Blu-ray Review: ‘Futurama Volume 8′

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: ‘Futurama Volume 8′ on Blogcritics.

Finally, the last episodes of Futurama have hit Blu-ray. No, seriously. The series, which was canceled on FOX, found new life on DVD and in four straight-to-disc movies, and was resurrected for a few more years on Comedy Central, has been canceled again, and Futurama Volume 8 has the very last 13 episodes of Futurama that will ever be made. For now.

Most of Volume 8 is good. Better than the other Comedy Central episodes, hands down. Something that plagued the series all during its reboot was an inability to stick to continuity in terms of character relationships, and because Futurama is more heart than laughs, that’s important. This batch, in keeping with the trend, is amusing, but not overly so. More importantly, though, even though Fry (Billy West) and Leela (Katey Sagal) finally get together just prior to the start of the CC run, the show can never seem to make up its mind if they are a couple of not. Until at the end of this set, the matter is (mostly) settled, making for better installments near the conclusion.

The episodes on the two DVDs are presented in production order, not broadcast order. This means that the two that aired first, “2-D Blacktop” and “Fry and Leela’s Big Fling,” are episodes two and four on the discs, respectively. Though, as Futurama rarely has plot that extends from week to week (with returning threads coming back much later, not in consecutive installments), that shouldn’t matter.

The best episodes in Volume 8 include: “T.: The Terrestrial,” in which Fry is left behind on Omicron Persei 8 and lives out E.T. as an alien’s pet; “Saturday Morning Fun Pit,” a take off of traditional weekend cartoons in a trilogy of minisodes; “Calculon 2.0,” in which Bender tries to resurrect deceased ham-of-an-actor Calculon (Maurice LaMarche); “Game of Tones,” a mission back to 1999 and the series’ pilot, and Fry visits his mother; “Murder on the Planet Express,” where the crew are killed off on the ship, a la Alien; and “Stench and Stenchibility,” in which Zoidberg (Billy West) finally finds love.

I did not include series finale “Meanwhile,” on the list because it deserves its own paragraph (or more). Perhaps knowing their time was at an end, the Futurama writers sought to match the stellar previous series finale, “The Devil’s Hands Are Idle Playthings.” Knowing that the element of the show serious fans are most invested in is the relationship between Fry and Leela, “Meanwhile” seeks to finally make good on that romance as much as can be made.

The result is a bittersweet world in which Fry and Leela are the last two people on Earth. Their friends (and everyone else) are frozen in time, and the pair spend an entire lifetime together, traveling the globe by their lonesome, happy to share each others’ company. It’s incredibly sweet and moving, and we get to see them find the ending they deserve at long last. Plus, there are cameos from most of the beloved recurring characters through their journey, a nice capper.

The end of “Meanwhile” is a bit of a cheat, leaving the door open to make more episodes or movies, should the series have the chance to do so (please let it be so). Yet, at the same time, it also pays off for the marriage, too. For a full review of the episode, click here.

Volume 8 boasts audio commentary on all 13 episodes. I can’t remember the last time a series did that, and it’s certainly welcome. There’s also a second commentary for “Game of Tones,” the second best episode in this set after “Meanwhile,” featuring the animators. Plus, deleted scenes are included, as well as a look at both the writers’ room and the animation process. It’s a satisfying bunch of extras.

I have found that animation that was originally made in high definition (as Futurama is) pretty much always looks great on Blu-ray. More than film, cartoons have the ability to shape the image exactly how they want, and there’s little better than watching sharp, finely detailed, well-drawn shows like this. Futurama doesn’t typically break new ground in effects, but the quality is high and consistent throughout the episodes. The sound is equally clear, even without many frills, providing a very pleasing viewing and listening experience.

Futurama Volume 8 is available now.

FUTURAMA Canceled, "Meanwhile"...

Article first published as FUTURAMA Canceled, "Meanwhile"... on TheTVKing.

After resurrecting it for a scant few years, Comedy Central recently canceled Futurama. This week's episode, "Meanwhile," in which Professor Farnsworth (Billy West) invents a button that can send a person back in time ten seconds, will serve as the second series finale. Thank goodness it ranks among the most memorable and best written episodes of Futurama ever produced.

