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Screen Cravers: Wumbo Reviews TV and Movies! (Futurama)


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Love's Labours Lost in Space

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Fry, Bender, and Leela travel to a doomed planet to save the animal life there. On the way, they have an uncomfortable encounter with Zapp Brannigan who attempts to seduce Leela and locks the others away.

I've bitched and moaned about the series not focusing enough on who I find the more interesting characters in the past review, so it seems fitting that, along with some new character introductions, we get what is very much a Leela-centred episode, with Fry almost taking a backseat. Thank Christ. It's almost as though the series knew it had pushed its limits with the number of Fry episodes in a row and chose to focus on Leela instead. Definitely a smart move in my book.

I do like how we learn more about Leela and what motivates her. I very much enjoy her personality. She's an animal lover, she has high standards for dating but also wishes to find genuine companionship. She's a very well-rounded and likable character, and I appreciate this episode for exploring it.

Speaking of exploring, during the expedition the three run into Zapp Brannigan, a new character to this series and one that would recur as the series continued. Oh man, this guy is great. You can really tell that this role was tailor-made for Phil Hartman to take on. Unfortunately, as he died tragically in '98, Billy West had to take over. And while West is no Hartman, he does do the character (and the late actor) justice with hilariously sleazy delivery to a completely pathetic character. I also very much enjoy his assistant, Kipp. I hope to see a lot more of them in the future, they're a great comedic duo.

So we've reached near the end of the review, and here's where I would typically gripe and grouse about the things I didn't like. But honestly? I can't think of much wrong here. They actually did attempt an emotional story arc to be taken somewhat seriously with Leela, and it just plain works. I love the resolution where she adopts Nibbler, who is a damn cute little guy despite his voracious appetite. The way they get out of their situation in the end with Nibbler's help is really funny too. I love how this show takes the themes of space and the future and milks them for every opportunity they can get. Folks, we hit a really good one this time around. A great one, even. In fact, I'm giving it the first (of what I hope to be many)...

10/10

Scattered Thoughts and Observations:

Okay, if I were to nitpick one thing: "Buh" is not a catchphrase. I like Amy's character so far, but she needs to pick a new catchphrase. She's not going to pick a new one, is she? Sigh...

Bender is honestly really cute at points. I love his giggling glee at learning why two animals of each species need to be taken on the ship.

Just every time the period between now and the 31st century is referenced is great. Who knew randomly wearing rings was in fashion at one point? I love the dichotomy of referencing dated customs in a future world. It's fiendishly clever.

I don't know if this was at all intentional, but Zapp Brannigan's book cover being styled similarly to The Cat in the Hat is a great stealth joke if it was.

I also like how Zapp's physique is nowhere close to being an actual macho man when you strip away the suit. He's a lot like Johnny Bravo, just a fun character to punch down on. This series is really starting to come together.

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Fear of a Bot Planet

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While on a mission to Chapek 9, Bender gets captured by the robot population who view him as a "human sympathizer". After being accepted into the community, Bender decides to stay, feeling disrespected by his friends.

Robots are pretty weird, huh? That's what I found to be a main sticking point of this episode. It's cool how the future not only allows for so many changes to planet Earth, but also allows for so many explorations of different species and different quirks that they have. This episode, naturally, is all about the robots as Bender, Fry, and Leela visit a planet completely inhabited by them. As is the usual with this show, they take the potential for comedy and subversion and run with it. All the robot jokes here are just great, from the propaganda film to the judge's verdict suffering a system error.

Fry is a bit more present than he was in the last episode, but I view him as still taking a backseat to Bender's story here, who is the emotional focus. Heck, I'd argue his doofy personality is played more sympathetically. He really does seem to care about Bender and wants him to come back home. The scene where Fry and Leela try to convince him to come back with them is... honestly kind of touching. You can sense that both Fry and Bender are hurt by what is happening.

I don't know if the sympathetic angle to Bender completely pays off, but they do show a lot of things in this episode to back up his point, like the robot cleaning up his broken beer glass at the baseball game. It works okay. Something like Leela's plot in "Love's Labours Lost" I bought a bit more because it balanced the two sides of her a bit better, but I can see what they're going for here.

