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| "Whoopsie-daisy!" |
Synopsis: The Planet Express trio are sent over to the new DOOP HQ in the Neutral Zone - they are to deliver scissors for the ribbon cutting ceremony. While there, however, they come across Zapp Brannigan, who fears Neutrals (yes, there's a planet called the Neutral Planet) because of their lack of stance, and who arrests the crew for carrying scissors, claiming that they're part of "a Neutral plot".
Leela: But they're not even sharp! Who could I possibly hurt with them?
Zapp: The Yarn People of Nylar 4!While interrogating the crew on the Nimbus, Zapp is informed that he is going to miss the ribbon cutting ceremony. Zapp decides to improvise and use the ship's laser... which he cranks up to hyperdrive and fails to turn off, eventually destroying the new HQ. Forced to stand at a court martial in the Old DOOP HQ in Weehawken, Leela's testimony is just enough evidence to convict Brannigan, and he is dishonorably discharged. Before leaving, Zapp gives a mournful speech on the recent developments.
My friends, you can take away a man's title and his uniform, but you can never take away his integrity or his honour. Plus, it was mostly Kif's fault.Kif, thrown under the bus, is now forced to roam the streets of New New York with Zapp. The two wind up at Planet Express, and are employed by Professor Farnsworth. Zapp notices the dissatisfaction that Bender and Fry have with Leela's management skills, and after a particularly awkward delivery, Zapp leads a mutiny against Leela, with the intent to hijack the ship and kamikaze it into Neutropolis, the capital of the Neutral Planet.
Review: The Zapper is back! The three previous episodes that featured the comic genius that is Zapp Brannigan were aided by his presence, but he only really had one prior episode really "focused" on him - "Love's Labours Lost In Space". "A Flight to Remember" was focused on Fry and Leela, and "When Aliens Attack" focused on Fry trying to thwart an alien invasion.
This episode actually focuses on his character, and does so in an awesome manner - but also a manner that makes the character much, much darker.
Back in my review of "Love's Labours Lost In Space", I mentioned that defenders of Captain Kirk viewed him as a bold commander who was a father to his men. This episode has Zapp seem to exhibit those characteristics... but only as a facade to commit a horrific war crime. Zapp is so deluded by the press that the world has given him, that he actually thinks his crew respects him. We saw in "Love's Labours Lost In Space" that those that get to know him - or serve under him - hate his guts.
Once he's disgraced, however, he's really disgraced. Almost nobody will take him for even the lowest of jobs - they see through the facade. It makes you wonder why they even trusted him in the first place. What, was being in power the only prerequisite for trust? Or are the people of Earth just downright stupid? I pick yes.
Being that Farnsworth has no moral code, it makes perfectly good sense that he employs somebody that turned a simple laser-cut into a billion-dollar boondoggle. He knows that any publicity will divert from whatever else the company is doing. Hell, this provides a first look at how poorly the business is run - something elaborated on in future episodes, where the company is on the verge of bankruptcy.
The main focus of this episode, though, is on Leela, and her style of management - and how it contrasted with Zapp's attempts at management. Of this, I am vaguely reminded of the TNG two-parter "Chain of Command" - specifically, the character Captain Edward Jellico, and his actions on the Enterprise.
In that episode, due to a kerfuffle with the Cardassians, Jellico is placed in command to negotiate with said Cardassians. He runs a far tighter, more stern, "cooler" ship than Picard - he micromanages, demands attention when on the ship, put Troi in a Starfleet uniform, removed Picards fish from the Captain's room, and enacted other changes with no readjustment period. Riker called him out on this, calling him arrogant, closed-minded, and so cold that the crew aren't effective in their jobs.
However, as cold as Jellico's administration seemed, he did have some good points. In "Chain of Command", the Enterprise was entering a wartime situation, and, let's face it, Riker acted like something of a jackass to the captain of the flagship in that episode. "Chain of Command" presents a dilemma - is it good to have a purely efficient, albeit cold operation, or one to have a warmer atmosphere, even if some things don't get done perfectly?
This episode sorta takes an inverted view on that idea. Picard was more of a people person compared to Jellico, but not only did he have his moments of coolness (he was not a kids person), but he was genuinely a good captain. Zapp might be a lad's man, one to go have a dinner with, but underneath that is a selfish excuse of a man who would sell his crew down the river, as we saw with his kamikaze attempt on the Neutral Planet.
Likewise, while Leela wasn't as "friendly" as Zapp seemed - running a comparatively Jellico-like operation - she was warmer than Fry and Bender think. Besides, let's face it, Fry and Bender are not people you would want on the Enterprise. They're lazy, somewhat selfish, and frankly, are childish.
Besides, Leela isn't infailable. At the end, she throws her feminist ideals and her reputation under the bus just to get Zapp out of her hair. It was her version of the Kobiyashi Maru. She sticks to her guns, Zapp stays at PlanEx to mess around with the trio one more time. She betrays them, Zapp is thrown away. I'm fairly certain Picard would've found a third way.
There's also the incredible incompetence of the trial scene. Pure luck threw Zapp under the bus - the DOOP were stupid enough to consider letting him back in, cementing their status as a brutal stab against Trek's Federation, or at least the initial concept of it - DOOP is corrupt, opportunistic, and callous to the victims of it's incompetence.
Oh, and Kif... poor, poor Kif. He was already established as a "Spock" to Brannigan's "Kirk", but this episode really showcases just how abusive Zapp is to the poor fella. The fact that Leela's complement of him drives him to tears - yes, tears - is hilariously tragic. If he calls that the "happiest day of his lfie", who knows how long he put up with Zapp's madness. That little scene also does showcase that, stern as Leela is, she is appreciative of efforts that make every delivery work smoother... even before Bender and Fry realise it.
Besides that, it's a fun, fun episode to watch. The comedy is great, the characterization is superb, and West nails it as Brannigan again.
Tidbits:
- This episode contains the first appearance of the Hyper-Chicken, a seemingly Southern lawyer who serves as Futurama's analogue to Lionel Hutz - uh, I mean Miguel Sanchez - uh, I mean Dr Nguyen Van Phuoc.
- Hell, Glab, the judge, had one good reason to throw out the case, or better yet, declare a mistrial. The jury openly admitted that they were biased against Zapp, and they all suffered injuries in the disaster. My legal knowledge might be off, but given that a jury has to be one of peers, yet can't necessarily be biased, the case was already deep in "bad court thingy" territory.
- This episode also features the first appearance of an Amazonian, an alien race that would later get their own episode - the Season 3 Premiere.
Least Favorite Scene: I guess Zapp literally dragging Kif off of the Planet Express Ship - not because it was bad, but because if felt cruel.
Memorable Quote: "If I don't survive, tell my wife... hello." - The Head of the Neutral Planet's Government, upon realizing that the Planet Express Ship is going to crash land in the Capitol.
Score: 8.75.
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