Thoughts on 6ACV15 - Möbius Dick - SPOILERS!

[#120 :]

Also anyone notice that they dropped a hint about Reincarnation?  Leela calls Amy "Sailor Moon" for some reason, which Amy will be playing a parody of in the upcoming episode.

It wasn't about Reincarnation, it was just in general.

[#121 :]

Also anyone notice that they dropped a hint about Reincarnation?  Leela calls Amy "Sailor Moon" for some reason, which Amy will be playing a parody of in the upcoming episode.

It wasn't about Reincarnation, it was just in general.

I dunno, Amy is a dead ringer for Sailor Moon in Reincarnation (from wearing a pink version of her sailor outfit, to her iconic hairstyle) and Leela explicitly calls her Sailor Moon.  I was guessing it was a sort of mythology gag. 

[#122 :]

did anyone else think the clip of zoidberg crash landing with his white hair was going to be in 'the tip of the zoidberg'? i was pleasantly surprised.

[#123 :]

Also anyone notice that they dropped a hint about Reincarnation?  Leela calls Amy "Sailor Moon" for some reason, which Amy will be playing a parody of in the upcoming episode.

It wasn't about Reincarnation, it was just in general.

I dunno, Amy is a dead ringer for Sailor Moon in Reincarnation (from wearing a pink version of her sailor outfit, to her iconic hairstyle) and Leela explicitly calls her Sailor Moon.  I was guessing it was a sort of mythology gag.  

Even so I wouldn’t have thought it would have anything to do with Reincarnation given that Reincarnation is (6ACV26), while Möbius Dick is (6ACV15). How would any regular viewer ever correlate the two? It wouldn’t make sense...

did anyone else think the clip of zoidberg crash landing with his white hair was going to be in 'the tip of the zoidberg'? i was pleasantly surprised.

I did because CGEF lead me to believe that it did...

http://www.gotfuturama.com/Information/EpisodeGuide/Season8/

...

[#124 :]

Not as bad as when everyone thought that leaked image of all the Benders walking around from Mobius Dick was from Benderama...

[#125 :]

And I recall people thinking that Leela stuck behind the translucent pink colon thing was from Cold Warriors.

This episode really had it all...

[#126 :]

Yup I remember someone saying that when she banged on the colon.

[#127 :]

I enjoyed this episode immensely. This was waaaay better than Yo Leela Leela. There's a second watch needed to remember some of the one-off jokea, but the Doctor Who reference at the end sealed it. First 10/10 of the season for me. Ken Keeler has yet to disappoint.

According to The Infosphere this ep was written by Dan Vebber ...

[#128 :]

the episode has dan vebber listed as writing it, as well.

also, is anyone else suprised that this episode is currently rated at 85% on GF? i would have thought that it'd be up in the 90's. heck, i rated ACO 5/5 or 10/10(still do, too), so i guess my opinion doesn't always correlate with the macro opinion.

[#129 :]

the episode has dan vebber listed as writing it, as well.

Fair enough. I wish The Infosphere would acknowledge Ken Keeler as a writer too then. I have to admit it does have that Ken Keeler vibe which so many of his eps have. He really is a great writer, much better suited to Futurama than he was The Simpsons...

As for the ratings on CGEF, I am somewhat disappointed that it's below 90% as well. Anything less than that is doing it a disservice in my opinion. I see some people giving it low scores without real justification, but I guess that's to be expected. Still, other eps have attained 90% or above, so I don't see why this one shouldn't as well. Perhaps all in good time it will do. I certainly hope so...

[#130 :]

It hasn't even been 2 days since the episode is out, give it some time.

[#131 :]

Also anyone notice that they dropped a hint about Reincarnation?  Leela calls Amy "Sailor Moon" for some reason, which Amy will be playing a parody of in the upcoming episode.

It wasn't about Reincarnation, it was just in general.

I dunno, Amy is a dead ringer for Sailor Moon in Reincarnation (from wearing a pink version of her sailor outfit, to her iconic hairstyle) and Leela explicitly calls her Sailor Moon.  I was guessing it was a sort of mythology gag.  

Even so I wouldn’t have thought it would have anything to do with Reincarnation given that Reincarnation is (6ACV26), while Möbius Dick is (6ACV15). How would any regular viewer ever correlate the two? It wouldn’t make sense...


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Its a mythology gag.  Like the fat chick from 300 Big Boys turning up in Neutopia.  Or the Professor making remarks like "screwed the granny" or "sleep with one's own grandmother."  Or Dr Cahill calling Fry "Lars". It doesn't really have anything to do with that episode, it's just a throwaway line that references something that has happened.  Or in this case, something that will happen.  (Fry meets the ambassador to Amazonia in one episode, and the Miss Amazonia entrant in the Miss Universe pagent, but we only meet the Amazonians properly in their actual episode, which happened much much later.)   I think it's safe to say calling Amy Sailor Moon is a reference to the upcoming episode.... because Amy actually is Sailor Moon.  Its too random a thing to call her, for it to be anything else.   They are nowhere near a moon, and it doesn't sound very Boaty.

