Thoughts on [4ACV18] - The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings

[Reply #160 on:]

I love when leela says "Don't stop playing, Fry. I wanna know how it ends"

really sweet

[Reply #161 on:]

 

Originally posted by Anarchist:
I think it would be amusing if he got Bender's hands. It was funny how the arrow almost stopped on Bender.

I was surprised we didn't get a reaction shot from Fry and Bender there.

[Reply #162 on:]

 

Originally posted by Vintage Dave:
(fluffy cloud)
That was harsh, VF.  It sounds like you think I was talking down.  Sorry if it came out that way; it just isn't so.

truce then?

[Reply #163 on:]

 

By VelourFog:
 

Originally posted by edeltraut:
I don't remember thinking that about any other Futurama song, but this one just seemed out of place. I guess it reminded me vaguely of the embarrasingly bad songs from more recent episodes of The Simpsons.

yay. edel agrees with me again!

I agree with Velour and Edel. of course music good but i didnt really like opera and singing. and it's reminds me of Simpsons singing too. no, i dont like American Idol, VD, i heard real operas and it's like saying that we like only bad music so we can't understand good music. :\

[Reply #164 on:]

argggg!!! I still dont know what the ending was!!

[Reply #165 on:]

A good end, and a sad end to one of the greatist cartoons ever made. I only hope that the little tag at the beggining will prove prophetic "See you on some other channel" Cartoon network has shown interest in continuing the story it I think is one of their best rated non original shows find the E-mail or address for Cartoon network and send them a POLITE!!! message requesting they consider it more and keep watching it in reruns on both Cartoon network and TBS If the ratings stay high maybe it will better the odds I felt taht Leela spoke for all of us who thought the show met its undue end thanks to Crapx opps fox(HMMM, nope got it right the first time)
her final line "I want to hear how it ends"
We want to see how it should have ended years down the line and many many more episodes Goodbye Futurama I hope we see you again new and improved AND NOT INTURPTED BY FOOTBALL!!!

[Reply #166 on:]

One word....   "crotchplate"
5/5, great finish to a great series.  Damn you FOX.
-DPF

[Reply #167 on:]

@VF: truce then?

Sure!  I have trouble criticizing this show, especially the last farewell.  I hope we can discuss it more when I can bring myself to watch it again.  You too, Margarita.  It was someone else who brought up AI.

@Anarchist: It was funny how the arrow almost stopped on Bender.

I kid you not, I gasped when it slid over.
This episode was an emotional roller-coaster for me.

Others have mentioned how glad they were that BSNBAOTV wasn't placed at the end.  I agree, except for one thing: TV Party.  That is the most rocking end-credit ever.  But it would have been awful to tack it onto TDHAIP.  I can see it now -- I'm crying in my drink and this snappy-happy thing comes on.  I think I'd die.

[Reply #168 on:]

Just saw it (got the episode from a friend... in a volcano...)
Loved it as a last episode. Tied up some loose ends and had many great lines. Felt a little like a retread of Parasites lost, but it was different enough and was great on its own. Loved the twist with the wheel and Bender.

[Reply #169 on:]

I loved the episode, a great way to finish the series, encompassing so many characters and yet still having a solid plot.

Love the opera (Of course) and felt that Futurama definately finished on a high-note (Pun not intended).

[Reply #170 on:]

