New Futurama! Sucks!

[FieryTrainwreck]

Moving on... having Leela sex Zapp for a cheap laugh at the end of the most recent episode was just incredibly stupid. There are any number of characters they can mess around with for that sort of thing. I'm someone who adores the show and has followed the arc of Fry and Leela very closely, and that ending was extremely off-putting. And yes, I'm well aware that it's an animated show written for comedy, but Futurama has always had a certain amount of heart. That's what separates it from pretty much every other animated show on television.

Yes, I agree with this, especially that Futurama has a lot of heart in its characterisation lost in other cartoons. It does strike me as kind of going out of its way to be shocking not to mention the kind of thing that muddles up the relationship apsect of the plot, hadn't Fry and Leela just finally conceded that they loved each other? They couldn't even last two episodes after that before something mucks it up? I mean yes I suppose it was kind of clever and shocking but I'd rather that Leela realises they are still on Earth and just beats him up instead of being somewhat forced to copulate with him for the good of the human race.

I'm just saying, one thing I had been looking forward to in this series was this new angle of Fry and Leela as a couple and how the writers would go with it given that it has been built up towards for about five seasons and now something has to come and mess it up considerably. One can argue that this gives room for plot development as they move on from this ugly incident but still, usually you get at least ten episodes before the 'tension' card gets pulled out.

Ah well, here's hoping that this whole incident doesn't ruin that whole angle of Fry and Leela as a couple which again I want to stress was one of the main reasons I wanted to see how this new season went about things.

EDIT: Incidently I just realised something, considering the Planet Express team (and Kiff who defected so that he could be with Amy) were last time seen as hunted fugitives by Zapp himself isn't it a tad silly to then just have them working together again as if nothing happened. Wouldn't it make more sense for Zapp to end up as the new villain for the show?

Gah, more eloquently put. Thank you. I probably shouldn't have posted immediately after seeing the episode. Needed some time in the Angry Dome myself, apparently.

Anyways, right on. I was extremely interested in seeing how Fry and Leela's relationship played out. Instead, she nails Zapp within two episodes. Two. They couldn't make it two episodes without completely borking one of the central aspects of the show. And they absolutely didn't have to. It wasn't even remotely necessary. If their goal was a cheap, tawdry laugh, they could have gone to any number of characters or situations. Futurama's great like that; almost no limitations given the setting.

Clearly dealing with two different levels of Futurama fans here. A lot of people are in it for pure yucks, which is fine. Other people appreciate the humor and the ongoing characterization and narrative of the series, and the most recent episode was incredibly irresponsible in that regard.

 

[Vuljatar]

I wouldn't say it sucks... I'm disappointed that I wasn't blown away by the new episodes, but I was entertained enough to want to continue watching, and hope that one day it returns to it's past greatness.

 

[Vrex360]

Moving on... having Leela sex Zapp for a cheap laugh at the end of the most recent episode was just incredibly stupid. There are any number of characters they can mess around with for that sort of thing. I'm someone who adores the show and has followed the arc of Fry and Leela very closely, and that ending was extremely off-putting. And yes, I'm well aware that it's an animated show written for comedy, but Futurama has always had a certain amount of heart. That's what separates it from pretty much every other animated show on television.

Yes, I agree with this, especially that Futurama has a lot of heart in its characterisation lost in other cartoons. It does strike me as kind of going out of its way to be shocking not to mention the kind of thing that muddles up the relationship apsect of the plot, hadn't Fry and Leela just finally conceded that they loved each other? They couldn't even last two episodes after that before something mucks it up? I mean yes I suppose it was kind of clever and shocking but I'd rather that Leela realises they are still on Earth and just beats him up instead of being somewhat forced to copulate with him for the good of the human race.

I'm just saying, one thing I had been looking forward to in this series was this new angle of Fry and Leela as a couple and how the writers would go with it given that it has been built up towards for about five seasons and now something has to come and mess it up considerably. One can argue that this gives room for plot development as they move on from this ugly incident but still, usually you get at least ten episodes before the 'tension' card gets pulled out.

Ah well, here's hoping that this whole incident doesn't ruin that whole angle of Fry and Leela as a couple which again I want to stress was one of the main reasons I wanted to see how this new season went about things.

EDIT: Incidently I just realised something, considering the Planet Express team (and Kiff who defected so that he could be with Amy) were last time seen as hunted fugitives by Zapp himself isn't it a tad silly to then just have them working together again as if nothing happened. Wouldn't it make more sense for Zapp to end up as the new villain for the show?

Gah, more eloquently put. Thank you. I probably shouldn't have posted immediately after seeing the episode. Needed some time in the Angry Dome myself, apparently.

Anyways, right on. I was extremely interested in seeing how Fry and Leela's relationship played out. Instead, she nails Zapp within two episodes. Two. They couldn't make it two episodes without completely borking one of the central aspects of the show. And they absolutely didn't have to. It wasn't even remotely necessary. If their goal was a cheap, tawdry laugh, they could have gone to any number of characters or situations. Futurama's great like that; almost no limitations given the setting.