Futurama is supposed to be an animated comedy, but it has always been strongest when it tugs on viewers' emotions. Sure, sometimes it delivers funny jokes, but it rarely fails to jerk a tear when it tries. If one thinks back to the stand-out installments in the original run, episodes such as Fry (also West) giving up his hands to the Robot Devil in order to play a sweet song for Leela (Katey Sagal), or Fry's dog faithfully waiting back in 1999 for him to return home (he never does), are at the top of the list.

Which is why the Comedy Central run, taken as a whole, is inferior to the FOX airings. FOX, and the subsequent straight-to-DVD movies, get it right. On Comedy Central, Fry and Lee's relationship is never certain and rarely touch on, and most half hours go for the gag, rather than continuity or story.

That is, until these past few weeks. Perhaps knowing their time is up, the writers delivered a string of episodes done right. We see Zoidberg (West again) finally find love, Fry pledge to love Leela even as she grows into a mutant, and Fry going back in time to say goodbye to his mother. These are what we are longing for, and they finally arrive.

"Meanwhile" continues that proud tradition. After a near-death experience, Fry decides that he cannot live without Leela and must propose. He stages the perfect way to pop the question, but because he doesn't adjust his watch for the time travel he engages in, believes Leela doesn't want him. Distraught, he jumps to his death, only to realize his mistake and see Leela coming to accept the proposal on his way down.

From here, Fry, using the ten-second button (that takes ten seconds to recharge), becomes stuck in a time loop, always falling, but never landing. This is such a bittersweet moment. He will get to experience the joy of knowing Leela loves him over and over again, but also face death if he forgets to hit the button every ten seconds (like a fast-track Lost). Leela, meanwhile, only sees Fry falling to his death repeatedly.

The time loop is broken unexpectedly, thanks to teamwork from the rest of the Planet Express delivery team, but in the fixing Farnsworth is seemingly killed and time freezes for everyone but Fry and Leela.

I am disappointed Leela and Fry don't take a moment to grieve the professor, or say anything about missing their friends. However, watching them stage a wedding (with their frozen pals in attendance) and travel the world growing old together is enough to overcome these flaws. We finally get to see their happy ending, what it would be like for them to truly together. Without any of the distractions of the world around them, they are able to focus on each other, and the result is lovely taken to the extreme.

Also, while they walk through the frozen world, we get cameos by a number of Futurama's recurring characters, a tribute to what the series has been over the years.

In the end, though, Farnsworth isn't dead and visits them in their old age, ready to reset time back to before he invented the button. Though they won't remember their lives together, Fry and Leela agree to go back, too, giving themselves the opportunity to do it all over again.

This is cool because there is no doubt on the part of the happy couple. They are both certain they will be together and find joy, even if they don't remember this particular proposal and scenario. This solidifies what we suspect, that the pair are meant to be man and wife, and that they will share love no matter what happens. Given the depressing state of their romantic entanglement in earlier adventures, this is the way Futurama must end, giving fans exactly what they want.

Though it also opens the door for further episodes of the type we're familiar with, should anyone else decide to rescue it again. (I'm looking at you, TBS!)

FUTURAMA "Fling" With Comedy Central Almost Over

Article first published as FUTURAMA "Fling" With Comedy Central Almost Over on TheTVKing.

Futurama, which Comedy Central resurrected years after its cancellation by FOX, is near the end again. Last night, the first two episodes of the back half of season seven, which will be the show's last, aired. Like much of the cable run, they were very mediocre, occasionally funny, and still bitter sweet, with the ending in sight by fans, though not the players.

The first half, "2-D Blacktop," is part Fast and Furious parody, part adventure in two dimensions. Not liking the car racing flicks, the first part of the episode, where Professor Farnsworth (voiced by Billy West) soups up the Planet Express ship and joins a drag racing gang, feels kind of flat. Yes, we see Farnsworth behaving in an amusing way, but it's not the type of story that really fits his role, nor does it tie into much that we've seen from him before.

