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Author Topic: They Made That?  (Read 3571 times)
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Boxy Robot

Starship Captain
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« on: 09-02-2012 19:16 »

1. Are there any episode ideas that you're surprised haven't been done by the show yet?

2. Are there any episodes you are surprised made it through production with such a bad/weak story?
Otis P Jivefunk

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #1 on: 09-02-2012 19:20 »

1. Morbo's race destroying Earth...

2. Yo Leela Leela, utter shit story...
SpaceGoldfish fromWazn

Urban Legend
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« Reply #2 on: 09-02-2012 19:25 »
« Last Edit on: 09-02-2012 19:30 »

1. An episode that deals with Leela's status as "the other".  Or maybe a full on parody of classic sci fi like Jules Verne or The Eve of the Future.
2. TTOB.  I really had no idea what they were going for there.  It just felt like a rough draft that they didn't bother to cook a bit longer/fix all the seams.  
Jarvio

Bending Unit
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« Reply #3 on: 09-02-2012 19:28 »

1 - Dune parody?

2 - TFHS. Everything about it was bad.
sparkybarky

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #4 on: 09-02-2012 22:22 »

How funny, Jarvio, I was just thinking how I'd like to see a Dune parody (even though I thought that movie was awful--sorry to any fans out there). I'd love to see Fry and Leela riding some sort of space centipede. Also, Fry in the type of get-up that Sting wore.
DannyJC13

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #5 on: 09-02-2012 22:22 »
« Last Edit on: 09-02-2012 22:26 »

2. Yo Leela Leela, utter shit story...

Second, as mentioned around here, on the commentary someone says the only reason the idea behind this episode came about was because the staff all now have kids, and their kids watch all the shows parodied in YLL.

They probably understood all the parodies and thought it was hilarious in the writing room, but to fans without kids it was probably just terrible. I imagine the casual viewer enjoyed it.

1. All the crew going back to Fry's time, but as Eric Rogers told me on Twitter, it's too complicated/the writers can't find a way for it to work. (Yet.)

2. Naturama is a perfectly fine episode, but it lacks the sci-fi aspect. They should of just sprinkled over the currently fine version of the ep and added more sci-fi-iness.

You know what, that reminds me, it would've been nice to see an animal in each segment that looked like the PE ship. And that reminds me of something else!

There were no cool variants or attachments to the ship in 7A... :(
Tastes Like Fry

Urban Legend
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« Reply #6 on: 09-03-2012 08:45 »

Elephant Detector... that's new, right?
Spacedal11

Space Pope
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« Reply #7 on: 09-03-2012 09:20 »

Ask Eric Rogers about "The Other" thing. I agree that that's something that I'm surprised still hasn't come up after all this time.
NastyInThePasty

Professor
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« Reply #8 on: 09-03-2012 16:10 »

How about Morbo and Linda becoming romantic? :eek:
sparkybarky

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #9 on: 09-03-2012 17:33 »

And cheat on Mrs. Morbo, that hot sweet thang???

Spacedal, when I first read your post I read it as "The Thing," and thought brilliant! I love that movie (the original, not the remake, if there is one, and if there's not one yet, there will be, and a crappy one, for pete's sake). A scifi horror episode would be great. Of course, make it funny.
spira

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #10 on: 09-03-2012 18:15 »

I really want them to do that one idea they had once about Fry/Leela's kid coming from the future but only being able to move/talk backwards. They said there were too many logistical errors, but I figure the Professor can create a device to decipher backwards speech, no?

YLL, and to some degree IAGDL, for the second question.
DannyJC13

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #11 on: 09-03-2012 21:12 »

Ask Eric Rogers about "The Other" thing. I agree that that's something that I'm surprised still hasn't come up after all this time.

He's at Burning Man at the moment. :hmpf:
Spacedal11

Space Pope
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« Reply #12 on: 09-03-2012 23:44 »

And cheat on Mrs. Morbo, that hot sweet thang???

