Stars (voices): Billy West, Katey Sagal, John Di Maggio, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche
Writer: Josh Weinstein
Director: Stephen Sandova
Network: Comedy Central, airs Thursdays @ 10 PM
Original Telecast: August 4, 2011
In “Mobius Dick,” the FUTURAMA gang blandly pays homage to the big three of seafaring classics as the crew goes on a mission that incorporates JAWS, MOBY DICK, the biblical Jonah story and a bit of inter-dimensional rocketeering.
Our story starts out as Farnsworth (voiced by Billy West) intends to have the family of his first crew at a memorial service to commemorate their first mission in which they were all lost except for Zoidberg (also Billy West). The Planet Express crew is told to retrieve a statue for the ceremony. However, running short on time, they decide to shortcut through the “Bermuda Tetrahedron.” There they are attacked by a Fourth Dimensional Space Whale and Leela’s Melvillian obsession with the white beast ensues. In a thought-provoking twist, she realizes that her obsession is the whale. Contrary to the more common ending of the story, she harnesses her obsession to control the whale and bring everyone back to safety.
It’s all slightly above average. It’s an easy plot to adjust to the future and the crazy “captain of the ship” character is a slam dunk. There is more that could have been done from a comedic standpoint to stretch the story. Certainly, Leela (voiced by Katey Sagal) coming to her senses in the end and triumphing over the physical manifestation of her own obsession was a nice twist; kind of didn’t see that coming (again this week has a moral to the story).
The interpretation of the fourth dimension’s characteristics is interesting, but from an animation standpoint, there could be more creativity. Maybe the episode would have worked better if it were longer. This leads us to think how hard it must be for the writers to “futurize” the MOBY DICK story and inject a few other maritime references in 22 minutes. That’s a mild accomplishment. There are some physics lessons in here as well somewhere, but it’s not that funny – which is what we really tune in to see.
After the Revolutionary War tribute last week and this fifth-grade required reading plotline, it makes us wonder if there is just a lack of interest in the characters’ interaction with each other – or is it just easier to insert characters and adjust dialogue from an old classic? If Bender turns into Frankenstein next week, we will have our answer.
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Click on Link: Exclusive Interview with David X. Cohen on the future of FUTURAMA – Part 2
Click on Link: Exclusive Interview with David X. Cohen on Season 6B of FUTURAMA – Part 1
Click on link: AX’s review of FUTURAMA – Season 6B – “All The Presidents’ Heads”
Click on link: AX’s review of FUTURAMA – Season 6B – “Yo Leela Leela”
Click on link: AX’s review of FUTURAMA – Season 6B – “Silence of the Clamps”
Click on link: AX’s review of FUTURAMA – Season 6B – “Law & Oracle”
Click on link: AX’s review of FUTURAMA – Season 6B – “Ghost in the Machines”
Click on link: AX’s review of FUTURAMA – Season 6B premiere – “Benderama”
Click on link: AX’s review of FUTURAMA – Season 6B premiere – “Neutopia”
Click on link: AX’s review of THE FUTURAMA HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR
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Article: Futurama review – “Mobius Dick”
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