Futurama: A Happy Ending for Zoidberg

Perhaps because I was not an avid watcher of Futurama in its early seasons, I was unaware that Zoidberg smelled horribly. It doesn't seem to come up around the Planet Express crew, though perhaps they are pretty accustomed to it by now. Bender having a new little pal was actually more interesting, I thought, as Fry will eventually spend more time with Leela than a robot (one would hope). The jokes about reality competition shows fell flat, at least to those like me who gave up on the likes of American Idol and America's Got Talent a decade ago. The hype to the mega-finale (it's not the first finale, but it sure will be the last) has been ridiculous, and there is almost no way that the episode could live up to it, so prepare to be disappointed.

Futurama "Stench and Stenchability" (S07E25): Apparently, Zoidberg has had a long-distance girlfriend for four years, though they have never met. She finally comes to New New York, and although he cleaned up his place for her, his "personal musk" grosses her out immediately, and that ends things abruptly. [awww. it sucks to have someone write you off as soon as you meet. I had a semi-blind date that way when I was 14 and it was horrible.] He goes to return the flowers he bought for her, and winds up impressing the florist when he scares off a mugger.

photo credit: Futurama TM and © 2013 Twentieth
Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

They hit it off, as she has no sense of smell. [boo! a dig at New Jersey! I already dealt with that this week!] The Professor suggests a nose transplant, which Zoidberg could perform on Mary Ann, but it seems to be a conflict of interest. As time goes on, he realizes how much she would like to have her fifth sense, so he mentions the surgery. She is elated at the prospect, so when a donor nose is found after a fencing accident, she goes under his knife. [Amy as the nurse was odd.] When she awakens, Mary Ann finds Zoidberg's stench appealing and the scent of flowers disgusting, so not only does the relationship have promise, but she goes from being a florist to a garbage collector. [I guess it's nice to have the series wrap up on "happily ever after" notes...]

The B-story begins when Bender helps clean Zoidberg's dumpster with a bug bomb. The critters just run out and get on him, forcing him to shake every which way, then stomp them to death. [the bugs seriously grossed me out.] Bender is invited to take part in a tap dance contest, where one of each of the five contestants will be eliminated each week. Of course, it comes down to Bender and a Tanya, a six-year-old with a heart condition. The evil robot plans to put rusty tacks in Tanya's shoes, but she clubs him in the knee first. [whoa! kindred spirit out of nowhere!] He asks Zoidberg to fix it, but he's too busy, so Bender just uses tape. A simultaneous head-to-head tap-off is planned for the final round, and after Bender's leg comes flying off, he taps with his hands. [meh. a bit too gimmicky.] After Tonya wins, she has a hear attack and dies on the stage. [those sappy children words were about to make my teeth rot!] Bender dances on top of her in vengeance, but that actually starts her heart beating again. [hahaha.] It works out well, though, as they devise a scheme to mug people together!