Season 1, Episode 10 "A Flight To Remember" (B+)
Oct 14, 2014 1:09:13 GMT -5
Jean-Luc Lemur, Electric Dragon, and 2 more like this
Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2014 1:09:13 GMT -5
Commenters! I’m feeling the reviewer’s itch again!
How does a half-hour show, with only nine episodes under its belt, manage kicking off its second broadcast season with a parody of a blockbuster movie two years old? How does it manage not only a parody of a movie that’s already been parodied to death, but being heavily reliant on references to two kitschy seventies TV shows? It manages remarkably well, when that show is Futurama.
Titanic dominated the realm of pop culture the year before Futurama premiered, breaking box office records, spawning an inescapable, madness-inducing Celine Dion hit, and making bona fide stars out of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. That also meant it had been mined for jokes, parodies, and references incessantly for nearly two solid years prior to the airing of this episode that sends the Planet Express crew on a company vacation aboard an ill-fated interstellar cruise ship.
Wisely, though, the episode does not try to create a point-by-point mockery of the film, but rather uses it as a template on which to build a distinctly Futurama-ish story. It’s an under-utilized technique these Family Guy’d days, but should be familiar to anyone who’s seen a Mel Brooks movie. Parody often works best when the specific references are allowed to arise organically, before being undermined by the separate reality of the parody. Think Dark Helmet in Spaceballs threatening an underling not with something as boring as choking, but rather with an intense, mystical cosmic force right to the testicles. Or think Bender lifting his wealthy, star-crossed love up in his arms at the bow of the ship, only for the physics of several tons of metal on a wooden deck to cave in as Bender’s arms give out and the two of them fall through.
This also gives the episode the freedom to do something fairly uncommon so far in Futurama storytelling, namely, spinning off a B, C, and even (arguably) a D-plot. Most - in fact, all - Futurama episodes thus far have shown a remarkable focus on one main story line, allowing it to pack a tremendous amount of narrative density and character development in alongside the jokes. It’s a trait also found in many of The Simpsons’s seventh and eighth seasons, which shared some of the same creative team.
But in this episode, in addition to the primary, Bender-centric Titanic plot, also throws in a fake romance that starts blossom into a real one between Fry and Leela, then adds on Amy grabbing Fry as her own fake boyfriend to mollify her parents, resulting in a Three’s Company situation with Zapp Brannigan as a very sensual Mr. Roper. Also, just for good measure, we learn that Hermes is an Olympic limbo-er with a tragic past, before letting him redeem himself in the process of saving everyone’s life.
It’s all a very clever way to generate the madcap pacing of episodes like the previous “Hell Is Other Robots”, while covering for the fact that the main plot is dependent on some groan-inducing jokes and flat-out parody (even recycling a previous joke about “naked” robots being represented by circuit diagrams). It’s gratifying to see yet more emotional depth added to Bender, who mostly realizes he’s fallen in love with the Countess de la Roca because he can’t bring himself to steal from her, and even more gratifying (comedically, at least) to see him later try to make sure it doesn’t soften his image. With the rest of the crew wrapped up in their own plotlines, it also gives us a cute Love Boat homage as Bender seeks the funky yet non-threatening advice of a robot doppelganger for that show’s bartender, Issac (who of course is named iZac).
The Countess de la Roca, in spite of being Bender’s love interest, never really develops as a character beyond being a default sort of fembot WASP in Victorian garb. She’s heavy, and a yacht, apparently, but never really registers as something more than an object for Bender to desire, and go through the paces of Titanic with. Actually, I guess that makes her a pretty accurate imitation of Kate Winslet in the movie, but I digress. It’s just feels like a bit of a missed opportunity, given how quickly Futurama manages to flesh out Hermes, introduce his wife, and also give us Amy’s parents as indelible instant antagonists.
It’s worth noting that all three of those new characters earn a great deal of their personality from the vocal performances that bring them to life. Lauren Tom in particular packs every horrible nightmare of a “Tiger Mom” into her gleeful performance of Mrs. Wong, all while making us fully aware of the character’s age. Tress MacNeille, by contrast, delivers the Countess’s lines in tones redolent more of the “neutral” voice assigned to helpful computers from the Enterprise-D to Siri. It’s one of her weakest performances, which is unfortunate, since just a few weeks back we were introduced to her brilliant “Mom”, and in this episode see the return of lazy-eyed Hattie whose “kajiggers” manage to convey more character than all of the Countess’s lines put together.
It doesn’t help for contrast, either, to have Billy West reprising his role as Zapp Brannigan. Making sweet love to every word so hard half of them sprout an extra syllable at the end, he loses none of what made him such a wonderful foil in his first appearance. It’s one of the first reassuring hints that Futurama, like The Simpsons is capable of creating a universe of supporting characters that can be called upon again and again without wearing out their welcome. I’m particularly fond of his decision to change the ship’s course for seemingly no reason other than satisfying his own machismo, defending it with a bored, tossed-off, “By jackknifing from one (comet) to the next at breakneck speed we might just get some kind of gravity boost... or something.” For anyone ever frustrated by the improbable physics of lazier Star Trek plots, it’s the perfect confirmation that Kirk really didn’t know what the hell he was doing.
