Review: "Where the Buggalo Roam" (Season 3, Episode 10)

Kif: "I'll get your cattle back, or die trying!

Leo: "Hey, we can't lose!" 

Airdate: March 3rd, 2002. (Yeah, at this point, FOX didn't give a damn when the episodes aired.)
Written By: J. Stewart Burns.
Plot: Amy, Kif, and the PlanEx crew take a trip to the western-esque Wong Ranch on Mars. The owners, Leo and Inez, callously suggest that Amy dump Kif for a macho cowboy, as well as bragging about buying the land from the native Martians. During the barbeque, a dust storm comes over and takes the Wong's main source of income - the buggalo.

Review:

Turning a minor joke into a recurring plot thread has become a characteristic of sci-fi comedy/dramas. For example, Amy's parents chucking Kif with Amy at the end of "A Flight to Remember". Last time we left Kif, he finally got the guts to confess his love to Amy - this being spurred on by a combination of Zapp's embarrassment, as well as learning that he was going to be raped to death by Amazonians. (No other way to put it.)

"Where the Buggalo Roam" follows up on that. From a tribal planet in "Amazon Women in the Mood", we now go to a pastiche of the wild, wild west.

On Mars.

Ah, the American West. A place that fused with the idea of "Manifest Destiny" to create a place of freedom - a new American culture. A place where men were free to be men, where duels were the norm, where drinking in ye old saloon was paramount, and one of the great bastions of cattle-rounding, gold-finding, and wealth accumulating.

At least, that's the Hollywood version of it. The reality was not only more precarious for the settlers (what with the poor atmospheric conditions), but was just one of the many ways Native Americans were maltreated during the early days of the United States. A brave new world didn't benefit the Natives, who were forced from their land, and at best, were driven onto reservations where they were further maltreated by the Federal Government.

It's hard to do an episode like this and make it funny. Thankfully, Futurama manages to do it. Sort of.

The reasoning is that, while the show does joke about the Native Martians, there is a sort of flippancy with it. Neither side of the debate is spared from a mockery - the Native Martians are generally hypocritical and have a materialistic side to them, while the Settlers (or, more specifically, Zapp Brannigan, Leo, and Inez) broadly stereotype and insult the natives. Nobody is given a moral high ground. Thus, awkward as some of the dialogue might come off, there's also this taste that, well, nothing is sacred. It makes this episode much easier to swallow.

This episode, though, doesn't really make the main focus the message of the episode. In fact, it enacts with a bit of serious a more subtle, quiet message.

Way back when I first began reviewing shows, I covered an episode of Gravity Falls, "Dipper vs. Manliness." While I think it's one of the weaker episodes of the show, I did appreciate it's critique of what entails "traditional masculinity". Lt. Kroker is as far from traditionally masculine as possible - emotional, physically unimpressive, and literally boneless. (He's supported by a system of bladders.)

And yet, he actually gets the chance to be badass - flying a buggalo to save Amy, luring them out by setting up a bunch of explosions? Not exactly a task for the weak. What we see here is that Kif, despite not necessarily being that macho, is a great strategist who, despite being held back by his self-doubt, can actually kick some ass. In many ways, he is a far, far better captain than the Zapper - which is why Amy's folks tag Branigan along, causing the fatso to screw up a lot.

Because their universe is unfair.

Also, this episode finally takes a further move in the Amy/Kif dynamic. It's actually rather interesting to see Kif as the sexually inexperienced, somewhat meeker partner of the duo, whereas Amy has slept with at least a few other people (as per "I Second That Emotion") and is overall somewhat more adventurous. I personally find playing with traditional gender stereotypes like that rather intriguing (hell, Steven Universe is one of my favorite shows partially for that reason), and when done well, it's done really well.

If I'm perfectly honest, while I liked this episode, I didn't exactly love it. It's not the most memorable episode of the show, containing a somewhat weak plot. Also, while I found them alright in this episode, again, Leo and Inez sorta toe the line between "hilariously unlikeable" to "despicable", given their idiocy, their callous treatment of the natives (although, again, they aren't portrayed too sympathetically), and their implied emotional maltreatment of Amy. But I did get a few chuckles out of the implication that their marriage was based on money. ("With them stolen, we're ruined!" "OK - I want a divorce.")

But it does have some decent character development, and I guess the comedy was pretty funny. Works well enough for me for a viewing or two.

Tidbits:

• I liked how Zoidberg really cozies up to the Wong family largely due to their wealth, to the point where he calls Leo and Inez "mom and dad", steals their golf cart, and other insane actions. It borders on the annoying, but it really speaks to how pathetic the character is. Plus, in probably the closest thing to a moment of awesome the duo have, they get fed up and clobber the moron. Cruel it is, but if you had Zoidberg destroying your stuff, you'd probably snap, too.
• Gotta give credit to RJ's offering of a cigarette to Kif - and Kif's coughing up a lung - coming back to almost destroy Mars.
• It's also a testament to how much Farnsworth abuses his employees that the trio are not only forced to go with him, but they recognize the name of the game at this point. The senile old man has truly become a senile old crackpot.

Favorite Scene: Eh, gotta go with Kif's attempts to negotiate with the Martians.

Best Character: Uh, Kif.

Memorable Quote: "I am the man with no name - Zapp Brannigan, at your service." No prizes for guessing who or why.

Score: 7. It's OK, but certainly not outstanding.