The episode's genius and imagination gave it a cosmic, eternal quality as if you were watching an instant classic...a great cartoon from long ago.
A major part of this was the presence of the Robot Devil; who was funny, yet ominous. It was almost like he was "intruding" onto the set of a normal Futurama ep. (i.e. when he jumps out of the refrigerator and startles Bender.) Dan Castellaneta is a brilliant actor. Homer Simpson and the Robot Devil are worlds apart. The only clue that reveals that the voice actor is connected to The Simpsons is when the Robot Devil sings the line "You should of checked the wording in the fine print." (Especially the word "fine".) Here you can hear a tinge of Mayor Quimby from The Simpsons, (also voiced by Dan Castellaneta). But, it's all good....
How about HedonismBot's line: "You are the sole diversion for what has been a pale and unamusing season." Perhaps a reference to Futurama being the best show on FOX as opposed to it's "pale and unamusing [TV] season". Also, right after the Robot Devil chops off Fry's robot hands on stage, HedonismBot says, "Surgery in an opera, how wonderfully decadent...and just as I was beginning to lose interest." This is perhaps a reference to the mentality of FOX/the expectations of a low attention-spanned FOX audience in that an act like surgery occurring in a show is an extreme measure to attract viewers. (As in something that would happen in reality tv; like the shows that show real surgeries on tv.) HedonismBot reiterates this soon after by stating, "Less reality, more fantasy...resume the opera." As in less reality tv and more fantasy-themed shows, (like Futurama).
Bender's lack of butt plate: "Bite my shiny, metal..oh, nooo!" is perhaps a reference to there being "no end" [to the show]. Or maybe; the "end is gone" and there is no more show. If Bender can't refer to his "shiny, metal ass", (the "catch phrase of the show"/see "Bender Shouldn't Be Allowed..." ), then maybe the show can't exist. *Note: I realize that it's been stated here that the producers had no idea that the show would end at the time when they made this final ep...but maybe they did know it was to end...or knew that it was a strong possibility...thus, added these references in this final ep and "Bender Should Not..." ep. (At least just in case.)
The writers of this ep were definitely trying to communicate something that was not clearly obvious on the surface.

Favorite parts:
Loved the baby Leela with the one big eye singing in a big/adult operatic voice.
Tinny Tim: "Extra! Extra! Greatest opera of all time sucks!"
I thought the funniest part of the ep was when the Preacher Bot on stage started saying, "By the power invested in me by the State of New New York..." (And then was knocked away.) It like broke away from the rest of the music in the way he said it. LMAO!!!

My prediction on Futurama's future:
-Gets picked up by other channel for more new shows (i.e. Cartoon Network/2 seasons).
-Receives an Emmy Award (2004) for season finale ("Devil's Hands..." ).
-Major DVD sales/increased fan base/increased hype/thanks to the "end" of the show and Futurama websites like this one. 

[Reply #171 on:]

I think you've read too much into basic lines, but i agree with some of the points you make.

[Reply #172 on:]

i think it's also neat that the PE crew seems to be getting a bit like Fry

like Bender saying 'Whattup' and Leala 'Oh Crud'

~~GREAT EPISODE loved the Robot Devil

[Reply #173 on:]

Truly awe-inspiringly incredible.

From the opening caption I was blubbing, and I still have tears rolling down my cheeks. An awesome end to an amazing series.

A

P.S. Yes i'm a sissy, but then, we all knew that.

[Reply #174 on:]

I watched it again last night, and I liked it even more.  The opera was much better the second time around, but I also noticed one thing about the shippy element that makes me feel better, too.

See, I've always been worried that the reson Leela doesn't like Fry is because he's obviously not a good catch.  He's an inept slob.  So I was afraid that in order to win Leela's heart, he'd really have to trick her into liking him.  That's why I thought this "deal with the devil" thing might be a bad idea, because it wouldn't deal with the real issue of whether Fry has any redeeming quialities.  But Leela's line when Fry starts writing the opera indicated that the Devil's hands allowed him to express the creative soul that (she now realizes) he always had.  That's what makes this story such a good ending.  It shows that that's the way forward for Fry and Leela, without, say, marrying them off and leaving nothing to the imagination.

[Reply #175 on:]

 

Originally posted by MuscaDomestica:
(got the episode from a friend... in a volcano...)

Me too, but I dropped my linux drive in the valcano, so I've yet to see it.