Spacedal, when I first read your post I read it as "The Thing," and thought brilliant! I love that movie (the original, not the remake, if there is one, and if there's not one yet, there will be, and a crappy one, for pete's sake). A scifi horror episode would be great. Of course, make it funny.

Oh so I guess you didn't hear?

Ask Eric Rogers about "The Other" thing. I agree that that's something that I'm surprised still hasn't come up after all this time.

He's at Burning Man at the moment. :hmpf:

So ask him when he gets back. I'm not in a hurry.
Inquisitor Hein
Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #13 on: 09-03-2012 23:47 »
« Last Edit on: 09-03-2012 23:48 »

I really want them to do that one idea they had once about Fry/Leela's kid coming from the future but only being able to move/talk backwards. They said there were too many logistical errors, but I figure the Professor can create a device to decipher backwards speech, no?

YLL, and to some degree IAGDL, for the second question.

If I remember correctly, the present status is they managed to come up with a working story.
They just didn't consider it funny enough.

Edith says: HA!! Found it!!
http://www.peelified.com/index.php?topic=21199.msg1278743#msg1278743
Tastes Like Fry

Urban Legend
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« Reply #14 on: 09-04-2012 02:32 »

You know, I think I must have been dozing when listening to the commentary on that episode. Even moreso when I was reading that thread x] Must have skipped over it at the time cause I couldn't be bothered reading the text. I even missed your humour - gawd that's awkward.

Erm, so I went back and re-listened to the commentary and transribed it and I'mma post it in the Shipping thread now so it's not spamming here.
Frida Waterfall

Professor
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« Reply #15 on: 09-04-2012 02:51 »

Ask Eric Rogers about "The Other" thing. I agree that that's something that I'm surprised still hasn't come up after all this time.

He's at Burning Man at the moment. :hmpf:

Well, Burning Man's pretty much over (today's the last day), so please sir! Contact him! Interrogate him about The Other!

I can't believe during the Futurama LiveStream chat that nobody brought up the topic of the Nibblonian Prophecy, specifically about The Other's role.

I really want them to do that one idea they had once about Fry/Leela's kid coming from the future but only being able to move/talk backwards. They said there were too many logistical errors, but I figure the Professor can create a device to decipher backwards speech, no?

Not so easy. They could easily record what the time traveler says and play back the audio track backwards to understand what he says. But, they can't just record their response and play it back in reverse to communicate with the time traveler; the time traveler will uncomprehend the message. He will understand what they are trying to say before they play back the response, but once he receives the response in forward time, it would be his own past. All attempts at communication are futile. As the crew understands the time traveler more and more, the time traveler understands the crew less and less.
DotheBartman

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #16 on: 09-04-2012 07:44 »


Spacedal, when I first read your post I read it as "The Thing," and thought brilliant! I love that movie (the original, not the remake, if there is one, and if there's not one yet, there will be, and a crappy one, for pete's sake).

There's one from last year (2011). You might be interested to know, though, that the 1982 version that you're probably thinking of as the "original" one isn't technically the original at all; it's essentially a remake of the 1951 film "The Thing From Another World," or at least an adaptation of the same source material.
DannyJC13

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #17 on: 09-04-2012 17:22 »

Well, Burning Man's pretty much over (today's the last day), so please sir! Contact him! Interrogate him about The Other!

Done, but I doubt we'll get much back.
Deely

Crustacean
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« Reply #18 on: 09-04-2012 20:06 »


Spacedal, when I first read your post I read it as "The Thing," and thought brilliant! I love that movie (the original, not the remake, if there is one, and if there's not one yet, there will be, and a crappy one, for pete's sake).

There's one from last year (2011). You might be interested to know, though, that the 1982 version that you're probably thinking of as the "original" one isn't technically the original at all; it's essentially a remake of the 1951 film "The Thing From Another World," or at least an adaptation of the same source material.

Adaptation of the same source material is the better description; both are based loosely on the short story "Who goes there ?"
The 1951 movie is still a good watch with pretty snappy dialogue, but it would be hard pressed to qualify as "horror" these days.

