Futurama: Volume 8 Review (Major Spoilers)
Also reviews for the latest episodes of Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., Almost Human, Grimm, The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, The season premiere of Community, and the latest episodes of Family Guy, American Dad, and Dracula.
Upcoming reviews include Futurama: Volume 8, The Simpsons: Season 16, The Wolverine: Extended Edition, Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United, Monsters University (Blu-Ray), Planes (Blu-Ray), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Extended Edition, Much Ado About Nothing, and Power Rangers Zeo: Volume 1.
Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. "The Magical Place"
I can hear the fanboy gripes in my head right now: "What a cop-out!"
Yes. Yes, it was. And I, for one, am relieved about that.
The season long subplot of there being something truly sinister behind Coulson's ressurrection had been driving me nuts. Well, mostly fan speculation was, but that it pretty much the same thing when your show is so heavily tied to fandom. I didn't want to entertain notions of a Coulson clone, or his brain being downloaded into an android. Frankly, either of the scenarios would have sucked. Why? Because it would have alienated me from Coulson if we learned that since he's come back he's been a fake. I wouldn't be able to trust my initial impression of the character on the series, and it would have colored my opinion of the character unfavorably. I think fan outrage was mostly responsible for retconning Ben Reilly/Scarlet Spider from being the original Peter Parker. I'm glad we didn't have to go through that ordeal.
However, Coulson coming back from the dead DID need to be addressed. It had to be something that the audience would both believe and be able to accept. They did that, even if the entire affair was so clumsily handled. What could they have done differently to improve the admittedly botched situation you ask? They shouldn't have friggin' killed Coulson off in The Avengers in the first place! I'd be more inclined to blame that film specifically, but the exact same writers and producers are behind this show, so it was coordinated. I'm left wondering what on Earth they could have been thinking.
Sam Jackson had an unbilled, non-speaking cameo here. He is just the best.
The Clairvoyant is someone we've already met and possibly somebody either from the Film Universe or the main cast. Why do I say this? Because we've never even heard the voice on the phone, even an altered version. The producers clearly do not want to give the character away and are even going so far as to mask the definitive gender. We'll see what happens.
One more thing I want to address: Mike and the Eye Spy camera. I was afraid something like that would happen and now I fear the worst for the character. Even moreso than after he was apparently "killed off" last episode.
For such a lousy episode I sure have a more favorable opinion of it than is probably warranted. I'm just glad it IS our Coulson so I'll give it the grade my relief gives it. ***1/2.
Almost Human "Simon Says"
That was fun. I never realized how funny Dorian can be. Usually the humor is in Kennix's reactions to him but Dorian had me cracking up all episode.
I also really think it's cool that at this point Kennix actually seems to LIKE Dorian. Its notable because I think Dorian is one of the three people he actually DOES like (Stahl and Moldonato being the others). The rest he just merely tolerates.
At first glance, I was thinking that in the future, the internet messengers were particularly bloodthirsty, but on second glance, no, we have that kind of evil today. Just glance at any comment section of either an online newspaper or comment board. The episode was excedingly insightful about that. Also really interesting was how quickly Simon's supporters turned on him. The only thing people on the internet like better than seeing innocent people suffer is complaining, even about someone they were just praising 30 seconds earlier. Humanity's kind of sick, isn't it? And this episode showed how messed up we all are in very clear terms.
Probably the best episode so far. For such a heavy subject matter I really enjoyed myself and the episode had a LOT of slapstick comedy. I'm on-board this show now. ****1/2.
Grimm "Red Menace"
Boy, that Wesen healer was probably one of the most morally complicated single appearance characters I have ever seen on television. Most TV series take characters that morally ambiguous and build entire seasons around them to flesh them out better, but Grimm managed to do it in under an hour. And I think they hit all the beats too. Yes, he was a murderer, and a philanderer, but the second thing was sort of out of his biological control, and you realized once he sacrificed himself to save the woman who tried to kill him, that he was truly trying to atone for past sins. Doctor Who had a very similar character in Jex from "A Town Called Mercy", but I actually think Jex's behavior in that episode was MUCH less defensible than the healer's was here, and that Jex didn't REALLY redeem himself for his crimes. Sacrificing himself to save Mercy was LITERALLY the least he could do. The Healer dude, he didn't have to save the sister/daughter of the family he killed, and you almost would have understood why he didn't if he hadn't, but he did the right thing anyways. Cool.
Would an alliance between Renard and Adalind mean that she and Nick would be working on the same side? Oooooh, Nick would just LOVE that (sarcasm). I seriously want to see it happen now just to witness the fall-out.
Not feeling Juliet's plot yet, but it's early, and it might become more interesting next week.
I liked this one. ****.
The Simpsons "Steal This Episode"
I think the ending to this episode was way more cynical than it needed to be. If you want to put in a subversive message that downloading movies isn't so bad, stick with it, and don't try to appease the Fox lawyers. Seriously. I am aggravated that in the rare episode that I sympathized with Homer during the entire thing, that me being on his side ended when he learned the wrong lesson from his experience. Yeah, it was in character. But it would have been equally in character if the person who needed to learn the lesson was Marge.
But Homer's complaints about going to the movies are my complaints. I don't ever download movies, because I'm super honest, but I also hate going to the theater too. I see most of my movies on Blu-Ray. I can usually avoid spoilers until then. The show had Homer being super annoyed at the theater-going experience in "Jaws Wired Shut" too, and as this episode pointed out, it's only gotten worse since then. We are paying more and more money for a worse amd worse experience. It is pretty much infuriating.
I would have given the episode a super high grade if not for the predictably cynical ending. The show had been willing to buck its own expectations just a couple of seasons ago and now it's back to the predictable status quo. I'm disappointed. ***.
Bob's Burgers "Slumber Party"
Prediction: Ten years from now, this episode will be considered one of the best of the entire series. It's not super funny, and it's plot isn't really out there or memorable, AND Linda is really annoying, but the episode completely works as a character piece for Louise. Loiuse has always been a bit like Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes in that she has no interest in playing with other kids. She barely tolerates her siblings, and seems to have the most fun when she "playing" (read screwing) with the adults. So having a annoying mother who is constantly trying to put her in awkward social settings, makes her really sympathetic to the Asperger's kid who had a gregarious mother in me. What I (and obviously she) did not count on is that she would wind up bonding with another kid over another impossible mother.
What I also liked is that the boring kid completely surprised Louise with her game of cat and mouse, and so even before that bonding happened, she kept gaining respect for her adversary all throughout the episode. This was important. I wouldn't have REALLY believed Louise would bond with another girl JUST because she has an annoying mother. Tina does too, but that doesn't push them any closer together. No, what facilitated the friendship was the fact that Louise respected her and was impressed with her intelligence. That is kind of a REALLY hard thing to show on a cartoon where all the kids are basically miniature adults. But it played here, even if the lesson seemed a bit above Louise's actual age group. I'll take it.
I sincerely think this episode will someday be considered a classic. It probably won't top many people's top ten list but I'd be surprised it wasn't on every single one. *****.
Community "Repilot"
Funniest bit was Donald Glover's outrage over Zach Braff in Scrubs: Med School. Honestly, I'm worried about how Troy is gonna go out now. I hope he at least appears in the finale. I'm a little annoyed about it actually. C'Mon, Glover, you are going to break out just as big two years from now. You don't need to slack off from Community for a movie career. You're going to be huge either way. You're young. What's two extra years?
Speaking of the finale, I strongly suspect this is Community's last season. Coming back on the 2nd of January with little advertising that I was aware of? I would have totally missed it had I not checked my program guide this evening. Last season had a shortened episode count too, but NBC at least hyped the heck out of the season premiere. I hope we get a good finale this year because this might be it (at least until a kickstarter for the movie happens).
Now, about Chevy Chase's appearance. I actually think it makes sense. As bad as Chase has been for this show, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have seemed COMPLETELY out of the question to ask Chase if he's actually like to film a nice final scene for his character. He really didn't go out well last year and I'm sure he would probably understand Community fans wanting a bit of closure, especially if Dan Harmon had Pierce (and therefore Chase) saying that Greendale wasn't so bad after all.
