The following contains spoilers for Futurama season 12 episode 8, “Cuteness Overload,” now streaming on Hulu
Futurama Brought back some old characters for season 12, but their defining characteristics quietly break the show’s long-running timeline. The sci-fi comedy has a habit of bringing back many of its supporting characters in unexpected circumstances. This was never more apparent than earlier in season 12, with Futurama Episodes like these Squid games Parody “Quids Game” highlighting the flexibility of the show. For the most part, the supporting characters help flesh out the weird 31st century universe without interrupting the general flow of the series’ continuity. This strengthens the show’s universe without undermining it too often in unexpected places.
However, this is not the case every time as seen in season 12’s “Cuteness Overload.” While the episode has a greater focus on Amy and her family while throwing in some (dated) satirical references to collectibles like beanie babies, the episode also has a cute emotional storyline for a long underutilized minor character. The problem is that this also highlights a flaw in the Futurama Continuity, which undercuts a uniquely powerful element of Futuramas unique timeline. Although the central plot of “Cuteness Overload” is a tough emotional story, it does Highlight a serious flaw in Futuramas approach to the overarching timeline.
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The Orphans of Futurama break the show’s timeline
Over twenty years later, and the kids are still kids
Futurama Season 12 confirmed that the orphans introduced in earlier seasons were still children, although other episodes confirmed that over two decades had passed in the universe, Quietly breaking the show’s timeline. Introduced in season 2, orphans like Sally, Albert and Nina have been a frequent source of dark comedy throughout Futurama. Their malnourished lives were played for raucous laughs, and also illustrated Leela’s plight in the orphanage as a child. They’re all still there in season 12’s “Cuteness Overload,” where Amy visits the institution to teach her spoiled children a lesson, with Sally becoming Mandy’s friend.
However, it’s actually a contradiction that throws off the show’s internal timeline, and feels like an odd choice given the season’s focus on the realistic passage of time. “The Temp” confirms Frey’s vacation after season 3’s “Amazon Women in the Mood” happened over twenty years ago, and yet the characters have not visibly aged in that time. For the adult characters like Fry and Leela, Which can be explained easily with the futuristic tech and science of the 31st century. However, this becomes a harder point to argue when poor orphans are still the same age decades later.
Futurama has a great epic story that justifies a tight timeline
FuturamaThe main characters are great because of how much they have grown
While Futurama Uses the same kind of static storytelling that other animated shows like The Simpsons Or Family guy Relying on keeping the main cast consistent throughout the entire run of the show, The series also benefited greatly from a genuine passage of time Baked into the show’s narrative. Storylines like Fry’s role as the “Chosen One” work as well as they do because of the time the show has taken to develop them, steadily revealing over several years Fry’s importance and naturally building to all the different ways he has Saved lives across the cosmos.
The love story between Fry and Leela took years to develop to the point where they can now be in a stable and loving relationship, highlighting the years of development they needed to go through as people to reach this point. Bender may constantly revert to cartoonish villainy for the sake of an episode, but the steadily developing free will and agency he’s gained is more meaningful looking back at how he’s evolved. The show’s narrative is enhanced by the passage of timeThat reinforces the character’s growth. It may be status quo, but the characters have definitely evolved.
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The semi-static nature of Futurama returned in the 12th season
Why are Amy’s kids the same age as the orphans?
Because the Futurama timeline matters, It is important to note when it does not work. It undercuts that natural sense of growth and draws attention to the fictional nature of the show. Although there are some non-canon episodes like three-part anthology episodes that ignore it, the consistent timeline of the show has improved the overall show. Season 12 breaks continuity with the orphans, raising questions about how the orphans can still be the same age when the show has repeatedly reinforced the passage of time. It’s ironic that it’s an episode about Amy’s kids that reveals this problem, considering they emphasize the contradiction.
Take for example, Amy and Keef’s children. The children were conceived in 2004’s season 5 episode, “Kif Gets Knocked Up A Notch,” and gestated for two decades before emerging in their current forms. Season 11’s “Children of a Little Bog” emphasized this fact, with Amy referencing the years that have passed. However, the same period should leave orphans like Sally in their late 20s or early 30s, as opposed to the same age as Amy’s daughter. Only the memory of those years pass Makes the lack of other characters aging All the more obvious problems with the show’s internal logic.
How Futurama Could Fix Its Recent Timeline Problem
Actually aging some characters may bring new storytelling potential Futurama
The timeline problem with Futurama is a genuine concern for the showEspecially if it’s going to use the in-universe years that have passed for narrative purposes. It’s also something that can be explained easily, given the ridiculous nature of the setting. The world of Futurama is a weird and frankly silly take on sci-fi, brushing off the end of the world between episodes. A line of dialogue explaining the longer periods of non-aging could easily enough introduce a futuristic explanation, a throwaway gag that explains more about the universe with a well-placed and weird punchline.
A more creative and compelling change could really address the problem head onHowever. Younger characters may end up aging a bit, throwing new wrenches into the show’s dynamics. These kinds of changes worked wonderfully for Amy in “Children of a Lesser Bog,” which was one of the highlights of season 11. The age of the orphans also allowed Kubert and Dwight to grow older, introducing more interesting dynamics for the professor. and Hermes. Futurama needs to address the timeline problem it’s accidentally saddled with, and that could push the show forward in new ways.