Best non-shippy episode?

[on:]

What's the best non-shippy episode of Futurama, in your opinion?

[Reply #1 on:]

The Luck of The Fryrish.

No. Questions. Asked.


1100th post! 

[Reply #2 on:]

I hope you guys realize Futurama is a satirical comedy, yeah? It's not meant to be a romance...

[Reply #3 on:]

Congratulations, SolidSnake.

My favorite episode has always been and always will be "The Sting," but that's shippy, so I'll say "The Luck of the Fryrish" as well.

[Reply #4 on:]

Well, TLOTF focuses on the relationship between Fry and his brother. Surely that counts as a "ship"?

Anyway; I'm gonna give the answer that everyone else will: Roswell That Ends Well.

[Reply #5 on:]

I hadn't thought of it that way. When I hear the word "shippy," I think of romance. But you may have a point.

[Reply #6 on:]

I hope you guys realize Futurama is a satirical comedy, yeah? It's not meant to be a romance...

Yeah, that would be why they introduced romance in the first episode.

[Reply #7 on:]

Fry and Leela bonded in the first episode and had a few brief moments of special connection throughout the first two seasons, but I wouldn't say the show moved the shippy element out into the open until Parasites Lost. It was the first episode that outright declared there were romantic feelings there.

Regardless, this thread seems weird to me. Quite a few of the most highly-regarded episodes are NOT shippy (ie. Roswell That Ends Well, The Luck of the Fryrish, Jurassic Bark), and as DtB said, that element is hardly the focal point of the show.

Oh, and my vote goes to Roswell, obviously.

[Reply #8 on:]

Futurama is comedy/satire.
As such, it parodies and includes themes from everyday life and the present:
- Job
- Friends
- Environment,
etc...
and romance/love IS one of those everyday subjects.
Demanding it to be left out of the show is like demanding that any other present day theme had to be left out (Futurama may not deal with romance, Futurama may not deal with wars, Futurama may not deal with jobs and careers, Futurama may not deal with family, etc...).

About the episode: Roswell for me.
"Where not fan has gone before" could have taken that place, had it included some more respectful nod towards the original (gave further explanations here:
http://www.peelified.com/index.php?topic=24436.msg1399440#msg1399440 )

[Reply #9 on:]

Fry and Leela bonded in the first episode and had a few brief moments of special connection throughout the first two seasons, but I wouldn't say the show moved the shippy element out into the open until Parasites Lost. It was the first episode that outright declared there were romantic feelings there.

I'm pretty sure it's explicitly stated that Fry at least has romantic feelings for Leela in I Second That Emotion.

[Reply #10 on:]

I'm pretty sure it's explicitly stated that Fry at least has romantic feelings for Leela in I Second That Emotion.

It's implied in ISTE, but I believe that "War is the H-Word" was the first official confirmation. I think.

Unless of course, where thinking of different scenes, which is entirely possible.

[Reply #11 on:]

I'm thinking of the scene where Fry asks Leela if she loves him and she says she does as a friend and Fry says "damn".

[Reply #12 on:]

I hope you guys realize Futurama is a satirical comedy, yeah? It's not meant to be a romance...

It's a comedy, yes, but without those serious/emotional aspects Futurama wouldn't be so great. Also, there is always a lot of jokes in every episode so that's never disregarded nevertheless it's a serious subject and not satirical.

Usually Fry/Leela episodes are great episodes and it's not just because they are shippy, Fry and Leela's relationship is just usually covered in epic sci-fi episodes.

Roswell That Ends Well is one of the best and Lethal Inspection is one of my favorites (and maybe Farnsworth Parabox and Prisoner of Benda with shippiness being minor part).

[Reply #13 on:]

The way people ship Fry and Leela, you'd think every episode is a shippy one.
 
Anyway, I think there's too many candidates for 'Best Non-Shippy Episode' for me to really choose just one.  If I had to choose one, though, I'd say Roswell, though, as it's got a great storyline that was overall really impressive.

[Reply #14 on:]

Demanding it to be left out of the show is like demanding that any other present day theme had to be left out (Futurama may not deal with romance, Futurama may not deal with wars, Futurama may not deal with jobs and careers, Futurama may not deal with family, etc...).

It wasn't my intention to imply that I felt that way, I most certainly don't. I'm just saying, it's an odd topic for a thread in a show where non-shippy episodes far outnumber the shippy ones.

[Reply #15 on:]

I think Three Hundred Big Boys was a good, not to shippy episode.

[Reply #16 on:]

Demanding it to be left out of the show is like demanding that any other present day theme had to be left out (Futurama may not deal with romance, Futurama may not deal with wars, Futurama may not deal with jobs and careers, Futurama may not deal with family, etc...).

It wasn't my intention to imply that I felt that way, I most certainly don't. I'm just saying, it's an odd topic for a thread in a show where non-shippy episodes far outnumber the shippy ones.

I was rather refering to that one here, instead of your post:

I hope you guys realize Futurama is a satirical comedy, yeah? It's not meant to be a romance...

(In hindsight, I should have quoted that from the beginning. Otherwise, it often looks as if an answer is adressed at the direct post above).

Also, agree with you that there are enough non-shippy episodes.
Romance in the show is just one (of various) everyday-themes,  that is eligible to play a supporting or main plot, but also can be left out.

Also -and this is going to be a tad OT- I guess that Fry/Leela relationship in S7 worked well for a reason: It was something NEW. Season 1 established the show, there was always something new to discover. Later on -as Fry settled in- viewers got more accomodated to 30th century surroundings. A stance that obviously even affected the writers (as later, NNY became much and much more present-day-y, with just a few minor sci fi gimmicks. It could be credited partly to lazy writing, but also gave the place an aura of familiarity). Well..I am deviating: The longer the show run, the more difficult it was to come up with something completely new. Fry and Leela acting as dedicated couple WAS such a new theme, and was well recieved by the fans. I am pretty sure -had there been 2-3 seasons with F/L being together- FaLbF would have gotten less favorable reviews, as the "new thing" would have worn off by then.

[Reply #17 on:]

I hope you guys realize Futurama is a satirical comedy, yeah? It's not meant to be a romance...

There are so many things wrong with that statement.
Every show in the history of television has used romance is a plot device. Just off the top of my head, South Park, Mad Men, Anerican Dad, The Walking Dead, Adventure Time, Family Guy, Everybody Loves Raymond, Malcolm in the Middle, the Simpsons, and so on. And obviously those aren't all comedies, but it's an example.
Romance is included in most shows because most comedies try to be somewhat realistic. Situations that could really happen.
I don't know about you, but romance is something that I deal with in my life all the time, and maybe that's why shows use it so much. So the show feels more personal.
Futurama is a show that is a mix of many different genres. Sci-fi, Comedy, Animation, and yes, the occasional romance.
It's not like every episode of the show is full of romance. In fact, if you do the math, less than 20-25% of Futurama episodes plot deals with romance.
Futurama's romance aspect makes sense. Did we not all see Fry and Leela's sexual tension since the beginning? What about Kif and Amy? Mom and Farnsworth? Futurama would not be the same without the romance. A lot of really good Futurama episodes deal with shippiness, but since you don't think romance should be in this show, here you are:

My Three Suns
Luck of the Fryrish
Jurassic (ahem, good but overrated), Bark
The Bots and the Bees
Game of Tones
A Fishful of Dollars
War Is The H-Word
Three Hundrec Big Boys