I don't expect Chase to ever appear on the show again though. I'm pretty sure this was a one time thing. But I'll say one good thing about it: it could have REALLY generated some buzz for an episode people might have otherwise missed. I'm sure if entertainment websites are buzzing about Harmon and Chase burying the hatchet that the episode will get extra downloads and OnDemand views it wouldn't have gotten due to NBC's poor promotion. The Harmon / Chase feud is arguably the thing the show is most famous for. Even people who've never seen the show have heard about it. The idea that Chase and Harmon declared peace (even just for one episode) might get people who were curious about the feud to sample the show.
How was the episode? Pretty dark, actually. The characters went to some VERY bitter places and frankly, by the end of it, I was no longer on Greendale's side either. I thought Jeff's characterization was pretty interesting. While it showed that he was turning back into a manipulative and dishonest person without the guidance of the group, it was VERY clear that he still cared and loved everyone in the group immensely, and was REALLY concerned about them seeing him backslide. That was an interesting arc. Old Jeff wouldn't have cared.
Loved the thing with the 555 phone number. Do you know why? Because by saying that they sound fake and pointing out plots holes in them (are there only 10,000 phones in the U.S.?) they actually made me believe they exist in this universe. This is the first show in television history that made it sound plausible to me that a 555 number could actually exist in that particular world. 555 numbers are so bad because they take you out of the reality of the situation. What Community did was make the reality of the situation and the 555 number exactly the same, so you didn't sweat it. Good show!
As for Chang, there is no scenario in which I'd believe he'd ever become a teacher at Greendale again. At least we learned he went to prison for awhile, but Harmon is asking me to swallow quite a lot with this character
Do you know else what I loved? Jeff pointing out that everyone had turned into a cartoon. His appraisal of Britta turning from an eclectic, artsy, intelligent, activist into the group airhead was spot-on. What I found most interesting about this mea culpa from the show however, was that it didn't JUST happen last year. Harmon can claim that a gas leak was responsible for some of last season's sillier aspects, but the individuals in the group had been turning into cartoony caricatures of their season one personas well before Harmon first left the show. There was something refreshingly honest about that, especially since Harmon seemed to be owning up to his part in it.
Britta: "That's like me blaming owls for how much I suck at analogies." Genius.
Alan is SO not worth a Winger monologue.
Abed feels the same way about Time Bandits as Starburns did for Stix.
This was a pretty good episode. I am just REALLY nervous about Troy. Jeff was right. His entire life had become about a single man and I don't want to think of him and Abed split up for any amount of time. Make this work, Harmon, I beg you. ****.
Community "Introduction To Teaching"
Abed's Nic Cage freak-out was the most embarrassing scene the show has ever done. A total misfire and completely unfunny. I'm surprised they didn't cut it when they realized Danny Pudi didn't have it in him. He's not a crazy comic actor, he's a quirky one. He can't go big and make us laugh like Donald Glover or Alison Brie can.
Okay, I realize why the group is back, and Leonard has obviously been going to the school for decades, but what are Neal, Magnitude, and Garrett still doing here? I realize it's television, but that seems freaking unlikely.
I think the best moment of the episode was the class sitting in stunned silence over Jeff winning an argument with Annie. Jeff's wins arguments with her all the time, and yet you never really stop to think about what an impressive feat that is with someone as smart as Annie. He doesn't win ALL of them. But enough for you realize that he is REALLY good as being a lawyer, and arguing with really smart people. That was cool. What was especially interesting to me, was that he wasn't even really trying. He was, as he put it, just turning Annie's arguments against herself and doing so effortlessly. The fact that he did so without breaking a sweat (or pausing to take a breath) is probably what impressed the class the most.
Shirley dislikes Pinhead in Space. Always leaning something new about the characters.
I wasn't too fond of much else about the episode though. A rare Harmon produced misfire. **1/2.
Family Guy "Peter Problems"
I think the moral of this episode was less than stellar, but chauvanism is simply how Seth MacFarlane rolls. No, Peter couldn't simply learn to ACCEPT his new role in the house, they had to say his masculinity was tied to his job. Seriously, Seth MacFarlane is a fricking terrible human being.
I know, you're mocking me for thinking they should have made Peter being a househusband permanent. But according to interviews with the show's producers, Peter's jobs were always supposed to be changing in the long run of the show. The fact that he has held the brewery job so long is unprecedented. I sercretly think the only reason he still has it is so the writers can regularly geek out over Carrie Fisher. Because I honestly think having Peter take care of Stewie would be a fun thing to see for a season.
I'm really glad they brought Stella back, but I am kind of surprised it took this long to do it. Thinking back, this may have been the first time Peter had a scene in his office since The Blind Side. That's kind of weird, isn't it?
That dead whale joke wasn't funny. It was really sad. I know humor is subjective, but I'm sometimes bummed out by the gross things Seth expects me to enjoy. It was NOT the new Frog In The Shoebox. Why did Frog In The Shoebox work so well? It was relatable. Anyone who has never wanted to touch a dead animal, but had to get rid of one, saw themselves in that scene. There is no scenario in which I can picture myself trying to pick up a dead beached whale with a forklift. Plus Frog In A Shoebox wasn't graphic. You could eat something while you watched it. Swing and a miss for Whale on a Forklift.
Confirmed: Peter's penis is embarrassingly small. It's always been hinted at, but Lois outright said it tonight. I think the writers should never have made small penis jokes with him in the first place. Julie Kavner has said in interviews that one of the perks of being Homer Simpson's wife is that he probably has a huge wang. Why else would she stay with him? Honestly, Family Guy should have done the exact same thing, ESPECIALLY since this was only going by an interview by an actress, and not The Simpsons itself, so they wouldn't actually be repeating anything. But Homer, despite his faults, has many redeeming qualities, including the fact that he a good person deep down, and loves Marge with all his heart. Peter treats Lois like garbage, usually out of malice, instead of misunderstanding like Homer's mistakes, and is REALLY mean to her. Lois is mean to Peter too, but I get the feeling that Peter doesn't really care about her the way she does him. Not really. Homer would never put out a TV commercial of him holding up a sexy picture of Marge in a nightie and calling her a slut, to humiliate her in front of the entire town, to win an election he didn't actually care about. He wouldn't do it for ANY reason. Why? Because Homer actually LOVES Marge. The thought wouldn't even cross his mind. Whose mind would it?
Lois is a terrible person, I know, and she isn't REALLY too good for Peter. But there is also really no good reason for her to stay witb him either if even their passion is nothing to write home about. He may not be too good for her. But she could also do better if she wanted, and I frankly see no reason for her not wanting to.
This show depresses me sometimes. I try not to think too hard about how sad it actually is if you look at it objectively. **1/2.
American Dad "Vision: Impossible"
Do you know what this show does best? It manages to rotate each episode's voice of reason and somehow make it still believable. ROGER being the one with common sense for an entire episode?! It totally works and I completely buy it. Considering his history I really shouldn't, but in an episode where the family is afraid to try new things? Roger HAD to be the hero. No question.
I sometimes have a WEE bit more trouble when they posit Stan as a hero (such as in "Stan's Night Out") but that's only because they don't always use good points Stan actually possesses. Roger IS actually outgoing, and always keen to try new things, while Stan is not actually honest or honorable as seen in some of the episodes where he is the protaganist. But the show USUALLY does it well, and when it does, there is no show better for a rotating cast of villains and heroes. Well, maybe Everybody Loves Raymond. But that is not a genre show and me admitting I watched a traditional sitcom with a laugh track would get me kicked out of most fanboy clubs. But American Dad is the next best at it after Raymond.
Oh, and by the way? I'm totally grossed out by Mind Quad too. That's a TERRIBLE thing to say, but Roger is just voicing what I'm already thinking.
Cool episode. ****1/2.
Dracula "Servant To Two Masters"
I realize that Drac and Van Helsing are arch-enemies in the books and movies, but I kinda think Drac was REALLY blaming the wrong person here. The person he should have been mad at for raising false hopes was himself. Van Helsing had been VERY clear that this was simply a band-aid on a sucking chest wound. And Drac kept refusing to believe him. The fault lies with himself entirely.
More unbelievable sexiness between Lady Jayne and Lucy. Tell me there will be a Blu-Ray set with uncensored scenes. Please?
