Thoughts on 6ACV19 - Ghost in the Machines - SPOILERS

[Reply #280 on:]

I liked this episode quite a bit. It was a sweet Bender/Fry episode that reminds me a little bit of Jurassic Bark. Also, I have to agree with a lot of the people here- any episode with the Robot Devil is pretty much automatically gold.
9/10

[Reply #281 on:]

Hm, not so sure on Bender saying 'Dipshlits'...

[Reply #282 on:]

I didn't like this one. Dunno what to say, I just didn't laugh.
EDIT: Err I should say, I didn't think it was horrible or anything. I mean it was interesting, but not enough to carry it.

[Reply #283 on:]

Holy crap it's really hard to read some of these "discussions"

Watched the episode three more times since it aired, still loved it. The callbacks to Hell is Other Robots and Devil's Hands were so well placed. Cannot love it enough.

[Reply #284 on:]

Enjoyed quite a lot the episode.. overall gave it an 8..

Pure Futurama jokes, good entertaiment..

tought a bit void of secondary plots... (except for Scruffy's buffet..if it can be called a sec plot) ..
Bender as ghost was hilarious.. same as the robot devil

[Reply #285 on:]

I'm not sure Scruffy's buffet can be dignified with the title of "secondary plot".

[Reply #286 on:]

Yeah, it was more of a running gag.

[Reply #287 on:]

This is one of the best episodes of the new season so far.  Note to whoever wrote "Benderama": this is how you write a Bender-centric episode.

My favorite bits:

The Robot Devil reading Life in Hell magazine.  It's funny on multiple levels.

The future has pineapple vending machines?  Sign me up.

The Amish planet.  Although I do feel the need to point out that Fry wouldn't have needed a beard; only married Amish men wear beards.

[Reply #288 on:]

The future has pineapple vending machines?  Sign me up.

I think that the writers of Futurama have been on a quest since the beginning to come up with the strangest possible variations on vending machines. There was the vending machine in a previous episode that dispensed "Refreshing Crack", and there was another that dispensed pigs, IIRC. Live pigs, for feeding to the tyrannosaurus in IDAR. I think.

The point is, before I get sidetracked with a list of all the crazy variations and the episodes they appear in, that Matt Groening likes weird machines. From huge heath-robinson/rube-goldberg-esque monstrosities like the Near Death Star, down to the various crazy takes on vending machines (the Suicide Booths could arguably be a vending-machine-esque device), and from Life In Hell to The Simpsons, he's put them into everything he's done. Sometimes subtly, sometimes about as subtle as a brick to the face.

So I reckon those pineapple (and other) vending machines are MG's influence making itself felt.

[Reply #289 on:]

Sure, the crack vending machine and the pineapple vending machine are both examples of crazy vending machines from the future, but the difference is that while I don't have any interest in being able to buy crack from a vending machine, I do want to be able to buy pineapples from a vending machine.

And there's nothing odd about the pig vending machine.  You go to a petting zoo, they have vending machines that give you food to feed to the animals.  It's the same thing at a dinosaur park.

[Reply #290 on:]

I loved the pineapple vending machine. It was random in a good way: a really stellar example of how Futurama sticks really absurd things into an episode briefly so that we all go "Okay. Wait, what?" The recurring joke of bizarre vending machines is funny in itself. Also, the fact that it was pineapples is reminiscent of The Why of Fry, and that video of him trying to eat a pineapple off a string.

[Reply #291 on:]

And there's nothing odd about the pig vending machine.  You go to a petting zoo, they have vending machines that give you food to feed to the animals.  It's the same thing at a dinosaur park.

A vending machine that dispenses live animals, no matter the appropriateness of its placement, will always strike me as a subtle indicator of exactly how far into madness the world has slipped.

[Reply #292 on:]

Also, the fact that it was pineapples is reminiscent of The Why of Fry, and that video of him trying to eat a pineapple off a string.

First thing I thought of when I saw it.

[Reply #293 on:]

Also, the fact that it was pineapples is reminiscent of The Why of Fry, and that video of him trying to eat a pineapple off a string.

