One sentence left unaddressed....

[Reply #40 on:]

The Why of Fry I'm guessing is what you're referring to TMC.

[Reply #41 on:]

Indeed, winna and TMC. Nibbler tells Fry that Leela "must be the other," to which Fry responds with utter confusion of the "Buh?" variety. You know, though this is probably just wishful thinking on my part, "Overclockwise" might very well explore all this Other business (but that episode seems like it will be jam-packed the way it is).

Otherwise, I'm beginning to think that DXC and the writers have just decided not to pursue any more of this Fry-as-savior stuff, at least as it pertains to the Nibblonians and their reasons for freezing him (which, as Nibbler implies at the end of "The Why of Fry," do not end with the events of that episode). This doesn't bother me, exactly, but Fry's lack of the delta brainwave and its ramifications for the universe at large is one of the show's longest running story arcs, and I'd hate to think the writers have abandoned it entirely.

[Reply #42 on:]

Hopefully we'll get something this or next season that continues it... whilst I don't want to see it abandoned, I really don't want it to be resolved either. I kinda like the idea of Fry having about a billion uses in the 31st Century as far as saving the universe (or even just the Earth) go.

Also, I'd really like to see Fry's delta-brainwave-lack explored/compensated (maybe even totally cured) by the Professor for some (vague and probably amoral, seeing as it's Farnsworth) reason, kicking off a "make Fry stupid again" story for the good of the universe. I bet that'd make for an excellent cinematic release A-story.

[Reply #43 on:]

If I got out more, I wouldn't be having a conversation with a one eyed duck troll about a throwaway sentence in an science fiction cartoon on an online message board about the aforesaid science fiction cartoon.   

I meant, it is not the most homoerotic thing I have seen; and I don't get out at all!  Then - perhaps - you should not get out more, perhaps less.

Hmmm.  I found it extremely homoerotic, and I've played just about every Final Fantasy game.  For something in Futurama, I seriously felt it was laid on very thick, because Bender and Fry's relationship has never felt homoerotic for me, at all.  (Sorry fangirls.)   I think it was obviously cranked up for laughs, hence Leela watching them dance as well as Kif and Amy, before sadly sighing to herself: "I wish I had a man."   It's certainly not the most homoerotic thing I have seen, (you don't want to know), but for Futurama?  That scene genuinely took me by surprise. 

As for outside?  No no, I prefer my one eyed ducklings and android Kate Winsletts, thankyou, thankyou.   

[Reply #44 on:]

I would like it if Amy ended up being the other, and Fry was forced to choose between them. I know it sounds odd and dumb. That's because it is, but if it turned out Amy was the other and suddenly Fry was destined to be with her, I would like to see how he would handle it. But all of that may be too dramatic for a fairly light hearted series.

The Shippers would flip...

Yes, Yes I would.

Honestly, I think they may have forgotten about it and won't address it ever. Although that's really not like Futurama. I expect higher standards! I expect all holes to be filled!!

And if they are going to address it, and have mentioned that "Leela must be the other." Then I don't think they would change their minds and make it someone else. It just doesn't make sense. No one else has that much importance in Fry's life, except maybe Bender, but I just don't feel like Bender would serve that purpose well. He is more the comic relief, even in the sweet Fry/Bender moments.
Leela is much more grounded and has the emotional weight that this "other" person would need.
I will say that I would be very upset if we never got an answer. I'm really looking forward to another episode that involves stuff from the pilot, The Why of Fry etc. Anything that has to do with the 'Bigger Story' of why Fry is in the Future is one of the things that makes Futurama so awesome..

[Reply #45 on:]

I expect all holes to be filled!!

That's what she said!

[Reply #46 on:]

Plus while Leela can be incredibly cruel to Fry sometimes, what Bender does to him at time is a hundred times worse.   Leela might treat him like dirt sometimes, but she's never tried to kill/injure him for personal gain/spite/her own amusement, which Bender does many times.

I mean I know they're buddies and all, but there are times when I think Fry/Bender's friendship comes off like a domestic abuser/victim couple, which i have to admit, if it wasn't for the show being so damn funny, would make me feel very uncomfortable.   Picturing Bender as an abusive boyfriend and Fry being female certainly puts a dark feel on it.  The thing is, I didn't even really think about this until Ghosts in the Machine, where Bender's sometimes highly questionable treatment of Fry wasn't just a joke played for laughs, it was pretty much the entire episode.

