The LAST Futurama News Thread... Forever? (Caution: Spoilers)

[#400 :]

I already plan on saying "Futurama has Reversed The Shark!" with this episode.

When did it jump the shark?

[#401 :]

Never, but the season has been on the meh side, only beating Season 5 (the movies). It's kind of like Season 6's rocky start. And alot of people on review sites have been complaining, saying stupid stuff like it jumped the shark, or this is their worst season. Like, No. Just no,   It's probably the 3rd or 2nd worst. Definitely better than the movies though. And that isn't saying that it's by any standards bad. Not at all. I'm just not so impressed by it so far.

[#402 :]

Exactly, this season is the closest the show has ever gotten to being total meh, and has almost 'jumped the shark'.
But ever since "Calculon 2.0" I've really enjoyed it again.
Not to mention the last 13 were all a part of this production season (7) and they were all passable in my book. Yes, I enjoyed "Naturama"... much more than X-Mas and Saturday crap at least.

I hope that December 31st 1999, the Brain Spawn, the Nibblonians, their nibble stations, the Big Brain, and Fry's mom all play a huge role in the episode.

Also I hope that they add more people to the 'cyrotube room at the same time conundrum', so we get Fry A, Bender A, Bender B, Fry B, Nibbler, under the desk Fry, Fry in the tube, and now add even more characters there at the same time in a dream revelation.
I think it's really funny how we keep going back to that night and more and more is revealed and altered!

[#403 :]

I find the beginning of season 6 to be the most 'meh' part of this series. All of the episodes then seemed more like typical 'Simpsons' episodes, what with making fun of current fads, instead of a typical Futurama episdoe, with alot of Sci-Fi and stuff like that.

[#404 :]

Either way I'm excited for tonight

[#405 :]

Hopefully it steps up a gear from here on. It dearly needs it.

[#406 :]

idkd about Game of Thrones.  Maybe I should read up on it a bit before watching this ep?  I *did* go out of my way to watch Silence of the Lambs before viewing the similarly named Clamps episode.

Uh....almost every Futurama episode title is a pun on something, and very rarely does the actual episode have anything to do with the source of the pun. E.g., Jurassic Bark has nothing to do with Jurassic Park, Parasites Lost has no relation to Paradise Lost, A Tale of Two Santas has nothing to do with A Tale of Two Cities, Fear of a Bot Planet contains none of the fresh rhymes of Fear of a Black Planet, etc.

[#407 :]

Yeah, typically it's just a pun on an unrelated title or phrase, there's usually nothing beyond the altered part of the title that relates to the Futurama episode; the original work they're making the pun on rarely holds any significance whatsoever. They've been doing it since The Simpsons.

The episode is called Game of Tones because the plot involves musical tones. Nothing more. I'm sure there were plenty of other puns they could've made involving the word "tone," this one probably just got the biggest laugh in the writers' room, or perhaps was chosen because the source of the title in question was the most current/popular.

[#408 :]

Personally, recent episode titles as well as recent episode plotlines have been uncreative. It seems that Futurama has regressed to The Simpsons level of creativity with either episodes having really mule titles or episodes based off of punny, play-on-words mule titles. "Leela and the Genestalk", instead of just being a punny title, took its namesake as inspiration and, for me, bombed in that aspect. It was a similar situation for "Assie Come Home" and was played straighter as a parody in "T.: The Terrestrial". I would have been getting seriously concerned if Futurama would be continuing for another season if they would have resorted to pulling out plots based off of a mediocre title (seriously, read the titles of some of the most recent, like within the last ten years, of Simpsons episodes. "Smoke on the Daughter"? "Homer Scissorhands"? "How I Wet Your Mother"? Or perhaps the most cringeworthy offender, "You Kent Always Say What You Want"?).

I hope my post is coherent enough to follow. Having trouble writing today... and every other day.

[#409 :]

Personally, recent episode titles as well as recent episode plotlines have been uncreative. It seems that Futurama has regressed to The Simpsons level of creativity with either episodes having really mule titles or episodes based off of punny, play-on-words mule titles. "Leela and the Genestalk", instead of just being a punny title, took its namesake as inspiration and, for me, bombed in that aspect. It was a similar situation for "Assie Come Home" and was played straighter as a parody in "T.: The Terrestrial". I would have been getting seriously concerned if Futurama would be continuing for another season if they would have resorted to pulling out plots based off of a mediocre title (seriously, read the titles of some of the most recent, like within the last ten years, of Simpsons episodes. "Smoke on the Daughter"? "Homer Scissorhands"? "How I Wet Your Mother"? Or perhaps the most cringeworthy offender, "You Kent Always Say What You Want"?).