Worse, there is a supporting character tossed into "2-D Blacktop" who complains about being emotionally abused by her father, who apparently didn't say certain things to her. This is a recurring plot throughout the half hour, culminating in her seemingly getting a call from her dad that makes it all right. It's not funny, doesn't fit, and makes little sense in the scheme. We'll probably never see the character again, thankfully, but she is pointless here.

Then the Planet Express ship crashes and Farnsworth, Fry (also West), Leela (Katey Sagal), and Bender (John DiMaggio) are transported into a literally flat universe. Ironic, considering that that's the part of the episode that jumps up and gets interesting. I wish more time was spent in this realm, as playing with the physics and rules of the new universe is enjoyable and part of what Futurama does in its best days - geeky humor.

"2-D Blacktop" would have been redeemable has the new Planet Express ship stuck around past the end of the thirty minutes, but inexplicably it has disappeared by the next episode. Why?

Part two is entitled "Fry and Leela's Big Fling." The characters mentioned in the episode's moniker take a romantic vacation where they encounter Leela's penny-pinching ex. Many long-time fans of the show love to see the pair together, and wish the relationship would be handled with more care and consistency during the rebirth. Granted, it's not much different than in the original episodes, but that's kind of the point, since the filler movies, released after the cancellation, mature and grew this into something beautiful that has since been squandered.

Unfortunately, it's not handled super well in "Fry and Leela's Big Fling," either. At first, the pair are sneaking around, trying not to show their co-workers that they are intimate. Then, they don't care. Once on the trip itself, they seem completely stable and comfortable together, then things get awkward and tense, and it's not just the interloper that causes this, and then they go back to being solid again. It's like the entire inconsistency of the past couple of years is condensed and replayed in a half hour.

The fact that their vacation spot ends up being in an ape-run planet's zoo, with primates surreptitiously watching them make love, is absolutely perfect! I adore the Planet of the Apes take-off, a return of old characters, and tying Fry and Leela's story into several other characters' scenes. It's well crafted in such a way where one can admire the storytelling, and there are some gags that land. I especially admire the revelation that Leela and her ex are manipulated into running into one another.

The only thing that doesn't make sense are that the monkeys have old-style cameras. There are cell phones mixed in as well, but as much as the future portrayed in the show mimics today's world, having cameras there is just dumb and doesn't belong.

What's most disappointing is that nothing will likely pay-off. Animated shows take awhile to make, and going into this batch of installments, no one knew it was ending. Futurama sets itself apart from others of its ilk because the characters can actually be dynamic and there is continuity. As such, it deserves a true bookend, not just a handful of typical entries. Lackluster these past couple of years as it may be, it'll still be sad to see it go without the ending it deserves. Maybe some more films can be made?

Futurama airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.

Futurama returns to The Matrix

Normally, I like the more emotional episodes of Comedy Central's Futurama better than the comedy-centered ones, though both have their merits. This week's entry, "Near-Death Wish," kind of balanced things out nicely, even if it stretched the believability of the universe a bit. There was some true character exploration, and throw backs to previous episodes, as well as good movie references.

Obviously, the title of the episode is a play off of the movie Death Wish, though instead of a vigilante seeking revenge, Fry (Billy West) just connects with some old relatives who may soon pass away. You see, Fry is desperate for approval from his great-great...-nephew, the Professor (also West), but the Professor isn't that interested in being a good family member. Discovering the Professor's parents are still alive, Fry finds them living in a virtual world, and builds the family connection he has longed for. This also exposes the Professor's past, and allows him to finally make peace with his mom and dad.

"Near-Death Wish" makes the Fry family connections make sense a little more. We know that the Professor is crazy, and now we see him in his early days, before he got locked up in the mental institution. (Yes, now we need a episode to figure out how he got from a 25 year lock up to working for Mom.) And with the personality that the Professor has, unable to relate even to the people who lovingly raised him, it's no wonder he has no strong connection to Fry, despite their shared DNA.