[Reply #47 on:]

You actually raise a good point.  In reality, their relationship is a horrible demonstration of the problems you raised that our society actually has to deal with.  Why does it have to be so funny?

[Reply #48 on:]

...Has anyone else noticed that winna is really on a roll today?

Also: I've never gotten any abusive or unhealthy vibes from Bender and Fry's relationship, but I guess that's because any hints of abuse are always played for laughs (Bender holding a broken bottle to Fry's neck in "Fear of a Bot Planet," threatening to kill Fry for drinking his last beer in "The Honking"...hmmm, most of these are related to alcohol. The real problem here is Bender's substance abuse). But yeah, if Fry and Bender were a couple of guys I knew in real life, I would probably be a bit disturbed by Bender's antics and the ways in which he routinely jeopardizes his best friend's life.

I did hate how malicious Bender was in "Ghost in the Machines," though. I just figured that was more about how much of a sociopath Bender is than about his feelings for Fry or the dynamics of their relationship.

[Reply #49 on:]

You actually raise a good point.  In reality, their relationship is a horrible demonstration of the problems you raised that our society actually has to deal with.  Why does it have to be so funny?

Because its Futurama!  Though I don't think they would get away with it if Fry was a girl and Bender was her boyfriend.   Though to be fair Bender is horrible to everyone, Fry is just to innocent to believe him most of the time.  Same with Amy, (hence him stealing her earrings while giving her a hug) and Zoidberg... well Zoidy is happy with any kind of attention.    The others are a lot less tolerant of him.

[Reply #50 on:]

...Has anyone else noticed that winna is really on a roll today?

Winna is always on a roll...

The only way the Bender/Fry relationship works the way it does is because he's a Robot. That's the excuse for everything.

[Reply #51 on:]

...Has anyone else noticed that winna is really on a roll today?

Winna is always on a roll...

The only way the Bender/Fry relationship works the way it does is because he's a Robot. That's the excuse for everything.

Exactly. If Bender were human..then that would be a different story.

[Reply #52 on:]

You watched it, you can't UN-watch it!

[Reply #53 on:]

What episode is this line from? I want to look it up on the Infosphere to get the context.

I believe it is the Why of Fry (Best Episode ever!)
EDIT: gah, didn't realize there was another whole page

[Reply #54 on:]

"The Other" is probably just someone who needs to be in Fry's life. There's not necessarily a romantic implication.

It could be Scruffy. If there's a romantic implication, hopefully not.

[Reply #55 on:]

Yeah, that's what I always sort of thought, Quolnok. Leela's saved Fry's life on a few occasions, and she tends to keep him from doing things that are too horribly impulsive or deadly, so it would make sense for her to be the Other if the Other's primary purpose is to keep Fry around long enough to take care of the Brain Spawn or the Dark One or whatever other Big Baddies come along.

[Reply #56 on:]

It makes sense.  The Other could be the Chosen's Soulmate, guardian from danger, or gives him the emotional support to win the day.  Or all three.

I mean, her role as the Other could be that she is the one who gives Fry the fortitude to save the day, or put aside his own desires and needs.  I mean he had the choice of remaning in the past and having his old life back, but he still chooses to save the future, so he can save the life of a woman he adores, and has pretty much told him they will never be together.   Its a sign of Fry's unselfishness, that he gives up the chance to have his old life back, so he can save the life of the woman he loves, even if she never returns his love.

[Reply #57 on:]

Good point. Leela doesn't need to reciprocate Fry's feelings; Fry proves in "The Why of Fry" that, as long as he has just the small chance of Leela one day, maybe possibly eventually, loving him, he's willing to make any other sacrifice. I like that in my saviors.

[Reply #58 on:]

Good point. Leela doesn't need to reciprocate Fry's feelings; Fry proves in "The Why of Fry" that, as long as he has just the small chance of Leela one day, maybe possibly eventually, loving him, he's willing to make any other sacrifice. I like that in my saviors.

And even then, he would still do it. He wants her to be happy and to live, whether its with him or not. 

Though of course, we would rather it is with him.  : )  Fry and Leela belong together like maple syrup and veggie bacon.  Or maple syrup and regular bacon.

[Reply #59 on:]

Or genetically engineered corn syrup and baconated grapefruit!

[Reply #60 on:]

  ?

[Reply #61 on:]

Archduke Chockula or GTFO.

