Where's my Futurama?

[ScottotD]

I really think ep 3 was the weakest Futurama ever, the dumb bastards and 3rd World things were good but both the main and sub-plots seemed well below what I expect from them

[Edward J Grug III]

I really think ep 3 was the weakest Futurama ever, the dumb bastards and 3rd World things were good but both the main and sub-plots seemed well below what I expect from them

I kind of feel that way too.

It certainly had a couple of laughs, but it was such a misfire in general. There's certainly nothing wrong with parody, but it was so flimsy and hacky with it's jokes... I just expect better from them.

The whole episode seemed so... "old comic" and so "the kids today" which is just not what Futurama should be. I looked up the writer to see if has new, but he actually wrote a lot of great episode, including the Problem with Popplers. Though I see he wrote on the Johnny Carson show, so I guess he IS an old comic...

The first two episodes back were really strong (especially the first episode) that I didn't expect to get such a terrible episode.

[bettertomorrowamy]

You both are crackheads.  What is it about the Southern Hemisphere that drives you guys to cocaine?

[Edward J Grug III]

You both are crackheads.  What is it about the Southern Hemisphere that drives you guys to cocaine?

People from your hemisphere agree:

http://io9.com/5577694/futurama-misses-its-chance-to-explore-the-downside-of-the-new-iphone-and-twitter

[MartyS (Gromit)]

Well, it seems this episode was really hit or miss for people, reading reviews online it seems about a 50/50 split of love/hate.

I thought there were a lot of great gags in it, and laughed more than the first 2 episodes, that's all I care about.

[WeatherServo9]

iPhone hysteria isn't current news??

I suspect that we will be able to go on making fun of Apple hysteria long into the future...ama.  Also I couldn't help but think of Lisa Simpson and her MyPod as I was watching this.

[TTYT]

Okay. that was Futurama at its best. Spectacular episode this week.

[goflyblind]

hopes... deleted

[spaceforarent]

Okay. that was Futurama at its best. Spectacular episode this week.

Really? I thought that was a really weak episode.

[TheUnabeefer]

I've thought they have all been perfectly mediocre, which is JUST how I like it.... because it doesn't seem like they're trying to "blow us out of the water" with each and every episode, which in my opinion is what would cause it to jump the shark completely.  The fact that it's at the exact same standard they were at before makes it perfect to me.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

[WeatherServo9]

The fact that it's at the exact same standard they were at before makes it perfect to me.

Totally agreed.  What were people expecting, a completely different show?  No, it's the same old Futurama, with all of the things we like about it - nothing more, nothing less.

I really liked this latest one as well.  If ghosts and horses can marry, then the future is a great place indeed.  I'm also curious if bad-ass Kip at the end was a one-time gag, or if he'll try and be that way from now on. 

I so wish they could make two new episodes a week, as the 10:30 repeat now seems a bit disappointing.

[SJP]

Haven't seen this Thursday's episode, but to comment on some of the stuff about the "Is it as good as it used to be?" sort of thing...

I like the new Futurama shows.  I like the old Futurama shows.  What I didn't care for much was the in-between movies...or, at least, the last two.  I was so sorely disappointed in "Bender's Game" that I didn't watch "Wild Green Yonder."

Why I say this, is because what I think about the iPhone thing is that they used the parody as background for the characters.  The focus of the episode didn't seem so much to hate the iPhone and Twitter, which they did get in some jabs on, as much as they used them as a way for the characters to bounce off and have a goofy story.  The point of the episode isn't "LOOK!   LOOK!  THIS TECHNOLOGY IS STUPID!"  It was there to have Bender and Fry have their contest and to poke fun at the culture of "Embarrassment=Popularity."  You know, things that'll be around long after the iPhone is history.

The problem with "Bender's Game," in my opinion, is they let the whole parody of "green energy vs. oil" get in the way of the characters and of having FUN.  Considering the second half of the movie is the exact same thing that happened in the first half, just with D&D references, cheapened the whole story for me and made it less fun to watch.  I have no problem with anybody getting political, having a serious stance on something, or doing satire...I love South Park, and they do it all the time...but when it stalls out your characters doing what they do best, then you're not doing your audience justice.  For comparison, look at the Family Guy Star Wars stuff.  There are some good gags in there, but when you're too focused on "this character should play THAT character" regardless of who pairs up best, and worry too much about recreating your favorite scenes instead of thinking about what would be funny, then the overall experience isn't going to be as good as it could've been.  Somebody on here mentioned that Brian and Stewie are their best team, and splitting them apart just because they thought the characters looked more like these particular Star Wars characters was a bad idea; I agree.

You have to do right by the characters you write for, and I think the show since it came back on is doing that.  Zap Brannigan making the "Zoom in" gag (as well as all the "MMMGGGGG!" noises when explaining things to Leela), the whole "robot" thing in the first episode, and Bender and Fry creating a punishment that, in all honesty, wouldn't bother Bender in the least when you think about it, all have the classic Futurama vibe TO ME (emphasis here) while trying to do see what new stuff they can stick out there.  They're having fun with it, and as long as they keep that up it's fine with me.

Oh, and the endlessly spewing goat is awesome.  I don't care who says otherwise.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

The fact that it's at the exact same standard they were at before makes it perfect to me.

Totally agreed.  What were people expecting, a completely different show?  No, it's the same old Futurama, with all of the things we like about it - nothing more, nothing less.

I really liked this latest one as well.  If ghosts and horses can marry, then the future is a great place indeed.  I'm also curious if bad-ass Kip at the end was a one-time gag, or if he'll try and be that way from now on. 

Yes, that's what I've been thinking also, these last 2 episodes feel like they would fit right into any of the previous seasons.

Can't expect them to come back with a string of the greatest episodes ever.  I think people have gotten used to playing their favorite episodes on disk or something.

I was doubting this weeks show for a while, couldn't belive bender would stay in love for that long, I think that made the pay-off a bit more funny.

The song over the credits was great, hope you folks watching on CC got to hear it, or did they do a promo over the credits?

[Johnny Unusual]

The first episode back and the other two were pretty darn good.  Haven't seen this Thursdays yet, but the show is still good.  One clever touch in the Rebirth episode is a clever clue of the episodes twist ending where Fry is staring longingly at a lego Fry and Leela. At first I thought "why does he have those lying around without a comment or joke on it.  Why not a picture."  Now I get it.  The other episodes weren't as good (Susan Boil seems cringeworthy and kind of mean, although I like the joke "Ew? Scottish?")  I think it's on par.

Maybe it's just me but while the animation is very good, they seem to be scaling back the 2.5D and other flourishes they've used in earlier seasons.  Or did I just miss that?

Things I liked about the three episodes I've seen so far.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

* Amy suggests an orgy.  The other characters are into it, look at each other, and suddenly aren't.
* Almost all of Rebirth but especially every line that the professor has.  "I have something that will help.  Possibly this thing!"
* "I haven't felt anything since my guinea pig died."  I hear ya Bender.
* Somewhere between one and two million zombies (I kind of saw that ending coming, at least in the sense that no won would make an effort to stop Mom."

[spaceforarent]

A little nit-pick about the first new episode (do we still need spoilers?)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

So Leela actually survived the crash, but when the robot is first given her personality, it says the last thing she remembers is crashing. Shouldn't she remember more after that, since the personality is gathered from the security cameras?