My only beef here is that the Professor is so often portrayed as close to death, himself, and to have his parents show up definitely pushes what can be accepted as reality, even in this cartoon world. The likely explanation is that the Matrix-esque Near-Death Star must be able to keep old people alive. And I wish we had seen the referenced Floyd and Bender (John DiMaggio) sequence a couple of weeks ago, like when the Nibbler plot seeds were planted early.

"Near-Death Star," besides that obvious Star Wars reference, also makes allusions to Star Trek, and goes on an extended tirade about The Matrix itself. But the best references are those to past Futurama episodes. The Near-Death Star was visited by the characters awhile ago, and even has the same robot guard arm. We get to see Fry playing his holophone again. Hermes (Phil LaMarr) and Zoidberg (also West) seem to have become friends, a toss back to earlier this season.

Also, the clout Fry gets after winning the Clippie Award is just plain hilarious, and who can pass up a guest star turn by Estelle Harris?

The gags, references, and a sweet ending on a farm all contribute to make "Near-Death Wish" a memorable Futurama episode. Watch new installments Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my new website, JeromeWetzel.com! First posted on TheTVKing

Futurama builds "The Six Million Dollar Mon"

In the latest installment of Comedy Central's Futurama, "The Six Million Dollar Mon," Hermes (Phil LaMarr) is disgraced after being rated the least valuable employee at Planet Express and fired, replaced by a machine. It doesn't matter that he is the one who does the firing to himself, it still hurts. Adding insult to injury, Hermes is almost mugged by crazy Roberto (David Herman). To cope with these events, Hermes begins getting robot implants, until there is nothing human left about him.

"The Six Million Dollar Mon" is, overall, a very good episode. It really focuses on the characters of Hermes and Zoidberg (Billy West), exploring their relationship, and their personalities. Futurama is at its strongest when it takes the time to work with what it already has, which are fully developed, complex characters. Adventures are nice, but character exploration is what makes good television great.

The episode uses these individuals and their quirks to be funny. When Zoidberg thinks Hermes's meanness towards him is Hermes's way of showing affection, it's sweet. When we learn that Hermes really does hate Zoidberg, it informs on the way their characters interact, and is tragically amusing. Zoidberg building the Hermes puppet continues this trend, simultaneous making us laugh at the visual gag, but also feel sorry for poor, pathetic Zoidberg, knowing this is his way of coping with not truly having any friends. Many people can relate to this.

Add to that, Professor Farnsworth (also West) acting as a mad scientist, and Scruffy (also Herman) refusing to fix anything that is not a boiler or a toilet, and there are some truly classic moments. Best of all is Bender (John DiMaggio) being fascinated with a machine that bends, and appearing jealous of Hermes's shiny metal ass, a trademark catchphrase of Bender's.

There are a couple of smart plot twists in "The Six Million Dollar Mon." Once Roberto is executed, and then Mecha Hermes wants a robot brain, it's fairly predictable what is going to happen. Still, it seems clever, even if it's a trope used in other fiction, because of the sincerity it is played with. Ditto for Zoidberg rebuilding Hermes piece by piece. One can see where the writers are going, but it's still fun to be taken along for the ride. It's the seamless way it all ties together that kicks the story a notch above the norm.

Plus, Futurama really delivers the references in this episode. From the title, a play on the television show of almost the same name, Hermes getting a Cylon eye, and seeing Helper's grave in the robot cemetery, "The Six Millon Dollar Mon" has goodies for geeks galore, whether one is a fan of The Venture Brothers or Battlestar Galactica. These are more than just cut scenes, a la Family Guy, but actually add to the value of the plot here.

That being said, it isn't a perfect episode. The sequence where LaBarbara's (Dawnn Lewis) curry drips through a number of different places, finally burning the Robot Devil (Dan Castellaneta), is a throwback to the other animated shows that lack the ingenuity and cleverness of Futurama. Worse, Leela (Katey Sagal) and Amy (Lauren Tom) invite a distracted Fry (West again) to shower with them in a cheap joke that is totally out of character for all involved.

Still, Futurama delivers more consistently than most, and remains a must-watch show, even after the many years of episodes that have come before this one. Catch Futurama Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.