I will admit, though, there's a part around the court trial and elder underworld that confused me a bit. So they get sent down to the underworld, or dungeon or whatever, after having just been sentenced to do robot-esque labour until "becoming obsolete". But then the elder robots tell them they are going to die instead, and that the verdict from earlier was just for show for the crowd. ...What? Why wouldn't the larger robot crowd want to see humans get killed? I thought that's what the whole danger was, going in! Felt like a weird way to increase dramatic tension when really they could have cut out the whole "hard labour" thing and made the reveal be that Bender was the one to do the killing. Eh, a nitpick, but I did take notice of it. But the episode does flow well the rest of the way. And as always, as I said, the humour is top notch throughout. Add in some genuinely heartfelt moments and a climax so stupidly clever I can't help but marvel, and you have yourself a great episode.

9/10

Scattered Thoughts and Observations:

So... that "baseball" game. Or should I say "Blernsball". Another great example of a futurized version of a classic staple of American life (like mom and apple pie). I won't even pretend to keep up with the bizarre rules and quirks of this game, but Bender giving his caught Blernsball player to a little kid slayed me.

So, in this universe pigeons can apparently carry away holograms and cause significant injury to them. Cartoon and future logic come into play here, so I won't question it. I do wonder where that leaves pigeons on the bird hierarchy if owls have replaced them as the pestilence bird, though. 

Great stuff with the robot test when Fry and Leela step onto the planet. "We also would have accepted the flower" is a great line.

Also love Leela inadvertently hurting a robot's feelings when she mistakes him for Fry. I wonder if he's doing okay...

The robots do seem a bit quick to turn around on their opinion of humans at the end... but hey, free lug nuts! Who am I to judge?

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A Fishful of Dollars

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Fry finds out that due to inflation, the money left in his bank account 1000 years ago has made him a billionaire. He uses his money to spend it on items that remind him of his time, but one of those items may be more valuable than he bargained for...

This was a pretty funny one, if a bit odd. While the last two episodes told emotional stories pretty well in conjunction with their funniness, this one definitely shines in the comedy and satire department. The story really is well told, everything connects, and we get to see Mom for the first time. Tress MacNeille brings some wild personality to this character; I like her a lot. She portrays herself as this sweet old lady as the face of a company when really she's a ruthless and conniving businesswoman. That's a great villainous character, she really won me over.

Fry's stupidity, while at times a bit grating, did serve to enhance this episode's comedy most of the time. I do like how he keeps blatantly announcing his PIN number. Makes you think that Mom's lackeys could have just asked him and he'd tell them. The bit where Fry thinks he's back in the 20th century is delightfully stupid as well. I'm impressed they got Pamela Anderson to voice, though they did have Dick Clark and Leonard Nimoy in the pilot so I guess the Groening name already had some clout going in.

The episode works pretty damn well overall, with only a few bumps to mention. The plot resolution feels a bit undercooked, particularly with Fry's friends. I really don't like Fry's "things instead of friends" line, it reads as too sour and comes from a mean place that doesn't fit his character, even with his flaws. So I don't know if him getting back with Bender and Leela was deserved. Maybe if they hit those points of Fry's nostalgia a little stronger, but once again, it's played for laughs, and I feel the episode could have benefited from more of a balance between laughs and character development. But where there are laughs, there are a lot.This is still quite a smart episode that hits a lot of satirical points and does some great comedic character work. Overall, a good outing.

8/10

Scattered Thoughts and Observations:

The "commercials in dreams" bits are pretty much perfect all the way through. I like Fry's line detailing how insidious advertising is in our time (more so now...) and I like the little callback in Fry's second dream to the briefs.

...So, Amy seems to have moved on from "buh" to "guh". Progress? Wonder how far down the alphabet we'll get before the series is through.

This series really does nail subversion jokes. "We don't take Discover" is pretty damn funny in its context.

