were whalers on the moon, we carry a harpoon, but there aint no whales, so we tell tall tales and sing our whaling tune!
[8.5/10] I am always so impressed that Futurama managed to put out one of its best episodes in only its second at bat. The show would definitely hit higher heights than this, but at the same time, you can see the seeds of what made the show great here. There’s knee-slapping humor, imaginative and outlandish scenarios, pop culture spoofs, but also the touch of heart.
That mostly comes down to Fry and Leela here. The show doesn’t overdo it, but there’s a contrast between Leela attempting to be a professional and just treat this visit to the moon as the business trip that it is and Fry, on the other hand, wanting to revel in his childlike excitement over visiting a place he always wanted to go and never thought he’d see. Much of that’s used for comedy, but it provides a character-motivated undercurrent for everything that happens. They don’t go overboard with it, thankfully, but it still gives a shape to the comedy and to the conflicts.
Then, in the final act, it allows them to do some really great but understated dramatic work. Leela rains on Fry’s parade. Fry gives in and admits he’s being foolish, only for Leela to then see the beauty of the moon through his eyes, and vindicate his youthful exuberance for something she considered a “dead rock.” It speaks to Fry’s endearing qualities, a certain innocence to him and an excitement about the possibilities of the future that put things in a different light for the people who take all this stuff for granted. He sees the moon like we do, and it adds a beauty and wonder to the zany setups of the series.
It’s also just damn funny. There’s so many quotable bits in this one, from Bender’s “with blackjack and hookers” running gag, to the whalers on the moon song, to “My mother was a saint!” The show manages to wring humor from the introduction of the secondary characters -- Hermes, Zoidberg, and Amy -- and the way they interact with the main trio. There’s even some amusing Dukes of Hazzard-style shtick, made all the more ridiculous for being centered on a “The Moon Shall Rise Again” family replete with robot daughters like The Crushinator.
You also get some brilliant Disney-spoofing humor. I’m a particular fan of the climax of the whalers on the moon, the goofy gophers, and the references to a “fungineering degree.” It’s a nice vehicle (no pun intended) to poke fun at the way Disney parks take real things and softens and commoditizes them until they’re easily consumable and smiley apart from anything real.
There’s even a tightly-written little bit about Amy’s adventures with the claw machine. The show comes up with an amusingly plausible excuse for her losing the keys to the ship, and finds some clever setups and payoffs for how her newly developed claw-machine skills make her just the person to save the main trio when the time comes. It’s funny and sharp.
Overall, this is such a winner on only the show’s second time out. It’s really impressive what they’re able to pull off this early in the show’s run.
Satirical and also Méliès' references. Beautiful.
Shout by DeletedBlockedParentSpoilers2017-10-09T06:27:01Z
Great episode! As I watched it I got a deeper meaning, and bigger picture. Basically, things today that we see, won’t be as big as how others see them in the future due to all the upgrades, and inventions. Just like in the show, Fry was so thrilled to get to go to the Moon, as for the others it was just another trip to an amusement park. It was also interesting to see how they didn’t even know the real story of how man first came across the Moon. Overall, another great episode mixed with humor and a deep meaning. Loved the ending when Fry spilled his real feelings on why he feels the way he does for the Moon.