[Reply #154 on:]

Fate is romantic.

[Reply #155 on:]

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Bit odd how Leela can destroy the company in the last episode, and expand it tenfold in this one though.

Leela had Hermes' assistance in this ep, so it's possible the two of them could pull off making PE an huge success.

Watching a sad, lonely, decrepit Leela was a mournful sight.

After reading her message to Fry and their conversation on the bridge (while Bender was beneath them, burying the evidence), I think it's clear that Fry and Leela have progressed their relationship to being beyond "just friends".

Ofcourse they did, just look at her face.

[Reply #156 on:]

I think there's some of the old run I prefer more to be honest, but this has got to be one of the most amazing episodes of anything I have ever seen. The Planet of the Apes joke strained a bit, and, yes, maybe a few inconsistencies in the time travel thing (human evolution diversifying then coming back into one again) but just so many shots, story elements and lines were just so f**king perfect!

I do feel kinda deep down like there's a couple of things that keep this episode bumping into a barrier keeping it from being THE best one - but I gotta say, 10/10. Kinda feel though that I need to go back and mark the rest of the season lower down the scale just to make them more respective though...

Hate to say it though, That Darn Katz better be a good episode because I fear after this episode, if its weak we're going to come down on it like a ton of bricks...

[Reply #157 on:]

Hitler says (I think, the last word is hard to make out) "Look at my mustache" in somewhat awkward German (google-translated?): "Betrachten Sie meinen Schnurrbart."

That's definitely what he says. Kinda surprising that in a room full of math/science PhDs, nobody knows basic German. It's the form you'd use when formally addressing a single person, not a crowd.

It also is used for "formal plural."

Take it from a proper German. It just doesn't sound right in that situation and from that speaker. You don't address a crowd of soldiers like that.

However, it's not really taking away from the episode. That's just how German is portrayed in Hollywood most of the time.

[Reply #158 on:]

However, it's not really taking away from the episode. That's just how German is portrayed in Hollywood most of the time.

Tell me about it.

I bet you get used to it after a while, eh?  But at least it wasn't Faux German.  That is the worst German.

I wonder which voice actor spoke that line, though.  As a non-proper German (being Danish and all), I wonder how good it sounded to actual Germans.

Edit:  Also, according to CGEF, this is the best episode ever.

Of course, only based on 90 reviews as of writing.  "Jurassic Bark" and "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings" have 1000+ ratings.  The seconds in line, which are "War Is The H-Word", "Parasites Lost", "The Luck of the Fryrish" and "The Farnsworth Parabox" (odd pairing, but that's the results), have 246, 306, 670 and 421 ratings respectively as of writing.

So lots can chance.  Hell, "Roswell that Ends Well" (which from this forum I get the impression is the best or one of the top 5 at least episodes) ranks in as number 6.  A position it shares with 3 other episodes.

Maybe the PEELers are wrong?

[Reply #159 on:]

So lots can chance.  Hell, "Roswell that Ends Well" (which from this forum I get the impression is the best or one of the top 5 at least episodes) ranks in as number 6.  A position it shares with 3 other episodes.

Maybe the PEELers are wrong?

...Maybe but aren't some of those reviews completely throwaway? Roswell deserves top 5 if not top 3.