Bender's "I'm a thing!" protest after Fry kicks him and Leela out is pretty pathetically funny and sad. Also, I'm going to start referring to "Baby Got Back" as "classical music".

And finally, we end on Zoidberg possibly mauling Fry due to no more anchovies. The zoom in to his eye to show the credits is so wonderfully bizarre. It might honestly be my favourite moment in the episode.

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My Three Suns

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Fry unwittingly becomes leader of a water-populated planet after drinking the previous emperor. However, after discovering that the emperor is still alive in his stomach, he faces death to bring the old emperor back.

God, this series is getting weird... I suppose when you have a futuristic setting, you can more or less do whatever the hell you want. That includes populating a planet with beings made entirely out of water. ...Okay. Honestly, the concept for this planet was so bizarre it half won me over. I am a bit confused by the planet's layout, though. It feels like the makeup of the planet is simply a bunch of disconnected jokes.

Follow me on this one. Fry drinks the bottle of water, which turns out to be the emperor. Okay, so the planet is populated by water beings. But why did Fry need to drink it in the first place? Because the three titular suns were burning him up! I, uh... logic, please? How on earth do water people survive in a world with three hot suns beaming down on them? I wouldn't mind so much, except it's the basis of the title and it kickstarts the plot! Feel like an explanation is necessary for all this, even if they explain it with another joke.

This episode also features Fry at probably his most unlikeable since "I, Roommate". Let's just say the ending in which he gets the crap beaten out of him was absolutely cathartic for me. And I guess the moment he had thinking Leela was dead was kinda sweet. But the rest of the episode charted into dangerously unlikeable territory. I get that they needed this to provide the basis for the plot, but it still left a bit of a lingering sour feeling throughout the episode.

So, that's quite a bit of negativity. Do I hate this episode? No. Like I said, while the water planet makes absolutely no sense on paper, the fact that they went with this idea at all just to mine jokes out of it is kind of impressive in its own right. There may not be consistency, but they do get a surprising amount of mileage out of water people jokes. It's the little details that make these jokes so great; I particularly like the musicians at the gala. Just so delightfully weird and immersed in its weirdness. Bender was really funny in this episode, too; I love the balance the writers give him between being abrasive and adorable.

I don't know. This review is kind of a mess, but this episode is kind of messy, so I guess it fits. There were things I liked, things I didn't like. I'm not sure if the episode on a whole completely pays off, and I don't know if it would hold up on re-watch, but I think I have to give some credit for such a strange concept in the first place.

7/10

Scattered Thoughts and Observations:

We start this episode with a cold open of Bender going through a "robot wash". A funny little scene, but it didn't connect to... well, anything else in the episode. I'm half and half on whether I like this format to open an episode, but at least it had good laughs.

I like how Bender's love for cooking helps to set up the main plot of the episode. It's a fun little quirk he has that I hope re-appears in the future.

I also love how blasé Bender has become about the delivery missions at this point. Come on, dude, you're only in the first season here.

Honestly, the episode does a decent job of setting up everything for the main plot. The tour through Little Neptune sets up Fry and Leela's conflict. I just wish the details of the planet were outlined a little better.

As I said, I could think of no better way to end this episode than Fry repeatedly getting hit with a chair.

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now that you have mentioned it, it is weird that water people survives a planet that has three suns. Fry drinking the emperor was your typical Fry being stupid really :P 

I agree that this episode isn't that good but Bender was great in it, especially the car wash scene at the beginning. Maybe the deal with the car wash scene was that it started to rain which water people really needs (smirk) 

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A Big Piece of Garbage

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When the city of New New York discovers that a ball of garbage from the 20th century is headed their way, they must make all efforts to stop it before it destroys the town, some more seemingly counterproductive than others.

One of the things I love about The Simpsons is its biting social commentary wrapped up in a believable and relatable story. You look at episodes like "Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy" or "Much Apu about Nothing" and really see the master crafting skills of the writers. This is a skill they have long since abandoned, but we're not talking about that. Anyway, Futurama so far has appeared to be more immersed in making jokes about its future world and playing around with it. This is the first episode where I really see them taking a stab at a social issue; namely, the human waste problem. How does it hold up? Pretty damn well! As usual, there are plenty of jokes concerning the 30th century thrown in, as well as callbacks to the 20th century. Love the pile of Bart Simpson dolls on the garbage ball.