Check out my new website, JeromeWetzel.com.  If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Article first published on TheTVKing

Futurama returns with "The Bots and the Bees" and "Farewell to Arms"

Futurama TM and © 2012 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Comedy Central's FUTURAMA returned with two new episodes last night to kick off the season. Having been resurrected for a couple of years now, the show has gotten back into the groove that made it so great before being cancelled by FOX. Both episodes that aired last night are funny, somewhat ignoring of continuity, and have a heartfelt arc. So, they are classic FUTURAMA.

The first half hour is called "The Bots and the Bees." Bender (John Di Maggio) doesn't take a shine to the new soda machine, Bev (Wanda Sykes), very quickly. But after she kills his night with two slutbots, they end up fighting, which turns into lovemaking. Shortly thereafter, Bev gives birth to a son, whom Bender names Ben. While Bender tries to abandon the lad, as is completely in character for him, Bev does so first, leaving Bender to be a single parent.

Bender seems like he usually gets the least amount of emotional development of any of the major characters because he is so callous and self-centered. But "The Bots and the Bees" takes the rare side trip of exposing Bender's soul. The mechanics of how the baby is made and grows might not make much sense in reality, but the feelings and attachment feels authentic, and that's far more important. Bender sacrifices everything to be a good dad, even allowing Ben's memories of his father to be wiped so that Ben can fulfill his dream of being a bender.

It's sad that Ben will probably not return to the show again. In its infancy, FUTURAMA added new recurring characters frequently, and brought them back repeatedly. Since the re-launch, no one notable has joined the cast, making it seem like Ben is probably destined to be a one-shot player. This is too bad because there are plenty of stories that could still be mined from Bender's fatherly role, and it would be fun to see Ben interact with the other Planet Express employees' children. If the plan is, indeed, to abandon Ben as surely as Bev does in the episode, would the creative team please reconsider?

Even in the funniest FUTURAMA stories, the level of depth exposed in the characters raises the series a notch above most of its peers. Other animated shows might touch on the heart, but only FUTURAMA embraces it so completely, developing dynamic, fully realized characters. Yes, this episode is very funny, with lots of laughs, especially during Fry's (Billy West) B story, where he drinks so much Slurm that he turns bright green, so much so that he becomes a sort of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. But that isn't all there is to it. It's this combination of humor and emotion that makes FUTURAMA so great.

It must also be said that the opening of "The Bots and the Bees," with the Planetary Express symbol instantly bringing the crew back together, even when some of them are battling for their lives against a giant space spider, works beautifully. FUTURAMA likes to go big in season openings, and this one certainly brings the fans back in cleverly, delivering a great bit immediately.

The second half hour, "Farewell to Arms," is even better than the first. Fry finds some ancient Martian writings under New New York, which Amy (Lauren Tom) is asked to translate. She says that the world will end because of some solar flares. Electronics stop working, so mankind cannot flee the planet in their spaceships. However, near the writing there is a stone rocket ship that can save 30,000 people. A computerized selection process occurs, and certain people are chosen, a varied sampling from which to continue the human race. Upon arriving on Mars, the "survivors" discover that the prophecy actually foretells the destruction of the red planet, not Earth.

Yes, the 2012 story is an obvious target, and changing Mayan to Martian in 3012 in a thinly veiled parallel isn't exactly brilliant, nor does it feel original. Yet, "Farewell to Arms" works because FUTURAMA so fully commits to the conceit. It's almost a commentary on the craziness of the 2012, with several characters making comments about how silly prophecies are. In this, it works very well. While many outlets of pop culture have tackled the 2012 story in a number of ways, FUTURAMA has top writers who deliver a high quality episode.

Like "The Bots and the Bees," soul is at the center of "Farewell to Arms." This episode returns to the Fry and Lee relationship, which is routinely ignored for long stretches of time. Fry keeps making romantic gestures, but in keeping with his character, they always go wrong. Fry gives up his seat to Mars to save Leela, who is not one of the chosen, and then Mars is almost destroyed. It's so bad that Leela almost doesn't let Fry try to save her from Mars, which happens to pass extremely close to New New York, and when she finally does, they both end up with their arms torn off, hence the title of this installment.

