Fry, Leela, and other women

The Futurama staff made it rather obvious that a Fry and Leela romance was a a major subplot early on in the series. Its very clear that Fry is deeply in love with Leela from Parasites Lost onward. Yet, occassionally the staff has Fry hook up with other women like the Lucy Liu robot despite his love for Leela. Why on earth do they do this if they took so much trouble to develop a consistent Fry and Leela romance subplot?

On or about 15 Mar 2003 13:54:33 -0800, Lee Ratner made the sensational claim that:

What are you gay? Seriously, unrequited love is the easiest to cheat on. Especially for guys.

You don't have to be straight to understand this one. Is Fry just supposed to stay at home and feel sorry for himself?

"toyzboy" wrote in message news:...

     I should explain my position better. This is more about
consistent story telling rather than morality, although since I'm a
strict monogamist there is an element of that in my criticism as well.
The writers of Futurama were very careful in creating a continuous Fry
and Leela subplot. It more or less started with a Flight to Remember
and continued in bits and pieces elsewhere. It finally became official
in Parasites Lost. The writers are not very subtle on this issue, Fry
loves Leela more than anything in the world. I think Fry's occassional
interest in other women is a weak point in the plot and writing.
     I will be honest that there is a moral element to my criticism as
well. Would you trust someone who said they loved you and tried to
court you but occassionally see other people? If I were Fry, I'd try
to court Leela for a certain amount of time and If I get know were I'd
be devestated for a while but I'd get over it.

Or, maybe a weak point in *Fry*, eh?

See, Fry's not really like that.

[email] (Matthew Miller) wrote in message news:...

This is a possibility but I see at as more of a week point in the writing for a few reasons. Mainly, he seemed rather faithful to his old girlfriend, Michelle, even when Michelle was cheating. Fry was written too be a good-natured, loyal doofus. He does jerky things often but nothing this jerky. Besides, the writers were very blunt with how much Fry loves Leela. The endings of Parasites Lost shows that FRy loves Leela even after her harsh rejection of him in his true form. In Time Keeps on Slippin, he was devastated afteer the divorce and after his message was destroyed. In Love and Rocket, Fry almost died for Leela. If a person is willing to die for somebody out of romantic love, I'd really doubt he or she would cheat.

Well, what is he like? Court Leela, fail, feel devastated, date another women briefly, feel devastated, repeat.

You'd be surprised, then. Turns out: people are complex.

Um, yeah, seems about right.

in article [email], Lee Ratner at [email] wrote on 3/17/03 12:06 PM:

I see your point, Fry does seem the loyal type. The main difference is that with Michelle, it would have been cheating. With Leela, it's not. Leela and Fry are not "together."

Well, yeah. What's he supposed to do? Court Leela, fail, feel devastated, play ping pong and ignore all future sexual offerings for the rest of his life?

petben wrote in message news:...

Okay, I'd admit that Fry is not cheating on Leela since they are technically not a couple. I still thionk its bad writing on the part of the staff.

That seems awfully unfair to the writers. Do you think all movies (for example) where characters do not behave in a way which you approve of are written badly?

[email] (Matthew Miller) wrote in message news:...

Nope.

it sure seems that way. So let me get this straight. You feel that the writers should just make Frys main goal to love leela? Unless your gay, I think men will aways find another girl if they are not together. Is it some crime that he likes other girls when he has none of his own, is Fry to feel lonely in life and let one thing take him down? Didn't think so. "Lee Ratner" wrote in message news:[email]...

news:...

are

"Lee Ratner" wrote in message news:[email]...

news:...

are

In Fry's particular case, it sure seems like you do.

"That Guy" wrote in message news:...

In Fry's case its because I consider the behavior too different from the way Fry usually behalves.

"Lee Ratner" wrote in message news:[email]...

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are

part

(for

of

All right then.

Maybe the writers know something about Fry that you don't.

in article [email], Matthew Miller at [email] wrote on 3/20/03 8:54 AM:

Except that Fry "usually" behaves in the very manner you say he doesn't. I mean, what evidence do we have to say he wouldn't go out with someone else if he were rejected by someone he loved? None, if you really think about it. And yet we have several instances of him looking at other women.

in article [email], Lee Ratner at [email] wrote on 3/17/03 3:19 AM:

I think your very different than Fry. Besides, those other women gave Leela something to be jealous of, which informs us (the viewer) of her true feeling towards Fry.

LooseChanj wrote in message news:...

No, don't make such a fucking big assumption.

Seriously, unrequited love is the easiest to cheat on.

Maybe if a person is a jerk but Fry's love isbn't exactly unrequited in the classic sense. Fry knows Leela loves him, she just has a very difficult time admitting it.

news:...

"Lee Ratner" wrote in message news:[email]...

If it hasn't been pointed out already, LooseChanj, I think, was quoting Zapp Brannigan from "Amazon Women In The Mood." (One of his best quotes.)

[email] (Lee Ratner) wrote:

And don't forget several flings with Amy before she got kipperred.

"It's the 21st century, but where are the flying cars. "There are no flying cars. "They promised us flying cars." Avery Brooks, IBM commercial

Actually that was only once and before he began actively pursuing Leela.

and after Amy started dating Kif.

JQM

"James Morrissey" wrote in message news:...

I was under the impression that Kif and Amy did not really start dating until Amazon Women in the Mood.

"The Green Goblin (the good Phil Urich one)" wrote in message news:...

I actually don't count Amy, Morgan Proctor, and Michelle as violating the Fry/Leela subplot since both occurred before Parasites Lost. In fact, I thing his breif fling with Amy helped Fry fall in love with Leela since Leela really helped him in a bad circumstance.

in article [email], Lee Ratner at [email] wrote on 3/15/03 1:54 PM:

So if you were in love with a woman who didn't respond to your advances, and Lucy Lui came around showing interest, you wouldn't "date" her?

In alt.tv.futurama on Mon, 17 Mar 2003 at 17:40:18, petben wrote :

Well yes, except that I'd insert a different name into the above sentence.

On Tue, 18 Mar 2003, Paul Hyett wrote:

I'd insert a different verb into the above sentence. -- L.Y.

"Luxury Yacht" wrote in message news:[email]...

advances, and

I'd insert a direct object into the subject of the above sentence. Repeatedly and vigorously.

"A Bag Of Memes" wrote in message news:JBUda.32010$[email]...

Each to his own. I'd insert it into Lucy Liu.

petben wrote in message news:...

I'd probably date her. If a woman I liked was not responding to my advances and another women was making advances on me, I'd date her. However, I would not actively look for other women.

"Lee Ratner" wrote ...

and

In the episodes since Parasites Lost, Fry has had it on with only 2 women: Lucy Lui, who was a robot, and his grandmother. With his grandmother, he was basically assaulted, so that wasn't actively seeking her out. With Lucy Lui, it was an offshoot of having his friends fulfill his fantasies. So neither really were active endevors on his part. in fact, all of his romantic situations have really been accidental on his part, except for Leela.

-Jay

Because the subplot would end when the relationship is consumated. How many shows that have centered around a potential romance die when the relationship becomes a reality? See Moonlighting, Who's the Boss, The Nanny, Living Single, etc.

"I would rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me" - General George S. Patton.