Lamest line

[#400 :]

Smart humour?  How is that joke in any way smart?

'Hey, let's name a character voiced by someone else after another voice actor, then have that voice actor address the character's name by calling it stupid, essentially calling his own name stupid!'

Not really a smart joke.

[#401 :]

More of a tiny fourth wall break.

[#402 :]

Lets just leave it at our own opinions.


I don't think that there was ever a lamest line, but some unnecessary lines. Mobius Dick: "Could it have been flavor-blasted?" Totally unnecessary.

[#403 :]

More of a tiny fourth wall break.

It could have been done much more clevererlyer.

[#404 :]

Lets just leave it at our own opinions.

Thinking a joke is good or bad is our own opinions.  Whether a joke is smart is not opinion, but fact.  And that joke was not smart.

More of a tiny fourth wall break.

You are too liberal with the term 'fourth wall'.  Breaking the fourth wall means to actually address the audience.  Otherwise it is either a meta-joke and/or an inside joke.  We have different terms for a reason.  Let's not abuse their meaning.

[#405 :]

You make a good point, Svip (throughout your entire post, actually, but I shall only quote this snippet for the sake of length). The Billy West line is not only a meta joke--it's also somewhat of an inside joke. The writers seem to have kept it not because it does the episode or the fans a great service, but because it got a lot of laughs in the writers' room. And such self-indulgence is a no-no, I think.

WHAT?! The day my show is controlled by the fans is the day I quit.

(I'm not saying I'm going to have a show, I'm just saying, if it was me...)

Sure you can alter a few things for the fans, but when you have to change everything until they all say "WE LIKE IT", that's just wrong.

Then all shows would be the same. You have to break boundries and do things that people do not like sometimes...

[#406 :]

You are too liberal with the term 'fourth wall'.  Breaking the fourth wall means to actually address the audience.  Otherwise it is either a meta-joke and/or an inside joke.  We have different terms for a reason.  Let's not abuse their meaning.

Actually, the term we are looking for is actor allusion.

[#407 :]

You make a good point, Svip (throughout your entire post, actually, but I shall only quote this snippet for the sake of length). The Billy West line is not only a meta joke--it's also somewhat of an inside joke. The writers seem to have kept it not because it does the episode or the fans a great service, but because it got a lot of laughs in the writers' room. And such self-indulgence is a no-no, I think.

WHAT?! The day my show is controlled by the fans is the day I quit.

That was not what Gorky said at all.  You are correct that fans should never control a show.  Writers should avoid taking ideas and suggestions from fans, but not be completely oblivious of them.

But writers should not write for themselves, they should write for their audience.  Being a good writer is to know what to deliver, when to put your own humour aside for general appreciation.  I often work on the writing of sketches, and while there are things I and my fellow writers find hilarious, we may realise that A) it may not work in production and/or B) the audience may not find it as funny.  If we do either one of those, we cut the joke.

I would assume that Futurama's writers knew the same thing.  But I guess not.

[#408 :]

About the Billy West Line:
Personally, I liked that joke, when taking a casual viewers point of view into account.
Imho, that jokes purpose was not to cram Billy's name into the show for the sake of it.

- The crew encountered a farmer whom they believe is Bender.
- He them mentions his name. "Billy West" sound so much like an cliche-comedy-hillbilly name, that this reassures them in their believe: No Redneck farmer could really be called that way, that name HAS to be made up, and therefore this robot must be Bender.

Billy West's name sounding so much like a comedy name for a redneck farmer was just such a coincidence that they could not ignore that gift. Fans will know who B.W. is, but for casual viewers, it just sounds like a made-up hillbilly name.

[#409 :]

There is nothing wrong with cramming his name into the show.  But the way it was lampshaded ruined the joke.

[#410 :]

I thought it was kind of dumb but I think making him a main character during the episode made it worse.  It could have been a so funny its unfunny if it was just do to someone random in the street, but having the plot revolve around him kind of killed it.

Oh well at least his name isn't Joey Joe Joe Jr Shabadoo.  Because that's the worst name I ever heard.

Hey!  Joey Joe Joe!  What's wrong?

[#411 :]

You are too liberal with the term 'fourth wall'.  Breaking the fourth wall means to actually address the audience.  Otherwise it is either a meta-joke and/or an inside joke.  We have different terms for a reason.  Let's not abuse their meaning.

