Thursday 5 September 2013

Futurama, A Swan Song - Week 12

Previously on Futurama, A Swan Song: Week 11. With mild spoilers, here is the review of what's possibly the last Futurama episode ever.

Meanwhile
AVENGE US


Plot
The Professor invents the time-button, a powerful device that sends the entire Universe ten seconds into the past. That's the perfect invention from Fry's point of view, as a recent accident on Luna Park made him realize how much he cares about Leela. So, using the time-button he proposes to the purple-haired pilot at Elzar's restaurant and asks her to meet him on the top floor of the Vampire State Building if she agrees to marry him. Fry intends to make that important moment last as long as he wants, thanks to the Professor's device. Unfortunately, Leela doesn't show up at the expected time, and Fry makes a decision that could change the Universe forever…
Review
This is the fourth time Ken Keeler is writing a Futurama series finale - or what could have been one anyway (the previous ones were The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings, Into the Wild Green Yonder and Overclockwise), and he's getting rather good at it. In fact, Meanwhile could be the best series finale Futurama has ever done (this was a weird sentence).
This episode is a perfect combination of what made Futurama special: a crazy sci-fi concept, hilarious moments, and a lot of heart in the relationships.
What is particularly nice about this last episode is that it not only captures the essence of the show, it also sends us back to its origins. In Meanwhile, we get to revisit places and characters first seen in the very first episodes (Luna Park being an obvious one, as it first appeared in The Series Has Landed, the second episode of the first season); we also see glimpses of recurring characters, including fan favourites Zapp Brannigan, the Globetrotters, Scruffy, the Hyper-Chicken, Morbo, URL, Nibbler… And so many more. Most of the time, these are non-speaking cameos but it's nice to see them appear in the last episode.
We can't be absolutely certain yet this is the end since Futurama already came back from cancellation before, but if it's truly over, we can at least be happy that it ended on such a high note.
Rating
9.5/10
Favourite Quote
Moon Patrol: "Sir! We have some good news and some bad news. The good news is we found your stuffed animal."
Fry: "What's the bad news?"
Moon Patrol : "Your wife is dead."
Fry: "She wasn't my wife."
Moon Patrol: "Oh? Then there is no bad news."

The End (?)
Futurama, A Swan Song will return one more time with our top ten episodes of the beloved sci-fi series, so look for it in the next few days.
Also, we haven't seen the last of these characters yet, since there will be a Simpsons/Futurama crossover some time next year. And of course, the show may come back to life yet again. You never know. Personally I'm not against the idea of Ken Keeler writing at least two or three more Futurama series finales…

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