He also plays a key role in the B-plot, driving Leela into Fry’s arms as she seeks to escape “crossing paths” with him again, so to speak. It’s lovely to see a return of that sense, from the pilot, that Leela can see some kindred loneliness and lack of home in Fry, beyond his just being some annoying co-worker from the Stupid Ages. In a nice bit of emotional balance, Leela’s evolution from, “Take it off before I break it off,” to nearly kissing Fry sincerely is matched by Fry’s eager exploitation of Leela and Amy’s situation moving towards an acknowledgement that his, “Fake relationship with (Leela) is a lot more important,” than his fake relationship with Amy. Of course, both fake relationships are well worth the payoff when they collide at the Captain’s Table and Fry attempts to solve everything with a 70’s sitcom theme song he can’t remember the lyrics to.
Notice how little of what’s noteworthy in this episode centers on the elements of parodying Titanic. The wealth of detail and characters, along with the surfeit of subplots, help keep the show lively, without feeling like a time capsule from the days when smashing Leonardo DiCaprio’s pickled head against the hull of a ship would offend legions of teenage girls. It’s also to the show’s credit that the stunning visuals and operatic score work equally well whether one is familiar with the film they’re referencing or not. The 3-D shots of the Titanic and the “nebula” effects are some of the most stunning animation and art work in the series so far.
If this is how Futurama handles parody, then by all means, perhaps they can take a turn at the biggest film of the following year! Oh… Saving Private Ryan, you say? To shreds, you say! Oh my.
GRADE: B+
This Week’s Opening:
“Filmed on Location!”
This Week In Futurama Signage:
BUFFET:
All you can eat
Plus a whole chicken
Stray Observations:
How does a half-hour show, with only nine episodes under its belt, manage kicking off its second broadcast season with a parody of a blockbuster movie two years old? How does it manage not only a parody of a movie that’s already been parodied to death, but being heavily reliant on references to two kitschy seventies TV shows? It manages remarkably well, when that show is Futurama.
Titanic dominated the realm of pop culture the year before Futurama premiered, breaking box office records, spawning an inescapable, madness-inducing Celine Dion hit, and making bona fide stars out of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. That also meant it had been mined for jokes, parodies, and references incessantly for nearly two solid years prior to the airing of this episode that sends the Planet Express crew on a company vacation aboard an ill-fated interstellar cruise ship.
Wisely, though, the episode does not try to create a point-by-point mockery of the film, but rather uses it as a template on which to build a distinctly Futurama-ish story. It’s an under-utilized technique these Family Guy’d days, but should be familiar to anyone who’s seen a Mel Brooks movie. Parody often works best when the specific references are allowed to arise organically, before being undermined by the separate reality of the parody. Think Dark Helmet in Spaceballs threatening an underling not with something as boring as choking, but rather with an intense, mystical cosmic force right to the testicles. Or think Bender lifting his wealthy, star-crossed love up in his arms at the bow of the ship, only for the physics of several tons of metal on a wooden deck to cave in as Bender’s arms give out and the two of them fall through.
This also gives the episode the freedom to do something fairly uncommon so far in Futurama storytelling, namely, spinning off a B, C, and even (arguably) a D-plot. Most - in fact, all - Futurama episodes thus far have shown a remarkable focus on one main story line, allowing it to pack a tremendous amount of narrative density and character development in alongside the jokes. It’s a trait also found in many of The Simpsons’s seventh and eighth seasons, which shared some of the same creative team.
But in this episode, in addition to the primary, Bender-centric Titanic plot, also throws in a fake romance that starts blossom into a real one between Fry and Leela, then adds on Amy grabbing Fry as her own fake boyfriend to mollify her parents, resulting in a Three’s Company situation with Zapp Brannigan as a very sensual Mr. Roper. Also, just for good measure, we learn that Hermes is an Olympic limbo-er with a tragic past, before letting him redeem himself in the process of saving everyone’s life.
It’s all a very clever way to generate the madcap pacing of episodes like the previous “Hell Is Other Robots”, while covering for the fact that the main plot is dependent on some groan-inducing jokes and flat-out parody (even recycling a previous joke about “naked” robots being represented by circuit diagrams). It’s gratifying to see yet more emotional depth added to Bender, who mostly realizes he’s fallen in love with the Countess de la Roca because he can’t bring himself to steal from her, and even more gratifying (comedically, at least) to see him later try to make sure it doesn’t soften his image. With the rest of the crew wrapped up in their own plotlines, it also gives us a cute Love Boat homage as Bender seeks the funky yet non-threatening advice of a robot doppelganger for that show’s bartender, Issac (who of course is named iZac).