Loving the stuff with Harker and the Order of the Dragon. In fact, this was the very first time I EVER enjoyed the Dragon Order stuff. And I have four eyewitnesses to verify that.
Good episode. ***1/2.
Futurama: Volume 8
I am genuinely torn about how I feel about this last season of Futurama. I think it is SO subpar that it actually damages the quality batting average of the series quite a bit. On the other hand, without these last 26 episodes, Fry and Leela's relationship would never have evolved to a satisfactory place with the audience. And "Saturday Morning Fun Pit" is SUCH a five star classic I almost think this season's MANY duds were worth it.
Still, you can tell that the producers seemed to be operating on the assumption that they'd be getting another season and seemed to really be phoning it in. I noticed more plot holes in this season of Futurama than I did in any other. I really wish they had had a better contingency plan in case they weren't renewed. Animated shows never seem to plan ahead and it's the ones with story arcs that seem to suffer the most. After the Fox cancelation they should have seen this coming. They've been through this before. And learned nothing.
Definitely a mixed bag this season. Best episodes were the aforementioned kiddie cartoon classic (Saturday Morning Fun Pit), Fry getting to say goodbye to his mother (Game of Tones), and the bittersweet, yet not bittersweet enough, series finale (Meanwhile). Worst episodes are the unfunny E.T. spoof which pales in comparison to American Dad's version (T: The Terrestrial), the dark, boring and unfunny Bender spotlight (Assie Come Home), and one of the most appalling episodes the series has ever produced (Murder on the Planet Express). Season Overall: **1/2. Series Overall: ****1/2.
Forty Percent Leadbelly:
Honestly? Folk music is hardly the most cutting edge thing to parody. I'll admit the satire was biting, but it was about a thing I don't care about, and I'm sure not many other living people do either. By the way, 3-D printers? They freak me the eff out. I don't know exactly what they are, or how they work, but as near as I can figure it, they are an equal combination of scary and awesome. Be afraid of science. Be very afraid. Best bit of the episode was Bender's funeral where we saw Lucy Liu and the penguins from "The Birdbot Of Ice-Catraz" show up. ***.
2-D Blacktop:
How big of math nerds are the Futurama writers? They manage to take an ostensible Fast and Furious parody, and turn it into a tribute to the beloved fantasy novel Flatland. I believe this is the first television show or movie to even MENTION Flatland, much less do an homage to it. The episode isn't perfect. Minx's "emotional abuse" runner is a truly eyeroll-worthy. While it IS a brutally accurate assessment of movie writers saddling their characters with tragic backstories that aren't actually all that tragic, every single joke landed with an equal thud, and they called back to it FAR too many times to be clever. Still, points for Flatland. ***1/2.
T.: The Terrestrial:
That. SUCKED. Where to begin? While an E.T. parody may seem long overdue for this particular sci-fi franchise, it is totally riding American Dad's coattails, and looks all the worse in comparison. "A.T.: The Abusive Terrestrial" was a classic that cannot be topped, and so relatively recent, that they shouldn't have even bothered to try. There is NOTHING funnier than Henry throwing a ball into the shed and Roger throwing back a wine bottle at his head. NOTHING. Even Bob's Burgers did a better and more authentic E.T. riff than this due to making it a kids adventure. This episode simply took elements from E.T. and made them scatalogical, believing that is a substitute for actual jokes. Har har, they touch glowing butts and the Reese's Pieces are colored poops. Derp. And I have a plot-related bone to pick. The Omicron trade embargo with Earth never ended. How will Lrrr see his TV shows now? They basically ruined the most entertaining bit of the character. I'm glad he didn't reappear for the remainder of the series. There were a couple of things I liked. The revelation that Jrrr was secretly drinking Fry's blood was delightfully morbid, and I loved the stuff with Lrrr and Jrrr at the beginning with the Scouts ("Arranging skulls is for GIRLS!"). Best line goes to Lrrr in the climax: "Love harder!". Still, a dud. *.
Fry and Leela's Big Fling:
Gunter! I didn't like this episode much when I first saw it over the air, but it's much better upon a second viewing. My favorite bit had to have been Fry unknowningly and gratuitously insulting Gunter whom he hadn't seen or thought about in years. That was a perfectly stupid joke. Other good bits were Fry and Leela gleefully mugging Bender, and the monkey at the zoo hosing out Fry and Leela's hotel room. ***1/2.
The Inhuman Torch:
This is easily the most selfless and heroic Bender has ever been in the entire series. I'd be inclined to say it was out of character (all of Bender's previous "good" deeds have been strictly for recognition and vanity) but I enjoyed it enough to let it slide. Best line goes to Bender: "In your face, Gilgamesh!" ****.
Saturday Morning Fun Pit:
"Let's watch some cartoooooons!" By far the best episode of the season and the best trilogy episode the show has ever done. Since Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures' "Don't Touch That Dial", animated comedies have been overdoing Scooby Doo parodies to death with varying degrees of success. This one WAS successful because it commented on stuff about the cartoon that hasn't been yet, like the fact that the laugh track is random and doesn't actually correspond with the jokes. The Larry Bird voiceover joke was so great because it seemed authentic enough that you could ALMOST believe the producers weren't putting you on. The Strawberry Shortcake spoof was brilliant too. I loved the Professor as the Purple Pie-Man stand-in, and the part of the episode that you thought was part of the show, but was actually a commercial. The G.I. Zapp stuff was the least insightful parody, just because G.I. Joe was REALLY tame, even by 80's standards. The cartoon that was MOST bloodthirsty and inappropriate for children was Transformers. But having Nixon edit it was SO perfect because some of the things he changed were actually worse. Speaking of Nixon, he was the most logical center for the wraparound segments. He has a foot in the Futurama universe, and a foot in the real one, so he is the character I think can best comment on the "meta" aspects of the show. The episode was almost flawless and one of the greatest Futurama episodes of all time. I expect to see it on almost every fan's top ten list, and quite a few top fives. *****.
Calculon 2.0:
What was even the point of bring back Calculon just to kill him right off again? Oh, well. The episode itself isn't bad. I didn't realize before now that being bored can land you in the hospital. But I would totally watch Calculon in a one man stage play about the life of HAL 9000. I also really liked how much the Robot Devil hates Calculon. Speaking of the Devil, don't you just love his tired disgust upon seeing Fry and Bender? He is so fed up with the both of them he isn't even menacing them anymore. They are a waste of his time. Yes. Yes. The number I was thinking of was the letter M. Classic. The episode? Not so much. ***.
Assie Come Home:
Boring and unfunny. And I'm sorry, but that whole Bele and Loki gang subplot at the beginning was MUCH too dark for this show. Matt Groening should have stepped in and put a stop to it. He has always been the show's conscience and tempered the writers' more bloodthirsty or dirty impulses. The only thing I laughed at in the episode was learning Hedonismbot is a Senator. Because of course he is. **.
Leela and the Genestalk:
That was good! I was not happy about the last season of Futurama in general, but one of the few things I DID like was the character growth of Leela's affection for Fry. Sure, they were dating before this. But the deep, commited love aspect had always been one-sided by Fry. But because of episodes like "Fry And Leela's Big Fling", I was able to see that Leela's love for Fry is more geniune than I first gave this episode credit for. One of my original complaints is that if the situations were reversed, Leela would be unlikely to still stick by Fry like he did her here. It would be played for laughs rather than pathos, but that would have been how it would have went down. But after rewatching the Zoo episode and ESPECIALLY "Fun On A Bun", I realized that Leela would give up everything for Fry too, and her selflessly deciding to move back to the sewer proved it. I would have considered it far fetched had this last 26 episode season not happened. So I'm kind of glad it did for that. Bonus points for not only cameos for Adam West and Burt Ward, but Adventure Time's Jake and Finn too! ****.
Game of Tones.
Boy, Futurama knows JUST how to get you right here, you know? The stuff of Fry missing his family has always been golden and this was an unusually sharp take surpassed only by "The Luck Of The Fryrish" and "Jurassic Bark". And I love how they structured the entire story like Star Trek IV. Blink and you'll miss Seth MacFarlane's voice cameo as Seymour. A gem. ****1/2.
