[8.1/10] Let’s start with the comedy. Adding a team of intergalactic Harlem Globetrotters is such a glorious, out-of-left field choice for this show. It gives the episode all kinds of ways to make comedy, from the absurdity of a Space Jam-esque basketball challenge, to Bubblegum Tate’s silly expressions, to the piece de resistance that is Bender’s heartfelt desire to become a Globetrotter.
Word is that the basketball challenge came in response to a studio request that the show include more stakes and tension. Naturally, the Futurama writers turned that into great fodder for comedy by having the Globetrotters declare that there’s nothing at stake besides honor, and yet have the usually comical, lighthearted troupe treat everything as deadly serious. There’s also the sheer lunacy and Looney Tunes-like hijinks of having a group of athletic performers known for their comic antics square off against a group of “atomic supermen.”
At the same time, I love Bender’s quest to become a Globetrotter. It’s so adorably pathetic. We normally see Bender as the character who doesn't care about anything, so him having his heart set on such a nonsense goal has an inherent humor to it. His homemade outfit, agreement to hold a bake sale for the globetrotter wives, and reluctant acceptance that even with time, his funk levels will not improve enough to pass muster, are all just delightful.
But I also love the comedy that comes from the titular time skips. The show uses the famed “Gilligan cut” to great effect here. There’s a comic move I like to call the “Simpsons Swerve” where one character will make a declaration and then have it immediately contradicted in some amusing way, and this episode uses that approach with gusto. Everything from Zoidberg’s lonely birthday party, to resentful teenagers turning into senior citizens demanding free money, to Prof. Farnsworth’s amusing “off you go, apparently” line makes great hay from that wild sci-fi premise.
The show also uses it for drama though, in multiple senses of the term. On the one hand, for all the jokes about the basketball game having nothing at stake, this episode uses the chronoton extraction as a situation where the entire fabric of the universe hangs in the balance. It’s a neat problem for our heroes to have to solve, and makes things tricky for everyone.
But it also adds romantic drama to the proceedings. I’ll admit, Fry’s advances play a little differently today than they did when the episode aired. There’s a pestering quality that feels a touch more uncomfortable. The other side of the coin is that we know Fry, we know that he can be sweet, and his intentions are good. And most of the fans, I think, agree with Fry that there’s something there between him and Leela, which makes it easier to forgive and root for him here.
The show makes great use of the mystery of what Fry did to show Leela the depth of his feelings for her. The time jump between her declaring that they’ll never be a couple to their marriage is a nice conceit for how a shortcut like that could seem plausible. It’s a great example of the series using one of its off-the-wall sci-fi premises to spur the plot, get great laughs, and also find some cool interpersonal moments.
None of those can top the ending though. There’s something so profoundly melancholy about Fry seeing his message in the stars, watching it blow-up, and then decide that the better part of valor is not to try to tell Leela about it. It’s a sign of decency and maturity from the poor, orange-haired lothario, and him learning to pilot the ship is a nice way to dramatize his efforts to be more mature and reliable in a way that could make him a better partner. But it also makes that closing moment so full of pathos, particularly with the saddest whistle of “Sweet Georgia Brown” you’ve ever heard and Bender’s own failed dream hanging in the air.
That’s what I love about this show. “Time Keeps on Slipping” is a laugh riot. Each gag, from the Globetrotter silliness to the time skip fun, is superb. Even when it’s not being funny or wild with science fiction abandon though, Futurama still proves a resounding success when it touches on some real human emotion at the core of all that insanity. Fry’s broken heart, but him also growing enough to not want to try to revive it after what he said to Leela, makes it a truly moving, if saddening moment. Who knew that this crazy space-bound cartoon show could conjure feelings so deep.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-02-12T23:17:18Z
[8.1/10] Let’s start with the comedy. Adding a team of intergalactic Harlem Globetrotters is such a glorious, out-of-left field choice for this show. It gives the episode all kinds of ways to make comedy, from the absurdity of a Space Jam-esque basketball challenge, to Bubblegum Tate’s silly expressions, to the piece de resistance that is Bender’s heartfelt desire to become a Globetrotter.
Word is that the basketball challenge came in response to a studio request that the show include more stakes and tension. Naturally, the Futurama writers turned that into great fodder for comedy by having the Globetrotters declare that there’s nothing at stake besides honor, and yet have the usually comical, lighthearted troupe treat everything as deadly serious. There’s also the sheer lunacy and Looney Tunes-like hijinks of having a group of athletic performers known for their comic antics square off against a group of “atomic supermen.”
At the same time, I love Bender’s quest to become a Globetrotter. It’s so adorably pathetic. We normally see Bender as the character who doesn't care about anything, so him having his heart set on such a nonsense goal has an inherent humor to it. His homemade outfit, agreement to hold a bake sale for the globetrotter wives, and reluctant acceptance that even with time, his funk levels will not improve enough to pass muster, are all just delightful.
But I also love the comedy that comes from the titular time skips. The show uses the famed “Gilligan cut” to great effect here. There’s a comic move I like to call the “Simpsons Swerve” where one character will make a declaration and then have it immediately contradicted in some amusing way, and this episode uses that approach with gusto. Everything from Zoidberg’s lonely birthday party, to resentful teenagers turning into senior citizens demanding free money, to Prof. Farnsworth’s amusing “off you go, apparently” line makes great hay from that wild sci-fi premise.
The show also uses it for drama though, in multiple senses of the term. On the one hand, for all the jokes about the basketball game having nothing at stake, this episode uses the chronoton extraction as a situation where the entire fabric of the universe hangs in the balance. It’s a neat problem for our heroes to have to solve, and makes things tricky for everyone.
But it also adds romantic drama to the proceedings. I’ll admit, Fry’s advances play a little differently today than they did when the episode aired. There’s a pestering quality that feels a touch more uncomfortable. The other side of the coin is that we know Fry, we know that he can be sweet, and his intentions are good. And most of the fans, I think, agree with Fry that there’s something there between him and Leela, which makes it easier to forgive and root for him here.
The show makes great use of the mystery of what Fry did to show Leela the depth of his feelings for her. The time jump between her declaring that they’ll never be a couple to their marriage is a nice conceit for how a shortcut like that could seem plausible. It’s a great example of the series using one of its off-the-wall sci-fi premises to spur the plot, get great laughs, and also find some cool interpersonal moments.
None of those can top the ending though. There’s something so profoundly melancholy about Fry seeing his message in the stars, watching it blow-up, and then decide that the better part of valor is not to try to tell Leela about it. It’s a sign of decency and maturity from the poor, orange-haired lothario, and him learning to pilot the ship is a nice way to dramatize his efforts to be more mature and reliable in a way that could make him a better partner. But it also makes that closing moment so full of pathos, particularly with the saddest whistle of “Sweet Georgia Brown” you’ve ever heard and Bender’s own failed dream hanging in the air.
That’s what I love about this show. “Time Keeps on Slipping” is a laugh riot. Each gag, from the Globetrotter silliness to the time skip fun, is superb. Even when it’s not being funny or wild with science fiction abandon though, Futurama still proves a resounding success when it touches on some real human emotion at the core of all that insanity. Fry’s broken heart, but him also growing enough to not want to try to revive it after what he said to Leela, makes it a truly moving, if saddening moment. Who knew that this crazy space-bound cartoon show could conjure feelings so deep.