The one from 2011 is actually a retconned prequel. It's *not* as bad as it sounds, even though it has some cringeworthy "twists". It's main value is in the meticulous continuity of the sets that appear in both movies. If you love Carpenter's version and you haven't seen the prequel, watch them together in that order (movie first, then prequel), and the little continuity things you notice will outweigh the at times poor cgi and plotholes.
Tachyon

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #19 on: 09-04-2012 20:45 »


The 1951 film bored me -- I didn't even finish it.  Carpenter's version?  It creeped me right out!  Good stuff.  I haven't watched it in ages, but I will keep an eye out for it and the prequel.

Futuristic-ATR

Crustacean
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« Reply #20 on: 09-05-2012 00:10 »

1. a)The PE Crew visits Fry´s family in the year 2000.
    b)Morbo and his army attack earth.
    c)Everybody has the brainslug, except Fry.
    d)There is a evil parallel universe which has destroyed all other
       universes, only one is missing, guess which?
2. a)Holiday Spectular episode, I hate singing!!
    b)Wooden Bender episode, mostly Bender, Bender, Bender! Are you kidding me?
       Futurama, not Benderama(yes, there is an episode with this title)!!
Jarvio

Bending Unit
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« Reply #21 on: 09-05-2012 00:59 »

I'm surprised that so many people think they should do an episode of Morbo and his species invading earth - if this happened, then IMO it would completely ruin the joke
sparkybarky

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #22 on: 09-05-2012 04:14 »

DtBH, thanks, I didn't know about "The Thing From Another World." And Frida, I had no idea there was a short story.

Also, Frida, your explanation of the difficulties of the hypothetical backsward-talking time traveler is impressive. Not saying I understand it, though. :)

This is what I want to see, somehow, in a Futurama ep, if they would ever parody the 1982 movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjIXwkX1e48

(Kinda disturbing, for those who've never watched that movie.)

Epic.
cyber_turnip

Urban Legend
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« Reply #23 on: 09-05-2012 11:07 »

I'm surprised that so many people think they should do an episode of Morbo and his species invading earth - if this happened, then IMO it would completely ruin the joke

I agree with this completely.

And I would also love to see them dust off that backwards time-traveller concept. They might. David X. Cohen also talked about developing a Most Dangerous Game parody with Bender that was scrapped and then we got "31st Century Fox".

Also, for what it's worth, John Carpenter's The Thing is a masterpiece and my favourite "straight" horror film (as in, not a horror comedy), The Thing from Another World is alrightish, I guess, but it's nothing special and hugely dated and the 2011 prequel The Thing isn't awful although it does essentially just retread the exact same material and storyline as the first film with less finesse.
Inquisitor Hein
Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #24 on: 09-05-2012 12:01 »
« Last Edit on: 09-05-2012 12:05 »


Also, Frida, your explanation of the difficulties of the hypothetical backsward-talking time traveler is impressive. Not saying I understand it, though. :)


She means that the time traveler will not only just talk backwards, but also ACT backwards.
A mere backwards talking would be like a different language, that could indeed be solved via recording.


Yet, for the Plant Express Crew, their time order is:

PE folks record their own message -> Play PE message backward to time traveler -> Time traveler listening to message and voicing his answer

Yet, these events would be precieved in the following reversed order by the time traveler:

Time traveler listening to message and voicing his answer -> Play PE message backward to time traveler -> PE folks record their own message

So, he would have to give an answer to the PE crew before they even voice their question.
futurefreak

salutatory committee member
Moderator
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« Reply #25 on: 09-07-2012 18:49 »

1. Morbo's race destroying Earth...

2. Yo Leela Leela, utter shit story...

ditto. Many of Season 7a episodes though shouldn't have made it past cutting room floor tbh.

As I brought up in the other thread, I'd like to see them explore new planets and their inhabitants. I yearn for the days of My Three Suns and Fry and the Slurm Factory. There is so much potential when you have a vast setting like they do, but they aren't taking advntage of it and instead are focusing on lame one dimensional character plots that just don't make any sense or are a waste of 21 minutes (The Butterjunk Effect anyone?).