Murder on the Planet Express:
I loathe this episode. I won't say it's Futurama's worst, but it's gotta be at least in the bottom five. The fact that it is the third to last episode probably makes me hate it even more. Where to begin? The ending was atrocious. Aside from darkly hinting that Fry and Bender don't actually like each other, the "resolution" to the mystery was complete bunk. I realize they wanted to make it so no-one actually died, but that isn't how mysteries work. In Family Guy's "And Then There Were Fewer" one of the most impressive things about it was that it DIDN'T try to buy the horror back at the end. It was a legitimate murder mystery. The idea of a "teamwork building workshop" revolving around a fake murder spree was stupid, even for a cartoon, and even worse was the idea that Bender and Fry would ever be on the hook for that d-bag's murder. If they HADN'T shot him to death, I would have thought they were being completely stupid, but the episode took the tack that it was BECAUSE they did so, they were stupid. This was SO badly written, and a permanent stain on Futurama so close to the ending. 0.
Stench and Stenchibility:
Zoidberg and his new girlfriend stuff: good. Tapdancing Bender stuff: bad. You know, aside from killing off Calculon for good, getting Zoidberg a permanent girlfriend is one of the ONLY things Futurama did this season that actually felt like a "last season" thing to do. What I'm saying is, that for the most part, the series' lack of thematic closure bugged me. As for the Bender stuff: it says you are a terrible person if you dancing on the dead body of a six year old girl is literally not the worst thing you have ever done. The writers tried to weasel out of it by having that be the thing that brought her back to life, but with me intent is everything. I also noticed many more plot holes than usual this episode. Roberto DIED in "The Six Million Dollar Mon" and here he's back with no explanation. And Zoidberg's species dies when they mate too. How can he have enjoyed a night of dumpster lovemaking and lived to tell about it? Still, the "penultimate episode" vibe makes up a lot for me. ****.
Meanwhile:
Avenge Us! I'm just gonna say it. They should NOT have hit the reset button at the end. They should have made the ending of Fry and Leela destroying the universe and growing old together in a barren wasteland permanent. It would have been a PERFECT ending to the entire Futurama saga. Epic, tragic, beautiful, AND romantic. They should have gone BIG. What, do they think people will call them on it in a thousand years or something? Looking at the deleted scenes proves that they were ALWAYS gonna hit the reset button, but if I were in charge, and I had been unsure of renewal, I would have shot two endings. This one where the Professor saves the day in case we came back, and the bittersweet ending of Fry and Leela living out their lives together, in case we didn't. I love the episode as it is, but I think it REALLY would have shocked the audience had they made this Fry, Leela and the Futurama Universe's fate. I know David X. Cohen has a feature film glint in his eye, but I am of the opinion that it will never happen. It would have made a MUCH bigger impact to unexpectedly stop here without warning. People would have been talking about the Futurama finale for years. Nobody really remembers Dinosaurs anymore except for that REALLY dark ending. This would have been a hundred times bigger and better received. But make no mistake, the episode is excellent. I just wish it had been a bit bolder. ****1/2.
Precious Trimmings: A Compendium of Deleted Scenes:
Some good ones this year although there are some entire episodes on this set that I wish had been deleted. Overall: ****.
Erotic Audiobook: This joke landed flat. **1/2.
That's a Good One: Ditto. **1/2.
I Am Hrrr: This was a really funny and interesting scene of Hermes posing as an Omicronian. They mentioned it on the commentary. ****.
Fry's Dramatic Entrance: The aired version was better. ***.
Damn Dirty Executives: WAAAAAYYYY too obvious. And the joke has been done to death already, even in the Planet Of The Apes franchise itself. *.
Fire Poles: This was funny, but not funny enough to justify the time spent on the joke. That way lies Giant Chicken fights. ***1/2.
Blaze of Gory: A bit too much, but it was fun to see. ****.
Six Hours of Golf: You know what? This would have been an even funnier coda than "And Now You Know Something". It had to be a time cut. It's too perfect not to have been one. *****.
Acting Settings: This is just an excuse to have Maurice La Marche do as many different celebrity impressions as possible in under a minute. Heck, this didn't even make it to color. I'm convinced it only made it to the animatic stage because the producers wanted to hear La Marche actually do it. ****1/2.
Bad Dog: So brief and unremarkable, it was hardly worth including. Still, since it made it to color, I'm betting the producers thought it would interest the REALLY hardcore DVD fans. They're not wrong. **.
The Ocularium: Wise cut. This was deadly dull and would have ground the episode to a screeching halt. *.
I Groped the Robot: Creepy scene. But then, I JUST had some cavities filled, so I may be unusually sensitive. **1/2.
I Need a Big Clue: Fry is a little TOO stupid here. At SOME point he's GOT to become as smart as Lars. This is too big of a regression. **1/2.
A Man or a Mouse: They really cut the action sequence with the giant down. It was neat seeing the entire animatic. ****.
The Parrot and the Swami: Both scenes are unneeded and the second one isn't funny at all. *1/2.
Bender is Great: I actually like this alternate version of the Shazam joke better than what was in the episode. It had to have been a time cut. This was much funnier and that's the only explanation. ****.
Scruffy's Kazoo: David X. Cohen plays Scruffy here ***1/2.
Fire in the Hole: A sweet bonding scene between Fry and his Dad. ****.
I Got You Already: This scene (and the episode it came from) both prove to me that Roberto has LONG worn out his welcome. He's this series' Bertram. I wish they had treated him as such, and kept his death permanent. *.
Cheap Date: I liked this extended scene. ***1/2.
Saturn Drive-In: Pretty good. ***1/2.
Original Montage: They managed to keep all of the important beats in the episode itself. ***1/2.
Centrifugal Force: Don't like this scene. It's a backslide in Leela's relationship with Fry, and I'm betting that's why they cut it. *.
You're Not Wearing Pants: Obvious joke. **.
Half-Eaten Kit Cat: This explains where the tunnel from the end of the episode came from. But honestly? It was totally unnecessary. The science of the episode was the least interesting thing about it. The writers were overthinking it. And by having Zoidberg lose an arm, that could have been a too early tip to the audience they were going to hit the reset button, even if Zoidberg claimed it would grow back. One obvious question springs to mind: why does David X. Cohen plays the Professor here while Billy West does Zoidberg in the exact same conversation one line later? I don't get that. ***.
Futurama University:
I'll give Futurama DVD sets one thing over The Simpsons. The Simpsons may have more art galleries and menu gimmicks, but Futurama is the only one of those two shows that actually does original for DVD documentaries / featurettes. The total absence of it on Simpsons seasons later than the second is glaring. Overall: ****.
Character Design: Matt Groening's art style always struck me as a bit like Walt Disney's, in that it is pretty easy to train a bunch of artists to draw it in the exact same house style. So it REALLY puzzles me why so many Simpsons comics are so off-model. I loved Leela's squid design. I'm not gonna say it was sexy (I'm not a Japanese perv) but the final version was definitely beautiful and appealing and still Leela, so it was a little bit easier to understand why Fry didn't even hesitate to stand by her. ****.
Color: The least interesting of the "FU" featurettes. ***.
3-D Modeling: Those Fractals were beautiful. One of the things I haven't seen mentioned about Futurama's 3-D animation is that it was one of the first animated projects to blend the 2-D and 3-D animation seamlessly so that they looked like they belonged in the same cartoon, and did so on a TV budget. As beautiful as the computer animation was in Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, it also stuck out like a sore thumb. The only earlier project I can think that tried to blend both styles together was The Lion King, but I think Futurama did it better and certainly much more often. ****.
Inside Futurama: The Writers' Room of Tomorrow:
That was fantastic. I am STILL astounded that Ken Keeler came up with and proved an original mathematic theorem in "The Prisoner Of Benda". I loved those models of Roberto, Hedonismbot, the Crushinator, and the Borax Kid. I also really liked the historical figurine of Nixon's head and the headless body of Agnew that Patrick Verrone created. But the thing I was MOST interested in seeing after hearing the commentary was the 3-D printer. It is just as awesome as it sounds. Star Trek: The Next Generation's replicators are here today! *****.
Blu-Ray Menus: Hypnotoad AND eclectic music on both discs? Sold! Best DVD menus since the show came back. Overall: *****.
Disc 1 Blu-Ray Menu: With clips from the first seven episodes of the season. *****.
