|
|
1ACV10: A Flight To Remember
First UK airing: Sky One, 8:30pm, 22-2-00
"I consider my fake relationship
with you a lot more meaningful."
Lucky old Fry, eh?
It must be the deeply repressed romantic in me, but
I liked this episode as much for the relationship stuff as for
the straight comedy. (I'll get to the Titanic parody in a moment.)
The thing that worries me is that I might end up turning into
the Futurama equivalent of an X
Files 'shipper. Let's see if Futurama's
writers can stretch the relationship teasing out for seven years!
In the UK, this episode aired after 'When Aliens Attack',
so go and read my review of that
first. However, the comments I made about Zapp and Kif still
stand. Yes, I know they're not the main characters, but in Simpsons
terms they're clearly meant to be on the same level of importance
as the likes of Ned Flanders, Skinner or Burns and Smithers.
Maybe I'm just being picky, but considering the amount of screen
time they've had so far, they haven't actually done anything
new. Zapp postures, makes dumb decisions and comes on
to Leela, and Kif quietly despairs. Funny, but predictable. (Although
I wasn't expecting Kif to end up with Amy, so maybe there's hope
for them yet. I bet Amy will have dumped him by the next episode,
though...)
Although 'Flight' was more of a full-on parody than
'When Aliens Attack', going so far as to take chunks of Titanic's
storyline and signature moments instead of just lobbing in visual
throwaways, it did avoid what I'd been worried about -- namely
existing purely to spoof something else, instead of using the
parody as a backdrop for its own story. Leela and Bender both
got some really nice moments, especially Bender. Who would have
thought that our favourite evil robot could have such an affecting,
if doomed, relationship? I thought that he'd revert to form at
the last minute and dump the Countess into the black hole himself,
but no, he really was in love. Awwww.
I'm just going to take a break and watch a few no-brainer
action movies with big guns and blood, to lower my blood sugar
level. Back soon.
...
Okay, I'm back. And, uh-oh, there's another relationship
to talk about. Better line up a Jean-Claude Van Damme or Steven
Seagal DVD as an antidote. (Incidentally, I deal with Fox UK
on a regular basis, and I did ask them if Futurama
was likely to turn up on DVD any time soon. They said no. Damn
their oily hides!) It certainly looks as though Fry and Leela
have potential couple chemistry, though to be honest I can't
help thinking that with Fry as he is now, Leela could do better.
A lot better. Fry has been slowly improving, but he's a still
a lazy, insensitive, dimwitted clod -- which of course is why
we like him. As the epitome of Y3K self-reliance, Leela would
probably get sick of -- or more likely, mad at -- Fry's negative
traits very quickly. (Actually, the thought occurs that as far
as their normal, day-to-day relationship goes, Fry is almost
the Newt to Leela's Ripley. Which is the kind of disturbing analogy
I really wish wouldn't pop into my head.)
There's also another reason why the writers are unlikely
to get Fry and Leela together in the forseeable future -- the
Moonlighting factor. Jump in the sack, viewers don't come back.
Fry's 'dilemma' -- hell, I wish I could have
dilemmas like that -- with the two women of Planet Express might
have been Generic Sitcom Plot #2037, but it was done well and
allowed for some good Amy material, which I'm always in favour
of. (An alternate title for the ep: 'Amy Chasing'.) Presumably,
if the episodes had been shown in the right order, this would
have set up the Leela/Amy miniskirt spat in 1ACV12.
On top of that, there was even some background for
Hermes at last (Olympic limbo!) and the Professor got to display
some almost Bender-esque gleeful malevolence. Technically, the
computer graphics of the Titanic and the opening shot of OFS
landing were exceptionally well done, and there were even a couple
of shots where Bender and the Countess were done CGI as well.
At this rate, it's going to turn into Starship Troopers: The
Series! But ultimately this was an episode that was all about
heart, and if a show can make you care about a 20th century loser,
a one-eyed alien chick and a foul-mouthed robot, all of whom
are actually cartoon characters, then it must be doing something
right.
Plus we got to see Leonardo DiCaprio's severed head
bounce across the floor. Bonus!
Rating: 
Footnote: did anyone else find Zapp's
description of the new course he was setting a bit odd, considering
he doesn't have any chest hair?
|
