"Saw it coming!" Futurama twists (spoilers, duh)

[on:]

I had a quick look around to see it this thread existed already, and it appears that it doesn't.

Anyway, the little discussion in TLPJF thread got me thinking. What have been the best plot twists on the show? What have been the worst? And has there ever been a twist that people didn't predict?

I personally try to enjoy episodes while I watch them rather than try and predict what's going to happen next. So for that reason, I rarely see the twists coming. (I watch them over the internet, so I don't get ad breaks to think about it or anything.)

For me, the best plot twists are those of Bender's Big Score and Rebirth. Bender's Game also had a decent twist, but it was ruining by the writers seeming to forget about it. (And who could blame them! Forgetting about BG is a good thing.)

Most of the original run I can't remember the first time I saw them, so I can't really comment on those. And as I said earlier, I usually don't make accurate predictions, so even apparently bad twists like Lrrreconciliable Ndndifferences and Yo Leela Leela were surprising to me.

Anyway, discuss away!

[Reply #1 on:]

I was spoiled for pretty much every episode in the original run, since I didn't begin watching the series in earnest until after I had found CGEF and read through some of the episode capsules and whatnot; therefore, none of the twists from the first four seasons really shocked me. I do imagine that "The Sting" would've blown my mind, though, had I not already gleaned from internet reviewers that it was all just a dream. Oh, and I might not have been spoiled for "The Luck of the Fryrish," which has a pretty nice twist ending that still manages to give me goosebumps whenever I watch it.

Anyway:

For me, the best plot twists are those of Bender's Big Score and Rebirth.

I agree with this completely; I did not see either of those twists coming. (Well, I figured out that Lars was Fry when he tearfully refuted Leela's claim not to love her with "I've always loved you"...but that's really getting it in under the wire, as the actual reveal happens about thirty seconds later.) The one in "Rebirth" is particularly well-done, I think. Also, "Lethal Inspection" has a pretty nice twist ending, on-par with "The Luck of the Fryrish."

I will say, though, that a lot of other new run episodes (particularly from the current season) have failed to surprise me. Like, I predicted the endings of "The Bots and the Bees," "The Butterjunk Effect," and "The Six Million Dollar Mon." Granted, their predictability does not really affect their enjoyability, so I don't mean this as a criticism of the Everything That Used to Be Good About This Show Sucks Now variety. I'm just making note of it is all.

[Reply #2 on:]

I loved that one where Fry finally realizes he had been dead this whole time (shot by Nibbler) and then he crosses over to the other side....Oh wait.

There are so many good ones, it seems. Time Keeps on Slippin' stands out. I'll think about this more.

[Reply #3 on:]

I didn't foresee Fry actually being alive in Funa on a Bun.  I guess that goes to show how wacky Futurama is when it comes to bringing back dead characters that I assumed hed come back some other way.

[Reply #4 on:]

I didn't predict Hermes would be Inspector #5 on first viewing, and even though it must've been 7+ years ago, I seem to recall being surprised at the twist in The Sting.

I was also blown away when I first watched BBS (the very viewing which got me into Futurama full time) and found out Lars was Fry, really didn't expect that and it touched me quite a lot.

Also, it didn't occur to me that Zoidberg was slowly reconstructing Hermes' original body in The Six Million Dollar Mon.

[Reply #5 on:]

Rebirth got me definitely, also the Sting. With the latter I remember thinking that when he got reconstructed by the spilt honey that'd be it...however, there was still around ten minutes left.

[Reply #6 on:]

Fun on a Bun, the only plotline other than The Sting that I could not predict xD I just knew that Fry would be back at the end of the ep, but I didn't know how.

[Reply #7 on:]

Ahh yes, Rebirth got me too.

[Reply #8 on:]

I vaguely remember being surprised at The Sting.

And I forgot about LI. That one also had a nice twist.