Thoughts on 7ACV02 - A Farewell to Arms - SPOILERS!

[on:]

I'd post one of my characteristic obnoxious, long-winded reviews, but I'm trying to open this thread before anyone else does. 'Cause that'd just create a lot of confusion and hysteria, similar to what was seen in this particular episode.

Edit: Shit, it happened anyway.

[Reply #1 on:]

But yours is it, Gorky ;D

Ugh, damn not having pay tv. And the site I use to watch futurama is not putting out yet >< Is there anywhere online where I can watch these great eps?

Edit - Hi! It's TMC! We don't like to post information about how to view episodes illegally here on PEEL. My apologies if you were talking about a totally legal website. I edited your post anyway because I'm kind of a jerk.

[Reply #2 on:]

iTunes tomorrow.

Anyway, great episode! It and a few great lines, and it was pretty epic.

"Do you want a Torah?"
"I'm not hungry."

Plus the ending was hilarious (Because of the title) and touching.

9/10

[Reply #3 on:]

Gorky's thread or Mongo's thread? Don't. Make. Me. CHOOSE!

...but since I am already writing this out in Gorky's thread, I will choose Gorky's thread.

This episode was not as funny as Bots and the Bees. But the story was more engaging, and it gave some sweet Leela/Fry-ness without beating us over the head with it like in, say, Overclockwise.

Not sure how I feel about the arms falling off. Kind of random...I wish the misfortune had made some sort of sense. But I guess the "severed arms holding hands" shot at the end kind of justified it.

Like I said, not as funny as the first episode...but it had its fair share of gags. I liked the magician, and Fry's lucky/only pants, and the choosing machine. Solid episode all around.

Compare these two episodes to Rebirth/Inna-gadda or to Neutopia/Benderama. Tonight's premiere is head and shoulders above the others. I hope the rest of the season is this solid!

[Reply #4 on:]

Compare these two episodes to Rebirth/Inna-gadda or to Neutopia/Benderama. Tonight's premiere is head and shoulders above the others. I hope the rest of the season is this solid!

I agree with FishyJoe on that 

I liked this episode alot because of all the twists around the martian calender and grease/oil with the badger hole

[Reply #5 on:]

I was wondering why it was called "A Farewell To Arms"...

This was absolutely hilarious. I'm sure this one will go down as a classic come seasons end.

[Reply #6 on:]

I'm sorry I jumped the gun on you there, Mongo; I suck. You can call dibs on the thread for next week's episode, eh?

Anyway, review time: I think the best episodes of Futurama are the ones with crazy sci-fi plots and a solid emotional grounding--and this episode delivered on both those fronts. What could have been a really cheesy, stupid, too-topical parody of our current woes about the world ending, wound up being a really heartfelt exploration of Fry and Leela's relationship with some wacky "The World is Ending!" hijinks thrown in for flavor.

I pretty much already gushed about the shippy stuff in the appropriate thread, so I'll refrain from subjecting you guys to my fangirl-ish ramblings in this thread, too--but suffice it to say that I loved the Fry/Leela stuff in this episode. It was sweet and compelling and it didn't make me hate either of them for the usual reasons (Fry wasn't too mopey, Leela wasn't too nasty).

As for the other stuff: It was crazy, it was fast-paced, it was funny; also, the animation was pretty excellent. I found it a little odd that no one bothered to second-guess Amy's ancient Martian translation--but I guess I can hand-wave that because presumably it's a dead language that few others on Earth would be able to decipher, either. In any event, I loved the callback to the native Martians (and speaking of callbacks, it was great that Nixon acknowledged his vice president is an Agnew clone), and it was a neat twist that Mars was actually the doomed planet. Things got a bit too over-the-top for my liking when Mars was literally passing over the top of New New York, but it made for some nice Fry/Leela stuff (I loved how the "Take my hand" stuff developed throughout the episode), so I guess I can give it a pass.

Also: It was great to see Nixon and Zapp and the Wongs again, as they are some of my favorite tertiary characters. Zapp dismantling the ship to build that statue (whose little girl reminds Leela of Fry)? Oh my, did that tickle me.

All in all, I'd say this was the stronger of the two episodes that aired tonight--but not by much. I'm thinking it's something like an 8.5/10, or even a 9/10; I shall have to rewatch before deciding for sure. In any event, though, it was really excellent stuff.

[Reply #7 on:]

Isn't Amy's sorority Kappa Kappa Wong?

