Review: "The Series Has Landed" (Season 1, Episode 2)

Thankfully, there's no dancing to the Vengaboys.

Airdate: April 4th, 1999.

Synopsis: Fry, Leela, and Bender are introduced to the inner workings of Planet Express. After previewing a commercial that will air during the Super Bowl ("Not on the same channel, of course"), they meet the rest of the crew- John Zoidberg, the quirky doctor; Hermes Conrad, the straight-laced bureaucrat; and Amy Wong, the slightly flighty intern.

With Leela chosen as the captain of the ship, the new crew are given their first job- deliver a package to the Moon. While Fry is initially excited to go to the moon, he realizes that the place has become a cheap-o tourist trap akin to Disney Land... and they can't even do that right. Aggravated, he drags Leela out into the "real" moon... and his antics almost kill them, forcing them to work for a "moon farmer" to get some oxygen.

Review: As mentioned in my "Space Pilot 3000" review, Futurama's view of the future is very dystopian. However, it goes about this in a unique way. Unlike Blade Runner, which did a straight-up dystopia, Futurama did so via pretty much taking our society, adding a few spaceships and aliens, and poof! Dystopia. It's done in such a subtle manner that the average viewer probably won't notice.


The moon? This place where, in the 60s, America celebrated as this final frontier, where we would land a man as the greatest scientific achievement, and thus, the reason that capitalism was superior? In the Futurama universe, by the year 3000, it's a theme park. Not a good one, at that. The "fungineers", a send up of Disney's "imagineers", are totally incompetent at the "educational" aspect of their job... I hope.

It's here where Fry, in going to the moon, gets his first pure dose of culture shock. What seemed incredible to him is almost passé to his friends. You understand his actions, while impulsive and insane, are just pent-up frustration from the utter facade the moon was made into. The real moon is indeed relatively uncharted territory- only working for a farmer on the moon- but it has something of a natural beauty.

The entirety of Luna Park is a brilliant send-up to the rapid commercialisation of tourist areas, often at the expense of challenge. It's soulless, vapid, and corporate... just like the Disney company circa 1999. (Nice job, Michael Eisner!)

Beyond the send-ups, though, this is a great episode for character development. We get to see the dynamic of the Planet Express crew for the first time, and it is brilliant. Through her no-nonsense, yet pragmatic, response to Fry and Bender's complaints, Leela gives off a Captain Picard vibe to me- both are pragmatic, act like parental figures to their crew. Granted, Picard is the leader of the flagship of Starfleet, and Leela is a delivery vehicle driver. Still, I got the vibe- sorta like Fry, Bender, and Amy were the "children" of the crew.

Bender is fully established in this episode. While "Space Pilot 3000" showed the start of his rowdy behaviour, it's here where he really shines. He pulls a trick to commit theft, throws Amy under the bus when it comes to retrieving the keys to the ship, and when captured and thrown out, angrily declares the place a wasteland because it isn't the sleazy centre of depravity that caters to him. However, through an accident with the magnets, we get a sense of pathos- one that involves folk songs. It will come back in season 3, in "Bendin in the Wind".

This episode also serves to introduce us to the rest of the Planet Express Crew. Amy gets the most screentime- establishing a kind character, albeit one somewhat lacking in common sense. Strangely enough, her klutziness probably makes her the most relatable character in the episode. Zoidberg and Hermes only get a few seconds of screentime, yet we see how they interact- Hermes follows the bureaucracy to the point of absurdity, and Zoidberg has no knowledge of human medicine. Every one of these introductions is done beautifully- no exposition needed.

Amazingly, the show is still far from reaching it's heights. With what we have here, I doubt it will be long before we get some really brilliant episodes.

Tidbits:

• The Goofy Gopher Review is not only a send-up of the Country Bear Jamboree, but is also sponsored by Monsanto, a bio-engeneering corporation that is nowadays pointed to by the American centre-left as the reason why capitalism has failed in it's current state. I didn't grow up in the 90s, so I'm just wondering- was Monsanto as infamous in the 90s as it is today?
• While Farnsworth is still a bit off from his later persona, you already start to see how mad he is by the advertising alone. "Our crew is replaceable! Your package isn't!"
• This was the first episode written by Ken Keeler. Fans often rank him as the best writer in the history of the show. Want proof? He was nominated for an Annie for this episode.

Favorite Scene: So many to choose from. I think it's gotta be practically everything at Luna Park, though.

Least Favorite Scene: While our main trio are escaping the dark of the Moon, we get a cut to Farnsworth, who won't act because he's "already in his pyjamas." It's unnecessary, and only served to show a catchphrase that would be abandoned after this episode.

Memorable Quote: "That's the woman who programmed me for evil!" -Bender, after being caught trying to pull the ship's keys out from the Claw Game. Most point to the aftermath (the one where, after being thrown out of Luna Park, he announces his intent to start a sleazier rival) as the most memorable, but that quote, the one where he throws Amy under the bus, really shows the brilliant egocentrism of his character.

Score: 8.5.