futurefreak
salutatory committee member
Moderator
DOOP Secretary
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Welcome to the boooard of tomorrrow, Sandbox! I have enjoyed your posts already Also I actually thought the Verizon coverage map joke worked; I wasn't expecting it and it wasn't forced at all. I still abhor the Facebook line though because it is overdone I would have much rather enjoyed a generalized social network joke like someone suggested earlier, like, "I already knew that, I'm just updating my status" or "liking this photo of *insert futurama character themed joke* <--I think they missed some creative comedy gold with that last suggestion.
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Smarty
Professor
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or "liking this photo of *insert futurama character themed joke* <--I think they missed some creative comedy gold with that last suggestion.
You know...that would actually be pretty funny. There would be so much potential in that and it would only imply that she is on Facebook (or the future equivalent, if not that). It wouldn't have been as blatent of a pop culture reference and it would add some funny trivia about a character.
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Sandbox
Crustacean
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or "liking this photo of *insert futurama character themed joke* <--I think they missed some creative comedy gold with that last suggestion.
You know...that would actually be pretty funny. There would be so much potential in that and it would only imply that she is on Facebook (or the future equivalent, if not that). It wouldn't have been as blatent of a pop culture reference and it would add some funny trivia about a character.
You know, I think that's what bugs me about it. Referencing something modern is common in Futurama but it's usually given some futuristic or scifi twist. I didn't mind the "Wikipedia Page" reference in Ghosts in the Machines too bad but when it was every episode it became tedious, and the way it was just thrown in there just got under my skin and took away from the fantasy.
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futurefreak
salutatory committee member
Moderator
DOOP Secretary
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Yes...it's when the references lack creativity and seem just to be thrown in there that it becomes frustrating to watch.
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wowbagger
Delivery Boy
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Re: Spanish Flu... Somewhat misleading. The flu killed more of the young, healthy segment of the population that would have been expected, rather than targeting them. You should also remember what young healthy males were busy doing in 1918. Many of them were living in squalid trenches and camps, moving around and crossing borders in large crowds. The Great War provided optimal conditions to spread viruses. They say the Spanish Flu killed more people that World War I, but maybe it wasn't a coincidence they happened at the same time. Anyway, the professor DID answer how deadly he thought the virus was (which I quoted a couple of pages back). Leela: How deadly is it? Professor: It could kill millions, or nobody. I suppose it might even bring a few people back to life! Anything is possible in science! It's almost the same answer we get every time there's a flu scare, but funnier.
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Aki
Professor
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I have said this before concerning TV characters: disliking a character as a "real person" is not the same as disliking the character. I hate Sauron's guts to what he did against the people of Middle-earth, but I still find him to be a cool character. Same goes with Fry's dad - he's an obnoxious jerk of a father, but he's still a good character. The ending of Cold Warriors made us see a little bit of heart that explained away his behaviour to a certain degree - maybe not enough to start liking him (I still hate him for what he did against Fry) - but enough to make us understand where he's coming from. Much like, say, Darth Vader at the end of The Return of the Jedi - we may not respect the billions of lives he has slaughtered, but we understand where he's coming from and - to a certain degree - we can understand why he did what he did.
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sparkybarky
Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #292 on: 09-08-2011 17:09 »
« Last Edit on: 09-08-2011 18:10 »
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I have said this before concerning TV characters: disliking a character as a "real person" is not the same as disliking the character. I
Aki, I appreciate what you're saying about how fictional characters should be differentiated from "real people" when we evaluate them. But, that line of thinking just doesn't do it for me. The character of Fry's dad was fleshed out and well-developed in this ep, but emotionally, I really, really dislike him. Therefore, while he doesn't completely ruin the ep for me, he is like a rainy cloud above it all. On this subject, I like the article "What Makes Characters Sympathetic and Unsympathetic," which mentions this: "Why do we like some characters who do horrible things and dislike the heck out of some goody two shoes? In this agent's opinion, it all comes down to the concept of redeemability." ( http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2011/07/what-makes-characters-sympathetic-and.html) Me personally, I would have happily accepted Fry's dad if he had somehow redeemed himself; I think that is what the writers intended with the ending, when he admits to Fry why he treats him the way he does, but that felt forced, and it seemed too little too late. I would have liked it a lot better if his dad actually apologized to Fry for being such an a-hole to him, and did so with genuine remorse. Edit: also, if Fry's dad was on the periphery of the plot, like he has been in past eps like "Jurassic Bark," I would scarcely care how jerky he is. But in CW, he plays a major part, and so his harshness just chews up the scenery. For me, it's just too much. Oh and second edit: I think Anakin totally redeemed himself at the end of Jedi. Excellent example. I mean, as much as he could for murdering countless people using that Dark Side of the Force pinching maneuver.