I hope my post is coherent enough to follow. Having trouble writing today... and every other day.

I wouldn't say all of them are like that. A good patch, yes, but not all of them. I mean Zapp Dingbat, Thief of Baghead, Vivas Mars Vegas, 2D Blacktop, Big Fling, Fun Pit, and 2.0 wasn't like that at all.

[#410 :]

Yeah, because the original run of Futurama had such significantly better titles, like "Crimes of the Hot" and "Jurassic Bark," which aren't ridiculously lame and uninspired at all.

Also, you're aware they name the episodes pretty late in production, right? They don't just write an episode because it fits the title.

[#411 :]

One the other hand, there's also "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings" which is quite possibly the greatest title of anything, anywhere.

[#412 :]

A clip from "Murder on the Planet Express".

[#413 :]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xmVrZmSrWU
preview for muder on the planet express

note: For those of you viewing on the iPhone it has no thumbnail but don't freak out it does on the actule site on the computer

edit: I saw that coming from a mile away XD

[#414 :]

One the other hand, there's also "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings" which is quite possibly the greatest title of anything, anywhere.

I thought Möbius Dick was a pretty fantastic episode title, too.

[#415 :]

The clip looked great and I thought that Jackie Jr thing was funny. Cant wait for the episode.

[#416 :]

I wasn't so crazy about the clip. Anyone else? It just seemed kinda dull. Maybe it's just me. I didn't like it. Until the guy got eaten. Glad he got killed. It seemed kinda Simpsons-ey. I mean the trust issue guy seemed a bit unnecessary. There could have been a better way to lead to the Space Hobo.

[#417 :]

The direct link to that clip.

[#418 :]

Someone else noticed Ralph from Wreck-it-Ralph in the beginning? 

[#419 :]

I mean the trust issue guy seemed a bit unnecessary. There could have been a better way to lead to the Space Hobo.

I think it's great, if it's related to whole plot. Like, they can't trust anyone in the ship with shapeshift-monster, so it would be the issue from the beginning. I have high hopes for this episode, it has possibilities to be the best of the season 7.

[#420 :]

I thought Möbius Dick was a pretty fantastic episode title, too.

Indeed, it was!  And I just watched Game of Tones, and was waiting for the Eric Rogers reported

Kleenex

moment.
It got there.  In spades

<snif>

[#421 :]

Good. Stay that way. Most likely won't, but it deserves the 90 percentile of rating. It was the best of Season 7 (as a whole), and one of the best Revival eps ever.

[#422 :]

I can guarantee you that it won't stay that high. Cold Warriors and Reincarnation were at 100% for a few days after they first came.

I expect it to settle at around 90%.

[#423 :]

I know. And I also think it will eventually stay around the 90% area.

[#424 :]

Surprised no one has put this up:The AVClub has a Top 10 Futurama List. Which if you're unfamiliar, this isn't a "Best of Overall" List it's more of a "Best Episodes to Watch If You're a Newbie to the Show" List. You're mileage may vary on the episodes the list offers, these lists strive to include episodes from most if not each season. Otherwise it'd be nothing but seasons 1 - 4 and "The Late Phillip J. Fry". The article itself isn't super flattering to Fry (there's a thread somewhere in the comments that argues why Fry is a valuable character which I agree with) but it does offer some history about the show that I wasn't totally aware of and it is fun to think of the best episodes to show someone if they haven't seen the show before.

[#425 :]

Man, the sound of the alien monster from that MOTPE clip was terrifying.

[#426 :]

Also I hope that they add more people to the cyrotube room, at the same time...

And thus there was Digby.


Anyway, here are two awesome bits of trivia I found out about the finale over at the infosphere:
1.The episode will air on cast member John DiMaggio's 45th birthday.
2.Bender tells Fry that he has told Leela that he loves her at least "140 times". 
This episode is in fact the 140th episode of Futurama.

[#427 :]

Surprised no one has put this up:The AVClub has a Top 10 Futurama List. Which if you're unfamiliar, this isn't a "Best of Overall" List it's more of a "Best Episodes to Watch If You're a Newbie to the Show" List.

I saw it! And may or may not have posted some comments in haiku, too.