[Reply #176 on:]

very cute, i had a tear in my eye.  but when the opera started i didnt like it, but the end was cute, and i luv the instrument! i thought it would be kinda like, u know, when leela sneaks in the room were fry is composing his song, and he starts playing and they r dancing in the cloud thing.....cute tho, very cute

[Reply #177 on:]

I'm still in a state of shock: having just watched this episode, great as it was, means that there is No More New Futurama episodes at all.

I made myself sad.

Fry and Leela HAVE to get together after this - Leela made the point of finally realising the beauty of Fry's soul, which he merely had trouble expressing, but what I hope she realises (yes, I know she's a fictional character, go with me on this) is how much he's sacrificed for her! It's a recurring theme for the show:
- he gave her his oxygen in Love and Rocket
- he stood in between her and a killer space bee in The Sting
- he gave up Beelzebot's hands for her

In regards to the episode as a whole, it was actually pretty subtle - drawing on some classic American literature (O'Henry's Gift of the Magi), Twilight Zone (The Box, the whole thing with Fry nearly having Bender's hands, nice twist there), and the classic deal with the Devil operatic theme.

Please, please, please let there be a movie.

[Reply #178 on:]

The Robot Devil and Hedonism Bot were interesting characters. Too bad we 're not seeing them again.
The over-ironic plot was simply mind boggling.

[Reply #179 on:]

A great episode. Loved the ending. One of the best ever episodes without a doubt. Roll on November with that Season 4 DVD!

[Reply #180 on:]

Great Episode, but The Why of Fry would've made a better finale.

Hedonismbot was frankly hilarious.

[Reply #181 on:]

The first two acts were brilliant in the humour department - in fact it surpassed "Anthology of Interest II" in that department (note how both these episodes have video game parodies.  ).

The third act was very sweet - and Leela's face at the end when she's the only one left was so adorable.

I was impressed that they managed to avoid turning it into a "Mermaid"-a-like (although I liked that movie.  ).

Definitely a fitting end to a brilliant series - although hopefully not the very end!

[Reply #182 on:]

 The episdode was fantastic, say no more.

 This is definately not the end of Futurama, sweeties. It will be back. Another Channel WILL buy it.

[Reply #183 on:]

They'd best had.

Great episode and what a great ending.

As the Professor said in The Sting 'I made myself sad'.

[Reply #184 on:]

I FIGURED IT OUT!!! The reason Leela looked so sexy in her opera dress is because they wanted our last memories of Futurama to be a Leela more beautiful than ever. How kind of them.   

[Reply #185 on:]

I thought this episode was absolutely brilliant as an ending episode for Futurama, although I haven't seen The Why Of Fry, which would apparently make a good ending as well. The musical bit at the end was really well done, as was the story for the rest of the episode. It also had some great funny moments. It really did make me sad though as I watched the holophoner image of Fry and Leela walking off into the horizon, then the credits play out, and an advert for some other crappy Sky One show start... and I thought to myself "That's it"

Seems I have a lot of missed episodes to catch up on though!

[Reply #186 on:]

Brilliant Ending. That's all I have to say.

[Reply #187 on:]

Has anyone else noticed that when Zoidburg rings up to buy Fry's Holophonor disc set, the man who answers (saying only "hello" very quietly) sounds suspiciously like David X Cohen?

[Reply #188 on:]

