======================================================================== ============= THE FUTURAMA CHRONICLES ==== EPISODE CAPSULE ============= ======================================================================== Official Title: Brannigan Begin Again Episode Number: 2ACV02 (#15) First Airdate : Sunday, November 28th, 1999 (8:30 PM) Written by : Lewis Morton Directed by : Jeffrey Lynch ======================================================================== = Additional tidbits =
Opening theme promotion : >> NOT Y3K COMPLIANT <<
Opening theme cartoon : "Pigs in a Polka" (1943) {mk}
28-Nov-99 Nielsen ranking: 7.9 million households (#42 for the week)
23-Apr-00 Nielsen ranking: 2.8 million households (#93 for the week)
MPAA rating : TV-PG-DV
Length minus commercials : [21:16]
Executive producer credit: Seperate
========================================================================
= Foxworld Synopsis =Womanizing Starship Captain Zapp Brannigan is court-martialed after he accidentally blows up the DOOP (Democratic Order of Planets) Headquarters and is stripped of his rank. When Professor Farnsworth shows pity and hires the down-and-out Brannigan as the newest member of his crew, Zapp leads a mutiny to overthrow Leela.
======================================================================== = Minutiae =
- The creatures on the 3D chess board are: H.G. Blob (1ACV02), a member of Dr. Zoidberg's species (2ACV05), Glab, the horsey, Murg (1ACV07), an Insectoid, a three-eyed Wormulan (1ACV13), a hammerhead (1ACV01), Lrrr (1ACV12), the pointy guy, and a long-nosed alien. - Fry appears to be winning. He has 6 pieces, while Bender only has 4 (not including the pointy guy). - As Bender's team attacks Fry, you can see Lrrr brandishing a long sword, and the Wormulan brandishing a small knife. The Insectoid flutters in the air briefly to get out of the way of the long-nosed alien.
- Outside Planet Express is the alien-language Slurm sign from
O'Zorgnax's Pub in 1ACV01.
- The couch has a bandaid-like patch on its left arm.
- Can anyone make out the title of Leela's magazine?
- Leela gives us another view of her strength by tipping Fry and
Bender
off the couch using a most inconvenient muscle. {thw}
- The oversized scissors are left-handed.
- The neutrals have grey tongues. {thw}
- The ceremonial ribbon seems to be tied on either end to hovering
posts.
- On the side of Zapp's ship, the number BP-1728 is written. What on
(or off of) Earth is it supposed to mean? There also seems to be
another number on the "dorsal fin" of the ship, although it is
incomprehensible on my tape. - There is an owl perched outside the old DOOP headquarters.
- While Zapp and Kif peer into a restaurant, you can see a cop on the
street writing parking tickets.
- As Zapp suggests himself to Hattie, there is a big sign behind him
that says "SEX." The colors of the lettering against the
background,
and the close relationship between its meaning and the implications
of the scene make it almost subliminal, so that you might see it
and
not even realize you saw it.
- You can see Hermes' office from the Planet Express lobby.
- Kif has stubble at the top of his head as well as his chin. Shaven
heads must be a social convention amongst green aliens.
- Bender has three aces in the poker game. Knowing Bender, those
aces
didn't come from no deck on the table. {thw}
- Two of Fry's cards look like the four of clubs and five of spades.
- Bender and Fry are sitting on fragile-looking boxes, and using a
'this-way-up'-box turned upside down. {thw}
- Just as Leela stepped off the gangway she flinched a bit and went
"ugh," then recovered, and then Kip fell flat. I presumed it meant
she was in shape, as opposed to the other slackards. {cw}
- In addition, her hair seemed to hang down a bit. {jr}- As a nice coincidence, Zapp's "White Flag of War" is also the flag of the Neutral Planet. (You can see one standing in the president's office.)
======================================================================== = Parallels to Science Fiction / Other References =
~ "Heavy Planet" (novel)
- Although I haven't read it (yet), this book by Hal Clement dealt
with a mission to a planet with exceedingly high gravity, and all
of the challenges that entail. It was republished in 1954 as
"Mission of Gravity." + "Midnight Cowboy"
- The bit where Zapp and Kiff roam the streets of New York,
complete
with the song "Everybody's Talking." {jk}
- Zapp looks like Jon Voight in cowboy hat. Kif looks like Ratso
Rizzo. Jon Voigt was a hustler (a male prostitute who services
women), which is very akin to Zapp's ego. {hl}
- "Everybody's Talkin," originally sung by Nilsson in the 1969
movie
"Midnight Cowboy." <http://us.imdb.com/Title?0064665> {sp} + "Star Trek: TOS" (TV show)
- A very nice spoof of ST:TOS's worst kept secret - William Shatner
wore a girdle during parts of the series. Very nice reference.