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Aki
Professor
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I have troubles seeing how you think Vader redeemed his billions (with a freaking Carl Sagan B) of murders by the ending of Jedi. The ending pulled it off rather excellently - he realized his wrong-doings, but he didn't ever think he redeemed himself, nor did anyone else. There is a difference between realizing a mistake and redeeming it.
Fry's dad did not redeem himself either. Nor did he realize what he did wrong. We were allowed to see behind the curtain the reason of it all, but he himself did not realize it was wrong. He didn't stop treating Fry badly after this.
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sparkybarky
Liquid Emperor
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I have troubles seeing how you think Vader redeemed his billions (with a freaking Carl Sagan B) of murders by the ending of Jedi. So...maybe at the end, he didn't really pay for his sins. I guess nothing he could have done would have paid back that debt to society...er, the galaxy. But in my eyes, be became a lot more sympathetic, when he threw the Emperor down the chute or whatever that cavernous space was, and reached out to Luke and chose to act like a sorrowful and regretful father, instead of a murderous villain. And he did save Luke's life. I think Vader is a really cool character. He's evil (up to the very end), but he doesn't bother me like Fry's dad does. Maybe because I am much more emotionally invested in Futurama than I am in the Star Wars movies.
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SpaceGoldfish fromWazn
Urban Legend
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I have to agree with Sparky. While it was nice that he got redeemed at the end of the episode, most of the things he did to Fry that episode were just cruel for the sake of being cruel. "Give up Fry, you're a failure, dont even bother trying" ect.
However my hatred in that episode was reserved for that Josh Gedgee character. That guy was probably the biggest asshole in the show. Ever. He knows he's going to win, and Fry doesn't have a chance, but he still steals Fry's idea out of nothing more then spite. I really hope something HORRIBLE happened to him, and he died miserable and alone.
I would say he's one of the series greatest Karma Houndinis, along with: Fishy Joe = Continued to sell Popplers even when he knew they were sentient, asking: "I'm rich, whose gonna stop me?" I was so disappointed when Ndnd didn't get snackish and eat him, after her husband ate the other douchebag in that episode.
And Michelle. That cow can go shove a cactus up her c**t.
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Otis P Jivefunk
DOOP Secretary
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I'm glad you gave it a second viewing before voting in the poll then. Truly one of the highlights of 6B, in fact not just of 6B, but of the entire Season 6 production run!...
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DannyJC13
DOOP Secretary
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The Facebook reference would have been fine is they changed it to the future variant... I mean Twitcher didn't bother me at all, but Facebook? Coudln't it be something like Mombook? I dunno, ANYTHING but Facebook...
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Otis P Jivefunk
DOOP Secretary
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The Facebook reference would have been fine is they changed it to the future variant... I mean Twitcher didn't bother me at all, but Facebook? Coudln't it be something like Mombook? I dunno, ANYTHING but Facebook...
Totally agree, that would have given the already familiar to our present a futuristic spin, thus not grounding it in our era, yet still making it relatable to us. It would have been more creative to make a variant name, and more in keeping with the shows merits... Of course, I'd have probably been happier without the Facebook reference at all, instead having something else completely different there, but your suggestion would have at least been much better and more acceptable...
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DannyJC13
DOOP Secretary
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When the comics can do better than the show, something is wrong.
(Bender goes into the Internet and then onto "Momtunes" in "Do You Want Fry with That?"....)
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