On top of that, there's a surprisingly potent story concerning the professor and his place in the city. This is the first time, I think, that they've really explored Farnsworth's character, and it's done really well. I love his characterization as this befuddled, often confused but well-meaning scientist. They also have a lot of jokes in his part of the plot; I love the reveal that he had already built a smell-o-scope well after the conference has ended.

This review cuts a little short, but honestly, there's not much I can say about this one. It just plain works. It really feels like it's taking a piece out of that Simpsons humour style, and being the fan of that show that I am, I can really appreciate that. Apparently the entire episode is also a spoof of the movie Armageddon, which I've never seen, but I didn't need to understand the references to appreciate the episode on a whole. A surprisingly solid episode for its ominous title. Full of laughs and just a fun ride all the way through. 

9/10

Scattered Thoughts and Observations:

Where were Amy and Zoidberg in this episode? We see Zoidberg later for a quick joke about his eating preferences, but at the opening meeting, only Hermes gets a line in. Oh well, can't have everyone be fully present in every episode.

I love the reveal of how old the professor, and basically everyone else at the scientist conference, is. Just another subtle detail to distinguish our world from the one a thousand years into the future.

"A MINUS-MINUS!" is going to haunt me for a while. Such a ridiculous, yet chillingly delivered line.

The informational video on what happened to all the garbage in 2052 is pretty much perfect. I love the cut to porn in the end. Of all the jokes that could have been dated, that certainly wasn't one of them...

I could go on and on about all the great jokes here. While I couldn't give it a 10/10 because "Love's Labours Lost" set a bar ridiculously high, this has certainly secured a spot in my Top 3 so far along with "Fear of a Bot Planet". Great episode.

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Hell Is Other Robots

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Bender gives up his vices and follows a new religion. When he gives into temptation, however, he is sent to Robot Hell, from where Fry and Leela must help him escape.

Hoo boy! This is certainly an ambitious episode, probably the most ambitious yet. With the Beastie Boys cameoing and a full-blown musical number in Hell, this is a fun trip all the way through. We've seen this show tackle robot culture before, but this one approaches it from a more character-building standpoint than a world-building one. Sure, "Fear of a Bot Planet" also had its share of character progression for Bender, but here we really do get to examine his ins and outs, find out what makes him tick and explore his vices and wants.

As is the usual, Futurama finds a lot of ways to skewer various aspects of our real world in a future context. I love the cult-like nature of Bender's newfound religion; it makes sense that such a susceptible personality like Bender would get sucked into something like this. As usual, the futuristic aspects of this world are top-notch; it's always fun to see present-day celebrities cameoing as heads in a jar, and to see various electronics come to life as Bender's robot pals. They always nail it with the imagination that goes into this world.

Now, Robot Hell... holy shit, is this an amazing sequence. Not only is it the first musical number in the series (unless you count Bender's "Robot Wash" song), but it is executed immaculately. You've got that classic swing style making for a very catchy beat, with some brilliant lyrics that even highlight how ridiculous the musical number is at points ("enduring tortures, most of which rhyme!") They even bring the Beastie Boys back for this number. I love the Beastie Boys, so I'm already loving their appearance, and the fact that they keep on cramming these guys in wherever they can is just... man, this episode was made for me. You got them rapping over the end credits too? Jesus Christ, this is awesome. It's definitely the most fun I've had watching the series so far. It's an absolute blast to sit through, with exciting action, hilarious lines, and an all-around sense of adventure on the writer's part. Yep, we're gonna give this one a second...

10/10

Scattered Thoughts and Observations:

Now, a note about the Beastie Boys' appearance: the end credits only credit Mike D and Ad-Rock for their appearances on the show. MCA is certainly there in animation, but he doesn't say any lines. I don't think you even really hear him on their performance of "Intergalactic". So, what happened there? Nothing scandalous, simply a scheduling issue where MCA couldn't make it. At least they got two.