Also you do have to wonder how Kirk would have dealt with neutral
people. {dt} + "Star Wars I: A New Hope" (movie)
- The hologram creature quasi-chess game that Bender and Fry play
in
the opening was based on the game Luke and Chewy played on board
the Millenium Falcon. {da} [{jw} points out that it was R2-D2
playing, not Luke.]
- I believe this was also a reference to Battlechess, that old,
animated chess game, since the "pointy guy" looked a lot like a
bishop from that game. {an}======================================================================== = Goofs =
- Fry uses the "hey, I can't play chess" names for the knight and the
bishop. Still, he manages to give a quasi-correct verbal command
("Horsie to pointy guy 6") for a normal chess game, but on that
weird
board, the command makes no sense. {thw} - The closed captions refer to Leela as "Leila" throughout the whole
episode! That's the last time I rely on _that_ for spelling.
- The Planet Express ship can be seen "parked" outside DOOP HQ, but
it
is the wrong color. (A strong shade of green.) Also, it seems to
be
destroyed when the dome disappears. [It _is_ dirty later in the
episode ... ]
- Fry spots the reception table with muffins when he walks in from
the
wall directly opposite Glab's podium, and the muffins were to his
right. However, when he is shown running towards it, he is running
from the wall opposite the table.
- After Zapp points to the yarn people of Nylar 4, the statue behind
him disappears briefly.
- The wall behind Glab is not shown when the laser cuts through the
statue. (I realize this was a perspective issue, but hey ...)
- Zapp shot a lazer through the dome of the new DOOP headquarters
without decompressing it. {zz}
- The DOOP members all managed to survive the explosion, even though
the laser cut through the domed reception area. {rc}- The hose Fry is holding disappears right when Bender throws the sponge. (Maybe he dropped it and it fell to the ground?) - Fry's drawing of Leela doesn't appear until Bender points to it. - The "SLAM" button opens the door as well as closing it. <g> - The ship's cargo bay should not be next door to and on the same level as the cockpit. Note the curveature of the walls that indicate it should be near the bottom of the ship. Also, its length is perpendicular to what it should be. - Fry's cards change position in his hands, instantaneously. - Bender holds five cards, but only four are seen on the box when he puts them down.
- The White Flag of War flutters in the vacuum of space. {thw}
- When the Neutral president's advisor warns of a beige alert, the
president's desk is bare, but in the next shot, his decorations,
minimal as they are, are back.
- How did Zapp get the spacesuit on Kif so fast without lifting his
feet off the ground?
- How do you explain a device that can hover (the hover dolly), but
not
move up and down, and not raise itself when the level of the ground
underneath it rises (say, with the volume of a jacklifting robot).
- A shadow appears along the left-hand side of the Neutral Planet,
but
when the ship turns around, you can see the opposite sky and the
sun
is not there.
- If Leela couldn't get control of the ship, how did they manage to
steer it back to Earth? (And why didn't it keep going around in
circles until the two engine's energies balanced again?) {ddg}
- Bender's bucket moves when he gives Leela puppy-dog eyes.
- Fry's hose hangs under the railing behind him, but when he talks to
Leela it hangs under the railing facing Leela.======================================================================== = Extended Goofs / Technical Nitpicks =
Timothy Henrik Wille-J�rgensen: The pillows don't fall to the ground in the way expected from their weight. Their weight divided by their area perpendicular to the gravitational field is very large, which makes the air resistance very small. Considering that Fry can breathe the air, the air must have comparable density to the Earth's atmosphere. Therefore, the pillows should have plummeted like rocks. How's that for nerdy physics?
Actually, since it's a cartoon, shouldn't the real question be, why did the pillows fall before acute realization that there is no ground underneath them, and how come they didn't hold up a sign that said "Bye-Bye" before plummeting to the ground?