Plus, Leela being grossed out about grabbing her own severed arm, which isn't bleeding and somehow must not hurt, is amusing in the context.

When will FUTURAMA just let Fry and Leela be a couple? The effort has been put in, and the DVD-released movies while the series was off-air took the time to make any relationship between them feel earned. "Farewell to Arms" reminds us of the love between them, which makes the episodes where this chemistry is absent seem a bit off. More follow up to this would be greatly appreciated.

FUTURAMA is funny about continuity, in that sometimes it is abandoned all together, while other times past events matter very much to the present. Let's hope Mars' new position, as a close moon to Earth, becomes permanent. After all, this heralds a fantastic Amy episode, as her parents live on Mars, should FUTURAMA pursue this path.

FUTURAMA airs new episodes Wednesdays at 10 PM ET on Comedy Central.

Futurama Volume 6 now on Blu-ray and DVD

     Now out on Blu-ray and DVD from FOX is Futurama Volume 6. The sixth volume contains the second half of season six, the batch of episodes that aired this past summer. Concerning the blu-ray edition, there are two discs with thirteen episodes, as well as some special features. The episodes are in production order, which is not the order in which they aired. For instance, the two episodes that originally kicked off the summer run are numbers 7 and 4 in this set. For Futurama fans, this latest release is needed to complete the collection.

     When Comedy Central ordered new episodes of the canceled animated series Futurama, many rejoiced. The sixth season, the first original one on cable, was twenty-six episodes long, split over two years. Volume 6 contains the second batch of thirteen. But it is far from the capstone on the series that resists death. Next year, Comedy Central will present another batch of thirteen installments, followed by the second half of "season seven" sometime in 2013. So there's plenty of life left in this series.

     The quality of Futurama to be found in Volume 6 lives up to the standard set by the show. Bender (John DiMaggio), certainly a fan favorite character, gets lot to do. In "The Silence of the Clamps," he is forced to enter a witness relocation program as he flees from the Robot Mafia. "Benderama" provides Bender will the ability to replicate himself in ever smaller copies, which eventually threatens to destroy Earth. After Bender's death in "Ghost in the Machine," his spirit haunts the Planet Express crew. "Overclockwise" sees Bender evolve into a god with very high processing power, looking down on the mere mortals he used to reluctantly call "friends."

     But, of course, there are other characters besides Bender, and Futurama Volume 6 should satisfy them as well. "Mobius Dick" is a wonderful parody of Moby Dick, with Leela (Katey Sagal) on the hunt for an elusive white space whale who can travel into a fourth dimension, while "Yo Leela Leela" casts the one-eyed beauty as the star of a children's series. "The Tip of the Zoidberg" delves into the Professor (Billy West) and Zoidberg's (also West) past, giving some background info that fans never knew before. "All the President's Heads" sends the Planet Express crew back to the American Revolution. "Cold Warriors" has Fry (also West) reintroducing the extinct common cold to mankind. And "Reincarnation" is particularly memorable, as the characters are shown in three different animation styles.

     This set has a handful of extras. Most importantly, all thirteen episodes have audio commentary available to them. Roughly fifteen minutes of deleted scenes are included, split between the two discs, some of which are fully animated, and some not quite finished.

     Three featurettes give more depth to the series. "Professor Farnsworth's Science of a Scene" takes a look at how the giant Bender inside-head set was created for "Overclockwise." But rather than get too technical or dry, much time is spent speaking with those involved in the show, who give an overview of their process, as well as share some musings on the show at large. Similarly, "Reincarnation Explained!" features Peter Avanzino, the director of the episode "Reincarnation," discussing the various animation styles featured, but also the impact of Futurama on him, and his take on animation in general. Funniest is "Futurama F.A.Q. (Frequently Axed Questions)," where those involved in the show answer fan questions, usually humorously. It's not clear if these are actual questions sent in by fans, but the short is very entertaining, though a little sparse on real responses.

     Overall, Futurama Volume 6 is a good buy, with some great content to hold fans over until season seven premieres this summer. Buy your copy today.

     If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter!