They need to cut out the stupid storylines that focus on just the crew and get other space themes involved. It's not just the future...it's SPACE. But also it seems like they are relying on the fact that it is the future too heavily to explain why such a plot as The Butterjunk Effect can pass for an episode. Whatever happened to those cool, newfangled devices hat actually had a shot of becoming reality in the future that made you "ooo" and "aaah" like in Space Pilot 3000?
transgender nerd under canada

DOOP Ubersecretary
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« Reply #26 on: 09-07-2012 18:58 »

1. Are there any episode ideas that you're surprised haven't been done by the show yet?

The canonical death of a main character.

2. Are there any episodes you are surprised made it through production with such a bad/weak story?

Season 7A. Seriously, only D3012, FOAB, FWH, and 31CF were really worth airing (and the closest one of those to a great episode was FOAB. D3012 would be a runner up).

Season 7B better be good. It has a lot to make up for.
futurefreak

salutatory committee member
Moderator
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« Reply #27 on: 09-07-2012 20:24 »
« Last Edit on: 09-07-2012 20:25 »

Well they killed off main background robot characters, does that count?

DotheBartman

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #28 on: 09-07-2012 21:34 »

I think the top moment where I thought "how did this get made? Who honestly thought this was funny or good?" was the barfing whale. Ugh.
Gorky

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #29 on: 09-08-2012 18:27 »

Heh, though I'm quite fond of "Three Hundred Big Boys" generally speaking, I'm much more bothered by Roseanne's guest spot than Mushu's stomach ailments.

1. Are there any episode ideas that you're surprised haven't been done by the show yet?

The canonical death of a main character.

Who could they kill off (I'm assuming you mean for good, and not in the reset-y sort of way that was done in "Ghost in the Machines") without permanently altering the show--both tonally and plot- and character-wise--to shark-jumping proportions?

I'd maybe be on-board with the writers killing of a secondary or tertiary character, but killing off a main character would just be gimmicky and unnecessary.
transgender nerd under canada

DOOP Ubersecretary
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« Reply #30 on: 09-08-2012 19:20 »
« Last Edit on: 09-08-2012 19:25 by totalnerduk »

I'm not going to disagree. But I'm surprised that they haven't tried it as part of S7A. Because they seem to be trying as hard as they can to use every other unnecessary gimmick that they can think of.

As to who they could kill off from the core cast, I don't think it would make a lot of difference at this stage to say goodbye to Hermes, Amy, or Zoidberg. Yes, it would make a difference to lose any of those. They're main characters - a part of the core cast and we see them almost every episode. But I don't see them as being irreplaceable. Let's say that Zoidberg finally mates. The Professor can just go hire a new doctor. Let's say that Amy is involved in a tragic accident. The Professor can go recruit a new spoiled rich intern at Mars U. Let's say that Hermes chokes to death on his stapler. There are plenty more bureaucrats waiting to be assigned.

I'm not saying that it would be a good thing for the show. Just that I'm mildly surprised that the writers haven't played with that particular trope yet.
Gorky

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« Reply #31 on: 09-08-2012 20:37 »

But I'm surprised that they haven't tried it as part of S7A. Because they seem to be trying as hard as they can to use every other unnecessary gimmick that they can think of.

Zing! Fair enough, sir.

As to who they could kill off from the core cast, I don't think it would make a lot of difference at this stage to say goodbye to Hermes, Amy, or Zoidberg.

Of those three characters, the only one whose death wouldn't really change the dynamic between the remaining PE crew members (let alone the rest of the cast) is probably Zoidberg. Hermes comes with Dwight (who comes with Cubert) and LaBarbara; Amy comes with Kif and Leo and Inez. But, since Zoidberg's entire shtick is that he's miserably lonely--his only friend is Farnsworth, really, and it's not like the show would necessarily make a big deal of his supreme, senile grief at the loss of his oldest friend--he could probably be jettisoned without making a big impact on the way the show works.

