Final thoughts about Futurama

I have always considered Futurama as being the «adult» version of The Simpsons. I mean, sure, Fry is an idiot, and Bender could be qualified as a cheap knock off to Homer Simpson, but what made them seem more real before my eyes was the fact that they often had to face some -somehow real- situations. I mean, you don´t see any character on Springfield struggling to keep their jobs (at least not on the daily basis), or fight to know who they are, or even face the new day in the same way the "people" on Futurama does.

But I think that what impressed me the most as a viewer were those times when they pulled out things like «The Luck of the Fryrish» and «Jurassic Bark». I cannot (and I repeat I CANNOT) get to the end of that last one without crying like a baby... and, in fact, nobody I have ever met can. But I think that as brilliant as those episode are, they pinpoint better than anything else the weak spot of Futurama: although they made several masterpieces, many of the regular episodes were just not as good. Many of them felt like they were there just because they needed to be, rather than because they should.

When the show got cancelled I was not actually surprised, but sad.

But then it made its bright comeback, and I knew just by looking at it that this time it was going to be all good. And all I needed was a single glance to know that it was going to be amazing. I was reluctant at first, but episodes like 31th Century Fox, In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela, and The Tip of the Zoidberg shown better than anything else that this show had returned to the peak of its quality.

For that reason, when I heard that it was cancelled again, that time I couldn't believe it. But deep inside I knew that if they had to let it go, they might as well do it Futurama style. And holy shirt they did it.

I missed the closing special with all the cast, but I watched the final episode sometime after its release, and it was everything I was expecting it to be. I´m not going to spoil anything, but that last episode combined everything you loved about the show in one single master shot: the action, the jokes, the touching moments, and the explosive finale, it was all there. And, while watching it, I was reminded of everything that cartoon had delivered over the years. It was quite a ride.

That last episode went so far away that rather than being touching, its actually haunting... and when the final credits appear on screen for the last time ever, you cannot do anything but think: "This was really good", but not only the episode you just watched, but the entire series.

The first ten seasons of The Simpsons were all great (and arguably, one of the best things that ever happened to TV), but that show has long lost what it made it so special. Futurama in the other hand, stopped right when it should (even when I personally wanted it to be around for many more years), and for that reason, I think it's gonna remain always fresh. Many people is going to appreciate it in the future for its current charm, the same way we do now. And for a cartoon like Futurama, I cannot think of a better ending. 

First published here: http://80scartoons.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6229