The Countess de la Roca, in spite of being Bender’s love interest, never really develops as a character beyond being a default sort of fembot WASP in Victorian garb. She’s heavy, and a yacht, apparently, but never really registers as something more than an object for Bender to desire, and go through the paces of Titanic with. Actually, I guess that makes her a pretty accurate imitation of Kate Winslet in the movie, but I digress. It’s just feels like a bit of a missed opportunity, given how quickly Futurama manages to flesh out Hermes, introduce his wife, and also give us Amy’s parents as indelible instant antagonists.
It’s worth noting that all three of those new characters earn a great deal of their personality from the vocal performances that bring them to life. Lauren Tom in particular packs every horrible nightmare of a “Tiger Mom” into her gleeful performance of Mrs. Wong, all while making us fully aware of the character’s age. Tress MacNeille, by contrast, delivers the Countess’s lines in tones redolent more of the “neutral” voice assigned to helpful computers from the Enterprise-D to Siri. It’s one of her weakest performances, which is unfortunate, since just a few weeks back we were introduced to her brilliant “Mom”, and in this episode see the return of lazy-eyed Hattie whose “kajiggers” manage to convey more character than all of the Countess’s lines put together.
It doesn’t help for contrast, either, to have Billy West reprising his role as Zapp Brannigan. Making sweet love to every word so hard half of them sprout an extra syllable at the end, he loses none of what made him such a wonderful foil in his first appearance. It’s one of the first reassuring hints that Futurama, like The Simpsons is capable of creating a universe of supporting characters that can be called upon again and again without wearing out their welcome. I’m particularly fond of his decision to change the ship’s course for seemingly no reason other than satisfying his own machismo, defending it with a bored, tossed-off, “By jackknifing from one (comet) to the next at breakneck speed we might just get some kind of gravity boost... or something.” For anyone ever frustrated by the improbable physics of lazier Star Trek plots, it’s the perfect confirmation that Kirk really didn’t know what the hell he was doing.
He also plays a key role in the B-plot, driving Leela into Fry’s arms as she seeks to escape “crossing paths” with him again, so to speak. It’s lovely to see a return of that sense, from the pilot, that Leela can see some kindred loneliness and lack of home in Fry, beyond his just being some annoying co-worker from the Stupid Ages. In a nice bit of emotional balance, Leela’s evolution from, “Take it off before I break it off,” to nearly kissing Fry sincerely is matched by Fry’s eager exploitation of Leela and Amy’s situation moving towards an acknowledgement that his, “Fake relationship with (Leela) is a lot more important,” than his fake relationship with Amy. Of course, both fake relationships are well worth the payoff when they collide at the Captain’s Table and Fry attempts to solve everything with a 70’s sitcom theme song he can’t remember the lyrics to.
Notice how little of what’s noteworthy in this episode centers on the elements of parodying Titanic. The wealth of detail and characters, along with the surfeit of subplots, help keep the show lively, without feeling like a time capsule from the days when smashing Leonardo DiCaprio’s pickled head against the hull of a ship would offend legions of teenage girls. It’s also to the show’s credit that the stunning visuals and operatic score work equally well whether one is familiar with the film they’re referencing or not. The 3-D shots of the Titanic and the “nebula” effects are some of the most stunning animation and art work in the series so far.
If this is how Futurama handles parody, then by all means, perhaps they can take a turn at the biggest film of the following year! Oh… Saving Private Ryan, you say? To shreds, you say! Oh my.
GRADE: B+
This Week’s Opening:
“Filmed on Location!”
This Week In Futurama Signage:
BUFFET:
All you can eat
Plus a whole chicken
Stray Observations:
- “Give me your biggest, strongest, cheapest drink!” - I can’t even count the number of times I’ve had to use that in everyday life.
- The off-screen cracking sound we hear when a little boy tries to imitate his limboing idol is both hilarious and horrifying. Horrlarious?
- “I'm not actually rich. I'm a fraud. A poor, lazy, sexy fraud.”
- The Professor gets some excellent moments, including his attempt to limbo, his disguise in case there aren’t enough escape pods, and his gestures indicating just what happens if you get sucked into a black hole.
- Kif is much less openly dismissive of Zapp in this episode than in their previous appearance. It works much better -- he seems to constantly hope that Zapp will do the right thing, only to be repeatedly disappointed. It’s best seen when he admiringly tells Zapp, “That’s surprisingly noble of you,” when Zapp says that the captain must go down with the ship. Of course, Zapp immediately makes Kif the captain, and Kif slouches back to his regular, heavy-lidded posture of resignation.
- By the way, why isn’t limboing an Olympic sport? I’d sure as hell watch it!