Disc 2 Blu-Ray Menu: With clips from the last six episodes of the season. *****.
Upcoming reviews include Futurama: Volume 8, The Simpsons: Season 16, The Wolverine: Extended Edition, Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United, Monsters University (Blu-Ray), Planes (Blu-Ray), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Extended Edition, Much Ado About Nothing, and Power Rangers Zeo: Volume 1.
Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. "The Magical Place"
I can hear the fanboy gripes in my head right now: "What a cop-out!"
Yes. Yes, it was. And I, for one, am relieved about that.
The season long subplot of there being something truly sinister behind Coulson's ressurrection had been driving me nuts. Well, mostly fan speculation was, but that it pretty much the same thing when your show is so heavily tied to fandom. I didn't want to entertain notions of a Coulson clone, or his brain being downloaded into an android. Frankly, either of the scenarios would have sucked. Why? Because it would have alienated me from Coulson if we learned that since he's come back he's been a fake. I wouldn't be able to trust my initial impression of the character on the series, and it would have colored my opinion of the character unfavorably. I think fan outrage was mostly responsible for retconning Ben Reilly/Scarlet Spider from being the original Peter Parker. I'm glad we didn't have to go through that ordeal.
However, Coulson coming back from the dead DID need to be addressed. It had to be something that the audience would both believe and be able to accept. They did that, even if the entire affair was so clumsily handled. What could they have done differently to improve the admittedly botched situation you ask? They shouldn't have friggin' killed Coulson off in The Avengers in the first place! I'd be more inclined to blame that film specifically, but the exact same writers and producers are behind this show, so it was coordinated. I'm left wondering what on Earth they could have been thinking.
Sam Jackson had an unbilled, non-speaking cameo here. He is just the best.
The Clairvoyant is someone we've already met and possibly somebody either from the Film Universe or the main cast. Why do I say this? Because we've never even heard the voice on the phone, even an altered version. The producers clearly do not want to give the character away and are even going so far as to mask the definitive gender. We'll see what happens.
One more thing I want to address: Mike and the Eye Spy camera. I was afraid something like that would happen and now I fear the worst for the character. Even moreso than after he was apparently "killed off" last episode.
For such a lousy episode I sure have a more favorable opinion of it than is probably warranted. I'm just glad it IS our Coulson so I'll give it the grade my relief gives it. ***1/2.
Almost Human "Simon Says"
That was fun. I never realized how funny Dorian can be. Usually the humor is in Kennix's reactions to him but Dorian had me cracking up all episode.
I also really think it's cool that at this point Kennix actually seems to LIKE Dorian. Its notable because I think Dorian is one of the three people he actually DOES like (Stahl and Moldonato being the others). The rest he just merely tolerates.
At first glance, I was thinking that in the future, the internet messengers were particularly bloodthirsty, but on second glance, no, we have that kind of evil today. Just glance at any comment section of either an online newspaper or comment board. The episode was excedingly insightful about that. Also really interesting was how quickly Simon's supporters turned on him. The only thing people on the internet like better than seeing innocent people suffer is complaining, even about someone they were just praising 30 seconds earlier. Humanity's kind of sick, isn't it? And this episode showed how messed up we all are in very clear terms.
Probably the best episode so far. For such a heavy subject matter I really enjoyed myself and the episode had a LOT of slapstick comedy. I'm on-board this show now. ****1/2.
Grimm "Red Menace"
Boy, that Wesen healer was probably one of the most morally complicated single appearance characters I have ever seen on television. Most TV series take characters that morally ambiguous and build entire seasons around them to flesh them out better, but Grimm managed to do it in under an hour. And I think they hit all the beats too. Yes, he was a murderer, and a philanderer, but the second thing was sort of out of his biological control, and you realized once he sacrificed himself to save the woman who tried to kill him, that he was truly trying to atone for past sins. Doctor Who had a very similar character in Jex from "A Town Called Mercy", but I actually think Jex's behavior in that episode was MUCH less defensible than the healer's was here, and that Jex didn't REALLY redeem himself for his crimes. Sacrificing himself to save Mercy was LITERALLY the least he could do. The Healer dude, he didn't have to save the sister/daughter of the family he killed, and you almost would have understood why he didn't if he hadn't, but he did the right thing anyways. Cool.
Would an alliance between Renard and Adalind mean that she and Nick would be working on the same side? Oooooh, Nick would just LOVE that (sarcasm). I seriously want to see it happen now just to witness the fall-out.
Not feeling Juliet's plot yet, but it's early, and it might become more interesting next week.
I liked this one. ****.
The Simpsons "Steal This Episode"
I think the ending to this episode was way more cynical than it needed to be. If you want to put in a subversive message that downloading movies isn't so bad, stick with it, and don't try to appease the Fox lawyers. Seriously. I am aggravated that in the rare episode that I sympathized with Homer during the entire thing, that me being on his side ended when he learned the wrong lesson from his experience. Yeah, it was in character. But it would have been equally in character if the person who needed to learn the lesson was Marge.
But Homer's complaints about going to the movies are my complaints. I don't ever download movies, because I'm super honest, but I also hate going to the theater too. I see most of my movies on Blu-Ray. I can usually avoid spoilers until then. The show had Homer being super annoyed at the theater-going experience in "Jaws Wired Shut" too, and as this episode pointed out, it's only gotten worse since then. We are paying more and more money for a worse amd worse experience. It is pretty much infuriating.
I would have given the episode a super high grade if not for the predictably cynical ending. The show had been willing to buck its own expectations just a couple of seasons ago and now it's back to the predictable status quo. I'm disappointed. ***.
Bob's Burgers "Slumber Party"
Prediction: Ten years from now, this episode will be considered one of the best of the entire series. It's not super funny, and it's plot isn't really out there or memorable, AND Linda is really annoying, but the episode completely works as a character piece for Louise. Loiuse has always been a bit like Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes in that she has no interest in playing with other kids. She barely tolerates her siblings, and seems to have the most fun when she "playing" (read screwing) with the adults. So having a annoying mother who is constantly trying to put her in awkward social settings, makes her really sympathetic to the Asperger's kid who had a gregarious mother in me. What I (and obviously she) did not count on is that she would wind up bonding with another kid over another impossible mother.
What I also liked is that the boring kid completely surprised Louise with her game of cat and mouse, and so even before that bonding happened, she kept gaining respect for her adversary all throughout the episode. This was important. I wouldn't have REALLY believed Louise would bond with another girl JUST because she has an annoying mother. Tina does too, but that doesn't push them any closer together. No, what facilitated the friendship was the fact that Louise respected her and was impressed with her intelligence. That is kind of a REALLY hard thing to show on a cartoon where all the kids are basically miniature adults. But it played here, even if the lesson seemed a bit above Louise's actual age group. I'll take it.
I sincerely think this episode will someday be considered a classic. It probably won't top many people's top ten list but I'd be surprised it wasn't on every single one. *****.
Community "Repilot"
Funniest bit was Donald Glover's outrage over Zach Braff in Scrubs: Med School. Honestly, I'm worried about how Troy is gonna go out now. I hope he at least appears in the finale. I'm a little annoyed about it actually. C'Mon, Glover, you are going to break out just as big two years from now. You don't need to slack off from Community for a movie career. You're going to be huge either way. You're young. What's two extra years?
Speaking of the finale, I strongly suspect this is Community's last season. Coming back on the 2nd of January with little advertising that I was aware of? I would have totally missed it had I not checked my program guide this evening. Last season had a shortened episode count too, but NBC at least hyped the heck out of the season premiere. I hope we get a good finale this year because this might be it (at least until a kickstarter for the movie happens).
Now, about Chevy Chase's appearance. I actually think it makes sense. As bad as Chase has been for this show, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have seemed COMPLETELY out of the question to ask Chase if he's actually like to film a nice final scene for his character. He really didn't go out well last year and I'm sure he would probably understand Community fans wanting a bit of closure, especially if Dan Harmon had Pierce (and therefore Chase) saying that Greendale wasn't so bad after all.
