Futurama – The ending of season is mighty for love of hilarity!

Oh, Futurama. How I love you. While I still favor the “Anthology of Interest” episodes of yore (all two of them), “Reincarnation” was a great treat. God introducing the trilogy made me far too gleeful.

“Colorama,” the nod to the classic Fleisher/Disney/early Warner Bros. cartoons, was far more entertaining that I expected. Fry’s idiot optimism plays well with that sort of smiling sunshine world, while Bender staying Bender while in full Mickey Mouse-ware is a great contrast. Amy as Betty Boop and Nibbler as Popeye’s Sweetpea were both nice touches. The 1st act teases those old cartoons by pointing out the ever bobbing characters and the limitations of black and white animation, but it feels mostly like a homage to the earliest generation of mainstream animation. The Porky Pig nod tied it all together.

“Future Challenge 3000″ was the least effective of the three. It was still very funny, with lots of homages to the silliness of 8-bit games, but the story itself isn’t really tied to the genre. It felt more like a storyline they couldn’t stretch into a full episode. It was still a smart and funny storyline, but it didn’t fit with the video game theme. I found myself wanting to get to the 3rd act already. What I did like about this act is the realization that the comet storyline went on. It’s not quite a continuation, but it does connect the acts to each other rather nicely. Oh, and Stephen Hawking plays himself again. Who doesn’t love that?

Man, was “Action Delivery Force” fun. Anyone who grew up loving anime (or at the very least, caught Toonami on Cartoon Network after school) will have to laugh at the good-natured ribbing Japanese animation got in this segment. Let’s face it, everything Futurama brought up is totally true. The broken English was spot on, as was the pacing, voice acting and the unconvincing Westernizing of the plot (Omaha, anyone?). Amy as Sailor Moon, Fry with his Cowboy Bebop-ish hair, Bender named “mighty merchandise robot” and Zoidberg “medical crab” … just all so good. And out of all three segments, “Action Delivery Force” felt the most faithful to its source material visually. The other two felt too clean (especially the 8-bit act), but the choppiness of the final act is right on par.

So, how did Futurama do coming back to life this season … again? I loved it. Sure, there were some rough patches, but most of the episodes were either insanely funny, genuinely heartfelt or both. Keep doing what you’re doing, Groening & co. We’ll see you next season.

All the best quotes:

“A wise man once said that nothing really dies, it just comes back in a new form, then he died. So next time you see a lowly salamander, think twice before you step on it. It might be you. Stand by for reincarnation!” — GOD

“Child Labor Syndicate presents: Colorama. In Glorious Black and White. A Groen-o-phone pictures. Copyright MMMXI.” — 1st act title card

“All crew, report to the laboratorium! Get a wiggle on!” – Sparky the overhead speaker

“MMMM, fish on Friday! And Human flesh the rest of the week!” — Sparky the overhead speaker

“Comet ahoy! Why it’s lit up like smooth, refreshing Chesterfield!” — Hermes

“Will you look at that gem! Slap that shiner on a ring, and Leela and I will be doing the married horizontal Charleston in no time!” — Fry

“Ble-be-ble-be-ble, that’s all you get, jerks!” — Bender ALA Porky Pig

“Future Challenge 3000: co. 1982 by MATTWAY ELECTRONICS” — 2nd act title card

“Byte my 8-bit metal ass. That’s byte with a ‘y.’ Heh heh.” — Bender

[during an experiment] “… Laying bare the most fundamental laws of the universe.” — Professor
“I know something you can lay bare.” — Leela
“Leela, shh, I’m trying to listen to a physics lecture!” — Fry

“Professor, you did it! You solved the problem that baffled Einstein and drove Stephen Hawking to quit physics and become a cartoon voice actor.” — Amy
“I like physics, but I love cartoons.” — Stephen Hawking

“Search for knowledge ends. Search for porn intensifies.” — Newspaper headline

“How do you go on knowing there’s nothing more to know?” — Professor
“I watch television. It’s the next best thing to being alive.” — Fry

“Action Delivery Force. Today’s episode: Medical Dance Crab with Lesson.” — 3rd act title card

“And me, mighty merchandise robot!” — anime Bender

“Flying bananas? Haha, I will slice them on my morning fish porridge!” — Fry

“Zoidberg, a diplomat? The list of things I’ve heard now contains everything!” — Fry

“Custard time?? Hooray!” — Cubert

“Power Friends Go!” — Bender and Fry

“Super Dance Squad, initiate!” — Bender and Fry

“Curious Pussycat.” — Sign in the background of anime segment

“Zoidberg, stop! We’re too scared to right now to enjoy the ceremony of your death.” — Leela

Clacked by Katie Schenkel
on Sep 08, 2011 @ 22:36 EST5EDT