Thoughts On 7ACV20 - Calculon 2.0 - SPOILERS

[on:]

Original Airdate: July 24th, 2013. Bender and Fry travel all the way to Robot Hell to ask the Robot Devil to release Calculon. Rate and Review after it airs and stuff.

[Reply #1 on:]

Robot Hell's Sisyphusbot on the treadmill made me laugh out loud. That's what I love, when Futurama makes references that don't pander to the dirtiest of the unwashed masses.

Edit - hello PEEL. Here's me saying that I enjoyed how this episode ended.

[Reply #2 on:]

Episode had some continuity. Pretty straightforward, but ending was little...[dramatic pause]... surprising/odd choice.

References to Futurama itself?

[Reply #3 on:]

Wow, I loved Fry and Bender's lines in this ep. And once again, their friendship continues to grow stronger. Didn't exactly like the ending though. Wasn't expecting Calculon to die again. And the second act seemed a bit too much like the Lrrr midlife crisis episode. But just better. Cause that episode was kinda lame. And this was good.

Not sure on the verdict yet. but I guess I'll have to rate it a 8/10. Continued on with Thief of Baghead properly. I liked it a tad more than Thief of Baghead though. Exactly what I like about Lewis Morton. Never disappoints.

[Reply #4 on:]

I feel the ending saved it from being just decent. Not much else to say.

7.75/10, rounds up to 8.

[Reply #5 on:]

It was good.  It was almost exactly what I expected (which isn't bad).

8/10.  Probably my favorite this season.

[Reply #6 on:]

It has some laughs.. it was well written and interesting.
It was like the last Calculon episode ("Baghead")was so bad they did a remix of that episode focusing totally on Calclulon properly.
And it was much better than the previous episode/death!
It was the big Calculon send off episode we deserved, and killing him in the previous episode actually worked in this episodes favor, a rarity for any show!

A great 9/10 overall.

I guess if the show got picked up they could just save him again from Robot Hell since the Robot Devil hates him.
He may need a new body if new episodes ever get made past this 'final' season, but perhaps
this was DXC's original overall plan if an 8th season was made.

[Reply #7 on:]

I absolutely love Calculon. I hope he somehow comes back yet again... Probably my second favorite episode of the season after T: the terrestrial

[Reply #8 on:]

He's dead Jim... errmm, Snips.

[Reply #9 on:]

Well, it gets points for being well-paced, well-plotted and absolutely stellar voice acting. It loses points for the jokes being somewhat infrequent.

I can't pinpoint anything I really disliked about the episode, so I'll slap on a relatively neutral 7/10 for now. Although if this wasn't one of the last episodes, I'd be pretty pissed at the ending.

I think I preferred TTOBH to be honest.

[Reply #10 on:]

This episode was much better than that Craptacular Crapfest episode. It's nice to see the writers flesh out Calculon's character. And then kill him again. 8/10.

[Reply #11 on:]

Am I the only one who felt a really big parallel between Calculon and Futurama's revival here, especially Leela's lines and Calculon's depression and ending?

The lack of futuristic stuff in the 2nd and 3rd acts kind of hurted the episode a bit, but I thought Calculon was spectacular in this episode and almost completely saved the episode.

It wasn't the funniest episode, but it's still a hell of a lot funnier than a lot of the other episodes this Season, plus the fact that it managed to have good pacing and an interesting plot also brought it up a lot from the last few episodes, so I consider this episode a win. Not enough to give me the hope that the rest of the Season will be amazing, but enough to know that it still has potential to have a great episode or 2 in the shows final breath.

Overall: 8.5/10, or 8/10 for the poll.

[Reply #12 on:]

Well, it gets points for being well-paced, well-plotted and absolutely stellar voice acting. It loses points for the jokes being somewhat infrequent.

My thoughts exactly!

5/10

[Reply #13 on:]

 2001: A space monologue, starring Calculon

"If I had to do it over again I would murder those astronauts all the same. Wouldn't you folks? Wouldn't. You?"

Awesome episode, rewatching....

