Talking Futurama - The Birdbot of Ice-Catraz

I always interpreted "That's what life would be like if I invented the fing-longer" to mean Farnsworth had the idea first but then someone else ended up making it when he didn't

I don't know who originally injected the idea that Idiocracy is a eugenicist film into the Bread/Rose-o-sphere (Bread Tube and Rose Twitter), but they got it wrong! Undeniably there is an unfortunate plot devise of stupid people out-breeding smart people to create the dystopia in which our contemporary, literal average Joe can become the smartest man in the world, but that's all it is: a plot devise. This is Mike Judge, after all. The center of his moral universe is Hank Hill, not Bill Maher nor Andrew Sullivan. He's not any more a fan of egg heads or smug liberal ass hats than he is of the so called “bread and circuses” types. The future portrayed in Idiocracy has every problem of life in 2005 and today: the environment in a slow motion crisis, incompetent government where personality trumps (sorry, really no pun in tended at all) substance and outcomes, corporatism in place of democracy, and a populace all too often mollified by consumerism or distracted by culture war. The only difference is one of degree. We’re not meant to identify with the frigid NPR “intelligensia” who only appear in the opening exposition, nor is there a call to uteri for the Mensans to save us reproductively. We’re meant to see ourselves and our world in just as dire straits as theirs. Judge’s hero, as always, is common sense delivered by the common man. Owen Wilson’s Joe is neither an elite in his time nor much smarter than the people of the future. One of the last jokes of the film is a reminder that he credulously believed they had a working time machine which Dak Shepard’s character points out is awfully naive. His only advantage is having some common sense. Mike Judge was also no more a prophet than the Simpsons writers. Many (liberals) have pointed out the similarity between President Comacho and Trump and he has certainly invited comparisons, but Comacho was conceived after Jesse Venture and the Govenator, and I think more inspired by those two. Even with the unfortunate plot devise of the intro, Judge outright rejects the fatalism of eugenics and the solutions to the “problem” offered by the likes of Charles Murray/Tucker Carlson/Laura Southern. Although dystopian, at no point is it suggested that the people of the future don’t have lives worth saving, nor that they can’t improve their world and themselves. The call to action is to reject the corporatism and cults of personality that exploit us, as well as instant gratification and endless pleasure seeking. The world isn’t saved by wiping out stupidity, but by restoring integrity. It’s not a perfect message. In fact, spelling it out it sounds very Jordan Peterson-esque. Still, it seems more a comment on the disenchantment about the supposed end history than it serves as a dire warning of things to come. Also, I'm pretty sure the Star Trek episode they were struggling to come up with on the commentary is the TOS ep "The Tholian Web." It's about a race of ruby monsters who ensnare the Enterprise in a geodesic energy field. Infamously, there are several shots where it's clear that Kirk could easily escape his predicament if only he'd fly the ship over or under the field as it is constructed, yet a solution is not reached until well after the ship is encased.

Ron Sterling

You mofos are gonna have to cover Drawn Together some time because you keep mentioning it so much. ADMIT IT. (Actually the show is shockingly well-produced for what it is.)

Thad Komorowski

PETA is animal hospice - people need to understand this. it's the last stop on the line for the unadoptable.

mavrick

I grew up in New Hampshire around a lot of hunting and there is definitely a surplus of somewhat bad faith conservation in that circle. I don't see it much with wetlands, but definitely with deer where you have a lot of people making arguments for letting hunters into areas they're normally not permitted or allowing them to shoot more deer than usual in the name of managing the herd. And there is certainly some truth to the situation where in Southern NH it was more rural just 20 years ago, but now is loaded with people fleeing Massachusetts due to the high cost of living and the deer population is forced into a much smaller area, car collisions are more common, and Lyme disease is exploding. At the same time though, 99% of the people making the argument for additional "herd management" just want to kill deer. It becomes hard not to roll one's eyes when faced with such arguments. I do think it wasn't the best idea to make the conservationists hunters in this one, because it does start to feel like a case of South Park both-sidesism. My take-away is that the writing staff is pretty left leaning, but also cynical and they hate it when they're trapped in their air-conditioned cars longer than necessary because some protest is slowing traffic. At least, like the Problem with Popplers, this is a pretty entertaining episode with some great jokes and gags.

Joe Hodgson

I think "dueling Professors" is my fav moment in any commentary ever

nina matsumoto

I get as people who want information and details not liking this commentary, but I think Futurama had plenty a joyful bit can take over some of them. I got my brother into commentaries because of this one specifically too.

Mark Lee Marcheschi

Missed opportunity for a Tik-Toking Simpsons brand synergy portmanteau.

Lockerus

Quick note: Wave hands (as I was taught it) as a replacement for clapping is primarily for the hard of hearing and deaf. Waving hands IS clapping in ASL.

Ryan Oliver

That gag with the ship going up and over the ring of protestors is still one of my favourites, such a clever way to use real science to joke about the old "space is a 2D plain" trope in SF.

Harry Thornton

Best thing about Night Shifts in the UK? First dibs on Talking Futurama

Camille Walters