I don't expect Chase to ever appear on the show again though. I'm pretty sure this was a one time thing. But I'll say one good thing about it: it could have REALLY generated some buzz for an episode people might have otherwise missed. I'm sure if entertainment websites are buzzing about Harmon and Chase burying the hatchet that the episode will get extra downloads and OnDemand views it wouldn't have gotten due to NBC's poor promotion. The Harmon / Chase feud is arguably the thing the show is most famous for. Even people who've never seen the show have heard about it. The idea that Chase and Harmon declared peace (even just for one episode) might get people who were curious about the feud to sample the show.
How was the episode? Pretty dark, actually. The characters went to some VERY bitter places and frankly, by the end of it, I was no longer on Greendale's side either. I thought Jeff's characterization was pretty interesting. While it showed that he was turning back into a manipulative and dishonest person without the guidance of the group, it was VERY clear that he still cared and loved everyone in the group immensely, and was REALLY concerned about them seeing him backslide. That was an interesting arc. Old Jeff wouldn't have cared.
Loved the thing with the 555 phone number. Do you know why? Because by saying that they sound fake and pointing out plots holes in them (are there only 10,000 phones in the U.S.?) they actually made me believe they exist in this universe. This is the first show in television history that made it sound plausible to me that a 555 number could actually exist in that particular world. 555 numbers are so bad because they take you out of the reality of the situation. What Community did was make the reality of the situation and the 555 number exactly the same, so you didn't sweat it. Good show!
As for Chang, there is no scenario in which I'd believe he'd ever become a teacher at Greendale again. At least we learned he went to prison for awhile, but Harmon is asking me to swallow quite a lot with this character
Do you know else what I loved? Jeff pointing out that everyone had turned into a cartoon. His appraisal of Britta turning from an eclectic, artsy, intelligent, activist into the group airhead was spot-on. What I found most interesting about this mea culpa from the show however, was that it didn't JUST happen last year. Harmon can claim that a gas leak was responsible for some of last season's sillier aspects, but the individuals in the group had been turning into cartoony caricatures of their season one personas well before Harmon first left the show. There was something refreshingly honest about that, especially since Harmon seemed to be owning up to his part in it.
Britta: "That's like me blaming owls for how much I suck at analogies." Genius.
Alan is SO not worth a Winger monologue.
Abed feels the same way about Time Bandits as Starburns did for Stix.
This was a pretty good episode. I am just REALLY nervous about Troy. Jeff was right. His entire life had become about a single man and I don't want to think of him and Abed split up for any amount of time. Make this work, Harmon, I beg you. ****.
Community "Introduction To Teaching"
Abed's Nic Cage freak-out was the most embarrassing scene the show has ever done. A total misfire and completely unfunny. I'm surprised they didn't cut it when they realized Danny Pudi didn't have it in him. He's not a crazy comic actor, he's a quirky one. He can't go big and make us laugh like Donald Glover or Alison Brie can.
Okay, I realize why the group is back, and Leonard has obviously been going to the school for decades, but what are Neal, Magnitude, and Garrett still doing here? I realize it's television, but that seems freaking unlikely.
I think the best moment of the episode was the class sitting in stunned silence over Jeff winning an argument with Annie. Jeff's wins arguments with her all the time, and yet you never really stop to think about what an impressive feat that is with someone as smart as Annie. He doesn't win ALL of them. But enough for you realize that he is REALLY good as being a lawyer, and arguing with really smart people. That was cool. What was especially interesting to me, was that he wasn't even really trying. He was, as he put it, just turning Annie's arguments against herself and doing so effortlessly. The fact that he did so without breaking a sweat (or pausing to take a breath) is probably what impressed the class the most.
Shirley dislikes Pinhead in Space. Always leaning something new about the characters.
I wasn't too fond of much else about the episode though. A rare Harmon produced misfire. **1/2.
Family Guy "Peter Problems"
I think the moral of this episode was less than stellar, but chauvanism is simply how Seth MacFarlane rolls. No, Peter couldn't simply learn to ACCEPT his new role in the house, they had to say his masculinity was tied to his job. Seriously, Seth MacFarlane is a fricking terrible human being.
I know, you're mocking me for thinking they should have made Peter being a househusband permanent. But according to interviews with the show's producers, Peter's jobs were always supposed to be changing in the long run of the show. The fact that he has held the brewery job so long is unprecedented. I sercretly think the only reason he still has it is so the writers can regularly geek out over Carrie Fisher. Because I honestly think having Peter take care of Stewie would be a fun thing to see for a season.
I'm really glad they brought Stella back, but I am kind of surprised it took this long to do it. Thinking back, this may have been the first time Peter had a scene in his office since The Blind Side. That's kind of weird, isn't it?
That dead whale joke wasn't funny. It was really sad. I know humor is subjective, but I'm sometimes bummed out by the gross things Seth expects me to enjoy. It was NOT the new Frog In The Shoebox. Why did Frog In The Shoebox work so well? It was relatable. Anyone who has never wanted to touch a dead animal, but had to get rid of one, saw themselves in that scene. There is no scenario in which I can picture myself trying to pick up a dead beached whale with a forklift. Plus Frog In A Shoebox wasn't graphic. You could eat something while you watched it. Swing and a miss for Whale on a Forklift.
Confirmed: Peter's penis is embarrassingly small. It's always been hinted at, but Lois outright said it tonight. I think the writers should never have made small penis jokes with him in the first place. Julie Kavner has said in interviews that one of the perks of being Homer Simpson's wife is that he probably has a huge wang. Why else would she stay with him? Honestly, Family Guy should have done the exact same thing, ESPECIALLY since this was only going by an interview by an actress, and not The Simpsons itself, so they wouldn't actually be repeating anything. But Homer, despite his faults, has many redeeming qualities, including the fact that he a good person deep down, and loves Marge with all his heart. Peter treats Lois like garbage, usually out of malice, instead of misunderstanding like Homer's mistakes, and is REALLY mean to her. Lois is mean to Peter too, but I get the feeling that Peter doesn't really care about her the way she does him. Not really. Homer would never put out a TV commercial of him holding up a sexy picture of Marge in a nightie and calling her a slut, to humiliate her in front of the entire town, to win an election he didn't actually care about. He wouldn't do it for ANY reason. Why? Because Homer actually LOVES Marge. The thought wouldn't even cross his mind. Whose mind would it?
Lois is a terrible person, I know, and she isn't REALLY too good for Peter. But there is also really no good reason for her to stay witb him either if even their passion is nothing to write home about. He may not be too good for her. But she could also do better if she wanted, and I frankly see no reason for her not wanting to.
This show depresses me sometimes. I try not to think too hard about how sad it actually is if you look at it objectively. **1/2.
American Dad "Vision: Impossible"
Do you know what this show does best? It manages to rotate each episode's voice of reason and somehow make it still believable. ROGER being the one with common sense for an entire episode?! It totally works and I completely buy it. Considering his history I really shouldn't, but in an episode where the family is afraid to try new things? Roger HAD to be the hero. No question.
I sometimes have a WEE bit more trouble when they posit Stan as a hero (such as in "Stan's Night Out") but that's only because they don't always use good points Stan actually possesses. Roger IS actually outgoing, and always keen to try new things, while Stan is not actually honest or honorable as seen in some of the episodes where he is the protaganist. But the show USUALLY does it well, and when it does, there is no show better for a rotating cast of villains and heroes. Well, maybe Everybody Loves Raymond. But that is not a genre show and me admitting I watched a traditional sitcom with a laugh track would get me kicked out of most fanboy clubs. But American Dad is the next best at it after Raymond.
Oh, and by the way? I'm totally grossed out by Mind Quad too. That's a TERRIBLE thing to say, but Roger is just voicing what I'm already thinking.
Cool episode. ****1/2.
Dracula "Servant To Two Masters"
I realize that Drac and Van Helsing are arch-enemies in the books and movies, but I kinda think Drac was REALLY blaming the wrong person here. The person he should have been mad at for raising false hopes was himself. Van Helsing had been VERY clear that this was simply a band-aid on a sucking chest wound. And Drac kept refusing to believe him. The fault lies with himself entirely.
More unbelievable sexiness between Lady Jayne and Lucy. Tell me there will be a Blu-Ray set with uncensored scenes. Please?
Loving the stuff with Harker and the Order of the Dragon. In fact, this was the very first time I EVER enjoyed the Dragon Order stuff. And I have four eyewitnesses to verify that.