Edit: Plus a robot goat sacrifice under a Pentium / Robot Devil sign?  This is what I love about Futurama.

[Reply #14 on:]

Am I the only one who felt a really big parallel between Calculon and Futurama's revival here, especially Leela's lines and Calculon's depression and ending?

References to Futurama itself?

Yeah, I did notice that. It was enjoyable to realise and may increase my score a little.

[Reply #15 on:]

I only caught the tail end of it but I liked what little I did see. Based on the final act I'll generously give it an 8/10. I'll have to re-watch it next week to confirm my rating but I doubt it'll change.

[Reply #16 on:]

I liked that his soul was put in a bottle resembling Jeannie's from "I Dream of Jeannie".

[Reply #17 on:]

I just realized that Bender called Calculon's death! Sort of.

Before changing the channel, he said "He would have acted so hard the camera would've broken down. In tears!". At the end, the light thing fell down, and then the podium. Clever writing if you ask me.

[Reply #18 on:]

Care to provide an example, Box Inc?

[Reply #19 on:]

Both Futurama and Calculon being revived by die hard fans, both trying their hardest to be as good as they were, but not being able to except at their lowest, some people hating their revivals completely despite managing to reach the same quality as they once were, and then finally dying with people missing them and remembering them highly once again.

[Reply #20 on:]

Both Futurama and Calculon being revived by die hard fans, both trying their hardest to be as good as they were, but not being able to except at their lowest, some people hating their revivals completely despite managing to reach the same quality as they once were, and then finally dying with people missing them and remembering them highly once again.

It just may be Futurama's second cancellation in a nutshell.

[Reply #21 on:]

I thought this was referencing Futurama's revival as well; a very meta plotline. I guess the biggest difference was that Fry and Bender were still excited to see Calculon's new shows while the majority of Futurama fans have written it off -- which I guess is represented by Leela, pointing out some of the flaws of Nu-Futurama. I hope they aren't that hard on themselves in real life, though.

I really enjoyed this episode. Reviving characters is also a risky endeavor that usually just ends up feeling like a gimmick, but this actually lead to a pretty awesome story: Calculon facing his most obvious flaw. (And that's only if we're reading the story on a surface level, of course.) The fact that he died again didn't bother me, since I know already that the show itself is ending here pretty soon.

My only complaint is that I felt the first act got bogged down a little too much in its focus on technological pedantry. I realize this is a science fiction so and thus speculative fiction is a part of the deal, but the amount of scientific accuracy displayed in Calcuon's resurrection distracted from the story a bit. Some of it even went over my head -- you can tell some of the people that work on this show have P.H.D's.

That aside, I loved the concept of the Robot Devil hating being stuck with Calculon. While it was a little lighter on the funny at times I felt I was sufficiently entertained enough not to detract points from it.

[Reply #22 on:]

10/10! Best this half-season thus far

[Reply #23 on:]

I was very neutral towards this one. I didn't find much of it very funny, but there was nothing cringe-worthy in it either.

I did enjoy the parallel between Calculon and Futurama's revival that others have pointed out above, and I liked the scenes in Robot Hell. The rest of it, though, was just "meh" in my opinion, though, as UrL said, it was well-paced and well-plotted.

6.5/10

[Reply #24 on:]

I was very neutral towards this one. I didn't find much of it very funny, but there was nothing cringe-worthy in it either.

Wasn't funny..?! The first act had me in stitches. Although the second act was alot less funny, and the third act a little bit more.

I liked the first and third acts the best. Didn't exactly care a whole lot much for the second act.

It was a nice episode though. Starting to feel like Futurama again. It felt like a Season 3 episode, that goes along with "Lobstertainment", too.

[Reply #25 on:]

I gave it a 8/10.
I thought this epsiode had a really good plot, even though i haven't seen Prisoner of Baghead yet. The whole idea of Calculon passing away, coming back, then passing away again was pretty cool. I personally thought the 'hail science' scene was a little distasteful, but that's just me. I do like how much of a second layer the episode gets when you realize that this story mirrored Futurama's revival, as previously mentioned.

