Futurama, A Swan Song - A Crossover

We knew it wasn't over. Meanwhile was not the end. The Planet Express crew-members had another adventure under their futuristic belts. This adventure would take place in the past, within the world of Matt Groening's other show: a little thing called The Simpsons.
Futurama is back for one last (?) hurrah and the result is a riotous episode. Mini-review to follow.

Simpsorama
A show out of ideas teams up with a show out of episodes

Plot

Bender is sent back to the 21st Century in the town of Springfield. At first, he doesn't know why. After befriending Homer Simpson, he meets Professor Frink who resets his memory. Bender can then remember his mission: he was sent there to kill Homer Simpson…

Review

Contrary to the recent Family Guy/Simpsons crossover, this episode stars two casts of characters designed by the same man, which makes the collision of these two worlds more believable. Yes, the Simpsons are yellow and the Planet Express crew includes a robot, a mutant and an alien, but thinking they all belong to the same universe isn't too mind-bending an idea.

What's the most fun to witness in Simpsorama is the interactions between the two "families." The jokes are mainly the two shows mocking themselves and are often - if not always - hilarious. Like when Lisa and Bart notice Bender is basically their dad with an antenna. Or when Leela tries to avoid talking about Marge's hair, while Marge doesn't want to mention Leela's only eye. They both fail of course. The examples are numerous and extremely funny.

The story is simply a pretext for the crossover to happen, and some of the plot points would not stand up to scrutiny - it's even the basis for a joke. It's not entirely original either, as it bears a resemblance to A Big Piece of Garbage. But this doesn't matter, because ultimately Simpsorama is all about the laughs. Nothing deep or particularly emotional to see here. And that's how it should be.

One of the biggest problems I have with this episode is how short is is: twenty minutes are not enough to give every Futurama character a moment to shine. How do you do that when you have the Springfield citizens on top of the Planet Express crew? It's just impossible. The writers only had the time for charming nods to Futurama fans, but I would have loved to see more. More of Zoidberg (who has sadly only one line - but it's classic Zoidberg) and more secondary characters. I get how it was not doable. What I'm saying is: we need more Futurama. Crossovers or new seasons, I don't care. I just want more.

Rating

9/10

Favourite Quote

Homer: "Ooh, the eyes on that picture are following me!"

Bart: "Uh, that's a mirror."

Homer : "Isn't all great art kind of a mirror?"