Actually, the term we are looking for is actor allusion.

Surely it was both an actor allusion and a meta joke?

[#412 :]

Its about as enjoyable as finding out the girl with a massive coldsore has been using the same glass as you all night, is what it is.

[#413 :]

Ya, I'm confused. Just get the fucking hell out of PEEL Freako. You don't deserve to be a "Urban Legend".

Lol.

[#414 :]

Ya, I'm confused. Just get the fucking hell out of PEEL Freako. You don't deserve to be a "Urban Legend".

Alone with his fancomic "Surrogate Mutant", Freako did more for the Futurama Fandom than you will most certainly ever be able to do...(so much about the "Deserving" aspect")

[#415 :]

Ya, I'm confused. Just get the fucking hell out of PEEL Freako. You don't deserve to be a "Urban Legend".

Lol.

What's so funny about that? He really means it.

[#416 :]

He's right, I've done nothing for this community.

[#417 :]

But that did not give you permission to be a total dick.

[#418 :]

I think most of us is agreeing with Solid Gold Bender.

[#419 :]

But that did not give you permission to be a total dick.

But it's so fun!

[#420 :]

Do you know whats even funner? Being nicer towards people!

[#421 :]

But that did not give you permission to be a total dick.

But it's so fun!

We are sure going to be laughing when you are banned.  At least there will be a happy ending.  You won't be missed.

[#422 :]

Do you know whats even funner? Being nicer towards people!

I totally agree with you. Freako is being a big jerk.

[#423 :]

Yeah, but everyone's a jerk. You... me... this jerk...

[#424 :]

But the most jerkyest jerk of them all is Freako.

[#425 :]

Freako, can you please get a life.

[#426 :]

I'm pretty sure if Freako actually hated Futurama, he wouldn't spend most of his time drawing extremely accurate fancomics of it, to the point that twenty something fangirls rip off his artwork and pretend they drew it on deviantart. 

[#427 :]

If I was Bender, I would tell Freako " to kiss my shiny, mental ass".

[#428 :]

Mental ass? I'll make sure not to annoy you then.   Mental asses tend to be... mental.

[#429 :]

The first four seasons and the movies were great, but after that it's kinda been one long wet fart.

[#430 :]

Surely it was both an actor allusion and a meta joke?

An actor allusion is a form of meta joke.

The particular line which we are discussing was a disappointment not because it wasn't somewhat humorous, but because it had a great deal of potential as a meta-reference/actor allusion yet was wasted on simple self-depreciation.

[#431 :]

I think the lamest line is in the episode of Law and Oracle. When Bender and Leela are going to the planet Pandora, Leela says to Bender "so, your a robot".

[#432 :]

Are you kidding? That's probably one of the best lines of the entire season. 

[#433 :]

That line has really no value or point in my opinion.

[#434 :]

Its point is how little leela and bender have in common when fry isn't around, hence leela's truly pathetic attmept at starting a conversation, and bender's sigh of complete disgust.

[#435 :]

Exactly.
It's funny because of the context. Leela was awkwardly trying to trigger a conversation with Bender, and that was the best she could come up with. The patheticness is what makes it hilarious.

[#436 :]

I really didn't like law and oracle and I thought the trip to pandora was the absolute bottom of the episode... But I loved that line.   It was hilarious in a very subtle way.

[#437 :]

That line has really no value or point in my opinion.

It was meant to show how there would be no relationship between Leela and Bender if they didn't have Fry to fill in the holes in-between.


I loved Law and Oracle. I think the first time I saw I might of actually ROFLed. The jokes were great, and the spoofs were perfect.

[#438 :]

Now that you guys taught me what that line means, I like that line and I think it's funny.

[#439 :]

Gotta think about every line in order to understand it. (Just some of the more hidden humor lines) I'm glad you've given it a second chance.

He's right, I've done nothing for this community.

I'm just saying, know matter what you've done in the past, your "Trolly" ways of today are horrible. Don't be a hater, unless it's necessary. I've seen some of your old work and it's great, but you just give up so easily on this show.    In the words of Tug McGraw: "You've gotta believe." Your worse than TNUK.