Review: "I, Roommate" (Season 1, Episode 3)

Hey, by NYC standards, that's practically a mansion!

Airdate: April 6th, 1999

Synopsis: After living at Planet Express for the past few weeks, the crew tire of Fry's living accommodations, and literally move him out. Fry contemplates moving in with Bender, but Bender's apartment is a tad bit cozy (read, it's two cubic meters). The two go apartment hunting, but their house hunt turns up problems with every place (underwater, postmodern, and worst of all, technically in New Jersey). They eventually do get lucky- Farnsworth's friend has suffered an accident ("To shreds, you say?"), and Bender and Fry get a rent-free apartment. Unfortunately, there's a problem with the TV and Bender's antenna...

Review: We have a far more domestic episode here. We can thank the nutjobs at FOX HQ for that. Confused by the "out-there" sci-fi content (because FOX is known for their quality upmarket programming, like Dads and Allen Gregory), they wanted a more domestic script. Their reaction to this episode? "Worst episode ever." Groening and Cohen rebelled, and decided to do the show their way. Tellingly, this was the first episode to not follow The Simpsons in the schedule- moving to a Tuesday slot instead of Sunday- and was the first sign that FOX had no love for the show.

Was FOX correct in declaring it the "worst episode ever"? Far from it. Still, compared to the past two episodes, this episode is slightly weaker... possibly due to it's domestic plot.

This episode shows Fry finally "settled" into the year 3000- he really doesn't seem like he ever was from the year 2000, in the first place. It's also a glimpse at a problem that Fry seems to have- he's a bit short-sighted, and like everybody else, can be quite insensitive. None of it is intentionally callous- he's just a typical teenager trapped in the body of a 25-year old, a pure Gen-Xer. It certainly takes a while for him to realize his own insensitivity, and he decides to sacrifice his happiness for his friends happiness.

Speaking of which, this is the first episode to centre on Bender. Remember in "Space Pilot 3000", where Bender claimed that he didn't need to drink? That was a lie- robots in Futurama drink to power themselves. (Boring PSA time: you are not robots. Don't drink unless you are a responsible adult of legal age. Not doing so is a stupid idea.) At the same time, we learn that Fry was really the first person to genuinely befriend Bender. Once Fry seems to slight this relationship, Bender loses his sanity, going to insane lengths to preserve their friendship. Unfortunately, the climax of Bender's insanity was predictable.

Still, before you think that Bender's going to be made up of genuine pathos, we get hints of Bender's misanthropy during his dreams. "Kill all humans." Brilliant.

It's probably not the most memorable episode. The plot is somewhat "domestic", the problems with the antenna are a bit off, and the ending, funny as it is, just seems like it's there to provide a quick resolution. Still, even the best shows need a "light" episode, and this one is certainly alright.

Tidbits:

• The apartment hunt is hysterical. Fry, Bender, and Leela's hunt takes them underwater to a leaking apartment, to an apartment that's an outright send-up to the Escher painting Relativity, culminating in what seems to be the lowpoint of their search... an apartment in New Jersey.
• Fry and Bender literally being moved out of Planet Express is also hysterical. What seals it is Hermes telling Fry that they're sending the couch bill to him. Interestingly, due to an animation error, Hermes doesn't move his lips at all while saying this line.
• Bender's apartment number, translated from binary? $.
• All My Circuts is a brilliant send-up of soap operas- the insanity of the plots, the hammy acting, the cheesy dialogue.

Favorite Scene: Let me repeat- the apartment hunt is hysterical.

Least Favorite Scene: Again, the climax of Bender's descent eventually got boring.

Memorable Quote: Two, one practically after the other.

"Did he at least die painlessly? To shreds, you say... well, how's his wife holding up? To shreds, you say?" -Farnsworth, upon hearing that his friend has died.

Also- "Was his apartment rent controlled?"- Leela, upon hearing the news. Competent she may be, but it makes her comment on Fry's insensitivity a bit ironic. Not that it makes her unsympathetic, but it is a hint at future flaws that might show in her character.

Score: 7.5.