Clearly dealing with two different levels of Futurama fans here. A lot of people are in it for pure yucks, which is fine. Other people appreciate the humor and the ongoing characterization and narrative of the series, and the most recent episode was incredibly irresponsible in that regard.

Yeah, I agree. What's worse though is that apparently according to the upcoming fourth episode they are going to do something similar. This time involving a sort of wierd relationship between Amy and... Bender. Like seriously, the plot is going to be about the push for robosexual relationships and while in and of itself that could be okay (like a satirical take on the legalisation of gay marriage), why the fuck did they have to pick Amy to do it? Couldn't they just use some random human woman made just for that episode?
Once again I am annoyed considering I kinda liked the Kif/Amy part of the show too (Well I thought it was sweet anyway) and considering it had been pushed on the rocks and was just in the process of rebuilding doing this sort of stuff again only muddles it up. Again it's completely unneeded that it be Amy and Bender when there's only a million human women they could use other than that.
One can hope that this won't mess up the Amy/Kif dynamic any more than it already is (seriously, I liked that plot device) and hopefully is just a one time joke but still I am irritated.
So yeah, just giving you a heads up about that, you might want to book more time in the Angry Dome.

 

[Earth443]

Both episodes were excellent.

 

[VivaciousDeimos]

QUESTION:

I've seen the 4 movies:
Benders Game
Into the wild green yonder... etc

Are these episodes you are talking about completely new ones? I didn't realize they existed.

A new season started on Comedy Central on June 24. Thursdays. Get watchin.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

Side question here, which season would you say is best, because I have an iTunes gift card and I'm going on a long trip soon, so I'd like to get it.

 

[FieryTrainwreck]

Nobody seems to have mentioned that the only reason Leela consents to bonk Zapp is because it's the only apparent way to save the world from V-GINY. Though she hates Zapp and has just found out that he has spent the entire episode deceiving her, she agrees to sleep with him to save Earth. Isn't that pretty much in keeping with her pragmatic, unselfish character?

I think using a highly contrived and random plot device (conjured over the course of roughly 20 minutes in only your second episode after a long hiatus) as an excuse to completely soil the core interpersonal relationship of the show might qualify as irresponsible writing. Or plain bad writing, even. My first impressions of the show's return are that the writers don't seem to have much reverence for the characters. If they are undermined or insulted in the name of a cheap, disposable laugh, so be it.

 

[neoontime]

Eh, I liked it.

 

[FieryTrainwreck]

Side question here, which season would you say is best, because I have an iTunes gift card and I'm going on a long trip soon, so I'd like to get it.

Can't go wrong with season three or four. Great episodes throughout. I'm biased, though; I think all four seasons are fantastic.

 

[child of lileth]

I didn't like the desperate jokes like V-Giny. Futurama is better than that. Other than that, it was okay so far. Episode 2 was better than 1 to me though.

 

[Rein Saiko Zobel]

I seem to be a minority here but I actually didn't like the first one. It wasn't as much of an episode as it was a fan-pleasing special episode (like bender having to dance for the episode so that the old fans can say "hey look it's so awesome, Bender is dancing for the whole episode")
but the second episode was actually pretty funny at some points. i.e. "and now - the moment we should have trained for"
but the whole show just feels kinda... dated. everything is so colorful and weird and 2001.

 

[sirkai007]

today should be better.

 

[Jumplion]

Rebirth was brilliant.

The second episode? Leela bones Zapp... with zero hesitation... in front of Fry...

It only took two episodes for them to hit the low point of the entire fucking series. Grats.

[sup]I hope someone else hasn't posted this...[/sup]

"If anyone needs me, I'll be in the angry dome!"

Give it a chance, it's only been 2 episodes, that's hardly a base to start declaring that the new series sucks. Wait until the 10th episode, or if you're feeling generous when the season is over.

 

[TheRundownRabbit]

ok guy, chill it was one scene in one episode, I liked it, heh heh heh V-GINY, lolz

 

[sirkai007]

Side question here, which season would you say is best, because I have an iTunes gift card and I'm going on a long trip soon, so I'd like to get it.

Any of them are great. If you haven't seen the beginning then start with season 1.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

Side question here, which season would you say is best, because I have an iTunes gift card and I'm going on a long trip soon, so I'd like to get it.

Any of them are great. If you haven't seen the beginning then start with season 1.

That's the one I ended up getting, because it was cheapest.

Do the episodes need to be watched in order? Just curious if there's any continuity.

 

[sirkai007]

Most of the time it's just jokes that reference back to earlier episodes. Ep4 sets up the relationship between Leela and Zapp, so if you don't see that one you won't understand jokes about leela having sex with Zapp (see season 5 episode 2)

 

[Crimson_Dragoon]

Yes, because 2 episodes in, it's obvious that the entire season will suck. [/sarcasm]

Personally, I liked these episodes. They were by no means the best the series has produced, but they were enjoyable. I'm glad to have Futurama back.