======================================================================== = Reviews =
Nate "Bender" Burch: Well, right off the bat, this was a Capn' Brannigan episode, so of course it's getting a good rating. Brannigan was pretty good, and probably had his best lines to date in this episode. His hatred of "neutrals" was classic, although he was perhaps a little too stupid at times in this episode. This was also the first episode where Kif was actually entertaining, and he was at the absolute hight of patheticness in this ep. Fry and Bender's lines weren't that great, as this was mostly a Leela episode, not that that's bad, in many ways she's a more interesting character, she's just not as funny. Of course everything wraps up in a neat little package, and we even get our action sequence, so not an overwhelming ep. but pretty solid. (B)
Brian Corvello: I thought this episode was very funny -- even better than the "Simpsons" episode that preceded it. However, I can only give it a B+ due to one little nagging problem. I really think that Zapp Branigan is being overused. I know he's a great villain, but the show is not even halfway through its second season, and he has been used three times (not to mention a joke about him used in 2ACV01), whereras villains with more potential -- such as Mom and Beelzebot -- have not been seen since their introduction. Not to mention the fact that Everyone would love to see some NEW villains (the Slug Queen was a good start, however). Now, I'm not cruel. I know that Zapp is meant to be a tribute to Phil Hartman (poor, poor, Phil ... I still miss him) but continually using this character is not going to bring him back! I am certain that Phil would have wanted the show to be successful; and overuse of a guest character is rarerly a good idea. However, when all is said and done, the episode was quite funny and a good watch. (B+)
Craig Wyllie: This is the first Futurama episode that falls close to my "don't really like" threshold. Just too much stupid stuff. I know that's a weird statement, but seriously, I like my sci-fi to have some plausability built into the storylines and character-plots, as opposed to utterly dripping with idiocy and implausability. I would like to have seen Kif stay with the crew, (and not be the bore that he is, didn't like that character development, nor the spinelessness, although the latter is in character with and explains why he is/was with Zapp for so long). I'd also like to see Zapp killed off in a deserving, quick fashion. Can't believe they're using Zapp as much as they have. Yuk.
"Spacer2000": This episode had me smiling through it for 30 minutes and somewhat after. I liked the wealth of aliens in this episode, it showed Futurama's sci-fi orgins. When it got to the country chicken lawyer I had to check my pulse to make sure I didn't die from laughter. The whole Zapp and Leela confrentaion was funny and a bit done but since the begining was so strong I give this episode an: (A+)
Yours Truly: It was decent. I'm still waiting for, IMO, a truly hilarious Season Two episode, yet. (B-)
Average Grade: [16/4=4] (B+) ======================================================================== = Final Thoughts / Comments =
Something tells me the line in the beginning about watching cartoons refers to the audience!
Joe Klemm: The ribbon-cutting scissors resemble a pair that is used at elementary schools.
Timothy Henrik Wille-J�rgensen: It's surprising that Hermes knows about a thousand-year-old show like "Star Trek." But, I guess, either Star Trek is worshipped as some kind of ludicrously-wrong-kult-kitsch thing by the Y3K generation X (likely) or it didn't go out of syndication until 2997 (even more likely). [Maybe Earth learned about it from the Omicronians. -ed]
That old boring rule about jurors having no involvement with the case seems to have dissapeared from DOOP rules. Also, did anyone else notice the huge satire on the inefficiency of court proceedings, embodied by the judge?
Only Fry reacts to Leela's admission to having sex with Zapp Brannigan. (Maybe everyone else already saw the web page.)
Zapp walks away in jerky, kicking steps after 'questioning' Leela (you can hear the squeaking of the space-age 'oh-it-can't-be- linoleum-in-the-year-3000' super-squeaky plastic floor material).
Brian Corvello: The race of The Neutrals is a reference to "Star Trek" and its spin-offs: The Federation and the Romulan Empire agreed to the designation of a "Neutral Zone," an area of space between their territories which both were forbidden to enter. Building the space station at the Neutrals' homeworld also reflects the United Nation's frequent tendency to hold summits at neutral nations, such as Switzerland or Iceland.
Apparently, Fry and Leela delivering those lugnuts to Chapek 9 (1ACV05) did more good than was previously believed. A Robot Elder from that planet was on the jury at Zapp's trial, meaning Chapek 9 has joined DOOP, meaning that the robots there have made peace with Earth. (Of course, there was no official proof that Earth is a member of DOOP, but seeing as the human Zapp is a member, and they are headquartered in New Jersey, it probably is.) So how come Fry and Leela never got any recognition for making peace?
Exactly why did Leela keep a child-sized spaceship on her ship? Is she moonlighting as a babysitter?
Haynes Lee: Amazons [are] a mythic race of female warriors who cut off one of their breasts so that they can draw thier bows.