I mean, the show would probably be a lot less funny, since Zoidberg is more often than not extremely hilarious, but at the very least it wouldn't feel like an entirely different show without him. But losing Amy or Hermes would probably mean losing a bunch of secondary/tertiary characters, and that's no good.
Svip

Administrator
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« Reply #32 on: 09-08-2012 21:01 »

Gorky is right, let's kill off Hermes and Amy.  Less characters!
Inquisitor Hein
Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #33 on: 09-08-2012 21:15 »

Right now, I think Amy does not add too much to the show anymore. There was a trend to turn her into a "backup-Leela", and the show does not really need another one.
DotheBartman

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #34 on: 09-09-2012 09:26 »
« Last Edit on: 09-09-2012 09:29 »

Amy and Hermes and Zoidberg don't exist on the show because it sincerely needs their "jobs" on the show to be filled. They're on the show because it's a comedy and they're funny characters who add to the dynamic of the show and say funny lines and stuff.

What purpose would there possibly be to killing them? Come on. This isn't Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Heh, though I'm quite fond of "Three Hundred Big Boys" generally speaking, I'm much more bothered by Roseanne's guest spot than Mushu's stomach ailments.


The Roseanne bit is close, although IIRC FOX cut the credits part of that off during the original airing (it didn't finally show up on American TV until Adult Swim) so it had less impact on me. Honestly though, I pretty much hate that episode all the way through. I can barely sit through it.
SuperiorKnowledge

Delivery Boy
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« Reply #35 on: 09-12-2012 03:33 »

I've always wondered if there would be an episode where we'd see Leela's ex-boyfriend Shawn.
How about Morbo and Linda becoming romantic? :eek:
Second. That would be interesting.
Frida Waterfall

Professor
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« Reply #36 on: 09-12-2012 05:21 »

How about Morbo and Linda becoming romantic? :eek:

Morbo's married! With kids! And a totally different species!

I prefer Morbo and Linda to keep with the roles they had in the first run- straight woman and monster news reporters.

I've always wondered if there would be an episode where we'd see Leela's ex-boyfriend Shawn.

Yeah, Shawn hasn't been brought up in years. He would definitely rock the romantic relationship between Fry and Leela, but I fear that it is too late for his appearance to be used effectively (guarantee none of the new episodes next summer will even mention or reference him).

The Roseanne bit is close, although IIRC FOX cut the credits part of that off during the original airing (it didn't finally show up on American TV until Adult Swim) so it had less impact on me. Honestly though, I pretty much hate that episode all the way through. I can barely sit through it.



In my own opinion, "300 Big Boys" is one of the most underrated episodes of Futurama. It had a dash of everything, and the jokes were golden.

However, I will give it to you that Roseanne's guest role was a bit annoying. But, at least it was different than her being a head-in-a-jar.

It seems to be unanimous throughout most television series that the worst guest stars are celebrities that star as themselves. While things are a little different in Futurama where most celebrities appear as heads-in-jars, it does little to alleviate our displeasure. However, I admit that head-in-jar celebrity appearances are better than full-body celebrity appearances, particularly with the appearance of the nobody Rob Schneider-lookalike Pauly Shore who unfroze in the future, was made out to be a genius, and later stole Fry's girlfriend (well, the last part is kind of a good thing, we do hate Michelle). And there are some celebrities that we probably prefer better if they appeared as themselves rather as some random character- really just the celebrities most associated with science and science fiction. We do enjoy Stephen Hawking a bit, though admittedly his appearances were insignificant and overshadowed by other events, and the cast of "Star Trek" always brought some fun. Some fans have even admitted here on PEEL that they would've preferred Patrick Stewart to appear as himself rather as the huntsman.