[#428 :]

Someone else noticed Ralph from Wreck-it-Ralph in the beginning? 

The first thing I saw Gosh, I loved that movie

[#429 :]

Never, but the season has been on the meh side, only beating Season 5 (the movies). It's kind of like Season 6's rocky start. And alot of people on review sites have been complaining, saying stupid stuff like it jumped the shark, or this is their worst season. Like, No. Just no,  It's probably the 3rd or 2nd worst. Definitely better than the movies though. And that isn't saying that it's by any standards bad. Not at all. I'm just not so impressed by it so far.

You do realize that jumping the shark & having a quality drop are different, right?

[#430 :]

This season is pretty shitty, if you ask me.

Still decent television, but the worst thing that Futurama has had its name on by a wide mile and certainly enough to "taint the brand", so to speak.

Though, for what it's worth, I think I slightly prefer 7B to 7A - just as long as the next few episodes aren't horrendous.

[#431 :]

From that clip of MOTPE, was anyone else instantly reminded of the simpsons episode 'Mountain Of Madness', regarding the team-building retreat plot?

[#432 :]

From that clip of MOTPE, was anyone else instantly reminded of the simpsons episode 'Mountain Of Madness', regarding the team-building retreat plot?

Eh, not really. I think it's just a general sitcom set piece that I've seen on many other shows.

[#433 :]

The lesson from that clip: don't pick up space hitchhikers.

[#434 :]

Yeah, I wish "Meanwhile" just to be the last from season 7, not from Futurama. Do i have to wait for 5 years for the season 8 like when fox dumps futurama? Should Futurama ends NOW? I just wish another tv station would broadcast it back, it would be better if its an international channel i guess.

[#435 :]

One word: Netflix.

[#436 :]

I don't watch any of the preview clips, myself. That way, when the episode finally does air, I have next to no idea what it's going to be about, and that makes it all the better. It's not nearly as fun to watch something when you already know most or at least some of the jokes and the storylinese, as least to me.

One word: Netflix.

The word after that one word: Video Streaming Websites.

[#437 :]

I don't want the show on Netflix b/c they have even less money than CC.

If the show comes back (yet again).. I want it to have a bigger budget than when it was on CC.
The only way it will be good after all that time and being canned so much is to get ALL the writers back, maybe a few new one's, get a nicer animation budget, and a nicer music budget for an orchestra.
And BOOOOMMM... I'm sold.

[#438 :]

I think the show needs to go back to Adult Swim; they'd get a much higher budget there, and a crap load of more viewership. Plus, it seems Adult Swim is better at keeping shows on schedule. For example, King of the Hill has been airing on weekdays from 9-10 for at least the past 3 years.
Also, didn't the show receive high ratings when it was on there in the first place? I imagine if they went back, they'd get those great ratings once again..

[#439 :]

I don't want the show on Netflix b/c they have even less money than CC.

If the show comes back (yet again).. I want it to have a bigger budget than when it was on CC.
The only way it will be good after all that time and being canned so much is to get ALL the writers back, maybe a few new one's, get a nicer animation budget, and a nicer music budget for an orchestra.
And BOOOOMMM... I'm sold.

Wait, where's the proof for Netflix only going to be able to give a lower budget? Nobody knows that. Nobody knows whether it may give the show an even bigger budget.

I would like for it to get back the FOX budget if it ever comes back. Give Chris Tyng back his orch, bring back the other writers if possible, and bring in the Ian Boothby guy. He writes arguably the best comics for the show ever. And I think he'd do a better job as a writer than Eric Rogers (Sorry man, but I like his comics more than your comics!).

But even if it doesn't come back, I'll still be content with the 7 Seasons we already got. I do think that we got lucky with CC wanting to bring it back, because after all, I still think that they originally were only going to do this for the High-Ratings.

But if it did come back though, I would only go as far as to say one more season if it came back. Maybe 2 if the first one did good. No point in letting it overrun itself though, you know? No matter how great it can be.

Putting back on adult swim wouldn't be a bad idea. If it was for syndication only. I really wouldn't want AS to bother with Futurama. Idk, just a gut feeling inside me. I would love for them to air reruns in King of the Hill's timeslot. I don't think AS would even think about airing it in AD's timeslot. They already have Cleveland Show and Bob's Burgers doing that. And knowing AS, that isn't going to change any time soon. Also, let them run the FULL EPISODES, not the syndication ones.