[Reply #62 on:]

veggie bacon.

That is an abomination. You disgust me.

[Reply #63 on:]

veggie bacon.

That is an abomination. You disgust me.

I love pigs too much to eat them, and have you seen the price of whale bacon these days? Not as much as dolphin, but still obscene.

[Reply #64 on:]

Is it bad that I've craved an answer to this so much that my brain just filled in the gaps and made up its own answer? When the series originally ended I just assumed that when Nibbler said Leela was "The Other" that he meant the other part of his plan, as in having Leela find him on Vergon 6 and enter into their lives.

[Reply #65 on:]

I love pigs too much to eat them, and have you seen the price of whale bacon these days? Not as much as dolphin, but still obscene.

I love pigs so much I eat them!

[Reply #66 on:]

I love pigs too much to eat them, and have you seen the price of whale bacon these days? Not as much as dolphin, but still obscene.

I love pigs so much I eat them!

I prefer whale.  You just can't beat that Just Torpedoed a Greenpeace Boat Endangered Species goodness.

[Reply #67 on:]

Because you've gotta nuke something.

Is it bad that I've craved an answer to this so much that my brain just filled in the gaps and made up its own answer? When the series originally ended I just assumed that when Nibbler said Leela was "The Other" that he meant the other part of his plan, as in having Leela find him on Vergon 6 and enter into their lives.

That's an interesting interpretation, but it doesn't explain why Nibbler is so intentionally vague about the whole thing. I prefer to think that the Other has a bit more significance than simply bringing Nibbler into Fry's life, but if we never get any resolution to that particular plot-point in the series, I nominate your interpretation as the best possible answer to the question of what the hell the Other's purpose was.

Although Leela also serves a purpose in "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid"--being the person who realizes what the Nibblonians are up to, and who is charged with getting Fry to stop the Brains. Although this is mostly by accident, as Nibbler only brings Leela along so that she's not attacked by said Brains in a dark alleyway. So maybe that was her purpose as the Other, and it wasn't until "The Why of Fry" that her actions in "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid" were deemed, well, Other-ish. 

[Reply #68 on:]

From Nibbler's POV, I could see the answer working. He was flustered and didn't put a lot of thought into passively mentioning Leela as "the other". I could definitely see him knowing his purpose and getting there via Leela and calling her "the other"...(person I need to complete my plan). That also directly ties into her being crucial to the events in The Day the Earth Stood Stupid. Unless she found him on Vergon 6, she never would have really been a part of that whole event.

As a fan though, I really need sweet closure.

[Reply #69 on:]

Maybe by referring to Leela as "the Other" he meant the other pain in his behind.

[Reply #70 on:]

The plan itself is a prophecy though.  Nibbler has known about the plan for some time, but all of its details are relatively unknown, as the people involved in the plan don't even exist when the plan is first foretold.  Furthermore.... although the Nibblonians suggest rather explicitly that Fry's purpose is to fight off the brainspawn, since we haven't actually heard the prophecy, this may not actually be Fry's purpose for being in the 3000s.... or there may be many parts to his being in that particular time period as well.

[Reply #71 on:]

Sorry if this already has been brought up:

Anyway, in "The Why of Fry", Nibbler guesses Leela might be "the other", and urges Fry not to give up on her.
On the other hand, the Nibblonians were already quite happy with Fry sacrificing himself to send the Infosphere to the other dimension.
So...whatever the "other" ones fate might have been, they did not act as if they'd need Fry and "the other" together in any way.

Storytelling error, or were Nibblers thoughts just "Allright, allright...if that girl is all you are interested in and you save the Universe, I'll help you get her...Jeez..."?

[Reply #72 on:]

Nothing more was mentioned in that episode besides she is "The Other". I guess that was left intentionally, if they were renewed so maybe they should address that issue in the future episode(s). Or I hope this would happen in the next season.

[Reply #73 on:]

On the other hand, the Nibblonians were already quite happy with Fry sacrificing himself to send the Infosphere to the other dimension.

Sorry if this already has been brought up:

The plan of the Nibblonians was for Fry to escape on his Scooty-Puff, Jr. They couldn't help it if Fry broke it.

[Reply #74 on:]

Yep, maybe I'm too picky about this one. But in that case, I would rather have expected a "Damned...something just goes awfully wrong...we still need that guy later on" instead of those victory cheers.