Well i'm currently bordering on Romantic-Epic/ love story over-load. What with just watching this brilliant episode and then turning over to BBC One to watch James Camerons Titanic (I haven't watched it in a while OK!).
What an ending (Futurama I mean, not Titanic). This really shows just how far Greoning and Co have pushed the boundaries of the animated sit-com! This is truely epic stuff! You could be cynical and call it over the top slush. But then you'd be a Fox Excecutive and i'd have to kill you! I loved the humour, the voices, the story....everything really! From the message in the opening credits and the infinity style billboard, to the touching closing shot. This is more than just an ordiniary TV show! The Devils Hands is an epic, dramatic, beautifuly made, intelligent, funny, touching, and tragic story. Well done Futurama! The writers had been hinting at this since the begining. The love story first started properly in A Flight to Remember. It then really took until Parasites Lost to get going again. The great thing about the ending is that you can interpret it any way you want. Futurama could carry on and there would still be a story to tell. I actually think that Fry and Leela becoming a couple and learning to live with each other etc...could result in loads of great storylines. But what's important is that the show could still continue it's winning formula. They still work for Planet Express and they could still have a loads more wacky Sci-fi adventures with aliens, Blobs, dangerously addictive soft drinks, and horny radiators.
If Futurama doesn't continue, The Devils Hands also serves as a totally final ending. If you think about it, we know that Fry and Leela get together. Leela says "I want to know how it ends" and the holophoner projection shows us. It (crudely) shows that they live happily ever after and walk off into the 'sunset'. Yay!
Anyway this shows once and for all (in case there was ever any doubt) that Futurama IS the greatest show in history! It is SO far ahead of the competition that it is now just a dot on the horizon. Perhaps that's why it was cancelled, the average American Joe just couldn't keep up.

9/10.
Why not 10!? Well, I wanted just one more Bender moment before the beautiful end scene. The part where everyone leaves the theatre and Tinny Tim is selling papers screams for just one more example of Bender doing what he does best. I really wanted him to steal those papers and injure Tim in the process. What!?.... Oh come on it would have been funny!

Oh and I wish Sky had at least waited for the credits to end before they obnociously started plugging the next programme!

[Reply #189 on:]

 

Originally posted by leelaholic:
I FIGURED IT OUT!!! The reason Leela looked so sexy in her opera dress is because they wanted our last memories of Futurama to be a Leela more beautiful than ever. How kind of them.     

Nice try, but there's no way that Leela could be made to look "more beautiful."  She always looks absolutely beautiful.

[Reply #190 on:]

 

Oh and I wish Sky had at least waited for the credits to end before they obnociously started plugging the next programme!

???

I watched the credits all the way through on Sky One and there was definately no plugging until after they had finished. I distinctly remember using this time to contemplate the end of Futurama.

[Reply #191 on:]

As soon as it ended the voice over lady buzzed in about Dino-topia! Ok so they didn'y use clips but they still talked within the first seconds of the credits.

[Reply #192 on:]

I've been sitting here for over an hour trying to think of something to say about this episode, but nothing springs to mind.

Words cannot describe just how much this series has touched me, nor how perfect it's finale was.

Thank you Matt Groening and co. for adding so much to my life.

[Reply #193 on:]

That episode owned, I also liked the fact that when Leela was wearing the opera dress her waist got smaller and her breasts got much larger, which was nice.

[Reply #194 on:]

 

Originally posted by M Jackson:
As soon as it ended the voice over lady buzzed in about Dino-topia! Ok so they didn'y use clips but they still talked within the first seconds of the credits.

Perhaps I just wasn't listening carefully enough... Anyway the voice over lady did plug the fact that this was the last EVER episode (along with Dinotopia also being the last episode or something)

[Reply #195 on:]

 

Originally posted by TheVoices:
I also liked the fact that when Leela was wearing the opera dress her waist got smaller and her breasts got much larger, which was nice.

See, AJ? That's what I meant when I said "a Leela more beatiful than ever"

[Reply #196 on:]

She may look different, but she is always equally beautiful, and always as beautiful as is possible.  You seem to be implying that sometimes she is not that beautiful.  Are you?

[Reply #197 on:]

no. I guess I should have said "a Leela sexier than ever" but that wouldn't have sounded as good  boy, is my face red 

[Reply #198 on:]

it wasn't just her breasts and waist, her hips were larger and rounder. I wish i had a dress that could do that to me.

[Reply #199 on:]

Hi!
Please, tell me what says Zap Brannigan in the opera. I do not understand him. (next scene: professor and Zoidberg are singing, Zoidberg is not understanding what all singing).