[#132 :]

Yes but they can't predict the future... And it won't actually happen, it's a 'What-if?' scenario... It was just a general line. No reference to the show itself.

[#133 :]

It was a joke made only for the viewers.

[#134 :]

Like DannyJC13, all I see is a general line. The fact it may have a similarity to a part of Reincarnation is coincidence. I mean, is Reincarnation even canon? I wouldn't have thought so...

[#135 :]

Its too random a thing to call her, for it to be anything else.   They are nowhere near a moon, and it doesn't sound very Boaty.

They're on a ship, and the episode is a parody of Moby Dick, therefore she's a sailor.  And she's Asian.  There you go.

[#136 :]

I mean, is Reincarnation even canon? I wouldn't have thought so...

And it won't actually happen, it's a 'What-if?' scenario... .

I don't think they'll ask the What-If? Machine (as said by the people who saw it at SDCC, God opens the clip), but yeah... Non-canon.

[#137 :]

Sailor Moon is too obvious a reference to just throw out there.

I'm just saying its a mythlogy joke.  All I'm saying is that the writers are making a joke about Amy being Sailor Moon in a future episode.   The writers often make jokes about things that have happened, or will happen.  Its not meant to be Leela saying "Oh you're Sailor Moon several episodes from now", but it's soemthing the writers and the fans are aware of.  The characters have made references to previous/future episodes, and I just think this was an example of that.

(Plus she's chinese, not japanese.)

Other examples of random mythlogy gags:
Hermes throwing away one of "Fry's dogs" in a Clockwork Origin
Bender finding out the Countess's bracelet is a fake in Flight to Remember.  In Amazon Woman, several seasons later, we see him throwing it away in the bin. 
One of the nasty fembots from the non canonical Holiday Craptacular appears in Benderama, but in a miniature form.
In the first AOI Bender almost asks what it would be like he was human but changes it to someone else, but then asks that in the second one.

Mythlogy gags are just jokes to the fans, but are mostly just throwaway references. Its not the first time the writers have briefly mentioned something that has/will happen in a future episode, but it really doesn't affect the plot at all.

[#138 :]

I thought she was martian.

[#139 :]

I'm just saying its a mythlogy joke.

Fixed that for you.

[#140 :]

Its not meant to be Leela saying "Oh you're Sailor Moon several episodes from now", but it's soemthing the writers and the fans are aware of.  The characters have made references to previous/future episodes, and I just think this was an example of that.

I have never seen this happen, and it's not like something the Futurama writers would really do. Sure you could count Nibbler's shadown, but that's major, not a little subtle reference.

[#141 :]

I thought she was martian.

She's not a native alien (those guys actually hated her guts), and her family come from China.  Hence why she curses in Cantonese when she's angry, and is often referred to as being "Chinese" or "chinese martian"

[#142 :]

they don't hate her anymore, that was all a misunderstanding. Otherwise that sounds correct to me.

[#143 :]

I don't know if mythology gags work in that direction.

Plus she's chinese, not japanese.

Yes, but to most non-Asians it's pretty much the same thing.  Well, it is to the stupider ones anyway.

I thought she was martian.

She's a Chinese Martian physicist from the future, just like Chao Lingshen.

[#144 :]

Did Dr Zoidberg used to have teeth? In that old scene it looked like he did, or was that an animation goof?

Zoidberg's always had teeth, right from the very start. We just rarely see them.

Actually no.  He is only shown with teeth in the first four episodes (or episode 2 to 4 actually), since then not at all.  Matt Groening mentions this as being a retraction on the character design of Zoidberg.  Adding teeth to him now is an animation goof (perhaps based on confusion from his early designs).

Whilst the Mary Celeste was nowhere near the Bermuda Triangle, she was a real ship, and whether or not the table was set for dinner, she was found drifting and abandoned. Those are the facts. Everything else is up for debate.

I never contended that the Mary Celeste did not exist; only that the story about the pre-set table was made up.

In fact, this is the thing that always bothered me about "Bushwhacked".

(Firefly spoilers below)

It never made sense when you really thought about it.  Why would Reavers attack them in such a sensible manner without having it look like a struggle?  It is pretty obvious from "Serenity" and Serenity (true Firefly fans will know the difference) that Reavers are if anything but sensible or non-violent.

Sure it added mystery to the episode, but never really made sense.  I always suspected or hoped that the actual solution to the mystery was something a lot more... subtle or interesting than just Reavers.  I would never have minded more than one mystery enemy in Firefly...

[#145 :]

Reavers would actually have to be pretty reasonable on their own, otherwise they wouldn't be able to pilot their ships so well. Presumably they only become violent and uncontrollable when around non-Reavers.