[Reply #8 on:]

Ehh, I say 9/10. I really liked this episode, but not nearly as much as TBATB. This had really funny/Interesting moments (Frys Pants!, and what's to become of Earth.). Something I didn't like is the Fry-Hand thing. It was a little bit repetitive and unnecessary. But overall, it was a really enjoyable episode. I also loved the ending with Fry/Leela's arms flowing through space. Very Classic move! 

[Reply #9 on:]

Amy might belong to more than one sorority. Surely she has enough money! I did think of the same thing though... she definitely stated she was a member of Kappa Kappa Wong.

[Reply #10 on:]

Compare these two episodes to Rebirth/Inna-gadda or to Neutopia/Benderama. Tonight's premiere is head and shoulders above the others. I hope the rest of the season is this solid!

Thirded. I said something almost exactly like this after seeing the premiere. This episode made my shipper's heart rejoice. Also, Leela was actually quite likable.

A solid 8.5/10, definitely.

[Reply #11 on:]

Also, Leela was actually quite likable in this episode.

I liked how her seemingly snide comments to Fry were tempered with affectionate ones. Like, she thanked Fry for his chivalry while still claiming it was excessive--and she thought it was sweet that he had a sentimental attachment to his pants because he was wearing them when he met her, but still threw in an "Oh Lord" for good measure. Such moments of half-dubious sincerity were most appreciated.

[Reply #12 on:]

Compare these two episodes to Rebirth/Inna-gadda or to Neutopia/Benderama. Tonight's premiere is head and shoulders above the others. I hope the rest of the season is this solid!

Although if 6B had been aired in production order as it should have been, it would have been The Silence of the Clamps / Mobius Dick -- so not as good as this pair, but certainly better than either of those two pairs.

[Reply #13 on:]

I missed half this episode due to family talking as loud as possible. But I'm not surprised that they did an end of the world episode. They tried to be shippy in it but Leela still pisses me off to some extent. Fry is amazingly sweet even the attempt to sacrifice himself for Leela.

Right now I give it a neutral score of 5 and that is subject to change when I watch it again tomorrow and kill all who try to prevent that.

[Reply #14 on:]

You've got to be kidding me...


Weinstein's best episode on the show yet is a five?! No. Just no.

[Reply #15 on:]

Oh jeez. Do I have to add a "Beware of Subjective Ratings!" warning to this thread's title, too? Because it's kind of silly to quibble over the numerical rating a person chooses to assign to a particular episode; such rankings are idiosyncratic by their nature, and what constitutes a 5/10 for one person may constitute a 7/10 for another. It makes more sense to debate the points a poster makes about the episode than to scold them for rating something too high or too low. But that's just my opinion.

On a related note: I've said this before, I'm sure, but I'm glad Josh Weinstein's joined the staff; every episode he's written for the show so far has been solid. I agree with you, SBG, that this is probably the best work he's done on Futurama thus far.

[Reply #16 on:]

Very entertaining episode, though it was a little over-the-top.

It was great seeing the headless clone of Agnew, Nine, and the Martians. The choosing machine was hilarious.

I think both the new episodes seemed a little faced-paced though.

Anyway, this one gets an 8.5/10 for now.

[Reply #17 on:]

I really enjoyed this episode. I loved when Hermes said "Is it me or is the world ending more these days?" 

[Reply #18 on:]

You've got to be kidding me...


Weinstein's best episode on the show yet is a five?! No. Just no.

One I have no idea who that is. This is the first time I've been in GD in ages. I've not kept up with news. So yeah. I said I was keeping it neutral for now. I've not even voted so calm down SBG. Like I said I missed a fair amount of the episode due to general rudeness and family. So I'm being fair said I'm being a filthy neutral for now and I will give a better review in the next couple days.

[Reply #19 on:]

Compare these two episodes to Rebirth/Inna-gadda or to Neutopia/Benderama. Tonight's premiere is head and shoulders above the others. I hope the rest of the season is this solid!

Thirded. I said something almost exactly like this after seeing the premiere. This episode made my shipper's heart rejoice. Also, Leela was actually quite likable.

A solid 8.5/10, definitely.

Quartered!

I think I loved the ending a little too much... :P 8/10.

[Reply #20 on:]

My Ship-O-Meter is going through the roof!!!! (More to follow...)

The shipping...I can't stand handle the AMAZING SHIPPINGNESS!!!!!