     Click here to read every Futurama review I've written.

     Click here to buy Futurama DVDs, streaming episodes, and merchandise.

Futurama is living proof of "Reincarnation"

     It's been over a year since Comedy Central began the first new season of Futurama since FOX's cancellation of the series. But with "Reincarnation" last night, season six comes to an end. In the episode, the Planet Express crew face three stories in different animation styles (Steamboat Willie era, 8 bit video game, and anime), each with some connection to a mysterious comet. While the connecting device is never fully explained, Futurama delivers its trademark humor, and gives fans a little something different than what they're used to with two really high level bits, and a final, plain fun one.

     The first vignette involves Fry (Billy West) trying to secure an engagement ring for Leela (Katey Sagal). Their romance is a continuing thread that was explored quite heavily in the straight-to-DVD films, and then barely touched on throughout season six, at least until last week's episode, which revealed that they would eventually have a happy ending. "Reincarnation" does what so many other Futurama episodes do, which is allow Fry to touchingly pursue his one-eyed crush, and she responds to it, but the story will have no lasting consequence to continuity. It's disappointing that the animated show refuses to take that bold move and give their two leads a real relationship after so many seasons. On the other hand, this stand alone story, which ends with Fry proposing to Leela, then the two getting froze in the moment, only to end up as a stone in an alien engagement ring a billion years later, is emotionally very satisfying. Not the ending the series will go with, but a nice plot, nonetheless.

     The second story has Professor Farnsworth (also West) discovering the final answer to science, thus leaving nothing more for mankind to pursue. Even Stephen Hawking (voicing himself, or rather, his own head in a jar) is impressed. Farnsworth brings a startling halt to progress, and to make matters worse, almost no one cares. While Farnsworth goes crazy with nothing to solve, his employees veg out in front of the TV. Then Farnsworth begins to wonder why the universe is the way it is, opening up a whole new avenue to explore. Which his loved ones think means he has wasted his life as a scientist, but Farnsworth sees it as quite the opposite.

     It's rare that a cartoon would delve into the inner workings of human motivation, and the nature of science, in such a profound way. While still being humorous, this is a really neat brain exercise, made even more ironic when presented in such a low-tech animation style. The addition of Hawking to the episode lends gravitas to the concept, and gives smarter viewers something to ponder long after the episode ends.

     Finally, the third bit involves a race that does not have mouths coming to conquer the planet after they are accidentally insulted. Our main characters can do nothing to stop them, until Zoidberg (also West) sheds his skin and does a very complex, but not shown, dance. This isn't a deep story, but it works on a funny level. Having the aliens (via subtitles) express that they have never heard of mouths, and so do not understand the humans' attempt to communicate with them is funny, as is Zoidberg's unseen movements, and Farnsworth's startlingly different voice. An obvious voice over of the word "English" when a character mouths "Japanese" also tickles. Not highly intelligent, it's OK to go light after two much deeper plots.

     Futurama will get a seventh season! Expect it to return to Comedy Central, likely next summer.

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     Click here to buy Futurama DVDs, streaming episodes, and merchandise.

Futurama - "Neutopia; Benderama"

     It's hard to know which season Comedy Central's Futurama is currently on, since different sources disagree, what with the cancellation and straight to DVD movies that followed. But the latest batch of new episodes began this Thursday with two episode, "Neutopia" and "Benderama." The first finds the Planet Express crew opening an airline. After crashing during the very first flight, a mysterious creature takes away everyone's genitals to increase cooperation and harmony. The second concerns Bender (John DiMaggio) using the Professor's (Billy West) new machine to make smaller and smaller copies of himself, eventually threatening the Earth. But an overflow of Benders may just come in handy when a very ugly giant (guest star Patton Oswalt, United States of Tara) attacks.