Good episode. ***1/2.
Futurama: Volume 8
I am genuinely torn about how I feel about this last season of Futurama. I think it is SO subpar that it actually damages the quality batting average of the series quite a bit. On the other hand, without these last 26 episodes, Fry and Leela's relationship would never have evolved to a satisfactory place with the audience. And "Saturday Morning Fun Pit" is SUCH a five star classic I almost think this season's MANY duds were worth it.
Still, you can tell that the producers seemed to be operating on the assumption that they'd be getting another season and seemed to really be phoning it in. I noticed more plot holes in this season of Futurama than I did in any other. I really wish they had had a better contingency plan in case they weren't renewed. Animated shows never seem to plan ahead and it's the ones with story arcs that seem to suffer the most. After the Fox cancelation they should have seen this coming. They've been through this before. And learned nothing.
Definitely a mixed bag this season. Best episodes were the aforementioned kiddie cartoon classic (Saturday Morning Fun Pit), Fry getting to say goodbye to his mother (Game of Tones), and the bittersweet, yet not bittersweet enough, series finale (Meanwhile). Worst episodes are the unfunny E.T. spoof which pales in comparison to American Dad's version (T: The Terrestrial), the dark, boring and unfunny Bender spotlight (Assie Come Home), and one of the most appalling episodes the series has ever produced (Murder on the Planet Express). Season Overall: **1/2. Series Overall: ****1/2.
Forty Percent Leadbelly:
Honestly? Folk music is hardly the most cutting edge thing to parody. I'll admit the satire was biting, but it was about a thing I don't care about, and I'm sure not many other living people do either. By the way, 3-D printers? They freak me the eff out. I don't know exactly what they are, or how they work, but as near as I can figure it, they are an equal combination of scary and awesome. Be afraid of science. Be very afraid. Best bit of the episode was Bender's funeral where we saw Lucy Liu and the penguins from "The Birdbot Of Ice-Catraz" show up. ***.
2-D Blacktop:
How big of math nerds are the Futurama writers? They manage to take an ostensible Fast and Furious parody, and turn it into a tribute to the beloved fantasy novel Flatland. I believe this is the first television show or movie to even MENTION Flatland, much less do an homage to it. The episode isn't perfect. Minx's "emotional abuse" runner is a truly eyeroll-worthy. While it IS a brutally accurate assessment of movie writers saddling their characters with tragic backstories that aren't actually all that tragic, every single joke landed with an equal thud, and they called back to it FAR too many times to be clever. Still, points for Flatland. ***1/2.
T.: The Terrestrial:
That. SUCKED. Where to begin? While an E.T. parody may seem long overdue for this particular sci-fi franchise, it is totally riding American Dad's coattails, and looks all the worse in comparison. "A.T.: The Abusive Terrestrial" was a classic that cannot be topped, and so relatively recent, that they shouldn't have even bothered to try. There is NOTHING funnier than Henry throwing a ball into the shed and Roger throwing back a wine bottle at his head. NOTHING. Even Bob's Burgers did a better and more authentic E.T. riff than this due to making it a kids adventure. This episode simply took elements from E.T. and made them scatalogical, believing that is a substitute for actual jokes. Har har, they touch glowing butts and the Reese's Pieces are colored poops. Derp. And I have a plot-related bone to pick. The Omicron trade embargo with Earth never ended. How will Lrrr see his TV shows now? They basically ruined the most entertaining bit of the character. I'm glad he didn't reappear for the remainder of the series. There were a couple of things I liked. The revelation that Jrrr was secretly drinking Fry's blood was delightfully morbid, and I loved the stuff with Lrrr and Jrrr at the beginning with the Scouts ("Arranging skulls is for GIRLS!"). Best line goes to Lrrr in the climax: "Love harder!". Still, a dud. *.
Fry and Leela's Big Fling:
Gunter! I didn't like this episode much when I first saw it over the air, but it's much better upon a second viewing. My favorite bit had to have been Fry unknowningly and gratuitously insulting Gunter whom he hadn't seen or thought about in years. That was a perfectly stupid joke. Other good bits were Fry and Leela gleefully mugging Bender, and the monkey at the zoo hosing out Fry and Leela's hotel room. ***1/2.
The Inhuman Torch:
This is easily the most selfless and heroic Bender has ever been in the entire series. I'd be inclined to say it was out of character (all of Bender's previous "good" deeds have been strictly for recognition and vanity) but I enjoyed it enough to let it slide. Best line goes to Bender: "In your face, Gilgamesh!" ****.
Saturday Morning Fun Pit:
"Let's watch some cartoooooons!" By far the best episode of the season and the best trilogy episode the show has ever done. Since Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures' "Don't Touch That Dial", animated comedies have been overdoing Scooby Doo parodies to death with varying degrees of success. This one WAS successful because it commented on stuff about the cartoon that hasn't been yet, like the fact that the laugh track is random and doesn't actually correspond with the jokes. The Larry Bird voiceover joke was so great because it seemed authentic enough that you could ALMOST believe the producers weren't putting you on. The Strawberry Shortcake spoof was brilliant too. I loved the Professor as the Purple Pie-Man stand-in, and the part of the episode that you thought was part of the show, but was actually a commercial. The G.I. Zapp stuff was the least insightful parody, just because G.I. Joe was REALLY tame, even by 80's standards. The cartoon that was MOST bloodthirsty and inappropriate for children was Transformers. But having Nixon edit it was SO perfect because some of the things he changed were actually worse. Speaking of Nixon, he was the most logical center for the wraparound segments. He has a foot in the Futurama universe, and a foot in the real one, so he is the character I think can best comment on the "meta" aspects of the show. The episode was almost flawless and one of the greatest Futurama episodes of all time. I expect to see it on almost every fan's top ten list, and quite a few top fives. *****.
Calculon 2.0:
What was even the point of bring back Calculon just to kill him right off again? Oh, well. The episode itself isn't bad. I didn't realize before now that being bored can land you in the hospital. But I would totally watch Calculon in a one man stage play about the life of HAL 9000. I also really liked how much the Robot Devil hates Calculon. Speaking of the Devil, don't you just love his tired disgust upon seeing Fry and Bender? He is so fed up with the both of them he isn't even menacing them anymore. They are a waste of his time. Yes. Yes. The number I was thinking of was the letter M. Classic. The episode? Not so much. ***.
Assie Come Home:
Boring and unfunny. And I'm sorry, but that whole Bele and Loki gang subplot at the beginning was MUCH too dark for this show. Matt Groening should have stepped in and put a stop to it. He has always been the show's conscience and tempered the writers' more bloodthirsty or dirty impulses. The only thing I laughed at in the episode was learning Hedonismbot is a Senator. Because of course he is. **.
Leela and the Genestalk:
That was good! I was not happy about the last season of Futurama in general, but one of the few things I DID like was the character growth of Leela's affection for Fry. Sure, they were dating before this. But the deep, commited love aspect had always been one-sided by Fry. But because of episodes like "Fry And Leela's Big Fling", I was able to see that Leela's love for Fry is more geniune than I first gave this episode credit for. One of my original complaints is that if the situations were reversed, Leela would be unlikely to still stick by Fry like he did her here. It would be played for laughs rather than pathos, but that would have been how it would have went down. But after rewatching the Zoo episode and ESPECIALLY "Fun On A Bun", I realized that Leela would give up everything for Fry too, and her selflessly deciding to move back to the sewer proved it. I would have considered it far fetched had this last 26 episode season not happened. So I'm kind of glad it did for that. Bonus points for not only cameos for Adam West and Burt Ward, but Adventure Time's Jake and Finn too! ****.
Game of Tones.
Boy, Futurama knows JUST how to get you right here, you know? The stuff of Fry missing his family has always been golden and this was an unusually sharp take surpassed only by "The Luck Of The Fryrish" and "Jurassic Bark". And I love how they structured the entire story like Star Trek IV. Blink and you'll miss Seth MacFarlane's voice cameo as Seymour. A gem. ****1/2.