First thing I thought of when I saw it.

For some reason that didn't occur to me, but now it does! ...

[Reply #294 on:]

A vending machine that dispenses live animals, no matter the appropriateness of its placement, will always strike me as a subtle indicator of exactly how far into madness the world has slipped.

I'm pretty sure that I've seen a vending machine somewhere that dispenses live crickets to feed to frogs or lizards or something.  Unless I dreamt it, which is entirely likely.

[Reply #295 on:]

A vending machine that dispenses live animals, no matter the appropriateness of its placement, will always strike me as a subtle indicator of exactly how far into madness the world has slipped.

I'm pretty sure that I've seen a vending machine somewhere that dispenses live crickets to feed to frogs or lizards or something.  Unless I dreamt it, which is entirely likely.

That's still insane, but it can ofcourse also be pointed out that pigs has a much higher state of consciousness than crickets. Crickets and other insects are often just thrown in a big bowl or bag together, too. Must countries wouldn't let you do that with pigs.

[Reply #296 on:]

Great. Now all I can think about is a bag of assorted pigs being dispensed at high speed from an irritable vending machine. I'll be afraid to buy a can of coke for weeks now, Aki.

[Reply #297 on:]

Crickets and other insects are often just thrown in a big bowl or bag together, too. Must countries wouldn't let you do that with pigs.

gis has everything.

[Reply #298 on:]

12 Bizarre Vending Machines

http://www.oddee.com/item_96684.aspx

[Reply #299 on:]

Best find ever.

[Reply #300 on:]

Best find ever.

That I actually found when it was released in 2009.

[Reply #301 on:]

I love how basically all of them are in Japan. Oh, Japan.

The thought of an "irritable vending machine" itself is slightly terrifying. Actually, kind of really terrifying.

[Reply #302 on:]

Vending machines are just very common in Japan. From the train station to the hostel I stayed in in Tokyo, about 5 minute walk, there were over 20 vending machines just for drinks.
Doesn't help that on some corners there are 5 or more next to each other.

[Reply #303 on:]

This thread is making me testy...let's get back to the show now.

I don't know if I've already said this or simply just read someone else say it, but it was odd to see Fry and not Leela dart in the way of the globe to save the human. Wasn't it?

[Reply #304 on:]

I think Leela would have been more inclined to do so if it was a cute animal in danger rather than a paleontologist. Or maybe she would have if she noticed sooner and I'm being too hard on her. 

[Reply #305 on:]

A bit, yeah, but also kind of necessary to the plot of the episode.

[Reply #306 on:]

The thought of an "irritable vending machine" itself is slightly terrifying. Actually, kind of really terrifying.

I'm glad I'm not the only one kept awake by this idea at night. I have enough problems at the moment, worrying about the ghost of my old laptop haunting me, without thinking that all the vending machines I've insulted over the years might be plotting their revenge.

I mean, it's bad enough when you get one of the ones that talks, nevermind plots.

[Reply #307 on:]

Wouldn't it have been better if Leela hadn't noticed though instead of notice and not do anything? I dunno, I know I am way overanalyzing things.

[Reply #308 on:]

Wouldn't it have been better if Leela hadn't noticed though instead of notice and not do anything? I dunno, I know I am way overanalyzing things.

I agree. For her to have noticed and not do anything could mean two things- either she feels "damsel-y" and as if she couldn't help or she doesn't feel like helping. Neither of those sound very characteristic of Leela.

[Reply #309 on:]

Maybe NNY has a "Bad Samaratin" law, prohibiting helping people...

[Reply #310 on:]

I agree. For her to have noticed and not do anything could mean two things- either she feels "damsel-y" and as if she couldn't help or she doesn't feel like helping. Neither of those sound very characteristic of Leela.

I agree with this, but would Bender have reacted to Leela saving a human instead of a robot in the same way he reacted to Fry doing that? I'm not sure. They had Fry do the saving to keep the focus on the relationship between Bender and Fry.