[#146 :]

This Sailor Moon line supposedly being a reference to Reincarnation still isn't sitting right with me. I'll tell you what, if they mention it in the commentary for the episode then I'm there, but without confirmation I don't buy it...

Did Dr Zoidberg used to have teeth? In that old scene it looked like he did, or was that an animation goof?

Zoidberg's always had teeth, right from the very start. We just rarely see them.

Actually no.  He is only shown with teeth in the first four episodes (or episode 2 to 4 actually), since then not at all.  Matt Groening mentions this as being a retraction on the character design of Zoidberg.  Adding teeth to him now is an animation goof (perhaps based on confusion from his early designs).

Clool, I wasn't going mad. I knew something wasn't right about it when I saw it...

[#147 :]

Reavers would actually have to be pretty reasonable on their own, otherwise they wouldn't be able to pilot their ships so well. Presumably they only become violent and uncontrollable when around non-Reavers.

But even that explanation doesn't explain how there was no sign of violence.  They would have had to have gassed the ship (but would people not have fallen into the food then?) or something.  But I doubt Reavers like the idea of killing their prey before getting to them.  It's not done.

[#148 :]

Reavers would actually have to be pretty reasonable on their own, otherwise they wouldn't be able to pilot their ships so well. Presumably they only become violent and uncontrollable when around non-Reavers.

xanny: and THAT was the thing that always bothered ME with reavers. I didn't buy the combination of "so completely and collectively mad they think raping people, eating their flesh, and sewing their skin into clothing" (in no particular order) and "able to maintain and operate a starship" as plausible, much less sustainable. The previous sentence makes sense.

But enough about serenity. </tangent>

[#149 :]

After watching this a third time, I am very pleased

It has everything Futurama is loved and known for (besides Shipping ) great Science Fiction, humor, and good story telling.
It also feels like a classic episode to me.
Good job 10/10

[#150 :]

   Now why didn't the whale instantly fall down to Earth as soon as it appeared in the sky? That's what gravity does isn't it?...

Actually, I'd hazard a guess that data on how gravitational fields actually effect 4-dimensional space whales is rather sparse, so who's to say.

[#151 :]

This Sailor Moon line supposedly being a reference to Reincarnation still isn't sitting right with me. I'll tell you what, if they mention it in the commentary for the episode then I'm there, but without confirmation I don't buy it...

Did Dr Zoidberg used to have teeth? In that old scene it looked like he did, or was that an animation goof?

Zoidberg's always had teeth, right from the very start. We just rarely see them.

Actually no.  He is only shown with teeth in the first four episodes (or episode 2 to 4 actually), since then not at all.  Matt Groening mentions this as being a retraction on the character design of Zoidberg.  Adding teeth to him now is an animation goof (perhaps based on confusion from his early designs).

Clool, I wasn't going mad. I knew something wasn't right about it when I saw it...

I think calling a character Sailor Moon and then having her appear as Sailor Moon a few episodes later is too much of a coincidence to not be a mythological joke to the viewers.  If I didn't know that AMy was going to be SM in Reincarnation I would be going "What?" It would be as odd as someone randomly calling Leela Captain Falcon. I think we'll have to agree to disagree though.

But the commentries aren't always accurate though!  They said the whale in Leela's Homeworld was Mushu, despite being a completely different species. 

[#152 :]

We are not "what"ing over here.

[#153 :]

   Now why didn't the whale instantly fall down to Earth as soon as it appeared in the sky? That's what gravity does isn't it?...

Actually, I'd hazard a guess that data on how gravitational fields actually effect 4-dimensional space whales is rather sparse, so who's to say.

If I can get my head around fourth dimensional space whales that can keep people forever young in its bowels and feeds on human obsession, then the rest is just overkill.

By the way, what happened to the ship?  I am guessing they are going to have to build yet another one.

By the way, since there is no sound in space, I am guessing its "whalesong" are psychic waves rather then being sound.  I am guessing the whale is female since it lactates, despite the fact only male humpbacks sing (the whale seems to be a mashup of different marine life species but mostly a sperm whale)

[#154 :]

There was a new PE ship being built across the street anyway.


As you can see in Lrrreconciliable Ndndifferences and in Bender's Big Score:

[#155 :]

They probably have loads.  The PE got destroyed in Rebirth, then it got dismantled in Attack of the Killer App... I am guessing the Professor has very good insurance or something.   I never noticed those before, kudos!

[#156 :]

He also designed and built the original himself, so presumably he can whip up a spaceship in fairly short order by now. I mean, he's certainly been getting the practice.

[#157 :]

Knowing the professor it also wouldn't surprise me if he had some slaves to build it for him.

[#158 :]

Or monkeys.

I also like that next to the PE building is the most useless powerline.  Only use it has had is to be broken in "Obsoletely Fabulous".

[#159 :]

Slave monkeys, a descendant of the Albino Shouting Gorillas.