Murder on the Planet Express:
I loathe this episode. I won't say it's Futurama's worst, but it's gotta be at least in the bottom five. The fact that it is the third to last episode probably makes me hate it even more. Where to begin? The ending was atrocious. Aside from darkly hinting that Fry and Bender don't actually like each other, the "resolution" to the mystery was complete bunk. I realize they wanted to make it so no-one actually died, but that isn't how mysteries work. In Family Guy's "And Then There Were Fewer" one of the most impressive things about it was that it DIDN'T try to buy the horror back at the end. It was a legitimate murder mystery. The idea of a "teamwork building workshop" revolving around a fake murder spree was stupid, even for a cartoon, and even worse was the idea that Bender and Fry would ever be on the hook for that d-bag's murder. If they HADN'T shot him to death, I would have thought they were being completely stupid, but the episode took the tack that it was BECAUSE they did so, they were stupid. This was SO badly written, and a permanent stain on Futurama so close to the ending. 0.
Stench and Stenchibility:
Zoidberg and his new girlfriend stuff: good. Tapdancing Bender stuff: bad. You know, aside from killing off Calculon for good, getting Zoidberg a permanent girlfriend is one of the ONLY things Futurama did this season that actually felt like a "last season" thing to do. What I'm saying is, that for the most part, the series' lack of thematic closure bugged me. As for the Bender stuff: it says you are a terrible person if you dancing on the dead body of a six year old girl is literally not the worst thing you have ever done. The writers tried to weasel out of it by having that be the thing that brought her back to life, but with me intent is everything. I also noticed many more plot holes than usual this episode. Roberto DIED in "The Six Million Dollar Mon" and here he's back with no explanation. And Zoidberg's species dies when they mate too. How can he have enjoyed a night of dumpster lovemaking and lived to tell about it? Still, the "penultimate episode" vibe makes up a lot for me. ****.
Meanwhile:
Avenge Us! I'm just gonna say it. They should NOT have hit the reset button at the end. They should have made the ending of Fry and Leela destroying the universe and growing old together in a barren wasteland permanent. It would have been a PERFECT ending to the entire Futurama saga. Epic, tragic, beautiful, AND romantic. They should have gone BIG. What, do they think people will call them on it in a thousand years or something? Looking at the deleted scenes proves that they were ALWAYS gonna hit the reset button, but if I were in charge, and I had been unsure of renewal, I would have shot two endings. This one where the Professor saves the day in case we came back, and the bittersweet ending of Fry and Leela living out their lives together, in case we didn't. I love the episode as it is, but I think it REALLY would have shocked the audience had they made this Fry, Leela and the Futurama Universe's fate. I know David X. Cohen has a feature film glint in his eye, but I am of the opinion that it will never happen. It would have made a MUCH bigger impact to unexpectedly stop here without warning. People would have been talking about the Futurama finale for years. Nobody really remembers Dinosaurs anymore except for that REALLY dark ending. This would have been a hundred times bigger and better received. But make no mistake, the episode is excellent. I just wish it had been a bit bolder. ****1/2.
Precious Trimmings: A Compendium of Deleted Scenes:
Some good ones this year although there are some entire episodes on this set that I wish had been deleted. Overall: ****.
Erotic Audiobook: This joke landed flat. **1/2.
That's a Good One: Ditto. **1/2.
I Am Hrrr: This was a really funny and interesting scene of Hermes posing as an Omicronian. They mentioned it on the commentary. ****.
Fry's Dramatic Entrance: The aired version was better. ***.
Damn Dirty Executives: WAAAAAYYYY too obvious. And the joke has been done to death already, even in the Planet Of The Apes franchise itself. *.
Fire Poles: This was funny, but not funny enough to justify the time spent on the joke. That way lies Giant Chicken fights. ***1/2.
Blaze of Gory: A bit too much, but it was fun to see. ****.
Six Hours of Golf: You know what? This would have been an even funnier coda than "And Now You Know Something". It had to be a time cut. It's too perfect not to have been one. *****.
Acting Settings: This is just an excuse to have Maurice La Marche do as many different celebrity impressions as possible in under a minute. Heck, this didn't even make it to color. I'm convinced it only made it to the animatic stage because the producers wanted to hear La Marche actually do it. ****1/2.
Bad Dog: So brief and unremarkable, it was hardly worth including. Still, since it made it to color, I'm betting the producers thought it would interest the REALLY hardcore DVD fans. They're not wrong. **.
The Ocularium: Wise cut. This was deadly dull and would have ground the episode to a screeching halt. *.
I Groped the Robot: Creepy scene. But then, I JUST had some cavities filled, so I may be unusually sensitive. **1/2.
I Need a Big Clue: Fry is a little TOO stupid here. At SOME point he's GOT to become as smart as Lars. This is too big of a regression. **1/2.
A Man or a Mouse: They really cut the action sequence with the giant down. It was neat seeing the entire animatic. ****.
The Parrot and the Swami: Both scenes are unneeded and the second one isn't funny at all. *1/2.
Bender is Great: I actually like this alternate version of the Shazam joke better than what was in the episode. It had to have been a time cut. This was much funnier and that's the only explanation. ****.
Scruffy's Kazoo: David X. Cohen plays Scruffy here ***1/2.
Fire in the Hole: A sweet bonding scene between Fry and his Dad. ****.
I Got You Already: This scene (and the episode it came from) both prove to me that Roberto has LONG worn out his welcome. He's this series' Bertram. I wish they had treated him as such, and kept his death permanent. *.
Cheap Date: I liked this extended scene. ***1/2.
Saturn Drive-In: Pretty good. ***1/2.
Original Montage: They managed to keep all of the important beats in the episode itself. ***1/2.
Centrifugal Force: Don't like this scene. It's a backslide in Leela's relationship with Fry, and I'm betting that's why they cut it. *.
You're Not Wearing Pants: Obvious joke. **.
Half-Eaten Kit Cat: This explains where the tunnel from the end of the episode came from. But honestly? It was totally unnecessary. The science of the episode was the least interesting thing about it. The writers were overthinking it. And by having Zoidberg lose an arm, that could have been a too early tip to the audience they were going to hit the reset button, even if Zoidberg claimed it would grow back. One obvious question springs to mind: why does David X. Cohen plays the Professor here while Billy West does Zoidberg in the exact same conversation one line later? I don't get that. ***.
Futurama University:
I'll give Futurama DVD sets one thing over The Simpsons. The Simpsons may have more art galleries and menu gimmicks, but Futurama is the only one of those two shows that actually does original for DVD documentaries / featurettes. The total absence of it on Simpsons seasons later than the second is glaring. Overall: ****.
Character Design: Matt Groening's art style always struck me as a bit like Walt Disney's, in that it is pretty easy to train a bunch of artists to draw it in the exact same house style. So it REALLY puzzles me why so many Simpsons comics are so off-model. I loved Leela's squid design. I'm not gonna say it was sexy (I'm not a Japanese perv) but the final version was definitely beautiful and appealing and still Leela, so it was a little bit easier to understand why Fry didn't even hesitate to stand by her. ****.
Color: The least interesting of the "FU" featurettes. ***.
3-D Modeling: Those Fractals were beautiful. One of the things I haven't seen mentioned about Futurama's 3-D animation is that it was one of the first animated projects to blend the 2-D and 3-D animation seamlessly so that they looked like they belonged in the same cartoon, and did so on a TV budget. As beautiful as the computer animation was in Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, it also stuck out like a sore thumb. The only earlier project I can think that tried to blend both styles together was The Lion King, but I think Futurama did it better and certainly much more often. ****.
Inside Futurama: The Writers' Room of Tomorrow:
That was fantastic. I am STILL astounded that Ken Keeler came up with and proved an original mathematic theorem in "The Prisoner Of Benda". I loved those models of Roberto, Hedonismbot, the Crushinator, and the Borax Kid. I also really liked the historical figurine of Nixon's head and the headless body of Agnew that Patrick Verrone created. But the thing I was MOST interested in seeing after hearing the commentary was the 3-D printer. It is just as awesome as it sounds. Star Trek: The Next Generation's replicators are here today! *****.
Blu-Ray Menus: Hypnotoad AND eclectic music on both discs? Sold! Best DVD menus since the show came back. Overall: *****.
Disc 1 Blu-Ray Menu: With clips from the first seven episodes of the season. *****.
Disc 2 Blu-Ray Menu: With clips from the last six episodes of the season. *****.