While I love this episode, the past few have really been zeroing in on Fry, Leela, and Bender plots, with some Farnsworth mixed in for good measure. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but I do hope the side characters get more love in upcoming episodes. Where is Zapp Brannigan? I WANT ZAPP BRANNIGAN!

It was good to see Nibbler back, though briefly. Cute lil' guy.

The "Devil Went Down to Georgia" reference is fucking brilliant. Love everything about it, the joke is executed perfectly.

What more can I say? Give this one a re-watch next time you're looking to have some fun. Who can resist a journey into Robot Hell?

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Hell is Other Robots is the best episode of season 1 and one of the strongest episodes of this show, period. Bender's drug trip, Robot Satan's musical number, Beastie boys and so much more. It's a hell of a good time.

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A Flight to Remember

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The crew boards the Titanic for a vacation. Things run amok with a fake love triangle and the hapless Captain Zapp Brannigan.

Now, here's a parody I can recognize. Titanic is one of those movies that you kind of have to see at least once, just to say that you did. Since the movie came out, there have been parodies galore, so it seems only fitting that a show debuting so soon after the movie's release would get a parody in for their first season. How does it hold up? Well... some parts work better than others.

I'll start with the good stuff, as usual. Bender's love story with the Countess is easily my favourite part of the episode, bar none. It's the closest parallel to the Titanic story and the robot reboot of the story is pitch-perfect. Bender is quickly becoming my favourite character of the bunch. There's just so much to him; he may be a surly, mischievous robot on the outside, but he does have a heart as well. The relationship that courses through the story is very sweet and even a little sad at the end!

We also get to see Zapp Branigan back, which is always welcome. Hey, didn't I wish for him just last episode? I may wield more power than I thought with these reviews... anyway, I enjoyed seeing him and Kif (not "Kipp"... don't know what I was hearing before) back again to riff off of each other. Maybe I would have liked to see more screentime from them than screentime dedicated to certain... other things, but Kif getting together with Amy at the end was super-cute, at least.

So, what doesn't work? Well... I don't like Fry and Leela together. At all. The way Leela formulates her plot to get away from Zapp's advances doesn't make much sense to begin with: doesn't Zapp already know who Fry is? Why did Leela introduce them at the beginning like they just met? And if that was the only nitpick, I would leave it alone. But the story then works its way into being the most predictable romance story ever, where the fake romance turns real... yeesh. I'm already not sold on the romance in any capacity, because Fry's such a manchild and shouldn't be in any sort of relationship, and to have it play out like this is just so corny and so cheap, especially for a character like Leela. Ugh. I guess I'd better get used to it, though, as this isn't a one-off thing... but I just wish it were executed more smartly.

Overall, this episode still does have a lot of good in it. But I'm not impressed that this is apparently the way the Fry/Leela relationship is introduced. This show has such smart and witty writing, so to see a major plot point like this become so underwritten really kind of baffles me. That's why I can't rate this as high as I would otherwise, but the Bender story does save this a ton.

7/10

Scattered Thoughts and Observations:

Another great thing: everything about Hermes. There's something really funny about the overdramatic and frankly gruesome backstory behind his refusal to limbo, and it even comes around at the climax to save the day. This is by far the best episode for Hermes so far, at least.

So many great Titanic references from Bender's plot. The nude drawing parody is probably my favourite part of that.

Another thing about the Fry and Leela relationship is that after catastrophe strikes, they don't bring it up again. This whole plot point is so clumsily executed, and it's a real shame to have in this otherwise fine episode.

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Mars University

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Fry enrolls in Mars University, only to be constantly bested by a super-intelligent monkey named Guenter. Meanwhile, Bender works to restore Robot House's reputation as a rebel fraternity.

