Futurama Season 12 officially ends a great Leela Story that began in Season 1

The following contains spoilers for Futurama Season 12 Episode 5, “One is Silicon and the Other is Gold,” now streaming on Hulu

Futurama Season 12 brings Leela into the spotlight and resolves a plot thread that has been present since the earliest days of the series. Since Leela was introduced in FuturamaShe was one of the central characters of the show. As the moral and steadfast captain of the Planet Express ship, she plays an important role in straight man versus the more over-the-top adventures of Frey and Bender. Her biggest storylines have centered around the mysteries of her origins, the identity of her family and her long-simmering romance with Frey.

However, there were other aspects of the character that remained a key element of the character for decades but were never resolved. Season 12 of Futurama Has finally addressed one important element of Leela In “One is silicon and the other gold.” It’s a clever way to address a long-standing element of the character, and highlights the sheer growth the character has experienced over the years. Here’s how Futurama‘s Hulu revival resolved a major Leela storyline and how it should impact future episodes.

Leela’s Futurama season 12 storyline finally gives her friends

As Leela gets a long overdue social circle

“One is silicon and the other is gold” gives Leela a group of friends that will become a recurring element of Leela’s storyline going forward. The fifth episode of season 12 resolves a lingering problem with Hulu Futurama Revival by shifting focus to Leela. Specifically, the episode deals with the lack of close friendships Leela has in her life outside of a chatbot named Chelsea that she secretly talks to. To help improve this, Amy brings Leela to her book clubwhich includes Futurama Supporting characters like Hermes’ wife LaBarabra, the mutant Violet and Doctor Lauren Cahill.

The episode also introduces Phoebe, who is eventually revealed to be a robot controlled by Chelsea. As the episode progresses, the group becomes increasingly close. Leela, who in past seasons has been portrayed as emotionally closed off from others, opens up and allows herself to be vulnerable with the group. Their friendship is cemented after Chelsea seemingly kills Phoebe, with the women all coming together at the latter’s funeral (and then working together to destroy her when she reveals the truth). It’s a sweet turn of events for Leelawho was always lonely Futurama.

Leela’s loneliness has been at the core of her character since Season 1

Futurama Season 12 helps Leela overcome her initial solitary nature

Leela’s solitary nature has been a key element of the character for years. Even in the series premiere, “Space Pilot 3000,” Leela empathizes with Frey’s loneliness on a deep level. Flashbacks to her time as a young orphan highlight how she was ostracized by her peers and grew up without any close relationships. Her time at Planet Express changed all thatEspecially when compared to the way she acts around her former colleagues from her last job. She found love with Frey, discovered her family among the mutants, and connections to characters like Bender and Amy.

However, Leela remained largely friendless. Compared to the likes of Frey, whose birthday in “Kid’s Game” is attended by two dozen characters, is still isolated in her social life. This is what makes her friend group in season 12 more exciting than a plot development. It gives Leela some other characters to interact with outside of her work connections, and helps cement her place in the world. It also highlights how much Leela has grown as a characterTransforming from the solitary character of season 1 to a more emotionally open and mature woman in season 12.

Leela’s Friend Group needs to return in more Futurama episodes

Futurama Season 13 should bring back Leela’s book club

Leela with a core group of recurring friends is an exciting development for FuturamaAs it opens a wide range of possibilities for the character forward. It gives Leela other characters to bounce off of, and a natural reason to bring them all together. It helps that the group is largely composed of established characters, setting their unique dynamic to bounce off one another. This can be a great way for Futurama To further explore the female members of the castEspecially since the show’s second most prominent female character (Amy) is also among them.

The dynamics between the group could also be explored further. Leela and Violet both being mutants, but with their different experiences in the community, could easily be a strong emotional premise for another episode that brings them all together. It could be an opportunity for the show to expand on LaBarabra, who has only been a supporting player. Leela’s friend group is a good idea And a great way to showcase Leela’s growth over the course of the series. This is exactly the kind of development that the new seasons of Futurama Could use to expand the universe.