classicswim | [Beauty and The Bug]

Two jokes I chuckled at, and within close proximity.

1.) Hermes using his limbo skills only to get crushed. Was one of the most predictable things you could’ve thrown at me, but the execution on that was still fairly good. A loud yelp would’ve enhanced it.

2.) The slot gag. It being as stupid as it was made it funny. Then they had to ruin the already fine joke by doing a nonsensical callback near the end. Instead of just making another joke. Futurama of all shows today just can’t let sleeping dogs lie.

Can’t really argue with a LaMarche announcer either. Not saying I pissed myself or anything, but Maurice was clearly doing all the heavy lifting.

I saw Matador Bender and was worried there’d be more thinly veiled gimmick bullshit to sit through. Which, yeah. Pretty much that. Plus an overall story that I guess you can follow on Buggalo’s sentience/intelligence.

Marquita’s extended name gag was unbelievably corny. Can’t believe that was a “joke” Futurama felt obligated to repeat over and over when it was on the dire negative of ever being funny the first time. This show has a half-wit’s interpretation of what even makes my culture funny.

I’m a little more indifferent to Bender’s specific portrayal in the episode than I was expecting.

By all accounts, the ending of the episode got his character right. But there’s plenty of the same old drowning bits throughout that remind you of just how tiring they made his schtick.

Bender went from being one of television’s greatly written assholes - - to a shameless, fanservicy catchphrase machine.

Neo Ultra Mike, knuckle-dragging fucking moron, and burden to society: DUHUHHHH DAE SHOW ALWAYYYYS POKE FONN AT DIS. I EAT Crayons on both ends. DUHHHHH!

Why, yes! Thank you, fucking inbred waste!

”Bender Should Not be Allowed on TV” as an episode was satirizing all things Bender naturally became. The true failing was the staff later not recognizing what made Bender work, why that previous commentary was useful to the show’s core; and what a shame it is to water down what some see as your bread and butter.

Today’s Bender isn’t burning down huts with a flamethrower, or kidnapping koalas with the head of Mike Francesa. Today’s Bender can only emptily repeat to the audience that he’s great for the jillionth time, and also make sure you’ve heard those same catchphrases, again... for as long as they’re not cancelled. Again.

Bender being so sappy in this episode was pointless. You know right away he wants to bang Marquita, so why write scenes where he’s pretending to not know what feelings are?

He’s very famously celebrated in previous episodes that he has no feelings or remorse. The episode clearly tells you from the start that his motives are still relatively selfish, so what’s with all the pussyfooting to conjure up a barely reverent romance story?

Nobody needs Bender to be faux likable if he can just be naturally funny. Even when giving Bender a flame, it shouldn’t be that hard to not get lost in the weeds like they did here.

The show likes repeating to you like you’re five years old that Bender’s narcissistic and egotistical and yet they can’t fully go the way. Presumably because they think Futurama has to always follow ordinary sitcom cues instead of being Futurama.