This one was also pretty funny, Too. For example.. (prepare for incoming paraphrasing!)
"guess a number between 1-3." "M?" "Yes...the number was M.."  
There was also some exchanges between Fry & Bender that made me laugh, but I can't seem to remember them right now.

Like others have said, the only thing it could have used more of is sci-fi. After all, this is a sci-fi show we're talking about. But, it really makes up for that loss with great writing and pacing.

[Reply #26 on:]

Fry and Bender running home to watch the show they used to love and now bash is definitely a parody of the "Futurama" fandom since revival on CC.


I've been very critical of the new season, but even I think someone voting a 5/10 is a little harsh.
This episode was solid.

[Reply #27 on:]

A pox on you who said this episode didn't have many jokes! This was easily the best episode this half-season in terms of funny. I couldn't stop laughing during the whole resurrection scene (and the HAL 9000 show), and I absolutely lost my shit at Calculon's "... Who's she?".

I loved the continuity with Thief of Baghead and the way the episode subtly referenced Futurama's cancellation and return as others have pointed out.

I wasn't expecting Calculon to die again at the end, but I as actually kind of hoping that he would or that he'd come back in another body or something, because I like the idea of things changing permanently, since the show isn't coming back. I don't know if that makes sense, though.

The second 9/10 in a row!

[Reply #28 on:]

A pox on you who said this episode didn't have many jokes! This was easily the best episode this half-season in terms of funny. I couldn't stop laughing during the whole resurrection scene (and the HAL 9000 show), and I absolutely lost my shit at Calculon's "... Who's she?".

I loved the continuity with Thief of Baghead and the way the episode subtly referenced Futurama's cancellation and return as others have pointed out.

I wasn't expecting Calculon to die again at the end, but I as actually kind of hoping that he would or that he'd come back in another body or something, because I like the idea of things changing permanently, since the show isn't coming back. I don't know if that makes sense, though.

The second 9/10 in a row!

The resurrection scene was good, but because it already shown in a promo I didn't find it as amusing as it probably deserved to be.

I'll rewatch this one at some point when I'm in a slightly better mood.

[Reply #29 on:]

Seems they used Calculon as a metaphor of the show itself.
For what else died and had a comeback, only to die again.
Also Fry's comments about FOX already saying no to Calculon (really meaning the show itself), and don't forget the commentary about the fans hating new 'All My Circuits' (again, actually meaning Futurama) but racing home to watch the new episodes.

This episode was as deep as robot hell.

[Reply #30 on:]

...or it just be a coincidence that we're just looking way too deep into. Though the metaphors in this to Futurama's new run are really worth mentioning still. What also felt like a parallel was Leela's speech to Calculon at the end, saying that he won't be able to do his role as well as he thinks he can, that he lacks the emotion that he had before and honestly shouldn't have been brought back to life in the first place. I personally don't believe this, but it does sound awfully like what a really cynical fan could say about the show now.

[Reply #31 on:]

The resurrection scene was good, but because it already shown in a promo I didn't find it as amusing as it probably deserved to be.

Seeing it again in context somehow made it seem even more absurd and hilarious or something. I don't know, I just laughed way more at it than I did at the promo.

[Reply #32 on:]

It was an understated ep, and showed the essence of the characters, isolated from the futuristic premise of the show.  And I enjoyed it.  Almost like a behind the scenes look at the reaction of the (actual) cast to the latest cancellation.  And I admit it: I laughed out loud at the FOX reference

[Reply #33 on:]

...or it just be a coincidence that we're just looking way too deep into. Though the metaphors in this to Futurama's new run are really worth mentioning still. What also felt like a parallel was Leela's speech to Calculon at the end, saying that he won't be able to do his role as well as he thinks he can, that he lacks the emotion that he had before and honestly shouldn't have been brought back to life in the first place. I personally don't believe this, but it does sound awfully like what a really cynical fan could say about the show now.

Exactly, it was very coincidental at least.

Even in Calculons final speech about being, you could plug in "Futurama" for Calculon.

