Review: "The Cryonic Woman" (Season 2, Episode 19)

"Welcome... to the world of tomorrow!"

Airdate: December 3rd, 2000

Synopsis: Bender and Fry's antics go too far, resulting in the trio's dismissal (Leela left the keys in the ship's ignition, and caused Bender and Fry to steal the ship... with the building and the rest of the crew in tow.) Jobless, Bender and Fry wind up at the cryogenics center. There, the duo unfreeze a motley crew of people, such as Pauly Shore and Fry's ex-girlfriend, Michelle. The latter gets back together with Fry, only to realize that the 31st century is a bit disturbing.

Review: "The Cryonic Woman", in theory, should be pretty good, given that it revolves around a character unseen since the very start of the show. Oh, and it's also the finale of Season 2. The idea was good, actually, but unfortunately, the execution of the episode is somewhat lacking - in fact, I'd even call it the worst episode so far.

Michelle has a minor claim to fame as the very last person that Fry conversed with in the year 1999. She was in a taxi, passing by Fry as he was on a delivery. How did she respond? "It's not working out, Fry. I put your stuff out on the sidewalk!" Said as a dude had his arm around her shoulder, implying that she was cheating on the idiot. Not the most sympathetic character introduction, right?

In fact, a scene in the first act of this episode seems to confirm that Michelle was cheating on Fry before that fateful night. So, yeah, even before she's introduced, she's already on a list of least likable characters in Futurama. (Even Zapp Brannigan is hilariously callous.) Making her sympathetic would be quite a task.

The writers, though, didn't do too much to actually make the character sympathetic. Sure, her husband kissed another woman at her graduation, although it feels more like karma coming back to bite her in the end. However, even besides that, there's nothing too interesting about her character. Her reason for coming to the future? In a post-divorce (presumably her marriage is over) depression, she jumps to the conclusion to reunite with Fry. And once with Fry, she manipulates him into abandoning his friends. She comes off as irritating, possessive, and quite a bit selfish.

The thing is, she doesn't have the nuances or comedy that make characters like Bender, Zapp, or Mom brilliant. And while I don't hate Sarah Silverman's performance, it's not strong enough to carry the character. Thus, the resulting interactions are not too interesting. It's color by numbers - Michelle hates the future, wants Fry to abandon everything, and the relationship collapses in act III.

In fact, that's another problem that this episode has - the plot is very disjointed. In fact, it's probably the most disconnected Futurama plot of the original run. The first act has Fry and Bender take up a new job. The second act revolves around Michelle adjusting to the 31st Century. The third? Fry has to save himself from what seems like a Lord of the Flies-esque scenario (in my opinion, a scenario handled better in "Das Bus".)

Now that I've complained about this episode, I will give it a few things. For one, I did like how, with the trio gone, not only did Zoidberg become popular, but the Planet Express Crew went to planets of an almost saccharine nature.

That, and I did realize something about how Michelle and Fry were reunited.

As stated in the first few minutes of the episode, it was at the Cryogenics Center that Leela and Fry first met. Their relationship started out antagonistic, grew to a coworkers and/or boss/employee style, and the two are now close friends, with recent events trending towards romantic sentiment on both of their ends. Michelle and Fry become enamored with each other instantly, but when put through rough elements, the two of them fall apart.

The lesson here? Don't think it's meant to be after a very brief time. In fact, maybe love at first sight doesn't really exist... or does it?

Well, maybe not in this case.

Either way, it's still a comparatively weak episode. Subpar character combine with less brilliant comedy for a disappointing end to my almost ten month analysis of Season 2.

Tidbits:

• I could make an argument that this episode was produced in case the show didn't get renewed past season 2. Not only does it bring back a character and a plot device from the pilot, but it also ends in a very open-ended matter, with Fry still fired from Planet Express. I know that, for most animated shows from this era, status quo was god, but it's still somewhat interesting. Should my theory be correct, this would mean that only Seasons 1 and 3 got finales that were not safeguards in case the show got cancelled.
• Worth noting that, when Bender "borrows" an arm and it has it's computer chip scanned, the Netflix edit has "Chainsaw Juggler". Much like "Space Pilot 3000", this is actually edited due to real-world events. In the original broadcast and in early syndication, the chip read "Prime Minister of Norway". Thing is, in 2011, a hard-right terrorist tried to blow up PM Stoltenberg, killed several at the Prime Minister's Office (although Stoltenberg wasn't at the offices), and went to a Labour Party youth summer camp where he shot dead 69 people. Yeah, I can see why joking about dismembering the Premier of Norway could be seen as in poor taste.
• Before you ask, no, I don't know why Kath Soucie didn't come back. Maybe they felt that Silverman fit Michelle's character better, but still.

Favorite Scene and Memorable Quote: I was amused by Bender and Fry's trip around the world. I also love how, despite being in the 31st Century with this new technology, how does Fry respond to Bender steering the Planet Express Ship with his backside?

"That's the best thing I ever saw"

Least Favorite Scene: Not necessarily a scene, but Michelle is unlikeable enough to drag down the episode as a whole. But the second act, where the entire future disturbs her, seemed like a joke on repeat.

Score: 5.5.