While I appreciate the authentic geekiness that infused that episode, the new season of Futurama (and indeed every Futurama production since the last season of the original run) has lost its feel for dialog, most of the spark between the original characters, and its sense of which gags to work into the storyline and how. It's also become much more "blue", and in a much less subtle way (sex was always a subtext of its humor, but was usually handled far more gracefully --- like in the episode where Fry drinks the emperor).
I've been very disappointed by the new season. The only episode I found to be watchable was the one with the time machine.
While I think this season's not as good as seasons previous, I also think you're being too harsh--and I think the quality of writing is getting better.
The Late Philip J. Fry (the time machine one), as you admitted, was hilarious. They worked in references to piles of classic science fiction movies; the show covered time travel, theories of the nature of time and the universe, paradoxes, and predestination; and the writing was tight and funny. So we seem to agree that one was solid.
A Clockwork Origin, two episodes later, pulled together the panspermia hypothesis, the debate between intelligent design and evolution, the singularity, and clear send-ups to Second Variety and Planet of the Apes.
Proposition Infinity was more a political than a science fiction episode (and we had those in the earlier seasons, too--the garbage sphere, the women's planet, etc.), but I thought did a hilarious send-up of Proposition 8, religious responses to homosexuality, San Francisco gay pride parades, and so on.
And while I agree that episodes from this season are in general more vulgar than average from previous Futurama seasons, I also think you're viewing those seasons through rose-colored glasses. The sex in this episode was no more explicit than Fry and Leela in Tales of Interest, Professor Farnsworth's seduction of Mom in Mother's Day, or half a dozen other episodes, and while I thought the third episode of the season (Attack of the Killer App) was disgusting, I don't honestly think it was more disgusting than Fry and the Slurm Factory, where it's revealed that Slurm is slug poop.
Futurama's always mixed highbrow with lowbrow. I agree they've gotten raunchier, and I think it hurts the humor. But I think writing the whole season off as a loss is extremely unfair.
Fry and the Slurm Factory was a brilliant episode; it mashed up Studs McKenzie with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was gross, but in a structurally comical way.
Attack of the Killer App was just unfunny, in the same sense as Bill Maher is unfunny compared to Jon Stewart; it's a humor based on superficial recognition of current events, not keen observation.
I feel as though some of the episodes are bizarrely topical, like references to the app store, The Da Vinci Code... all things which would have been topical even a few years ago, when the show was cancelled. My theory is they are lingering, filler ideas they had to get out of the way in order to air brilliant pieces of work like A Clockwork Origin and The Late Philip J. Fry.
The first couple of episodes in most series are a little weak. I mean, Futurama's already back in pretty good form, especially after the low point that was most of the movies.
A Clockwork Origin, two episodes later, pulled together the panspermia hypothesis, the debate between intelligent design and evolution, the singularity, and clear send-ups to Second Variety and Planet of the Apes.
"... Futurama's always mixed highbrow with lowbrow. ..."
and language is the best bit. Got a Russian mate to translate for me a great Bender quote: "... Поцелуйте (Kiss) мой (my) блестящий (shiny) металлический (metal) зад (ass). ..." ~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/nothingpersonal/4484582814/
Is it possible you're experiencing worst episode ever! syndrome? I think after a while people just get sick of these shows and when you look back in retrospect you have dozens of hours of past seasons to cherry pick good moments/episodes from so they tend to stand out as being better. Maybe when the season concludes they will have the same ratio of good moments/episodes as any other season? I only saw the first episode of the new season. I'm waiting to just watch them all once the season is over. I find that to be one of the best remedies for worst episode ever! syndrome.
I think they've been hit and miss. Some I liked a lot. Some I didn't like so much. I actually do like the direction they're going...
- No more "It's that wacky bender!" every time they can't come up with an in-context joke. That was a big problem with the movies.
- Finally had Fry and Leela hook up, so we won't have to deal with any more of those whiny episodes. Best thing to happen to TV since Jim and Pam got together.
- I liked the addition of Nibbler to the crew. (Although now that's looking like it got zapped with the magical sitcom history-erasing reset button.)
- No lame extended musical numbers. (And now that I've said that, I'm sure they're be a six minute one next week...)
- And most of all, we got to see Scruffy's serious side...
Speaking of the episode with the time machine. Wouldn't they have changed history dramatically by killing Hitler? Maybe that's why they missed the second time around but the professor should know better.
If I were them I'd have gone back to visit the land of the hot chicks with no guys and the backwards time machine instead of going straight home. Of course, I'd only be going there to get the backwards time machine.
> Wouldn't they have changed history dramatically by killing Hitler?
Who cares, it was hilarious. There's a time for accuracy and being PC, and there's a time for little humor gems, even if they aren't perfectly congruous with what a normal person would do!
Although I did think they missed a golden opportunity. When he 'missed', He should have said, "oops, I missed. I hit JFK instead" (JFK assassination)
I agree. Like everyone else I was really excited when the new series was announced but the jokes and characters feel like they've been written from bullet points on a whiteboard. Bender steals, Amy is sexy, etc.
But what bugs me the most is that South Park already did it. These episodes seem to close with some life lesson the writers feel we need to learn. Even South Park is getting ridiculous with it's preaching and Futurama should just stop trying.
The core driver of the humor is sex. Most blue humor wouldn't be funny if cultural norms shifted even slightly; it's superficially, but not structurally, humorous.
Thanks for the explanation. Here is the relevant Wikipedia article with a whole universe of humor related terms that I (non-native speaker) didn't know before: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Off-color_humor
That is interesting as the only episode I actually liked was the bender and hermes adventure (minus some jokes in the beginning).
I think comedy central has pushed them or they feel the need to be more like comedy centrals raunchier comedies and that just isn't futurama.
The movies were also by far much much better than this new season and they weren't as great as the old episodes which are still fun to watch once in a while, kind of makes me sad but it is also somewhat expected.
I've been very disappointed by the new season. The only episode I found to be watchable was the one with the time machine.