Of course, there are some celebrities that just aren't Futurama-worthy. While Coolio was cool at first with his role as Kwanzaa-Bot, now that Coolio hasn't been famous for like ten years, he's kind of overstayed his welcome. Futurama is not a show that attracts the same audience that listens to rap music, and I especially hated the line in "Bender's Big Score" about the Nobel Peace Prize going towards someone who quelled 'fighting between East and West Coast Rappers'. And it's never a good idea for a comedy show to focus on politics, yet alone feature a politician (well, one that isn't Bill Clinton, for reasons that are interesting).
DotheBartman

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #37 on: 09-12-2012 06:47 »
« Last Edit on: 09-12-2012 06:48 »

While Coolio was cool at first with his role as Kwanzaa-Bot, now that Coolio hasn't been famous for like ten years, he's kind of overstayed his welcome. Futurama is not a show that attracts the same audience that listens to rap music, and I especially hated the line in "Bender's Big Score" about the Nobel Peace Prize going towards someone who quelled 'fighting between East and West Coast Rappers'. And it's never a good idea for a comedy show to focus on politics, yet alone feature a politician (well, one that isn't Bill Clinton, for reasons that are interesting).

Huh? Tons of my favorite jokes in lots of my favorite shows are political ones! I also especially love that east/west coast rappers line (I don't think you have to be that big into rap to understand what makes that so funny).

I never had a problem with Roseanne being in the show per se, or even the concept behind how they featured her....I just thought the jokes were terrible. She didn't have a single funny line.

I think the only character who has any good lines or moments in that episode is probably Fry. The coffee thing is nothing special, but compared to the rest of the episode, it's amazing just because it actually has a few chuckles in it.

Sometimes with guest stars it does come down to performance a little bit. As far as self-played ones go, Al Gore is surprisingly good just in terms of his actual performance. Bea Arthur and Sigourney Weaver were amazing as ones playing characters. David Cross too. But I can put up with performances that are just "okay" as long as the jokes are funny. I'm biased but the Beastie Boys (one of my favorite things in the universe along with this show) also had one of my favorite appearances ever. I think Coolio was also pretty decent, in fact. How could you not like Kwanza bot?!
cyber_turnip

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #38 on: 09-12-2012 13:17 »

Yeah, Shawn hasn't been brought up in years. He would definitely rock the romantic relationship between Fry and Leela, but I fear that it is too late for his appearance to be used effectively (guarantee none of the new episodes next summer will even mention or reference him).
I wouldn't have particularly liked seeing Shawn in the past, but now that Leela and Fry are in a solid relationship, I think he could be used to form quite an interesting storyline. I agree that he won't even come up in the next run of episodes, but it's possible he'll pop up in the future, I suppose - although, I don't think the writers really want to make Fry and Leela's relationship rocky in any sort of real-life way. They'd rather have them torn apart by sci-fi happenings and such.

Plus, isn't something "big" going to happen between them towards the end of the season that a lot of people are speculating might be marriage?
sparkybarky

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #39 on: 09-12-2012 16:08 »

While Coolio was cool at first with his role as Kwanzaa-Bot, now that Coolio hasn't been famous for like ten years, he's kind of overstayed his welcome. Futurama is not a show that attracts the same audience that listens to rap music, and I especially hated the line in "Bender's Big Score" about the Nobel Peace Prize going towards someone who quelled 'fighting between East and West Coast Rappers'.

Huh? Tons of my favorite jokes in lots of my favorite shows are political ones! I also especially love that east/west coast rappers line (I don't think you have to be that big into rap to understand what makes that so funny).

I agree with DtBM--I loved that line about the reconciliation between East and West coast rappers. It was just so silly, and I think one of the many reasons why Futurama is so cool is that its humor touches on a wide array of people, historical events, religions, issues, whatever.

And I think it's a big assumption to say that Futurama fans don't care for rap. There's all kinds of rap music--that's like saying that rock and roll is Elvis music (which I love, btw). Rap is not just one generic category of gansta rap or bling-bling rap talking about hos and money--there's stuff like hip hop with a conscience and alternative hip hop, for example.

300BB is one of my favorite episodes. I loved all the interconnected vignettes, and that ending was just awesome. I'm surprised so many PEELers don't like it.
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