Man, nothing like a university parody to take your mind off of the actual university life. College movie parodies have been explored at this point (just look at "Homer Goes to College", for example) but what\s important is whether Futurama can offer new, funny takes on the genre. And for the most part, they do! As usual, Bender's subplot is hilarious. Him looking to restore the reputation of Robot House seems about the perfect role for him, and while the "dean vs. frat house" dynamic runs a bit stale at points, they have enough interesting twists to make the story interesting.

But our main event, of course, is Fry and the monkey. I really like Guenter as a character; he starts out being the typical college movie antagonist (well... about as typical as you can get, being a super-intelligent monkey), but then as the plot progresses you really see the struggle he goes through. I have to admit, some of the scenes with him really did strike a chord with me, being someone who has been gifted in academics and is now struggling a bit in university. The payoff at the end is hilarious as well. We end with your typical epilogue blurbs for each character, but Guenter's in particular is really, really funny.

I don't know. It's not the most novel idea in the world to make a college movie parody. They're pretty easy fodder, and it's already been done at this point. But I think this episode, with its future setting and quirky characters, works to add something a bit different to the mix. And it's just enough to be a surprisingly enjoyable episode.

8/10

Scattered Thoughts and Observations:

So, at this point, I'm even more confused about what I saw in the last episode, regarding Fry and Leela. I guess the two aren't together at this point, and that episode functioned as more foreshadowing than anything. Meh, still kinda awkward to throw in.

I can't help but feel that this episode could have started a little better. They get to Mars University by way of the professor needing a package delivered there, and then when they get there, Fry and Amy just enroll in class like they have nothing else to do for a while. I just think the setup could have been more thought out, is all.

That said, "I don't know how to teach! I'm a professor!" is really darkly funny to me as a university student. Farnsworth, rest assured you are not alone there...

The reason this episode works so well is the subversion of college movie tropes to fit in with the universe. One of my favourite jokes in the episode, for example, is Bender and the rest of Robot House getting aroused by the computer's "undressing".

Snooty House is just enjoyable throughout. I love the snobby college frat guys.

I will say that I much prefer "Homer Goes to College" as a straight satire of the college movie genre as opposed to this episode which just kind of puts its own spin on it, but the episodes set out to achieve different goals and I believe this episode still does that.

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To me, Fry and Leela's relationship got more interesting as the show went on. Definitely not a strong start in s1 but damn, just get to the Christmas ep in s2 soon omg.

I liked both episodes but neither I feel too crazy about.

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A double feature tonight to finish off Season 1! Enjoy!

Spoiler

 

When Aliens Attack

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A day at the beach turns sour when aliens from Omicron Persei 8 threaten to destroy Earth for not providing them with the ending of an episode of Single Female Lawyer.

It's weird that an episode about an alien race attacking the entire planet would end up so... underwhelming. Not to say it's bad or anything, there's still a lot of good stuff here, but somehow I was expecting more action from this episode. What we got was a somewhat funny yet somewhat unsatisfying resolution, at least for me.

So the conflict starts back in 1999, when Fry spills beer on a TV studio control panel and interrupts the ending of Single Female Lawyer. Not sure how many people today would be familiar with Ally McBeal, the show this is clearly parodying, but I think it still works well enough as a general parody of exploitative TV centred around sex. So this causes the aliens from Omicron Persei 8, who get their signals a thousand years into the future, to go on attack mode for Earth after the ending is spoiled. So it's up to Fry and the gang to save the day by... creating their own ending of Single Female Lawyer.

Yeah. So you have an episode where aliens come to permanently annihilate the Earth, and the conflict resolution involves a fake TV studio? Don't get me wrong, there are still funny moments peppered through this part of the episode, but... is that it? Maybe it's just me, but this felt incredibly underwhelming to watch given the risk they faced of their planet being destroyed. I was expecting a lot more action and far greater stakes. Instead we get fake costumes and sets and condescending commentary on television audiences. Yay?

There also seems to be gaps in the plot building, almost Scully-era Simpsons level of unrelated first acts. The beach stuff at the beginning is funny and all. Actually, quite a few jokes there work, Zoidberg's scuttling, Bender leaving Hermes buried in the sand. But what did a beach day all amount to, in terms of the episode's plot? The only thing it really did was half-heartedly help to paint Fry as a television-watching dullard. Which I guess connects to the plot? It's a pretty underwhelming connection, much like most of this episode.