What I also thought was weird and out-of-character for Leela, but again kind of necessary to the Bender-Fry theme, was that when she ran out of the path of the rolling barn she didn't even attempt to alert Fry or drag him with her or something.

[Reply #311 on:]

Nah he wouldn't have, I know it was necessary to the plot. But maybe Leela could have been distracted and Fry was the only one to notice. It was the idea that she noticed and didn't do anything that made it feel odd.

You're right on the ending too, spira. I thought it was odd too.

[Reply #312 on:]

really good episode.  Robot Devil was great.  Bender as ghost haunting fry was hilarious.  The whole Amish planet scene could have been better, but pretty standard.

[Reply #313 on:]

I really loved the Bender "i love you" scene, it wasn't really characteristic of Bender at all, but it was really nice to see he cared about Fry and for him to show any type of affection.

[Reply #314 on:]

Bender loving Fry isn't characteristic? Where have you been for six seasons?

[Reply #315 on:]

I think pumpkinpie means that Bender being so vocal about his affection for Fry is kind of unexpected. I will admit to being taken aback (and compelled to almost roll my eyes) at his exaggerated declaration of love for Fry as he saved him from an untimely, Amish death.

[Reply #316 on:]

Really? I thought it was excellently executed. Bender in general is pretty cold hearted (duh), but in the times that he has been really emotional (when it comes to other characters, not personal pursuits or materialistic stuff), the writers have always pulled together and made it characteristic. I think this was such a case, when Bender started out as cold as usual, more or less because he has troubles realizing his own emotions and feelings - but throughout the episode he realizes what he feels for Fry (for the 1000th time), and towards the end he openly loves him, especially when faced with a situation in which he can lose him forever. Call it an escalating epiphany. It worked for me.

[Reply #317 on:]

Fair enough, Aki. I didn't hate the "I love you" moment--I just thought it was a bit overdone, slightly cringe-worthy. Then again, I found Bender's marked cruelty towards Fry in act two to be slightly irredeemable, so maybe that's why his turn-around in act three didn't do much for me. And I much preferred the montage of him trying to hug Fry and sleeping at the foot of his bed like a loyal dog, which was sweeter to me, and a lot more subtle.

[Reply #318 on:]

I did think Bender was out of character when being so ready to kill Fry in act two (I think I wrote a longer piece on it in this thread when the episode was fresh), but I don't think it impacted the third act enough to make his emotions any falser (though I can see how it could in eyes other than mine). In my opinion the episode could have been much better if Bender had only hesitated when asked to kill Fry - "well, I do hate him... but he's my friend!" "He also used your porn collection!" "That bastard! I'll kill him!" or whatever.

[Reply #319 on:]

Well, to me "I, Roommate" pretty much nails how it is.  Bender truly loves Fry, but he won't admit it, because it would ruin his image, so to speak.  That makes sense.  Bender is a robot and you can argue that his behaviour will always be a bit too the extreme of regular human behaviour.

Every time throughout Futurama, Fry was onto Bender for liking him, Bender would essentially try to move the subject elsewhere.  Bender is not above strangling Fry if he is mad at him (for stealing his last beer!).

At first, I admit I was on the side of Aki; Bender just wanting to kill Fry without any thorough thought moment was a bit over the top.  But now that I think about it, it doesn't really bother me.  Bender claims he loves living until he decides he doesn't.  Again, Bender is always an extreme; even in mood swing cases.

Now he is presented with a dilemma; his life or Fry's.  To me it makes sense that he chooses the former to save.  It is only later he begins to realise that he is not so keen on killing Fry after all (particularly when that doesn't have to happen to save his own skin).  I also like the subtle joke about Asimov's Robot Laws that is completely violated in this episode.  Although, that would not be the first time Futurama has done that.

Bender revealing his love for Fry makes perfect sense for Bender.  He for the first time feels truly guilty about desires to kill Fry (although it would not the first time he has such desires), and Fry had been quite aware of it.  So to settle the score, he has to ease the pain.