Hattie must be a wealthy woman. In 1ACV10, she could afford a trip on the Titanic, and in this episode, she rides in a limo.
How interesting that Zapp refers to Bender's brain as "the old noodle."
"glooba" : My nephew spotted "Live Free
or
Don't" as we watched last weekend in New Hampshire. ("Live Free or
Die" is on the license plates in NH.) Pretty funny; I assume it
was
a take-off on NH.For some reason, this episode listed Matt Groening and David X. Cohen seperately in the executive producer credits, and DC got to go first. Maybe they want to give him more recognition. Maybe there was a mutiny on the staff. (This tradition lasts for 6 episodes, ending with 2ACV06.)
======================================================================== = Fun Stuff =
- [1ACV01] Hammerhead alien appears - [1ACV02] Horrible, Gelatinous Blob appears - [1ACV03] Owls seen - [1ACV04] The NIMBUS appears - [1ACV05] Robot Elders appear - [1ACV06] Other members of Zoidberg's race are seen - [1ACV07] Trisolians appear - [1ACV10] Zapp abandons a doomed spaceship - [1ACV11] The hover dolly appears - [1ACV12] Lrrr appears - [1ACV13] Glermo 2 appears
"In with the Oaf, Out with the Neutral"
"The Zapp Mutiny" {hl}======================================================================== = Voice Credits =
Billy West ......................... Fry, Professor Farnsworth,
Zapp,
Glermo 2, Neutral
2
Katey Sagal ...................................................
Leela
John DiMaggio ................................................
Bender
Tress MacNeille ..................................... Glab,
AmazonianMaurice LaMarche ....................... Neutral 1, Kif, Hyperchicken
Phil LaMarr .................................................. Hermes
= Quotes and Scene Summaries =
[Parts of this transcript was written by Leandro Pardini.]
% Fry and Bender are in the Planet Express ship playing futuristic chess % -- a game played on a circular board with holographic pieces % resembling alien creatures. Fry ponders his move, then speaks aloud: % "Horsie to pointy guy six."
% On the board, one of the holograms, an anthropomorphic horse, % approaches a green alien with a pointy hat. The two figures exchange % blows, and the pointy one looks like the winner, until the horse whips % out a knife and stabs his opponent to death. He kicks the dead body % away and assumes the spot.
% Fry leans back in his seat and says "Check." Bender ponders the board % for a moment, then points to Fry and yells "Get 'im, boys!" Half of % the holograms leap off of the board and tackle Fry to the ground, % where violent grunts and kicks are heard.
Fry: [recovering] Good move!
% End of Act One (0:22)
% Back at Planet Express, Fry and Bender are lying in the couch % watching TV, while Leela reads near them. Farnsworth and Hermes % enter, carrying a box.
Farnsworth: Good news, everyone. We have a mission to further the
noble cause of intergalatic peace.
Bender: Nope. Watching cartoons.
Fry: Sorry.% Leela lifts the couch and throws them out of it, and then turns to % face Farnsworth and Hermes.
Leela: What's the mission? Farnsworth: It's a delivery for the Democratic Order Of Planets.
% Farnsworth points at the package, that has "DOOP" written on it.
Fry: DOOP? What's that?
Farnsworth: It's similiar to the United Nations from your time, Fry.
Fry: [Confused] Uh ...
Hermes: Or like the Federation from your "Star Trek" program.
Fry: [Realizing] Oh!
Farnsworth: Tonight is the ribbon cutting for the DOOP's new
headquarters.
Leela: What are we delivering?
Farnsworth: Something without which no ribbon cutting ceremony could
proceed: the ceremonial oversized scissors.% Farnsworth takes the scissors off the package and hands them to Leela.
Leela: We'll get them there as quickly as we can. Farnsworth: All right, but don't run with them.
% The Planet Express ship flies to the New DOOP Headquarters, a big % space station floating in the Neutral Zone. They enter a section of % the station that is separated from the rest, where the ceremony is % proceeding; lots of aliens are are situated around many tables.
Fry: Wow, there's a million aliens. I've never seen anything so mind-blowing. Ooh, a reception table with muffins!
% Excited, Fry runs across the room. The host of the ceremony, a female % of the same species as Kif (named Glab), gives a speech. There's an % alien near her whose skin is gray and never shows any emotion: the % Neutral planet's president; the ribbon is right behind them.
Glab: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the ribbon cutting ceremony
of
the DOOP's magnificent new headquarters. A fitting home for
an
organization that has fostered peace through all the universe