I wouldn't say I dislike this episode. It's still got its moments; some of the funniest moments are actually at the beginning with the unrelated beach scene. But overall, I'd say this is definitely the most disappointing episode thus far. From what the title offered, I was expecting something a whole lot more ambitious than this. Sorry.

6/10

Scattered Thoughts and Observations:

I haven't really pinned down Hermes as a character yet, but he's becoming a pretty fun guy. I really do like the game of hide-and-seek he plays with Bender.

I wonder how many people actually died in the short action sequence in this story. It's funny (and reasonable) for Fry, Leela, and Bender to turn back at the sight of sure annihilation. It's just not very exciting, is all.

God, even Zapp started to wear off on me in this episode. I liked him in the first few, but he's become a bit of a one-trick pony at this point. I'd like to see more development from him, or more things happen to him.

It is pretty funny for the Professor to want to hire a new team right away after he's sure his old one will die. No sense of loyalty, that man.

That speech Fry gives at the end about your typical television watchers is easily the worst part of the episode for me. Biting commentary on the industry, you guys. Let's hope this doesn't work to excuse sloppy behaviour in future episodes.

And we end with the city in complete ruin. But don't worry, it should be back to normal by next episode.

 

Spoiler

 

Fry and the Slurm Factory

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Fry and the crew win a contest to tour the slurm factory. While there, they make a horrific discovery of what exactly the drink is made of...

So we've reached the end of Season 1. It's been a fun ride! You can definitely see the progress the show has made up to this point, with more ambitious plots and ideas. We end Season 1 off with a trip to the slurm factory, which is every bit as whimsical as Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, but with more disgusting ingredients.

After last episode, it's good to see an episode that isn't afraid to have action and an exciting climax. Basically all the problems I had with "When Aliens Attack" are resolved here. This episode takes full advantage of its wacky idea and goes all out with it. It's hard to even think of much to say here: it's just such a brilliant conceit of a plot with all the payoff. I love Slurms McKenzie. I love Glurmo the tour guide. I especially love the ridiculous rhyming Grunka-Lunkas, even though at every corner the main cast is telling me not to. Hey, you try coming up with a rhyme for "ingredient"!

Not much to add there. Just a pitch-perfect parody of Willy Wonka, with a great (if disgusting) twist on how Slurm is made, and an all-around exciting finale to cap off the season. Great episode.

9/10

Scattered Thoughts and Observations:

There's one scene where Amy just slips on Glurmo's slime and falls. Is it just... a running gag for Amy to get hurt? Kind of an odd choice.

So, it's never really clarified exactly what is coming out of the Slurm Queen's butt to make Slurm. This somehow makes it both more and less disgusting at the same time.

Finally, rest in peace to Slurms McKenzie. He died doing what he eventually grew to hate. Party on.

---

So, with the end of Season 1, I guess I'll pick a favourite and least favourite episode.

Favourite: "Hell is Other Robots"

Pretty easy pick, being one of only two 10/10s in the season. While I appreciate greatly what Love's Labours Lost" does for the series on a whole. "Hell is Other Robots" is simply the most fun episode of the season, bar none.

Least Favourite: "I, Roommate"

While "When Aliens Attack" was the most disappointing episode for me, this one had the most wrong with it. A lot of things rubbed me the wrong way plot and character-wise here, and it didn't have quite as many hard-hitting jokes to back it up.

That's that then! Seeya in Season 2!

 

 

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Expecting Zapp development is weird because he's mostly same dude in the show. Not to say that's a bad thing but yeah.

Aww I actually loved When Aliens Attack. I found it to be a clever premise and a lot of jokes cracked me up. I didn't expect as much action from it, idk lmao.

Slurm Factory is one of the best episodes of s1 and one of the best season finales ever. So much fun and i always love Professor's "Tell them I hate them" line.

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