Futurama Season 13 TV Review: The Planet Express crew deliver a delightful package of timely, innovative, and absurd comedy
Plot: The ragtag crew of Planet Express embarks on another season of satirical storytelling, laugh-out-loud lampooning of current events, and warnings about how we’re steadily destroying ourselves!
Review: Good news, everyone! Fry, Leela, Bender, and the Planet Express crew are back for their 13th season, arriving just in time to celebrate the animated satirical comedy’s 25th anniversary and then some. Praise the God Entity, because the world needs laughter, and Futurama remains as sharp, creative, and funny as ever.
Season 13 of Futurama compiles an entertaining batch of episodes that indulge the show’s absurdist approach to contemporary issues, including the alarming heat death of our planet, our dependency on technology, and how facts and evidence no longer sate the torches and pitchforks of an uninformed minority of morons. In addition to lampooning disturbing societal norms, forgotten relics of yesteryear, and celebrities preserved in glass jars, Futurama Season 13 tests Fry and Leela’s relationship throughout the episodic run. This plot element leads to several challenging scenes, alienation, and questions about the couple’s loyalty and future. There’s even an episode that includes a twist so bold it baffles the mind to think that the data used as a plot device hides a dark truth about humankind’s survival.
Bender is also fully displayed this season, with several episodes highlighting his greed, insensitivity, and insecurity. One episode finds Bender taking D-roids, which help him grow to Kaiju-level heights for a clever tribute to movies like Godzilla and Pacific Rim. The new season also includes some palpable familial drama when Zoidberg loses his home and lives with Leela’s parents for a brief period. While Leela notoriously hates visiting her parents’ underground dwelling, Zoidberg loves it and becomes fast friends with Leela’s parental units. As jealousy turns to malice, Leela discovers a bizarre secret about her family’s biological makeup, leading to one of the strangest reveals of the entire series.
With lengthy gaps between seasons, it’s easy to imagine Futurama falling apart in the interim. However, the fact remains that the talented team behind the show is a well-oiled machine that keeps the characters and absurdity of the series close at heart, ready to stir the chemistry at a moment’s notice. I remain impressed by Futurama‘s ability to keep its finger on the world’s pulse and not feel preachy in the way it satirizes our societal failures.
An interesting aspect about shows like The Simpsons and Futurama is that they can easily feel trapped in a state of immobility. This means the characters don’t evolve, and nothing truly matters. They’re simply a vessel for jokes, but not much more. However, this season is one of the series’ most progressive offerings, with the storylines feeling more poignant than ever. As over-the-top as Futurama gets, it remains grounded by its ability to teach gentle lessons about where we’re heading if we don’t clean up our act. Some viewers might not like the idea of an animated series wagging a semi-judgemental finger in their direction, but you’d be surprised by how much the lesson sticks with you after the credits roll.
The mark of a good series is wanting more episodes after the initial batch is complete. Upon reaching the final episode of Season 13, I was ready for more, and I look forward to more episodes due to arrive next year. Futurama still has a lot to say and teach us, and has surpassed The Simpsons in many regards concerning character development and stories you can learn from. Don’t get me wrong, both have their place within the Matt Groening pantheon, but Futurama still feels exceptional, innovative, and endearingly ridiculous even after all these years.
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