     These two episodes, while funny, are disappointing. Unlike The Simpsons, also created by Matt Groening, Futurama sometimes does some things that are part of larger arcs, and continuity is often respected. Not only are there no scenes pointing at Amy (Lauren Tom) and Kif (Mauriche LaMarche) being together or not, but events happen in the first that are gone by the second. For instance, there is no mention in "Benderama" of Planet Express being an airline, nor is there any indication that it stopped being one at the end of "Neutopia." Also at the end of that episode, when everyone is restored to their proper sexes, Scruffy (David Herman) is not, but he's back to being a boy in the next episode. "Benderama" nearly destroys the world, and leaves open a disastrous possibility that there are still many Bender copies around, but that will likely not be followed up on. 

     Futuama is not perfect, nor has it ever been. But it used to respect the things that happened before on the show, and having changes stick is a refreshing departure from other, less creative animated series. To have the show devolve into a standard story of the week format with no connecting threads is beyond disappointing. It's an insult to those diehard fans who called for its return to television years after cancellation.

     Neither "Benderama" or "Neutopia" are particularly bad episodes. Both have plenty of funny lines and situations, and much of what happens is perfectly in line with what Futurama is about. But those big twists that suddenly drop make it an inferior show than it used to be, and possibly signal a decline. Last season, the first new year back, danced back and forth between the two formats. Clearly, a decision has been made, and it's the wrong one.

     I will continue watching Futurama, at least for now, but Mr. Groening, please fix this show! It used to be better and could be again. Futurama airs Thursday nights at 10 p.m. ET.

Good news everyone! Futurama has returned!

    In 2003, after five seasons on the air (released in four DVD volumes; Wikipedia wrongly lists the four volumes as four seasons), Fox canceled Futurama.  Like so many bad decisions the network has made (canceling the amazingly awesome Firefly and Dollhouse and renewing the terrible Human Target spring to mind), this one was unacceptable.  However, luckily, the story doesn't end there.  In the last three years, four straight to DVD movies of the Futurama crew have been released.  And then Comedy Central asked for more episodes.  Last night, the culmination of that effort was gloriously realized when the first new Futurama episodes in nearly seven years premiered: "Rebirth" and "In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela".


     Producers and creators Matt Groenig (The Simpsons) and David X. Cohen are back at the helm.  The voice cast, including Billy West (The Ren and Stimpy Show), Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy, Married With Children), John DiMaggio (Kim Possible), Tress MacNeille (The Simpsons), Maurice LaMarche (Pinky and the Brain), Phil LaMarr (MADtv, Samurai Jack), David Herman (Office Space, MADtv), and Lauren Tom (King of the Hill, Man in Trees),  has returned.  There were disputes over salary, and talk of recasting, but it all was worked out in time.  If it hadn't been, it may have killed the new episodes before they even got started.  The setting, the animation, it's all like it never left.  Fans of the show should not notice anything different.


     Plot wise, the first episode picks up right where the final movie left off: with the ship and all the main characters being sucked into a wormhole.  This was intended as a series finale, just in case nothing else was ordered, but the writers were able to transition it seamlessly into the new plot.  Unfortunately, the ship crashes almost immediately and almost everyone dies.  Luckily, the Professor has murdered a few adults and harvested their stem cells, so he is able to bring everyone back.  Someone explain to me how stem cells regrew Bender, a robot?  Not only that, but due to a comedy of errors, a Robot Fry and Robot Leela are created.  And there were the obligatory puns, acknowledging their new network.

     Loyal viewers know that Fry's love for Leela was always an unresolved plot, winding through each episode, and taking center stage in a couple of the movies.  The fourth movie had them together, and the new episodes thankfully continue that thread, rather than setting them back.  My sincere hope is that the two remain a couple, and I think it likely.  Although only the first of last night's two new episodes developed their relationship, in the second one they kissed goodbye as she left for a dangerous mission.  Futurama is the rare cartoon that allows it's characters lasting growth, and it's part of what makes it so special.  That aspect should be nurtured.


     Twenty six new episodes have been ordered.  If it's rebirth is like Family Guy's, we can look forward to even longer run than the original series, although since it has been resurrected for cable, that may be wishful thinking.  However, I know of no other show that was off the air for as long as Futurama was and then brought back, so this whole situation sprang from wishful thinking.  It gives you real hope to see that anything is possible.

     Futurama will be airing Thursday nights at 10pm on Comedy Central.