Howcumzit? "Parasites Lost"

[on:]

Some things that struck me as odd in this episode have answers suggested by later episodes; others, I just wanna sees what youse guys thinks...

1) Why does Leela go to all the trouble she does, to stop the gang from getting rid of Fry's worms? I mean, she's experiencing everything her microbot does through her netsuit; travelling down Fry's mucous-coated throat, through his "upset" stomach and part of his colon--without benefit of a ship or suit. Ew. She could've simply put her real axe through the lines connecting everyone's netsuits. She would have risked winding up broke, fired, or even arrested--but she wouldn't be as familiar with Fry's pooptubes as she is now. Ewwwww.

Possible explanation: Leela's not kidding when she talks about her "mental illness" in "Leela's Homeworld." In "Anthology I," the What-If Machine suggests she is capable of murdering everyone; in "Anthology II," she kills Amy and disfigures everyone else--in the "nicest dream." She's angry to see everyone alive and okay when she wakes up. Her life-experiences have left her with a lot of frustration. Why pass up a chance to legally attack everyone with an axe?

2) Speaking of "Anthology I"--everyone in the room was watching Leela slaughter them like pigs on the WIM. How do you suppose they reacted? I'll bet the Professor put a grate over his man-eating anteater pit...

3) Some people blame Leela for the disasterous end of her and Fry's courtship in "Lost," because of her "...what you've become" line. But the worms didn't actually change Fry, they just helped him reach his full potential in a mutually-beneficial symbiotic relationship. Other people would kill for those worms. So:
  a) Who's the real screw-up here?
  b) Would YOU have gotten rid of them?
  c) Where did they go? Is Violet stronger, faster, better now? Is Amy stronger and more flexible than Gumbercules? Nibbler?

4) Ew. What happened to the microbots? Is there a "dead" Futurama cast stuck in the lining of Fry's intestines? Ewwwwww.

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[Reply #1 on:]

1) Good point, but it was more dramatic that way.
2) There reactions were probably downplayed after viewing the "Who cares?" Machine.
3)a) The worms.  They are parasites.
b) Yes, they're worms.
c) Where everything in the colon goes (eventually).
4) See 3c.

[Reply #2 on:]

 

Originally posted by DrThunder88:
1) Good point, but it was more dramatic that way.

Oh yeah! And not just for the writing. I jumped out of my seat when she took Zoidberg's head off, THEN remembered they were all just microbots. Even after the commercial, the sight of Leela vigorously hacking them all apart with an axe freaked me out a tad. I wonder if that's why I twitch when she says stuff like "let me axe you something*"--and if that's a deliberate reference by the writers. Perhaps even...foreshadowing? (shivers)

*I know "axe" for "ask" is supposed to be left-over 20th-century slang; but that's still a helluva coincidence.

[Reply #3 on:]

She probably destroyed the microdroids to prevent them from going back easily (pop off to a internet cafe and go back inside Fry and finish the job) -- plus maybe she didn't want to destroy the internet connection?

The joke is that if Leela was just a little tiny bit more impulsive she would end up killing everyone (so yes, she is on the verge of being crazy).

From later episodes, it has been shown that Leela likes Fry except for some specific problems (his childishness).  With the worms, Fry became smarter and stronger making him Leela's "dream man".  Fry was willing to die to see if Leela loved Fry, or super Fry.  She proved she loved super Fry.  Of course, he was smarter than Cher at the point when she says, "I love what you've become", so maybe he would have figured it out in a few months.

[Reply #4 on:]

 

Originally posted by BrainSluggo:


2) Speaking of "Anthology I"--everyone in the room was watching Leela slaughter them like pigs on the WIM. How do you suppose they reacted? I'll bet the Professor put a grate over his man-eating anteater pit...

Remember, the only one who saw anything was the Professor. And his daily stroke probably wiped out the memory.

[Reply #5 on:]

"So that's what things would have been like if I had invented th fing-longer."

[Reply #6 on:]

 

Originally posted by Kryten:
 Remember, the only one who saw anything was the Professor.

Bloops! (Falls down stairs) Spluh!

You guys are absolutely right; I was so focused on the stories in "Anthology" I forgot about the bookends. He would probably have done something about it anyway, but, after all, he was already in his pajamas... 

OR, this might be why he carries around the electrical prod he wields on Leela in "Love and Rocket." ("Try to kill ME, will you?!" "Aaaaaaaah! Professor, what are you talking about?? Owwwwwwww!!&quot

I still cannot fault the worms. They were doing what they're supposed to do; in fact, they went above and beyond the call of duty. A true parasite gives nothing back to the host and may even be harmful to its health; these guys were like physical therapists and surgeons and college professors who gave everything they had for Fry's sake--in exchange for something he was going to flush away anyhoo. (Pukeatronic!)

[Reply #7 on:]

 

Originally posted by B.Frankendorfer:
"So that's what things would have been like if I had invented th fing-longer."

Or, as Americans put it...I wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot poll.

[Reply #8 on:]

I wrote a partly-fleshed-out plot-outline sequel-thingie for the FanFic section called "Parasites Found" that answers a question or two. It sucks, but check it out? Under "I'm No Writer (Part One)." Pretty gross.