Show spoiler

Fry and Leela's arms forever holding hands in space!

Damn, I just didn't like the abrupt ending of this either. This one wasn't as abrupt but kind of anti-climatic. They need to work on this. These are great episodes, just kind of stumbling on their 3rd acts.

10/10 I say! More Fry and Leela shippyness, it fuels me!

[Reply #21 on:]

My damn cable box cut out for the first five minutes and only after frantic banging and cursing came back.  I'll have to pick it up again at midnight.

From the rest of what I saw it as great, even better than TBATB.  Great animation on Mars and the apocalypse.

I love how they made central the idea of Fry's romantic gestures vs. actual companionship.  I'll be able to dissect it more in an hour but my initial impressions couldn't be much higher.

Futurama is back, baby!

9/10

[Reply #22 on:]

Futurama is back, baby!

& unfortunately, it's gotten worse.

i posted my review for both episodes here:

for both episodes:

those episodes were terrible. i want to complain however way i can! Fry saved the show for me with his pantsless antics. i hated the ending of the 2nd episode but liked the beginning. i can never be a Futurama fan. i might not be supporting the show anymore too

0.5/10

the ending was just terrible. way worse than the ending of the 1st episode of this season. i have a good feeling this season is gonna be terrible. the show might've just lost a fan

[Reply #23 on:]

& unfortunately, it's gotten worse.

La la la la la la la la I can't hear you la la la la la la la

But in all seriousness though, you are entitled to your opinion.  What is so different about these new episodes compared to last season or even the original run?  The aren't radically different to me.

[Reply #24 on:]

the 2 endings of the newest episodes ruined the show for me forever. they weren't funny at all. they made me angry & sad. my favorite character never gets it easy. the creators just wanna hurt him. the humor was OK but a lot of it just wasn't funny. i really hate the show now! my favorite show...ruined in an hour! what can i do?!

also i think Fry has more than just those pair of pants. i think he lied!

[Reply #25 on:]

Your opinion is bad and you should feel bad!

[Reply #26 on:]

it's not bad. it's honest. :P seriously though i've given up on the show. i'm just a Fry fan now. i don't think the show is gonna get any better but i plan to watch the next episode anyway just for my love

also...the cake is a lie. lol

[Reply #27 on:]

also...the cake is a lie. lol

[Reply #28 on:]

i really wish i hadn't been disappointed with my favorite show like this. maybe there'll be something better than these 2 terrible episodes later

[Reply #29 on:]

I think you've just grown out of Futurama, Unmentionable. Because as Louis said, they're not that different from the original run.

[Reply #30 on:]

you're right. the show is mostly action & chaos now. i can't be a fan of that. it might appeal to others but not me. i'm still a Fry fan though. i wish he didn't have to get a hard time in every episode though

[Reply #31 on:]

I think you've just grown out of Futurama, Unmentionable. Because as Louis said, they're not that different from the original run.

No, he is just jealous to Fry.

[Reply #32 on:]

i'm jealous & sad, OK? lol

[Reply #33 on:]

Well, this was a six for me. It lost points due to the extreme OTT-ness of Mars passing so close to Earth and the likelihood that they won't remember Mars has moved for future episodes.

It also lost points for the randomness of Fry and Leela's arms falling off, and for the predictability of various plot points (such as Fry being given a spot on the evac ship, Leela not, Fry sacrificing himself to save her, and that putting her in danger. ).

It clawed back a point for the animation of the stone ship, and the joke at the end with the world's smallest violin.

Not a brilliant second episode, but not a terrible one, either. All in all, it's easily on a par with much of Season 6 and the movies. I do think it falls short of a lot of Season 4, some of Season 3, a fair whack of Season 2 and all of Season 1's greatness though. The amount by which it falls short is not so wide as a church door, nor so deep as a well. But it's enough. Enough that I'll probably not rewatch it very often (if at all).

Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike it. It just failed to impress.

