FIREFLY/FUTURAMA-discuss by reginaroadie

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

FIREFLY/FUTURAMA-discuss

POSTED BY: REGINAROADIE
UPDATED: Thursday, February 24, 2005 12:53
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Wednesday, February 23, 2005 3:00 PM

You know, as much as I am getting back into FIREFLY, I've only just realized now that there was another show on FOX that was pretty much in the exact same situation as FIREFLY. I am, of course, talking about FUTURAMA.

No seriously. Both were shows that were created by people who had great business relations with FOX, then they tried to follow it up with something different, the network didn't understand it, screwed it over with a bad time-slot, but instead of getting huge ratings, it got a die-hard cult following which resulted in huge DVD sales and an ongoing legacy.

And the similarities don't end there. Most of the characters from both shows parallel each other. Fry is essentially a cartoon version of Wash, Leela is Zoe, Amy is Kaylee, Dr. Zoidberg is a more socially awkward and less competent version of Simon, and Bender and Jayne would have been a perfect duo, that is if they wern't lifting each others's wallets. And Professor Farnsworth and Mal might've shared the same level of krankiness. I could so hear Mal say "If anyone needs me, I'll be in the angry dome." Zapp Branigan and D.O.O.P are kinda the same as the Alliance. And both crews makes it's living shipping cargo across the verse.

You know, I have this wild idea that in the foctional nexus point where different universes merge together and various characters from other sci-fi series meet and converse, maybe the different doctors from different series give each other physicals and check-ups, like with shrinks. And I think it would be so funny if Simon's doctor was Dr. Zoidberg. I imagine the interaction would be similar to that if Zoidberg and Fry.

Dr. Zoidberg: Now open your mouth and lets have a look at that brain.
[Fry opens his mouth]
Dr. Zoidberg: No, no, not that mouth.
Fry: I only have one.
Dr. Zoidberg: Really?
Fry: Uh... is there a human doctor around?
Dr. Zoidberg: Young lady, I am an expert on humans. Now pick a mouth, open it and say "brglgrglgrrr"!
Fry: Uh... brglgrglgrglgrrr!
Dr. Zoidberg: What? My mother was a saint! Get out!

So are there any other FUTURAMA fans here? And can you think of other parallels?

"NO HAI ES BANDAI. THERE IS....NO.....BAND. AND YET....WE HEAR A BAND."

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Wednesday, February 23, 2005 6:53 PM

RAT

Quote:
Originally posted by reginaroadie:
Both were shows that were created by people who had great business relations with FOX, then they tried to follow it up with something different, the network didn't understand it, screwed it over with a bad time-slot.

Two words "Lone Gunmen"!!!!

-Ratboy

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Thursday, February 24, 2005 3:11 AM

EST120

no parallels from me, but i did love futurama when it was on. my FAVORITE exchange from that show:

bender: then i'll catch her cheating on ME! with ME!

fry: way to go! that's thinking like a man.

i LOVED that. it was so funny. also, the episode when fry gets sick from eating the egg salad sandwich he bought in a truck stop restroom that makes him really smart. so funny.

miss that show.

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Thursday, February 24, 2005 3:55 AM

MIKEYMO

Book = Hermes

both are in charge of keeping some set of rules, be they business or religious. and so both are kind of the fuddy-duddies...

how about River = Nibbler?
Both are very smart, speak mostly gibberish, and have some hidden purpose/agenda.

Blue Sun = Mom!

Damn. That's a lot, isn't it? I have to stop writing now, because the Blue Sun/Mom thing just gave me the willies.

"Be ashamed to die before you have scored some victory for humanity." -- Horace Mann

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Thursday, February 24, 2005 3:57 AM

REGINAROADIE

Every time I think of Mom, the first thng that pops into my mind is ...

(sweetly) "Before I die, I'd like to be supreme overlord of the Earth. (Screaming) SO REBEL, MY LITTLE ONES, AND CONQUER THE PLANET!!!!"

"NO HAI ES BANDAI. THERE IS....NO.....BAND. AND YET....WE HEAR A BAND."

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Thursday, February 24, 2005 5:00 AM

REAVERMADNESS

Kewl. Never thought of it like that.

Fox has had some of the greatest shows ever to grace the airwaves... and then they cancelled them.

It's like the people who "buy" the initial pilot/season are a really sharp crew. Then the option to keep it or trash it goes to... well... a bunch of drunken monkeys. Or maybe spies/plants from other stations. Not sure.

That being siad; they also let the monkeys buy a few shows and you can tell which steaming heaps of crap those are from the outset.

And heaven help us if the ones who buy the good stuff get one that the monkeys agree on... because it will be aired waaayyyy past its expiration date.

