I’m a huge Simpsons fan, so it’s only natural that I’m drawn to Groening’s Futurama as well, and the second set of DVDs is as good, if not better, than the first.
I think the writers, having gotten the first season under their collective belt, feel a little more comfortable in the show’s skin and really let loose with some outstanding laugh-out-loud stuff.
Episodes include:
“I Second that Emotion” (Bender and his ‘shiny metal ass’ learn, OK, are forced, to feel.)
“Brannigan Begin Again” (Oh how I wish Phil Hartman were around to voice the Shatneresque Brannigan!)
“A Head in the Polls” (Again with the Nixon bashing!)
“Xmas Story” (John Goodman stars as killer robot Claus.)
“Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?” (A look at the sci-fi “I must return to my planet to mate” staple.)
“The Lesser of Two Evils” (Bender’s evil twin sports a nifty goatee.)
“Put Your Head on My Shoulders” (Amy and Fry share Amy’s body in more ways than one.)
“Raging Bender” (Favorite line from Professional Robot Fighting League bad guy, The Foreigner – “I’m not from here! I have my own customs! Look at my crazy passport!”)
“A Bicyclops Built for Two” (Shape shifting romance in bloom!)
“A Clone of My Own” (The professor produces his clone Cubert.)
“How Hermes Requisitioned His Groove Back” (Love the naughty neat freak replacement for Hermes! “You dirty, DIRTY boy!”)
“The Deep South” (Fry falls for a mermaid. Kind of a weak episode.)
“Bender Gets Made” (Bender joins the mafia. It was only a matter of time.)
“Mother’s Day” (The professor’s only hope of saving mankind is getting it on with Mom.)
“The Problem with Popplers” (A great takeoff on Tribbles.)
“Anthology of Interest” (My favorite episode on the set! Brilliant stuff from beginning to end!)
“War Is the H-Word” (Brannigan – “You’ll be negotiating with the aliens’ mysterious leaders: The Brain Balls. They got a lot of brains and they got a lot of chutzpah.”)
“The Honking” (HONK HONK!)
“The Cryonic Woman” (Fry gets back with his old girlfriend and doesn’t “regret this. But I both rue and lament it.”)
Why Fox never gave this show a better slot (every week the damn NFL ran long) is beyond me. Anyway, if you’re looking for some really smart/naughty cartoon fun, give Futurama: Volume 2 a place in your Netflix queue.