[Reply #34 on:]

Decided to give the series one last chance ([Irony mode on]This will probably be a major relief for Groening and Cohen [Irony mode off])

Acceptable. It had it's moments

+ The "Aztec" Martian ship. I liked the design (a few more details would have been fine, though. I like details... )
+ I didn't see Mars as the doomed planet coming, so it was a nice twist (okay..I SHOULD have seen it coming. But yet..it surprised me anyway, so that counts as positive).
+ The ending scene (though I immediatelly had to think of the Bio-Vizier in "Lexx, the Dark Zone")
+ Zapp. Okay, at first it was confusing seeing him for once competent (Succesfully taking prisoners without being overwhelmed by his own stupidity, being able to fly the ship without crash, and even dismantling the ship was a mistake that could have happened to anyone on Mars). Competent Zapp vs. Complete Idiot? Well...early Zapp often lived by it's ambiguous states of swinging between "funny idiot" and "psychotic Mass murdered". The viewers didn't know what to make of him, leading to a certain disturbing effect. The "competent Zapp" vs. "Messes up the easiest tasks Zapp" also bears that ambiguous status, and therefore it worked for me.
+ Most writing on Leela was good. She has always been a character on whom the writers were holding back/were extra lenient. The "If you wann to dish out, you also have to take it" rule applied to her in that episode. Also, I enjoyed her rejection after naming all of the superlative abilities. It was as if the writers were admitting early flaws, saying "Okay...and what use is a Mary Sue in a group? NONE!" (Though I might probably read too much into it)

VERY BIG PLUS:
They finally settled the Fry7Leela thing. I do not mean their relationship, but the general interaction. In Season 6A, they talked to each other like two people knowing each other for more than 10 years. In 6B, they often seemed like two folks who just met each other.
In AFTA, their dialoges were again on the "known each other for a long time" track.

+/- The arm bit was random. Considering Mars gravity, Fry would have to lift at most 26,6 kg to pick her up [Leela}25KG!!![Leela off]. No way those arms could have come off. It seems they had the ending gag -with the arms floating into space- and wanted to force a setup for the punchline.

- Okay, let us see how great a bitch we can make Leela;) Leaving your crew behing or making them catch the bullets for you (e.g. in "The Sting") usually takes you effectively out of the race for "natural leader". But bickering that others do not sacrifice themselve properly for you basically requires a time machine, and preventing you from subscription to this contest at all
Also, her anger at Fry lacked causality:
- Stepping over the puddle without Fry holding her hand would have made no difference for the tentacle whatever.
- Leela WANTED the ticket. So, getting one without Fry sacrificing his would still have left her on doomed Mars.

Little error:
When Fry's hand were slippery, there would have been enough time for another character reaching out for Leela (e.g. Bender not only being able to lift her easily, but also having extandable arms, so Mr "I said I was immortal, I didn't say I was no drama queen" would not even have to step too close to the edge )

[Reply #35 on:]

I was going to give it an 8. But it gets a 9 because I like Fry's pants.

Seriously, this episode was fantastic. Funny the entire way through, sweet in small enough doses to not distract from the humour, and consistently entertaining. Perfectly chaotic (because, despite what Unmentionable may say - yes, you need chaos when dealing with a subject like THE END OF THE FUCKING WORLD), yet driven enough in its direction to make me realise, at the end, just how well structured it really was. Though I've always had a soft spot for apocalyptic stories...

Easily the highlight of the two premieres (though both were very solid and very funny).

[Reply #36 on:]

Best episode in the series.  Hands down.

[Reply #37 on:]

I would have loved this episode if it were less predictable. Also, the Mars flying over Earth thing was just a bit too absurd. That said, it was still entertaining.

Also: I like the way they've used Scruffy so far. He seem be getting a lot of screen time, but still manages to serve the "random guy" role.

[Reply #38 on:]

Tonight's episodes were quite good, the second episode was indeed better than the first one.

Gotta say, whatever bizarre stunt Futurama pulls off I am always on-board. But when it meddles with human anatomy, it makes me cringe and makes me lose my suspension of disbelief. (Crazy I know ). It started when Fry lost his hands (or was it his whole arm? probably much before the incident with the Robot Devil) during the early seasons. What can I say, besides being a comedy Futurama has always been a great science fiction show for me, so those things used to bother me. It still does, but I am getting used to it now.
 

[Reply #39 on:]

Two little continuity errors in the episode:

Breaking the in-episode continuity:
- The machine managed to identify Leela as Pilot. Therefore, it should have been able to identify Fry as a Gunner.
Breaking the out-episode continuity:
- Leela's background as junior Kung Fu praticioner made the machine identify her as "combat trained". Fry's background as soldier and cop would therefore also have to result in "combat trained".

(Okay, the whole gag was of course based on Fry being chosen for nearly no reason, and people expecting no harm can come to Leela in comparison. But yet..still continuity errors )