I mean I loved the Simpsons too... but My God, they aren't even trying anymore... or for that matter the last few years. It should've had a Y2K malfunction.

When I die I want to go peacefully in my sleep like my grandpa. Not screaming and yelling like everyone else in the car he was driving.

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Thursday, February 24, 2005 5:25 AM

CYBERSNARK

I'm laughing at the image of a Jayne & Bender team-up. God help us all.

I loved the musical episode, with the Robot Devil who kept getting the scansion wrong and having to add that one stray syllable. . .

Robot Devil = Niska

Quote:
Originally posted by Rat:
Two words "Lone Gunmen"!!!!

Seconded!

So, where're the correspondences in that?

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Thursday, February 24, 2005 5:39 AM

TOMANTA

My two favorite futurama moments actually come from the last season of the Simpsons :).

One is Matt Groening's first appearance on Simpsons. It's at a convention and a little kid goes "Look, it's Matt Groening, creator of Futurama!" Then a bunch of kids want him to sign their Bender action figures.

The other one is when the 'news' is talking about a cliff commonly used to commit suicide. Someone yells "Why did they cancel Futurama!" and jumps off.

From the show itself, well, see the quote below my name. Also on my list is the episode where Leela gets two eyes: "I'm not good with words which is why I'm in such a delicate conundrum."
=====
I have no parallels, except that the DOOP == Alliance, especially after Zapp's attack on the neutral planet.

"Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government."

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Thursday, February 24, 2005 5:40 AM

REGINAROADIE

I know. I don't even bother watching any of the new episodes, because I know they'll suck. And I know the exact episode when they lost any credibility they ever had. It was the ep where Bart get's the punk racehorse and homer goes to Jockey-Land, or some shit like that. It was that moment, where I said to myself, OK that's it. They have officially run out of ideas.

You know, people here are wishing that FIREFLY lasted longer and all that. But to be honest, while I'm eager to see what happens with the movie, I'm kinda glad that it only lasted for so long. Because I notice the longer your show is on the air, the overall quality of it is stretched out. And sometimes, the quality line snaps, and you end up with crap, like the last five or eight years or so of THE SIMPSONS. But a show like FUTURAMA, which only lasted a quarter of the length of SIMPSONS, is filled to the brim with quality. Every moment is memorable and packed with greatness. It'll never have the stigma of stagnating with age. And the same could be said for FIREFLY. Using a star analogy, the star might've burned out, but the flame was brighter than anything we could imagine.

Another great FUTURAMA line, and probably something Joss might've heard at one point in his life, courtesty of the Robot Devil:

"Your lyric's lack subtlety. You can't just have your characters announce how they feel. That makes me feel angry!!!"

"NO HAI ES BANDAI. THERE IS....NO.....BAND. AND YET....WE HEAR A BAND."

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Thursday, February 24, 2005 7:08 AM

WILDBILL

I'm a big-time Futurama fan and have noticed some similiarities with Firefly.

The first is the common refrain on the audio commentary of "The network doesn't get it".
Then there's the couch in front of the pilot's position that fell into disuse.
A little unsubtitled Chinese.
An evil mega-corporation.
If we learn in Serenity that one of the BDHs is an ex-limbo champion, I'll think something strange is going on.

SERENITY NOW!!

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Thursday, February 24, 2005 8:28 AM

JARED

Quote:
Originally posted by ReaverMadness:
Fox has had some of the greatest shows ever to grace the airwaves... and then they cancelled them.

maybe that's the trick?
"what do you think of it?"
"it's expensive, but it's too good to let another network buy it."
"the usual then?"
"yep, buy it, screw it, cancel it."

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Thursday, February 24, 2005 10:15 AM

SPOOKYJESUS

On the Futurama DVD's for Season 4 (the cool glow in the dark box set) select the last episode on the last disc. (I.E. the last ever spisode)

On the menu screen press the up arrow. The devil's robot hand will appear. Select it and you will discover a table reading of the episode.

Listen closely....... you will hear someone shout "Firefly!", followed by giggles.

That, my friends, says it all.

"See you on some other channel".

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Thursday, February 24, 2005 12:53 PM

ZAPACTIONSDOWER

Futurama was a great show. I stopped watching it near the end because I never knew when it was on. Chalk that up to the brilliant fox execs. Now I have it on dvd and it's easy to appreciate how amazing the show was. The commentaries are great too, it's really interesting to hear how a lot of the writers actaully have PHD's! Watch, or listen, to the commentary on "Bend Her" it's hilarious. I'll leave you with the one of my favorite quotes ever from futurama.

I feel like I was mauled by Jesus

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