[Reply #34 on:]

I like where they took this episode, but in terms of laughs and science fiction (bar the first act with the awesome resurrection scene and the callbacks to disembodied software and whatnot) it felt kind of dry. There were a lot of callbacks in general, too, which is always great. And I didn't notice the parallels to Futurama too much until reading this thread, nicely analysed. Some great voice acting from Maurice LaMarche, and I wonder if we'll be seeing Calculon again this season/if the show is revived again?

6/10

[Reply #35 on:]

Robot Hell's Sisyphusbot on the treadmill made me laugh out loud. That's what I love, when Futurama makes references that don't pander to the dirtiest of the unwashed masses.

That was my favourite joke in the episode. And it's so much more efficient than a hill...

I enjoyed the episode, but I'll need to rewatch it to make a proper opinion. It seemed a bit lighter on laughs, but it had a good story and pacing was just right (finally). I really wasn't expecting him to die again, so that was a genuine surprise.

There is a flaw though. Calculon died the second time by accident, and therefore his disembodied software should not be in limbo or in Robot Hell. It particularly struck me, since they made a point of reiterating that suicide leads to that outcome.

[Reply #36 on:]

This episode was nice, first episode of the season I gave a lower grade... 7/10, because the jokes didn't really make me laugh and I found some things a bit overdone or something. I did really like the beginning of the episode tough, Robot hell was awsome and the continuity in the ep was great!

[Reply #37 on:]

We cannot write off these parallels are purely 'coincidental'. If anything, I believe they killed Calculon in TTOB soley to return for this exact storyline - it seems like something they would do. It's very self-aware, much like South Park's You're Getting Old/Ass Burgers (the former was Emmy-nominated I think/hope), and given the way the revival has been received so differently by the diehards (Fry & Bender) and the critics (Leela) I can see how they were tempted to make such an episode as writers.

Bonus thought: this episode was fucking funny and clever. Thank you, Futurama team!

[Reply #38 on:]

I liked the episode. 6.5/10

Benders line to Fry "You're voice is so annoying" was absolutely hilarious!!

The resurrection of Calculon was weird. However, his scenes were great! Especially the really emotional ones.

Good episode.

[Reply #39 on:]

...or it just be a coincidence that we're just looking way too deep into. Though the metaphors in this to Futurama's new run are really worth mentioning still. What also felt like a parallel was Leela's speech to Calculon at the end, saying that he won't be able to do his role as well as he thinks he can, that he lacks the emotion that he had before and honestly shouldn't have been brought back to life in the first place. I personally don't believe this, but it does sound awfully like what a really cynical fan could say about the show now.

No, I don't think it's coincidence at all, Box, and good insightful commentary. Yes, when I watched it I was struck by the subtext of the whole story: that perhaps it's best--in the audience's/fans' minds--for an artist to leave his craft at the height of his fame and brilliance, rather than gradually sink slowly into mediocrity and contempt. A commentary for a beloved TV sitcom, or a singer or visual artist. For example, Jimi Hendrix died so young and in the midst of his skyrocketing career; would people look back on him now as a legend, if he hadn't died so young and so  tragically? And of course, there's the parallel of the show itself, as several others had pointed out, but I'd rather not point out anything negative about Futurama, not right now, not after having enjoyed this ep so much.

I thought the story was very interesting, full of substance, and thought-provoking. One of the most thought-provoking episodes I have seen in some time. From a different perspective, you could view Calculon's fall from grace as a commentary on the nature of talent: he became arrogant, conceited, and detached from the life experience of the regular person (er, robot), and that affected his art and talent. That seems to happen to lots of artists/actors/singers/writers (one example that really comes to mind is Robin Williams and Steve Martin--hilarious in their younger days, and now not so much).

Calculon's line "Jesus: Aloha from Hawaii!" as he hula'ed his arms was fantastic! It really wasn't a joke-centric ep, but I didn't mind that very much, since it seemed to emphasize story and character over zingers.

Lastly: I love Calculon. I love Robot Devil. The two together is perhaps my favorite pairing in the show's history. I'd love to see more of them together!